A few Duracoat Questions

[chrisnoel27]

I'm thinking about Duracoating my EDC. How long does it last? Does that depend on how many coats you apply and how many times you draw from holster?
Mainly, is it worth the cost and trouble?

Thanks in advance,

Chris

 

[Sam1911]

There are several threads on this here in the gunsmithing forum. Searching and reading through them will answer a lot of your questions -- and probably some you haven't thought of.

The short answer is "a long time, but not everywhere."

The coating is pretty hard to wear off, so your gun will have that finish on it for many years. However, it isn't all that difficult to chip or knock off along the edges. After 6 months to a year of constant carry, draws, holstering, and range use, you're going to have shiny edges showing.

Here's the most recent thread on this: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=641799

In it I said:

If you take the time to degrease very well and follow other metal prep instructions it will look good at first. Even if you do the best job ever, within a year of carry & use it's going to look just a little ratty. Where a bluing job or even a matte stainless finish picks up subtle bright edges and gentle worn spots (which seem to add to the 'character') the paint finishes show wear very starkly, and it really can't be touched up.

And this:

...the paint finishes show wear very starkly, and it really can't be touched up.

Like this:



The flats and smooth surfaces tend to stay pretty well coated, but paint on the edges gets knocked off pretty quickly and tends to chip a little, leaving a slightly ragged appearance.