What is up with the Cerakoting trend?

Cerakote, DuraCoat, or whatever coat, don't forget that preparation of the surface is the key to a durable coating - that won't flake and peel off! Wearing like iron is no good if it doesn't stick to the surface.

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this. I built three AKs several years ago.. then ran into financial problems due to the recession. I could not get them finished until last November. I got a great deal (all three barreled actions for $180 shipped). The guy did a fantastic job. But to the quote: before I shipped them, I baked/aceton'ed three times with a change of powderless rubber gloves between each dip, and then wrapped them and put them straight into the box for shipping. I am sure that they also prepped them before coating. They came out great, and the folks I have showed them to can't believe I built them.

I just wonder if these people are taking as much time training as they are pimpin guns

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They never have.

They never will.

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Ouch! The first statement seems to be meant as a insult to those that spend money on getting nice finishes on their guns instead of spending the money on ammunition and on the range.

I think the second statement isn't meant to be as harsh as it sounds.

I have a three guns that are candidates for refinishing. The first is a CZ82 which has a lot of holsters wear and the paint type finish has peeled off the slide in places leaving bare metal exposed. I don't see how refinishing it to prevent future rust and pitting is "pimpin" it.

The other two are 1911's. One is park mil-spec that I have had a lot of done over the years including stippling the frame. The rework is protected currently with cold blue which we know is not very durable. Al I have left to do on it is add a beavertail grip safety after which I want to have the entire gun refinished.

The third I just want to have hardchromed.

However the point is well taken. I will be the first to admit that spending the money on ammo would help my shooting skills although at my age not as much as it may seem.

Honestly, I dont know of the OP is talking about simple one or two tone refinishes, or painting guns to look like race cars and WWII planes...

It is fun ,I customize my air rifle with Kralon Fusion for plastics .

I just did an enamel job on the slide of my Taurus 709 to repair the finish.

Rust-o-leum black enamel, baked on, looks better (IMO) than the weak and thin factory finish that managed to rust through in several spots after sweating through the holster. Cleaning it ended up taking off a large portion of the finish on the slide, and I wasn't going to splurge for a new slide from Taurus, nor pay to professionally reblue it. Time will tell how long the enamel lasts, but on an inexpensive piece, why not do it when the alternative is vastly more expensive?

Also painted the pistol grip, handguard and a magazine for my AR.

It seems that sometimes people with ugly guns are trying to convince themselves they are somehow superior. But there is no reason a pretty gun can't be reliable and practical, and no reason that a person with some sense of aesthetics can't be an excellent shooter.

And training with who? And training for what?

I see a lot of people spending a lot of money to put bullets downrange in carbine, pistol and shotgun courses, training for Falluja, or something that is even more unlikely to ever happen to them. And a lot of the high priced trainers have never even been in a gun fight, what's up with that?

browningguy said:

It seems that sometimes people with ugly guns are trying to convince themselves they are somehow superior.

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Recently I saw someone trying to shoot a digital camo Glock turn his nose up to the guy with the PT92 that had very little of the factory finish left. The glock looked much nicer, until I looked downrange at the targets. The guy with the PT92 was shooting the corners out of the center diamond on a redfield sight in target (he later punched out the center). The guy with the camo glock was shooting patterns. The snobbery goes both ways.

When the OP mentioned "pimping guns" I was reminded of MTV's "Pimp My Ride" and CMT's "Trick My Truck," which mainly consisted of useless modifications and a flashy paint job, so those are the guns that came to mind. The ones that owned by someone who customizes more than they shoot. I'm sure we all know someone who does it.

"Pimping" everything is in our culture now. Just look at the cell phones people carry around. I blame the French for this.

GoWolfpack said:

The nerve of those people, having different priorities than me.


Lighten up, Francis.

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Thought that was a Dirty Dozen reference at first glance- but actually Stripes... Both, of course, are great movies.

France is far away and overrun by Muslims. Let's give them a break. Besides we can always get the same superior feeling by just blaming Canada.

Hmm. May have to Cerakote my 1322 after I'm done customizing it. Krylon Fusion for the plastic bits.

The fact of the matter is that citizens of the United States are by and large very individualistic. There is always going to be an urge among a large percentage of people to make their objects reflect their personalities in one way or another, especially when they hold such objects to a certain regard.

You could see this in the past amongst those who had a large amount of disposable wealth and having finely engraved and inlaid guns. The rising amount of people Duracoating and using other such coatings isn't about some hidden subculture rising up, it's entirely about making customization available to the average person. They can have a firearm that is personalized for tens of dollars instead of hundreds of dollars.

