Can refinishing hinder reliability?

[CX2]

I have been thinking about getting my Sig 239 refinished for a two-tone look. However, when I took the gun to a local gunsmith he said that he wouldn't do it because it would screw-up the gun's tolorances reducing the gun's reliablity.

I'm a novice to gunsmithing and plan on seeking further opinions. First-what are tolorances?-Can refinishing "screw-up" reliability.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Matt VDW]

Most shooters believe that a loosely fitted gun will function more reliably than a tightly fitted gun, since the parts of the loose gun are less likely to bind when dirty or slightly mis-aligned.

Adding an aftermarket finish adds an extra layer of thickness to a gun's parts. Your gunsmith must think that the extra thickness would make the SIG's parts fit too tightly.

IMHO, that's baloney. While some finishes might be too thick, something like hard chrome can be applied in a layer well under a hundredth of an inch thick. A reputable plater won't sell you a finish that's going to hurt your pistol's reliability. In fact, if the new finishes increases the parts' lubricity and decreases the need for lubrication, your pistol should be more reliable since it will have less oil in it to trap dirt.

BTW, I suggest having a carry pistol "de-horned" before having it refinished.

 

[pluspinc]

ANY time you take a gun apart and put it back together you can have a problem. So if you get it refinished make sure you give it a workout before you rely on it.
Also it can change some charactoristics so again you start as if a new gun and make it EARN it's place. I've never had much of a problem, but it can and does happen, but I've never heard it was so bad it couldn't be easily resolved.