[trigga]

i'm thinking about getting some duracoat for two of my guns and was wondering if anyone is familar with this product. i've heard good things about it and was wonder if their matte/flat finish is durable enough for hunting use like fading, scratching, flaking. other than that satin would be fine.

[Deus Machina]

Never used it myself, but know quite a few people in another hobby that have.

Ever seen how paintball players play, diving around, sliding, and tumbling? Many of the 'old-school' players have adopted Duracote over the popular anodizing, and it's held up fine.

Those markers are treated far more roughly than any hunting rifle.

[Sam1911]

Duracoat is a decent paint finish. I've done several firearms with it and had what I consider to be good results.

The toughest version I have is where I applied it over a previously parkerized finish. The combination of the two makes for a pretty durable surface because the park'ed surface has so much "tooth" for the paint to grip.

Having said that, it does wear off of edges and ridges if you use the gun much. Also, by the end of the first range session, it will show the scratch line where the safety rubs the receiver if you're planning to do an AK. But no finish holds up to that, so don't let it worry you.

It also "builds" somewhat, so it should NOT be applied on any tightly-fitted surfaces. So, no slide rails, not to the frame horns on a 1911 where the grip safety rides (oops! :o), etc. If you accidentally get it anywhere like that, you get to find out how hard it is to remove once cured.

-Sam

[AndyJ]

Prep your surface properly.
Prep your surface properly.
Let it cure an adequate amount of time -- then add another week.

It ain't coming off.

[trigga]

well it's going on an 870 shotgun that has some rust and faded finish, next is a bare metal gsg5 i stripped down with aircraft paint remover, i'm gonna try the remover on the 870 too and see how that goes.

[Red Jacket]

DuraCoat build's up pretty heavy and can be "chippy" . Most of us have gone to Gunkote or Molycoat . Doing the 870 , slides and whatnot , I'd really look at the Gunkote . It's air dry in 20 minute's , oven cooked in a couple hours .

[Zak Smith]

We coat (some) suppressors with DuraCoat, and have done a bunch of rifles, and it works pretty good. Surface prep (we bead blast), cleaning, and a good HVLP spray gun (with regulated air pressure) seem to be key. CeraKote is more durable but is much more noxious to apply.

-z

[AndyJ]

I like Duracoat because I am familiar with it and it comes in beaucoup colors. I sand blast the parts first and then degrease. Follow the instructions closely and it will come out just fine. Gunkote is a hassle for long guns because you have to bake it on.

http://www.texasinterceptors.com/images/guns/dt5.jpg

[Roccobro]

The only flaking I've had with Duracoat was on an AK magazine that had cosmo in the cracks. 100% my fault. Rest of the mag won't chip even when tossed around.

Justin

[Red Jacket]

We used DuraCoat for several year's , you can certainly do a good job with it and it may well be better suited for "home job's" , particularly if you don't want to tie up your oven for several hour's . There are however products better suited for firearms . What I'm saying , is that if you havn't already bought the Duracoat , it might be worth your time to check around and take a look at them . If you've you've already commintted to Duracoat , guy's on this thread have covered it well . Let it sit till completly cured , then give it another week .

[prickett]

I recently bought a police trade in pistol that has quite a bit of holster wear. I'd like to Duracoat (or something similar) the slide. I'm guessing that coating is pretty thick though and wonder what I'd have to do with parts such as the front and rear sight, the extractor, various pins, etc. These are tightly fitted already, so the addition of a layer of "paint" would prevent remounting those parts.

How do you guys do it?

[Sam1911]

You definitely do not want to coat any of the pins, probably not the extractor, either. If the sights are adjustable, then no.

You'll actually want to completely detail strip the gun -- or at least any parts that would be exposed to the paint -- and block off openings with clay or maybe tape.

The coating is not microns thick. It does build a bit and can cause parts fit interferance.

-Sam