What's the best gun finish? ...

W

woodchuck4950

Inactive
New to handguns - more a rifle/shotgun guy - rather partial to steel and real wood. Looking to purchase first handgun. Taken an NRA handgun class, sampled a number of different weapons/calibers and have pretty much decided on a SA in 9mm or .40 SW. Enjoyed shooting both the Browning HP, Sig P226, with a slight nod to the Sig. Did not care for the Glocks or S&W polymers. Beretta 92's and CZ-75 both look intriguing, but have not had an opportunity to take one for a "test drive".

So I'm curious, for a HD/CC pistol, what is the best finish... Blued Steel? Stainless? Nickel Plate? Epoxy? Curious what looks good, holds up best over time, easy to clean/maintain? Any insights would be most appreciated.
 
I think the best in terms of long-term resilience...>

...is polished stainless steel. Whilst it can be scratched it can also be refinished by the owner with readily available polishing compounds. Brushed or matte stainless steel is more difficult to refinish well. With stainless steel there's no surface coating or plating to wear off and the material is very resistant to corrosion. Easy to clean. You can use the very effective "Lead Away" type cloths to remove heavy fouling on stainless steel, but not on blued finishes.

On the BHP the silver chrome finish seems to be very long wearing. Easy to clean. It is however a plating, albeit a tough one, and it can be scratched through/worn away given enough wear & tear. Not readily refinished by the owner.

Nickel plating is tough and reasonably long-lived, but the plating can lift and flake off if corrosion gets a hold underneath. Much depends upon the quality of the preparation and plating, as well as the storage conditions. Not readily refinished by the owner.

Blued finishes can look great if done well but the finish will wear reasonably readily. Blued guns will also rust if subject to moisture/humidity.

I'm not familiar with other finishes such as Parkerising or the newer epoxy-type coatings.

Then there's the Polymer pistols with their own characteristics of wear and resilience.
 
Last edited:
Blue steel gets a bad rap these days but still is a highly viable finish. It's less visible than shiny finishes and durable if you take care of it. Almost all of my old guns are blue or parkerized and the finish has held up well. Even old war veterans and many from the 1970s.

The Hi-Power comes in a black epoxy finish that's extremely tough and cheaper than stainless. My '89 HP is holding up very well. If you want a single action 9mm or 40S&W, the HP is the finest ever made.
 
I had a Sig 226 that was Robar NP3 finished. What a great gun. The NP3 was a nice satin looking finish and it almost felt like a teflon coating on a frying pan. Very smooooooth. It felt so smooth that it didnt need to be oiled.
 
The factory silver finish on the HP is actually hard chrome. The only finish that is tougher are the nitrided finishes. Stainless is also great.
 
function finish

I chose/choose a 'finish' for its rust resistance, wear resistance, and durability.

Of my personal guns: I most prefer Robar's (proprietary) NP3; it is virtually impervious to rust, it is very 'hard' (its electroless nickel -different than 'nickel'-- Rockwells over 50C) for wear resistance, and it provides self-lubricating properties.
I will not use any other finish at this time.

Hardchrome (different than 'chrome') provides some rust resistance (but mine rusts, and so do other's guns), is very hard for wear resistance, and provides a bit of slickness, although it is not self-lubricating.

I have one 1911 finished in an electroless nickel/boron carbide, and it (so far; less than three years yet) has not rusted whatsoever; it is very hard for wear resistance, and it, too, 'slicks' things up but is not self-lubricating. I chose it simply to test.

So far, no finish impresses me more, nor calls for my own money more than NP3.
It remains my personal "Best" choice.


I don't care about appearance at all......
 
If you want your handgun to look like new at 5, 10, or 25 years of age, a polished stainless steel finish will be very hard to beat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top