The preferred finish

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straightshooter9

straightshooter9

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Which FINISH is the BEST for weapon protection and the least maintenance?

I have no problem with the "maintenance" aspect of taking care of a gun.
I was shopping in GANDER MOUNTAIN for a new shotgun and there were a dozen different models that had RUST on the display models! :uhoh:

If I'm about to buy a new gun I might as well consider which finish will withstand this FLORIDA HUMIDITY, right?

Will a "Parkerized" gun surface hold up better than the rest?
THANKS!
 
I'm a big fan of parkerizing. It holds oil well and is a great rust preventative. The only thing that I think is better is browning (not really suitable for most modern guns) or stainless steel construction.
 
My preferred finish is high polish bluing. Properly cared for it does just fine and Alabama's humidity can and does rival Florida's.
 
Hard chrome and electroless nickel are both very good. Chrome is harder and thus more wear resistant while nickel is more corrosion resistant.

Parkerizing is a good, utilitarian finish but I wouldn't pay to have it done. On its own, it is no more corrosion resistant than bluing. Its advantage is that it holds a lot of oil. Parkerized military firearms are typically kept very well-oiled, giving birth to the misconception that parkerizing is more rust resistant than bluing. Without the oil, it is not.

That said, I lived in Florida for 32yrs and rarely had a problem with rust on blued guns. Given reasonable care, they will last a lifetime but I must warn you not to leave them outside overnight.


tenifer
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Tenifer (or Melonite) is not a finish, it is a surface hardening treatment and not suitable for all gun parts. The black finish present on most guns so-treated is actually black oxide.
 
Toughest finish... Duracoat??
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Allow me a polite guffaw! Duracoat is a very nice paint, but that's it. It will come off just like any other painted finish. It is a decent choice, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't belong in a discussion of the ultimate finishes.

Hard chrome or one of the proprietary treatments like Robar's NP3, Tennifer or Melonite (same thing, really) -- those are the "ultimate" most durable finishes.

Parkerized finishes are very good because they hold oil. They also hold paint very very well. A "paint over park" finish is extremely good -- right up there in the tier below hard chrome and the others mentioned before.
 
Which <something> is the BEST for <stuff>?
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Opinions. We all have them. Much like some other piece of our anatomy. And that's about all you'll find. 8)

Ultimately every finish is a tradeoff. I like worn bluing on steel. It looks pretty, but for a carry gun tenifer or parkerizing is probably the better choice. It's all a tradeoff.
As to what kind of maintenance you're prepared to provide? Dunno, but generally speaking anything stainless or more rugged than bluing works well for average shooter who also carries.
 
Nice blued steel. I protect it with LPS2, a milspec rust preventative and lube that dries after application. I have never had a rust problem with any of my guns using this product, inside or out.....chris3
 
I've given this some thought and talked to a friend with some experience in the area of corrosion and wear resistance. He had two suggestions:

1. Stainless steel gun - plate it in electroless nickle (NP3 is electroless with teflon added)
2. Carbon steel gun - Melonite (domestic tennifer) the large steel parts and electroless nickle the smaller parts
 
I would have to go with hard chrome as my preferred finish. I have guns that were plated over 20+ years ago with SS Chromium Metalife and they have yet to show any surface wear.
 
As far as a carry gun I prefer stainless steel and polymer. However, my experience is somewhat limited.

I also like parkerized weapons, but I prefer that for rifles.

Although I'm sure if I was in a combat role I'd reconsider the stainless steel...
 
Hard chrome and stainless steel are generally considered to be the best finish/material for general finish protection. I still prefer the old Smith and Colt deep blue finishes.
 
I good parkerized finish is my favorite for durability - every time it gets oil it holds it well, and it lasts.
 
For protection/maintenance, the best finish is no finish. Another vote for stainless steel and polymer firearms.

For aesthetics, I'll take blued steel.
 
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I still prefer the old Smith and Colt deep blue finishes.
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I do too, but unfortunately, they dont do to well if you sweat like hell and live with your gun.
 
Stainless or nickle. I don't have any, but the ones I did have in stainless, 'polished, and nickle" lasted 20 years plus, and cleaned up easy. some of the coatings that look cool, are just a pain to clean, and ware off if you really rub them.
 
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I have a couple rifles coated in Black T, and it seems pretty tough, although they've only seen a couple seasons of hunting. I like the matte finish.
 
I believe the OP asked for protection and rust prevention, not what looks good. Stainless, titanium or one of the other non (or not much) oxidizing metals is the only way. I guess stainless is the cheapest material. It may get its spots and stains but it will never oxidize to the point that the function of the gun is compromised, at least if you don't leave it on the bottom of the ocean while in contact with a more noble element like copper. I've got a homemade stainless anchor made up of at least 3 different grades of stainless that spends a lot of time on the bottom that is possibly shinier than when it was first made 20 years ago.
 
2. Carbon steel gun - Melonite (domestic tennifer) the large steel parts and electroless nickle the smaller parts
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I'm thinking that would make for a handsome 1911, GP36, or even a CZ75, with the lighter-color controls and parts on the darker parts. Kind of a reverse of the Colt Custop shop finish with blue small parts on electroless nickle (which is a spiffy look, too).
 
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