durable pistol finishes?

D

Dr.Rob

Staff Alumnus
I was podering changing the bluing on my FEG hi-power for something hardier... the bluing is wearing off of the heel of the grip from repeated use/firing (this is where the gun touches my hand the most)

Any thoughts on thick duarble finishes suitable for moisture/abrasion resistance?

Nickel/Parkerizing/"tennifer" or other wonder-stucco?/Hi temp epoxy paint?

I'm thinking of CCW'ing the hi-power and NOTHING wears a finish faster than rubbing clothes and salty sweat.

Any and all thoughts are welcome.

Also when you nickel plate/otherwise finish a weapon you add a bit of thickness... so do the internals tighten up as well?? or does the nickel only go on the outside??

Dr.Rob
 
I've had good luck with Metaloy's hard chrome. Extremely hard finish (about Rockwell 70) that is resistant to scratching and corrosion. If protection from sweat/moisture is more important to you than scratch resistance, check out Walter Birdsong's Black-T finish. It is self-lubricating and requires no maintenance. It does not wear as well as chrome but is quite durable. I have guns with both finishes and like them a lot.

Best,

Jeff
 
ditto Metaloy and BlackT- good finishes and priced right. Also check out Bob Cogan's finishes, specifically the hard chrome www.apwcogan.com -Bob an his crew do excellent work also.
 
I love the hard chrome finish on my beretta 92G Elite. i don't know who did it since i bought the gun used with the finish already on it but it looks really nice. i hear its one of the strongest finishes there is.
 
Robar NP3 is the most durable finish on the market today, bar none. Of course, the price reflects this. Next in durability is hard chrome, but the light color and reflectivity doesn't lend itself well to a combat firearm.

Personally, I like the moly-based spray on polymer finishes, like Black T, Norrels Moly Resin, Metacol III, Brownells Alumahyde, etc. They are cheap, very thin, very durable, easy to apply and are self-lubricating. When your gun does show some wear, all you need to do is touch it up.
 
BB and others -

A question for you experts: I thought hard chrome could be a darker finish, not at all like the very shiny ornamental chrome used on cars (as an example). Am I misinformed? Thanks.

[This message has been edited by RWK (edited September 06, 2000).]
 
I've done several pistols and a rifle in Norell's Moly Resin (see http://home.flash.net/~gavin1/refinish.htm for details). Its a great finish, looks very professional, and is almost trivial to apply yourself, particularly to a handgun. Tool costs are about $20 for a cheap airbrush. The finish shows some holster wear but other than that has been very tough and low maintenance.
 
On a FEG to have a professional finish applied would cost nearly what the gun was worth. ScottS suggests Mac's job and I believe he has a special going for the MoS2 (molybdenum disulphide) for about $100. If you are handy I know many people who have had good results from the Brownells 'shake and bake' process.

BB, I assure you that NP3 is not the most durable finish on the market. The toughest is by far TiN (Titanium Nitride) followed by hard chrome such as Armalloy or Cogans work.

RWK, the shining show chrome is not an industral hard chrome. The shinyness of the finish is the degree of polish applied to the base metal. If the piece being plated is not polished the chrome finish will be dull. Most guns are bead blasted before a finish is applied. The best chrome finishes are done in multiple layers. A base of copper, with nickel over that, then chrome. That applies to gun finishes as well, putting the hard chrome over nickel. Black chrome is also available though it is not a hard chrome.
 
I own a hardchromed Witness 9mm. It rusts.
I own a 1911 with NP3. It wears off.

Even though it wears off (I shoot and carry my guns alot) I will be sending ALL of my guns to Robar for NP3, even my stainless Rugers.
(It goes on the whole gun except titanium parts and in the bore.)
www.robarguns.com


------------------
"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
I've had good luck with Bob Cogan's hard chrome finish on some of my carry guns. I seen to sweat acid but Cogan's finish has heldup to several years of use without any problem. The thickness of plating is so thin that it makes no difference on your fitting.
 
I stand corrected. Chrome is harder than Np3, which is nickel. I wasn't aware that anyone was TiN plating handguns.
 
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