1911 Finish

[FastMover]

Guys I need some advice. My Kimber Classic Custom is overdue for a refinish. My question is what should I get done?? I'm not a fan of spray on finishes as then tend to flake and chip. I'm looking for the following traits:
#1 It has to be ultra durable.
#2 It has to be dark in color and preferably a slight gloss look to it.
#3 It has to be affordable.

I have thought about Melonite or IonBond's DLC. Any thoughts on either of these finishes??

 

[Kingofthehill]

Ion Bond is top shelf!... i love it. Im also a fan of Cerakote. I have an Ion Bonded Fusion 1911 thats carried often and isn't showing a single bit of wear. The Cerakote is holding up amazingly well too.

I won't ever duracoat again though.

 

[skimbell]

Here's a couple of Colt's that I had refinished by CCR. Both guns are finished in what CCR calls Cera-Hide. Stuff wears like iron.
I've got another Colt there now being refinished. They're having a sale through the end of August I believe, $139 for a complete handgun including a mag. Great people to work with.
Here's a link:
http://www.ccrrefinishing.com/index.html

 

[bredda]

+1 on CCR. I've had a couple done in two-tone with the CeraHide finish and like skimbell says, it is some tough stuff. You also might look at the RoBar NP3 / Roguard finish as well. The Colt at the bottom wears it and it's as durable as the CeraHide albeit a bit more pricey.

 

[FastMover]

How many rounds have those CeraHide beauty's have threw them?? They look great! Does this finish flake or chip??

 

[The Wiry Irishman]

Both IonBond and Melonite/Tenifer are insanely durable. Like scrape a screwdriver all over your gun and ruin your screwdriver durable. IonBond also has the distinction of looking nearly identical to bluing on a polished gun.

 

[robctwo]

I like IonBond.



Ed Brown Executive Target



Les Baer PII 9mm



Les Baer PII .45, 1.5" guarantee.

I sent mine to Scott at http://www.springerprecision.com/

 

[bredda]

How many rounds have those CeraHide beauty's have threw them?? They look great! Does this finish flake or chip??

All see little range time since I have too many others already. The little Colt had the original nickel finish which, after 25 years, was getting a bit grubby. The SA and Colt were parked which is just a finish I can't warm up to. I had them done primarily to eliminate wear at the muzzle (if I ever decided to holster them).

 

[SRT1]

Throw in another vote for the IonBond finish. I have both Fusions done in it, even the barrel. I've had the commander bobtail for quite a while and it is still perfect despite being carried, and being passed around at the range etc. The CCO in the pics is new to me, but I'm sure it will perform the same as it's big brother.

 

[Quack]

here's some pics of an Infinity (not mine) that was Drake Oldham had finished in Melonite.

 

[Quack]

and here's a pic of my TGO-1 that has NP3/Roguard

 

[skimbell]

How many rounds have those CeraHide beauty's have threw them?? They look great! Does this finish flake or chip??

Sort of unusual, but I, like Bredda, live in Illinoisistan. As such, my guns don't get a lot of carry time. I shoot them some, but no way can I say that they really get used hard. I got turned on to CCR from a guy on another forum who had his CCO done much like the one that I posted above. He had the gun redone around 2003 I think. I believe that he shoots/carries the gun regulary, and according to his reports-the gun just doesn't show any ware.
I looked around when I was having these 1911's redone and the CeraHide seemed to be what I was looking for. It's got some kind of ceramic base coating that is supposed to cut down of cleaning. That was a plus for me. The coating also fills in some pretty good scratches, nicks and gouges. When I got both of the guns back they really looked like new 1911's-that stuff is that good.
The final item that sold me on the CeraHide was the price. The CeraHide coating was about 25% less than the melonite, and less than half the price of the IonBond. There are also some color options available with the CeraHide that I didn't have with the others.
And finally I looked around some of the forums and everything that I saw about CCR was positive. I took the jump with the green/black 1911 and I can honestly say that I have had no regrets. I'm on my third pistol with CCR and they have always treated me right.