Metal Coating Choice for MAK-90

F

Fargazer

New member
My wife has a MAK-90 with some blemishes / slight rust spots on the receiver. We have a new set of Innovation Arms / Ironwood Designs furniture coming for it, and thought it would be a good time to get the metal refinished.

The emphasis is external corrosion and wear resistance, and ease of maintenance - with acknowledgement that there will always probably be a scratch under the safety. I'm not attempting to make this some sort of showpiece - I just want to reduce the maintenance of the finish as much as I can. The only other requirement is my wife's - she wants black.

Realistically, this is going to be a range and plinking gun; it's not going to see combat conditions, and it's going to get reasonable care. No soaking in mud pits for weeks or anything like that.

I am willing to spend the extra money to send it to a professional; the three I have in mind are
  • Robar Poly-T2, $250 (barrelled receiver) to $350 (internals also)
    • Expensive; however, I'm looking to eventually send them my Walther PPS and my HD shotgun; this would give me a chance to see what their service is like.
  • APWCogan, Cerakote, $250ish
    • Haven't been able to speak to them yet, Thursday is not a day they catch the phone. I'll call them Friday for more particulars and to get their recommendations.
    • I keep hearing about a FBI sniper rifle ruined with Cerakote, but I don't know enough detail to know if the circumstances of that incident even apply to an AK. One of my questions for APW.
  • CCR, Cerahide, $170ish or Ceraplate (asking if an AK qualifies and for how much)
    • Cerahide seems the best bang for the buck, assuming the Cerahide is reasonably tough. The Ceraplate might be the best bang for buck of the plating processes (vs. the "paint" types)
Offhand I'm leaning toward CCR, simply from a cost / benefit ratio. Any other thoughts on a coating for the AK, either of these, or of others I may not have mentioned?
 
Any one of those is far better than the paint original Russian AK's were finished with.

If you have patience and want to do it yourself, you could apply Lauer Duracoat, with is a two-part epoxy paint.
You'll get a great job with any of the pros.

APW/Cogan is possibly the top gun finisher in America. They'll tell you the honest straight of it.
My buddy just bought a total custom long range rifle that cost over $10,000.
The barrel is from one of America's absolute top custom barrel makers who makes barrels for some very high speed-low drag anonymous people and for high end Match shooters.
The barrel is finished in Ceracoat.
 
I assume yours was blued with chrome carrier/bolt like most other MAK90s?

If so, a rattle can job would probably be a better rust preventative than that original blueing.

The coatings that you mention should be quite good.

The Brownells bake on coatings are an inexpensive alternative, too. You just have to find an oven that will hold the parts. I've used these on gun and motorcycle parts with very good results.
 
Robar is local to me, and I have done business with them several times. They are polite, professional, and do excellent quality work. I have not used the Poly-T2 yet, but have had several done in NP3, and also had them do some bead blasting work.

A little pricey, but worth every penny, IMO.
 
I too have had work done by Robar on my H&K P7m13 pistols ,they are expensive but do a great job. On a run of the mill Mak 90 I would go Cericoat or Duracoat ,and save the cash . there are pleanty of AK builders /gunsmiths that will Park first and Cericoat a AK for $150,and they do a nice job too .
 
Well, decision is made. As soon as the various parts arrive (probably early November - see below for particular pieces), it is going to APW Cogan for the following:
Since it has to be disassembled for cerakote application, they said adding drop in parts is minimal trouble, so I'd rather have experienced professionals pop them in, easy as it might be.

My wife decided she didn't want any red dots, flash suppressors, or the like - iron sights (though a bit improved) are what she wants. Lean and simple.

The deciding factor was talking to Duane at their shop; he was quite enthusiastic, and it was a bit contagious. I figure I'll be able to send it in early November, and I'll probably get it back mid January - I've got good feelings about this :)
 
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