Favorite Firearm Finishes

[Dr. Dingus]

What are some of your favorite/disliked finishes for guns & knives? Melonite and offshoots of that are high in my book. I have never seen those finishes corrode. I even tested for this by handing a glock 17 for a year without cleaning it at all with the sweatiest hands. That said, I personally can't stand bead blasted finishes on anything. Even with diligent cleaning, I have seen issues on friends weapons. It was to such a degree that I check my BB items more than I probably should.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Duh, Colt Royal Blue.

 

[Steve S.]

Depending on the use, bling/ shine for viewing and dull/ tough for hunting utility. I shoot everything I own - all go to the range but only a few go to the woods. I cannot say that I prefer any specific metal finish as I own most of them - as long as the aesthetic theme of the firearm is consistent and pleasing to the eye, I will probably like them all.

 

[nettlle]

Dan Wesson Duty Treat on pistols. Cerakote on knife blades. Anodized aluminum on knife scales. High quality blueing on rifles.

 

[General Geoff]

Brushed stainless or Cerakote

 

[horsemen61]

Old school bluing

Deep rich looks like it came out of a vat of oil bluing

 

[.38 Special]

I have a soft spot for warm, yellowish nickel. Give me an old S&W revolver with such a treatment and I am a happy man.

 

[Riomouse911]

I was a fan of Np3, back when Robar did the work. It saved my German P226, which rusted in my duty holster so fast it seemed like there was no protective finish applied at the factory.

Stay safe.

 

[tark]

Old fashion rust bluing, more specifically, the charcoal bluing on my avatar. I am too old to hunt, hell, I can barely walk! The point being; my guns are never subject to harsh conditions. Hence, the modern finishes, wonderful as they may be, I have little use for.

My C-96 is a 99% gun. it is an excellent example of how beautiful the old fashioned rust bluing can be. The safety, bolt stop, the rear sight and the trigger appear to be niter blued...of something closely resembling it. They could be heat blued, but I doubt that. The bolt stop is a hardened part. One does not heat blue a hardened steel part.

In closing, I must apologize for the fact that my puter is DRUNK AGAIN!!! All of those pics are right-side-up on my phone.

Yes, I have the shoulder stock, numbered to the gun.

 

[CowboyTim]

Cerakote Elite Midnight, microslick on the bolt.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Colt electroless nickel or Robar NP3

 

[doubleh]

I am riding in the same boat as tark including the walking part. My least favorite finish is ceracoat or anything that resembles it. Hell, I would rather have the Heritage paint than ceracoat.

 

[jmorris]

Durable ones that don't require a lot of preserving or signs of use, if they are "shooters". I like pretty blue and wood too, for looking at.

 

[bannockburn]

Ron Mahovsky's Hard Chrome plating Metalife finish.

 

[jbhighroad]

I love nickel but hate parkerize

 

[AlexanderA]

Parkerizing.
Dulite bluing.
National Armory Bright.
National Armory Brown.
Color casehardening.

 

[Jim Watson]

I have seen DLC on a surface prep that looks like rust blue but a lot tougher.
Hard chrome to get that IPSC two-tone.

But gun finish can be like the color of a used car, you might not get a choice when buying for features and price.

 

[FL-NC]

For looks, Colt blue- for use, ceracote.

 

[lightman]

I have several different finishes and don't really have a favorite. I like the forgiveness of stainless and synthetic. I like the look of deep rich blueing and hand rubbed oil finish stocks and I have a few rifles with blue receivers and stainless barrels. The finish on my Glocks seems to be very durable.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

As usual, it depends. Mostly I prefer whatever finish the gun came with. I don't have any special prejudice, except against overly busy or dorky color jobs. There's a hot pink Cerakoted Glock at a LGS that particularly makes me cringe.

Finishes I've paid to have applied in past years have usually been either Armoloy hard chrome or some flavor of Parkerizing. Both are additive finishes and can effect tolerances, but they have their pros and cons. Parkerizing covers sins and looks nicely milsurp to my eye. Armoloy is pretty rugged and resistant.

For me refinishing has usually been part of a total rework project, mainly serving to make the various components match better. I'm not really interested in messing with "project" guns these days. The last refinish job I had done was a matte black Cerakote on a Hand Ejector, which turned out OK.

 

[sqlbullet]

For looking at, hard to beat a deep royal blue finish. The ones that look black, chrome and blue all at the same time and are mirror smooth. But I can't imagine actually having that finish on a working firearm.

Years ago when I was completely broke with too many mouths to feed I ended up with a failed finish on a gun that needed to be dealt with. DIY was the option so I learned how to phosphate steel (parkerize) and how to apply two part heat activated cerakote. I have found cerakote over phosphate to be extremely durable and very attainable for the DIY'r. The keys are don't skip anything on prep, practice a little technique on the spray and don't touch anything before it bakes. Any while I don't judge more colorful renditions, it's matte black for me.

 

[EMC45]

As usual, it depends. Mostly I prefer whatever finish the gun came with. I don't have any special prejudice, except against overly busy or dorky color jobs. There's a hot pink Cerakoted Glock at an LGS that particularly makes me cringe.

Finishes I've paid to have applied in past years have usually been either Armoloy hard chrome or some flavor of Parkerizing. Both are additive finishes and can effect tolerances, but they have their pros and cons. Parkerizing covers sins and looks nicely milsurp to my eye. Armoloy is pretty rugged and resistant.

For me refinishing has usually been part of a total rework project, mainly serving to make the various components match better. I'm not really interested in messing with "project" guns these days. The last refinish job I had done was a matte black Cerakote on a Hand Ejector, which turned out OK.

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Really like all of them. The K31 is great! (Martinis too)

 

[md7]

Hmmm.. depends on the firearm

I like my 1911’s parkerized. And like how they look all nicked up and scuffed looking after some use.

Seen some real nice blued 1911’s also! Sharp look to em.

Stryker fired pistols I like DLC or melonite well enough. It’s a functional coat on a user gun

Hunting rifles I like both blued/wood and also cerakote/synthetic depending on the mood or weather. Mostly synthetic these days since that ones suppressed and I like it.

 

[Speedo66]

A nice deep, rich blueing, like the old Colt Royal Blue, joined with fine wood, is my favorite.

Parts color case hardened are pretty, too. This Turnbull example may be a little over the top, but real case hardening is a joy to look at.

 

[jmr40]

I'd read that the Glock finish was supposed to be tough. I had a G-19 stolen a few years ago. It was recovered and when I got it back discovered that someone had "tried" to engrave the case number on the slide. It was several days after I got it back before I even noticed.

I noted a number written in silver sharpie on the magazine and matched it to the case number on the paperwork. It was then that I started looking for the number on the gun. It didn't make sense to just put it on the magazine. I had to take the gun outside in bright sunlight and hold it just right to even see the number on the slide. I'd take a photo and post it, but it doesn't show up in a photo. The engraving pen couldn't penetrate the finish.