Finishes

cerakote...

I don't think Cerakote or Beatcoat or any other coating type treatment is bad if put on correctly by a professional shop or trained person.
As posted it may get streaks or minor holster wear but that is common.
Not all handguns can be safe queens. ;)
I don't care for Robars Rogard treatment it nicks & scuffs quickly. I had it on the frame of a 96D & it would be soft, easy to mar. :mad:

Gun writer & tactical trainer; "Chuck Taylor" has for years supported the nickel-silver Metalife SS C treatment on carry/duty weapons. To get a pistol slide & parts treated is only $78.00 & pistol magazines can get Metalife SS C too.
I'm thinking I'd try Metalife on my next major firearm purchase.

ClydeFrog
 
Metalife is a hard chrome finish and thus, has a bluing white color like any other hard chrome. It does not have the soft, bronze hue of nickel plating and yes, as Bill posted, electroless nickel can be done on a bright polish. NP3 is nickel blended with teflon and as such, has that soft bronze luster.
 
In my opinion, some of the hard-chrome type finishes over steel are the best. I like the Wonder Finish on the higher end Tanfoglio guns. The Starvel finish on Star's pistols is quite durable. I've seen some P7's with excelent hard chrome finishes. These finishes, when done right, prevent rust fairly well and are more scratch resistant than stainless steel. They are also quite attractive.
 
Kydex is extremely hard on metal surface finishes
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"Extremely" is a little over board, contact point specific is more like it. Even then, depending on the gun and finish, its really not all that bad, and way better than leather.

My experience with leather has been, it wears the finish more overall, as it contacts more of it, leaving it looking washed out and thin over time. Some leather holsters wear the finish in contact points too, much like kydex. Kydex really only shows where it makes contact, and the rest of the finish is unaffected.

Where kydex really shines is, its impervious to moisture, and its easily cleaned when dirty.
 
If I thought for a minute that Kydex or any other synthetic was better than leather in any way, I probably wouldn't own a couple thousand dollars worth of the stuff.
 
The nickel finish on the S&W guns is beautiful. However, it does rust. I have a model 29 that the previous owner left in a sheepskin-lined pouch. It has rust marks in several places. Is it possible to safely remove them or do I need to have S&W refinish it?
 
If I thought for a minute that Kydex or any other synthetic was better than leather in any way, I probably wouldn't own a couple thousand dollars worth of the stuff.
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Give me your favorite shooter and your favorite leather holster for it, and let me wear it for one summer and then Ill give you another minute. EBay will help you recover some of that money. :)


I like leather as well, for some things. But if I carry and use something on a daily basis, it wont ride in leather, especially in the summer.
 
Perhaps you were using leather not fitted to your particular gun?
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No, all holsters model specific, and not cheap holsters either. Galco, Desantis, Bianchi, etc.

Season makes no difference.
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Season makes a major difference, at least for me anyways. Lifestyle adds to it as well. If you work in a climate controlled environment, and go from that to an air conditioned car when out and about, your likely to have a different experience than those of us who live and play outside.

I work physically outside, year round, and guns in leather holsters didnt fair well once summer arrived. The holsters were soaked wet through in the late spring/early summer and remained that way most of the summer, even when swapping out holsters every day. They dont dry out over night, and by dinner the next day, the swapped holster was as wet as the one the night before. Add to that, working in a dirt and dust filled environment, and a fair portion of that gets embedded in the inside of wet leather holster.

Like I said, give me your favorite shooter and its leather holster, even just for a month mid summer here, and even with daily care, youre not likely to like the looks of it, or the holster when it comes home. :)

Just to give you an idea, this was my last Royal Guard just before I sold it. It sat in a holster box a number of years just prior to the pic. What your looking at is about a month of daily wear in the summer, and the Commander above was riding in it for that month, just after I got it back from being hard chromed. The duct tape on the back was a feeble attempt as slowing down the sweat soaking through.

ry%3D400

ry%3D400


This is the last holster the above gun rode in, and the one that replaced the Galco above. Its on the right, and was used daily for over ten years. The one on the left was a new spare I bought and never used. In those ten years, I replaced the straps a couple of times, and somehow broke that small portion of the sweat guard off while working. That holster still works like it was new. Now compare the Galco above with one month of use, with the Blade Tech with ten years. Which one do you think is/was the better deal?

Ive bought a number of other Blade Techs for guns that replaced that one, and would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone. They make great holsters.

ry%3D400
 
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