cerakote type finish on revolvers - your take...???

I think it's an option. Cerakote basically is durable paint, so doesn't add much thickness and wont flake off in one piece like a plastic coating. If i was going to be in an extremely hostile climate for prolonged periods i would have even a stainless revolver coated, not that it would help the mechanical parts from seizing or prevent the bore from rusting but just to protect the gun as well as possible. The reality is a revolver thats rusting on the surface will still operate, it's the insides that are the concern. Those parts can be replaced as needed though, the frame and barrel , not so easy to replace. I don't think it looks bad if it's done tastefully, don't want to see any teal super blackhawks.
Long and short is; i can see it for certain circumstances but the main reason would be for a blued gun with a badly worn/pitted finish that wont be reblued.

The matte black version is actually just bluing over a blasted finish. I could be wrong but it should be way less than $475. The laser engraved guns should be around $800.

I'm a traditionalist. I don't want Cerakote nor any other painted type finish. I want steel, blued or case hardened. And nickel plating, no stainless steel nor aluminum for me. And no plastic grips for me. Either grips made of wood, bone, antler, or ivory. And no laminated birch wood stained or dyed and called some other wood. I do like brass at times and in certain applications, especially when coupled with fine walnut.

Now don't get all het up and on your high horse if you don't agree with me and prefer other metals and finishes. But for the guns that are of interest to me...........the fore going holds trud.

Bob Wright

Ceracote is a great finish for an aluminum frame on a carry gun like a 642. Not suited to an SAA.

Obturation said:

I think it's an option. Cerakote basically is durable paint, so doesn't add much thickness and wont flake off in one piece like a plastic coating. If i was going to be in an extremely hostile climate for prolonged periods i would have even a stainless revolver coated, not that it would help the mechanical parts from seizing or prevent the bore from rusting but just to protect the gun as well as possible. The reality is a revolver thats rusting on the surface will still operate, it's the insides that are the concern. Those parts can be replaced as needed though, the frame and barrel , not so easy to replace. I don't think it looks bad if it's done tastefully, don't want to see any teal super blackhawks.
Long and short is; i can see it for certain circumstances but the main reason would be for a blued gun with a badly worn/pitted finish that wont be reblued.

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thought cerokote was a ceramic sort of finish. meaning more durable than a paint finish and had ceramic type particles in it that make it very hard, scratch resistant and some corrosion protection. also some lubricating ability due the material and smoothness. also seems to not allow dirt, grime and carbon fouling and such to stick well to it from my experience with it in autoloaders.

for a modern hunting type revolver being used in damp wet and harsh environments with some harder use, I could see it being a useful coating. I dont care for it much as it tends to repel and not hold oils very well and I like old school nickel, stainless and bluing for revolvers myself.

BobWright said:

I'm a traditionalist. I don't want Cerakote nor any other painted type finish. I want steel, blued or case hardened. And nickel plating, no stainless steel nor aluminum for me. And no plastic grips for me. Either grips made of wood, bone, antler, or ivory. And no laminated birch wood stained or dyed and called some other wood. I do like brass at times and in certain applications, especially when coupled with fine walnut.

Now don't get all het up and on your high horse if you don't agree with me and prefer other metals and finishes. But for the guns that are of interest to me...........the fore going holds trud.

Bob Wright

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I agree with you on finishes for SA revolvers. For DA or duty revolvers, although I think aesthetically a blued finish looks best, I have no problem with stainless steel.

I don't particularly like Cerakote on any gun, but especially not on a revolver. It just doesn't look right to me.

A qualified - VERY qualified *Yes*.

If I'm to beat holy-hell outa the gun and its inherent value is not compromised - then maybe, possibly..... sure, why the hell not?

Otherwise, no matter how fashion-forward, tacti-cool or hip it is.... It is still painting a spinner and that smacks of 7 kinds of wrong to me.

For the average revolver, that is.

Interestingly, a pal has a *Jaeger* Dakota .45 SAA that his son let get so horrendously pitted externally that I suggested taking it to Robar since everything else about the pistol is so fine. Alas, that is how I found out Robar was closed. Maybe get him to Cerakote it himself or take it down to Wright's who seems to have taken over in Robar's absence.

Todd.

There is a very good cerakote shop near me and the technician told me that no matter what that turn line will be back.

I have almost accepted it on my Ruger Wrangler. Please tell the manufacturers to save the Ceracoat for their tacticool offerings.

ontarget said:

I have almost accepted it on my Ruger Wrangler. Please tell the manufacturers to save the Ceracoat for their tacticool offerings.

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I figure a Wrangler is one of those instances where an exception proves a rule.
I was initially taken quite aback upon seeing one for the first time and then really looked hard.

It keeps an otherwise fine looking firearm below 250 bucks.
It stupendously unifies several varied materials and their attendant finishes into a cohesive look.
It comes pre-loaded with *don't worry about me* written all over it. Like buying a pickup truck with an already dented bed.
It's very easy to touch up if you even care to.

Yup, took me about 20 minutes to warm up to the notion of a factory painted old-school revolver but now, I'm *all in* widdit.

Todd.

If the gun has “Cerakote” on it then the manufacturer would probably say it’s Cerakote. If they don’t say, it is probably not Cerakote.

