Considering NP3 coating- advice?

[12guagecody]

A friend of mine just had his glock 23's slide np3 coated, im considering doing the same on my p229, what experience do you have with np3? they say it can be run dry but will that have any adverse effect on the alloy frame? what do you guys think? post pics if you got em

 

[sub-moa]

No problems what-so-ever .
'89 P228 NP3'd in '90 and carried daily on-duty and off for 10 years...

 

[fennecfrank]

my P7M8 with Robar NP3

it's one of the best finishes on the market. I don't have experience with it on aluminum frame but I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

 

[9mmepiphany]

They won't do it on an aluminum frame

 

[wbwanzer]

I've got NP3 on a SIG that I bought used. No problems. I don't run it dry though. I lube the pistol like I would any other.
Only slight downside is the that the slide is a little more slippery to hold on to when pulling it back.

 

[ku4hx]

All these coatings are superior ideas for those guns prone to corrosion or expected to be used under conditions of high corrosion potential. Of course they do look cool.

But having it done to an already corrosion resistant piece reminds me what a trash compactor did: turned 25 pounds of trash into 25 pounds of trash.

But NP3 does look cool.

 

[Tom Fury]

Love Np3 as a coating; very tough, very pretty; be sure you can live with the slightly pewter cast of it; it will be there a long time; It's my preference over anything else out there; I have a lot of pewter guns.
Call them to see about doing it on production aluminum guns; I know they won't do it on Caspian alloy frames, but think they told me they do it all the time on other stuff (SiG, S&W) but probly worth a call.
TF

 

[sub-moa]

They won't do it on an aluminum frame

Huh ?

They did it on my P230, my P228 (pictured above) and they advertise that they do it...today ("Robar's NP3 finish is an electroless nickel-based finish for steel, stainless steel and aluminum alloys that co-deposits sub-micron particles of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), otherwise known as Teflon, with electroless nickel.") on their website:

http://www.robarguns.com/np3.htm

Per Robar's FAQ: "What metals can NP3 and Roguard be applied to? NP3 and Roguard will adhere to aluminum, steel, and stainless steel. We cannot apply finishes to Titanium, Scandium or 'pot metal'. Previously plated surfaces like nickel, hard chrome or anodizing must be stripped prior to plating."

 

[skt239]

All though I didn't care for Ku's analogy, I kinda agree with him. In the past I thought about having my Sigs NP3'd but the nitron finish is so tough it would be simply for my viewing pleasure. Of course the internals are another story.

 

[jfrey]

Recently had the frame and small internals of my Briley commander 1911 done in NP3+. Left the slide blued so I got a really nice looking 2 tone pistol. My FIL got his whole identical pistol done. It looks good too. Lifetime guarantee on the NP3+ finish.

 

[12guagecody]

what about robars new poly teflon finish?

 

[9mmepiphany]

Huh ?

They did it on my P230, my P228 (pictured above) and they advertise that they do it...today ("Robar's NP3 finish is an electroless nickel-based finish for steel, stainless steel and aluminum alloys that co-deposits sub-micron particles of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), otherwise known as Teflon, with electroless nickel.") on their website:

http://www.robarguns.com/np3.htm

Per Robar's FAQ: "What metals can NP3 and Roguard be applied to? NP3 and Roguard will adhere to aluminum, steel, and stainless steel. We cannot apply finishes to Titanium, Scandium or 'pot metal'. Previously plated surfaces like nickel, hard chrome or anodizing must be stripped prior to plating."

I had read over on Sigforum that they stopped.

On SIGs, it isn't consider a good idea to strip the hard coat anodizing from the frame as it weakens it. You can re-anodize, but that isn't a good idea either as it wreak havoc with the tolerances as it draws material from the aluminum to form the hard surface.

 

[Snowdog]

Without a doubt, electroless nickel is the most aesthetically pleasing finishes available. It's also very resistant to corrosion. I've had a couple pistols refinished in French Grey, a NP3-like finish (also containing PTFE).

An absolutely lovely finish.

 

[Pupulepete]

Check out CCR. They have a package that includes the CPII/cera-hide that a lot of SIG guys seem really happy with. They are great to work with as well.
http://www.ccrrefinishing.com/

 

[Winkman822]

My daily carried Wilson Combat CQB Compact is NP3 coated. I had mine done after some modifications requiring refinish were made however (I wanted to do something different than the original all black Wilson Armor-Tuff), so I got the gun NP3 coated. Like any polymer based finish it is slick to the touch, but it is pretty tough stuff. My NP3 has been in place for about a year and is still wearing quite well. THe only areas where it has noticeable wear is on on a couple of spots where one of my kydex holsters makes contact with the corners of the slide on the muzzle end and where the ALS on my Safariland range holster makes contact with the top of the slide (it's got shiny spots in these areas), but has not gone anywhere near getting down to bare naked steel. If you like the pewter-ish, bronzish silver finish, go for it. It looks GREAT on my CQB along with the french bordered double diamond checkered rosewood grips.