I have to roll my eyes at the almost cut-and-paste responses every time a thread comes up about firearm personalization about how people don't care about how it looks and how this person with a gun that was bare metal and had a birds-nest in the ejection port out-shot the guy with a gun made coated in unobtainium and so on an so forth just as much as I have to roll my eyes at the person saying their gun is better than another because it has the latest camouflage and so on and so forth. At the end of the day, it's just another personal decision.

For the record, I'm a magpie and like to have my things look a certain way. I don't disparage others for wanting to keep their guns stock, and all I ask is that people don't disparage me for liking to personalize my stuff.

Of course, this doesn't apply to legitimately helpful advice such as avoiding coating buildup on areas critical for function like the inside of the bore, or the potential negatives to having punisher grips on a SD/HD gun, just the inevitable deluge of busybody responses that flood the board when somebody talks about personalizing a firearm.

I am absolutely certain that there are just as many, if not more, people with completely stock firearms that have a lack of skill when it comes to shooting their firearm as there are people with personalized firearms that have no idea how to shoot those.

I am absolutely certain that there are just as many, if not more, people with completely stock firearms that have a lack of skill when it comes to shooting their firearm as there are people with personalized firearms that have no idea how to shoot those.

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I've got a brother-in-law who owns a Savage 22LR. He spent the money to get it a custom paint job, and it does look great. He's the only one of his brothers who has a customized firearm.

His older brother seems to buy guns as a way to show off his income. He spent something like $3500 buying two complete RRA AR15s during the height of the panic. I hear he still hasn't taken em out to the range; he keeps talking about how ammo is "sold out everywhere." I went to the range with him once and he emptied a magazine from my Glock 19 at the ten yard line. I think we counted about eight bullet holes (yes, eight out of fifteen) in the fresh target. Yet every time guns come up in conversation, this guy would have you believe he's John Browning reincarnated.

So yeah, if my own experience is any indication, I'd say you're probably spot-on.

Don't go on Glockstore.com ......

Just don't ....
They have rattlesnake blonde wood rosewood zombies skulls US flags & nearly every color/shade out there.
Getting; wrong house on the muzzle is extra.

Really, the customizing is okay. Americans love to bling out nearly everything. Truck-nuts.
Glocks are almost perfect for the custom lover or pro armorer. See; www.customizeyourglock.com . Author Morgan Boatman details nearly every tip, trick & upgrade for the Glocks. His late father, Robert's Living With The Glock is a great read too. Boatman explains how Glocks became popular & why the US shooting sports industry came to love it.
I plan to get Metalife for my police trade in 21 .45acp model. I like the price, delivery time & reviews. My gen 04 Glock is a newer version with the US charcoal grey color with the annoying streaks & spots.
It's not rust or holster marks. It wipes away too but I just like the Metalife. Bearcoat from Rocky Mountain Arms & Robar's NP3 Plus work well on Glocks.

It seems like everywhere I look people are changing the coating and the grips of their guns especially on all the FB groups. It seems a couple years ago, I had almost never saw someone customize there guns to this extent. I just wonder if these people are taking as much time training as they are pimpin guns.

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Yes, because Facebook is where all the serious gun owners turn to for updates on the latest trends in firearms.

How dare these people apply corrosion-and wear-resistant finishes to their gun? The next thing you know, they'll be dipping them in some kind of bizarre phosphoric acid solution. That's just crazy talk.

And grips! What part of "one size fits all" do these people not understand?

I think it's kewl. I went to Cabela and it was amazing how the bright orange GI .45 jumped out in a case full of grampa guns.

Haven't competition guns always ended up looking that way? Friends would paint the stock, put stickers on them, and in general individualize them. I had a friend with who painted her rifle super bright yellow with different sizes of Visitor stencils in purple. That was years ago. She had fun painting it, and shooting. Why limit that to competition guns?

Cera-koting allows for a very tough, durable finish to be had over what is often a cheap, non-lasting factory finish. Durakote started the trend, but their finish is soft, never really lasting a long time. Cerakote holds up 1000% better. You now have some manufacturers like Kel-Tec even going to Cerakote in the factory for certain different colors.

In my opinion, anything that gets people interested in shooting, or keeps their interest in shooting is something that needs to be supported and loved. If getting someone a pink 1911 gets someone to the range to shoot and practice, color away.

Do they spend as much time training with their guns as pimping them?

