[FromMyColdDeadHand]

Probably over kill, but I like the durability, thinness and cleanability of hard chrome, but not the flashiness on the outside. Anyone ever chromed the internals and rails, but had painted the outside of a pistol? Could you even mask it? I would assume you'd chrome it first?


Probably the dumbest first post ever, but I was thinking about how the bolt carrier in an Ar15 is chromed in the area that hold the bolt itself.

[Oro]

Consider matte hard chrome? It is a rougher finisher and looks dull grey. Definitely not flashy. I had a S&W done that way years ago and it is phenomenally durable.

I think you will have trouble doing what you want, since hard chroming will be to the whole frame/barrel/etc. - you'd have to strip it off the exterior to apply a new surface (very wasteful), or paint over it (gonna look thick and sloppy and probably flake off).

Maybe you want an NP3 coating, but I think that's a silver color too. Maybe look into Tennifer and Melonite (same thing, just who licenses the process) I think they come in dark "tactical" colors. Tennifer is what Glock calls it on their guns, "Melonite" is the same process licensed elsewhere, as on the new M&Ps by S&W.