I have Cerakote on an AR and I have it on a Winchester 94 carbine 30-30. It is tough stuff. I have never tried it on a revolver but if I ever came across a decent working revolver with a bad finish I would definitely try Cerakote on it IF the gun was a beater gun. I probably wouldn’t Cerakote a classic of any kind.

I am mostly bummed out about all black guns. An all black gun to me has no soul or personality. Plus the Libs and media are constantly attacking “evil” black guns.

Ceracoat is especially useful for guns that see rough handling, exposure to bad weather and/or little maintenance. Truck guns, kit guns for fishing and camping and those that are carried outdoors are all good candidates.

When and if Ruger lives up to it’s marketing hype I am very likely to buy a couple of bronze Wranglers. I say if because my LGS is only getting black ones and they are allocated.

20yrs ago I would've said "hell no". Nowadays, contrary to what usually happens with old farts, age has opened my mind. So for me, it depends. I'm not going to replace my blued steel beauties with coated ones but there is certainly a place in my heart and my accumulation for coated sixguns. In fact, I just took possession of a pair of silver Wranglers and a Ruger "Carryhawk". I wonder if that matte blued .44Spl Blackhawk of Taffin's is what swayed me.

If I had a blued revolver that has just seen better days but is a carry piece and will see outdoors work then I would consider coating over bluing. I am considering getting my 629 coated to a desert tan color.

I have done a fair amount of refinishing of many types of guns and several different finishes. If someone else is doing the finishing, one is as good as the other. If I'm doing it, I won't do cerakote on a wheel gun because getting the fits right afterwards is a gigantic PAIN. If it's the factory's pain, who cares?

That said, almost any time a big company uses "cerakote" and not a proprietary finish, they are contracting the work to the lowest bidder, who is going to use glass bead, not the aluminum abrasive that cerakote recommends, and an automatic blasting chamber doing a minimal amount of blasting, and 2 very light uniform coats all the way around.

This means there isn't a lot of finish to wear on the exterior and it doesn't have much to hold onto either.

My "factory" cerakote glock lasted all of 2 weeks of holster carry before bare metal was exposed. I made it 6 weeks before it was bad enough I had to refinish it.

My finish looked better after two years than the "factory" (not done by Glock) did after 6 weeks.

It's not cerakote's fault. It's not my first choice of finish, but it's damn durable when applied right.

Cerakote worked great for a Alloy J frame that was peeling the factory clear coat. Black Cerakote helped with the sight picture and the dark frame hides better in my pocket. O didn't touch the cylinder.

Probably about 50 years ago, a friend perfected the ‘powder coating’ process,, I think he electrically charged the metal before applying the finish.. I know at one time way back,,an Italian car manufacturer used it on some of their cars.... can’t remember the name, but I had one.. the finish was distinctive.
Anyway, when I saw all this fuss and hoopla about ‘cerakoting’, i wondered....After research I found it is basically ‘powder coating’/. Not judging it at all, cause back then, it was really good.

I prefer blued steel on revolvers, but I have also seen other options that looked nice, just not as nice.

jhb said:

thought cerokote was a ceramic sort of finish. meaning more durable than a paint finish and had ceramic type particles in it that make it very hard, scratch resistant and some corrosion protection.

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As far as I know, that's correct. I have a cerakoted rifle that's held up really well, it will pick up scratches and chips. Not sure how much ceramic is really in it, I think that's kind of a marketing thing. As far as I know it's similar to powder coating but I'm no expert.

Obturation said:

As far as I know, that's correct. I have a cerakoted rifle that's held up really well, it will pick up scratches and chips. Not sure how much ceramic is really in it, I think that's kind of a marketing thing. As far as I know it's similar to powder coating but I'm no expert.

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I think cerokote is a certain type and other brands have a slightly different type setup. like Xerox all copiers and copies made got called xerox back in the old days. i read the ceramic deal on the cerokote site but I'm no expert and really dont know for sure either. the pistols I have factory coated in it are pretty much scratch resistant and wear resistant in my use and carry. not scratch proof mind ya, but more so than other finishes like powder coatings or parkerized, blued etc. what seems to really matter is the application being done correctly from what I've seen on complaints and websites that do the process.

Several years go, I replaced a Bisley grip frame on a Ruger 45 Colt Blackhawk with a standard grip frame. I got a steel in the white frame as stainless frames were out of stock.

I used deep blue Cerakote finish on the frame. Looks pretty good.

I really have not handle and shot the revolver very much but the finish is holding up.

As a result, I plan to Cerakote a couple AR-15 frames in the white that I have.

While a rich blued revolver is a thing of beauty and a joy forever, some of the flashier colors offered on firearms these days are peaking my interest.

OneFreeTexan

My Dad use to know a former VW mechanic who worked at the factory in Germany. He said the factory back then (this was the early '70s), used an electrocoating method of painting their cars that sounded a lot like what was done with powder coating. The finish was fairly durable but a problem arose if a part needed to be repainted here in the U.S. as it was very difficult to match up the different paint finishes.

As to Cerakoting a revolver I would be more inclined to having it reblued. Guess it's just the traditionalist in me.