Do Americans take their hot rods to the track, or just park them in car shows on Sunday? When was the last time you heard of custom car show winners battling it out on an oval or road course? Do the Detroit Autorama winners participate in drag, top speed, and braking tests to compete? Do I have to mention some of those show cars use plastic engines and couldn't move under their own power no matter what?

Americans indulge in showboating their possessions a lot more than actually using them for what they were intended. The entire "tactical" industry exists in depth because wannabes buy the stuff to use as casual wear evenings and weekends. "Assault" watches are promoted on kickstarter campaigns based on the fact that most of the buyers aren't in the service and won't ever see harm's way. They would rather strut around looking like they are harm's way.

One of the trends picking up stateside is wrapping ornamental tape on your AK, something that has been going on overseas for years. We might think of it as going too far, it's apparently quite common: http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2014/05/29/paki-tape-available-echo-nine-three/

Of course, those guys actually do use their guns. As do some who cerakote. Me? I brushed on color matched quick dry laquer with clear over it to get rid of the cheap tackycool black that the US Government resorted to after adopting the M16. The originals didn't have it - black is an ornamental peace time color used to make the weapon visible. It's obviously not camo. As the text points out.

As opposed to this. And that's on a white background. Putting it in the field makes it even more so.

Ever see a dancing black rifle suspended in mid air, gleaming with oil in the mid day sun? No? You haven't trained enough, and haven't been paying attention to what is right before your eyes. When troops are effectively camo'd, that is the primary thing you see if the weapon was ignored in the scheme. Better it be rattle canned (which is the official way to do it in theater, with instructions per Army.)

Camo print material glued to the M16 was commonly used in Vietnam among Rangers. SF, Recon, etc. Surf the net: http://www.ar15.com/archive/topic.html?b=10&f=18&t=638948 Note the black shiny rifles vs the camo patterned one.

Which should you carry?

So, up to a point, getting your rifle in an appropriate color for your local field use is a better way to spend money than buying another accessory that doesn't really do much - like a trigger guard or charging handle.

Deep black anodizing or highly polished blue is pimping, cerakote is doing it right.

Tirod said:

Deep black anodizing or highly polished blue is pimping, cerakote is doing it right.

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BWAAHAAHAAA,
Thats good, I needed that laugh.
Good to know that I should take my polished blued guns and cerakote them so they are done right
I'll start with my 1967 Colt Diamondback, get that "pimp" royal blue job off of it....so I can do it right with a cheap and easy sprayed on finish in some garish crayon color.
To each their own, but...No.

Looking back at the history of engraving firearms, and the several coffee table type books I have on firearms that are filled with pictures of guns that can only be described as works of art, I am of the opinion, that people, throughout the ages, have always customized their guns, swords and knives.

Nothing new, nothing to get alarmed about.

It's a trend. Don't worry, I heard next year it will be reversed electro carbon treated laser coat, or just RectlCoat for short.

Tirod said:

Do they spend as much time training with their guns as pimping them?

One has to wonder exactly how much personal time an owner actually spends "pimping" a gun. Creakoting is done by someone else. Grips and other parts take only minutes to change. It's not as if they're putting in the time rebuilding a four bolt main up into a full blown monster engine.

Americans indulge in showboating their possessions a lot more than actually using them for what they were intended. The entire "tactical" industry exists in depth because wannabes buy the stuff to use as casual wear evenings and weekends.

Good point.

So, up to a point, getting your rifle in an appropriate color for your local field use is a better way to spend money than buying another accessory that doesn't really do much - like a trigger guard or charging handle.

Another good point.

Deep black anodizing or highly polished blue is pimping, cerakote is doing it right.

Not sure I agree with this...anodizing/blue polishing for appearances and protection ain't any different than cerakoting, when you get right down to it. In fact, if anything, it's the opposite of what you're saying, what with the scads of colors and patterns available for cerakoting.

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Comments in color.

Yeah, given the predeliction for "Dewalt" ARs, Hello Kitty, etc, things can go too far. Or, are they? If it's a presentation range gun, does it really need to be camo'd - or for that matter, why does it need to be engraved, gold chased, and encrusted with gems?

Either way it's the owner's ego getting involved. It also goes the opposite, too - no embellishment whatsoever, totally committed to an absolute tactical standard, all for a rifle someone might plink with or take hunting. Plenty of ornate and highly polished guns seem to take down deer and ducks despite our objections to the finish.

Point being, when somebody points and cries foul, it's generally a conversation and mind opener to explain their objections may actually be someone else's justifications. It doesn't have to change our minds, but it can help in seeing the obvious - we are all gun fans and being deliberately divisive isn't a good thing in the long run. We all stand united or fall divided.