What is the very best finish to put on a gun?

[Orion8472]

What is the best [strongest] finish to put on a gun . . . . one that will resist scratches, wear, etc, the best?

What is the strongest finish that is also looks good?

The reason why I ask is because my local gunsmith says that Cerakote is the best, strongest finish, but the other day, I accidently knocked a Maglight over and it fell against the trigger guard of my custom 10/22 [finished with a Tungsten Cerakote], taking it down to the aluminum on a small part of it. Nothing really happened to the Maglight [which is good, . . . .because it is a rare Bronze color].

What is your comment on this?

 

[LeonCarr]

Hard Chrome. In terms of Rockwell Hardness the only thing harder is a Diamond.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[JeeperCreeper]

Nothing is impervious to everything. Except for Maglights. They always win.

I know cerakote is supposed to be great, but it depends on how good the person who applies it is and then it is still a "paint-like" finish and can be chipped off. I think bluing and parkerizing is supposed to affect the metallurgy of the surface to better "bond" with the metal, but it doesn't coat the metal like a paint layer does.

For what it's worth, I know people like Cerakote, Tenifer, Melonite, Nitride finishes.

My worst finish is the Black Oxide on my SR9E... I left it is a moist spot and it began to get small rust dimples before other stainless guns.

 

[mesinge2]

I really really like the Robar NP3+ treatment on my Kimber TLE II.

Not a mark in 5k plus rounds since the treatment.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

Is there a non-bake spray on that will survive brake cleaner or powder blast (a blend of acetone, xylene, and citrus oil)? I need to redo my SMG.

I see ALUMA-HYDE II will self cure in 90degree heat or above in 2 days. I can manage that in Phoenix during gun refinishing season

Mike

 

[OpticsPlanet]

+1 for the Robar NP3+

seems to be the overwhelming heavyweight champ

-Matt S.

 

[M-Cameron]

just buy stainless guns and youll never have a problem

 

[weblance]

just buy stainless guns and youll never have a problem

Thats what I was thinking also. I like the glass bead blasted finish Charter Arms puts on their stainless guns. Its a semi matte finish, and isnt shiney, or bright. You cant beat stainless for corrosion resistance. For a gun that is used for defense, the satin finish Ruger uses on their stainless guns, and the even brighter, semi-polished finish S&W uses, is simply too bright IMO.

 

[HankB]

Stainless guns are rust resistant, not rust proof. They're usually made out of a 400-series alloy so they can be heat treated; they do resist corrosion very well, but not in the same way that - for example - professional cookware (usually a 300-series alloy) will. But of course, 300-series alloys don't respond well to heat treating.

As for coatings, plating with titanium nitride ought to work well - if you don't mind a bright gold color. (Bling is cool, right?) Hmmm . . . I wonder if any gun manufacturer is applying DLC - Diamond Like Carbon - to their products?

 

[alexander45]

Nothing is impervious to everything. Except for Maglights. They always win.

Idk about that my mag light has seen better days and flickers for no reason from time to time (not the bulb or batteries)
With that said the hard chrome or stainless is probably your best bet, or if you dislike silvery guns like me maybe a nitride finish or cerakoat

 

[Tirod]

Hard coat III on aluminum. First, it's the military spec, second, aluminum doesn't rust.

"Best finish" is all about how to protect steel - and steel needs it. There is also nitriding -and I have the knife blades that proves it works, too. Some from the early 90's and they are getting better all the time. No scratches, surface hardness is higher than the underlying substrate, it has to be literally machined to be removed. Not nicked or scratched by stuff that is only marginally harder or more abrasive.

It's what they use on racing crank shafts, where surface damage can be immediately catastrophic if the microscopically thin layer of oil allows contact. You'd be surprised how much auto tech that is fully proven gets applied to guns and knives.

 

[Arizona_Mike]

Hard coat III on aluminum. First, it's the military spec, second, aluminum doesn't rust.

"Best finish" is all about how to protect steel - and steel needs it. There is also nitriding -and I have the knife blades that proves it works, too. Some from the early 90's and they are getting better all the time. No scratches, surface hardness is higher than the underlying substrate, it has to be literally machined to be removed. Not nicked or scratched by stuff that is only marginally harder or more abrasive.

It's what they use on racing crank shafts, where surface damage can be immediately catastrophic if the microscopically thin layer of oil allows contact. You'd be surprised how much auto tech that is fully proven gets applied to guns and knives.

I assume you mean Type III hard porous sulfuric acid anodizing . . . not something you can apply at home (Although I have seen some very nice type II home setups).

Mike

 

[Jackal]

Nothing is impervious to everything. Except for Maglights. They always win.

Except when it comes time to actually see something at night.... Maglight's highest output 3-d model puts out only 60% output compared to my tiny Thrunite TN12.... Granted you cant use the Thrunite as a club, but that what clubs are for.

 

[buckhorn_cortez]

Hard Chrome. In terms of Rockwell Hardness the only thing harder is a Diamond.

Not even close to a diamond. Hard chrome is 65 - 73 on the Rockwell scale.

On the Vicker's scale hard chrome is 900 - 1000. Diamond is 8,000.

Many tool maker's files are harder than Rockwell 70 and can scratch hard chrome. Sand has quartz in it and quartz has a Vicker's scale hardness of 1100 and will scratch hard chrome.

My Les Baer is hard chromed - it has scratches from being in a holster and getting rubbed with fine dust that gets on the inside surface of the holster.

 

[highlander 5]

I opt for stainless when ever possible,had a Ruger Blackhawk done in Armory 2 only complaint was the surface looked like orange peel. As other have said Robar NP 3 is the way to go.

 

[ConstitutionCowboy]

For no bake I like Duracoat. It goes on smooth, is hard to make it run when the directions are followed, and it doesn't take a thick layer to cover. Let it cure for the time specified.

I always lightly scuff up and cold blue the steel parts first, but don't put any oil(of course!) on the blued parts before the Duracoat. I believe it helps make a stronger bond. It adheres well to aluminum, wood, and plastic as well. I've had difficulty with it sticking to zinc alloy parts, though. If anyone knows of a good primer for the zinc, let me know.

Woody

 

[Jim Watson]

The best current black finish for steel seems to be one sort of nitriding or another.
The Servens Hard Hat looks very nice in pictures but is expensive.
A local shop, Hamilton Armory, has had some guns done by a Melonite vendor and they look very nice, considerable sheen without a mirror polish.
If you like a white finish, hard chrome is good; but nickel boron, nickel boron nitride, and nickel Teflon (NP3) work, too. There was one shop doing cobalt plating but they now list only coatings.

Aluminum is a different matter. Anodizing is the industrial standard; Type II in about any color, Type III seems to be gray or black.
You can have aluminum plated with nickel, nickel boron, and NP3; or hard chrome over nickel.

If you want strange colors, you will have to resort to coatings, and well done Cerakote is pretty good. Your aluminum trigger guard may have been left too smooth before coating which caused it to chip instead of dinging.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

Except when it comes time to actually see something at night.... Maglight's highest output 3-d model puts out only 60% output compared to my tiny Thrunite TN12.... Granted you cant use the Thrunite as a club, but that what clubs are for.

Not to derail, but I disagree. I found a Maglight at the bottom of a lake with no paint left and the aluminum was pitted/oxidized. By the date on the batteries, it was down there for more than 6 years. It still worked. And though the numbers on the 3-D LED Maglights are not impressive, mine will shine over a football field and outdoes any light I could find for under $100. Lumens are like horsepower, the number is useful, but it doesn't count for everything.

On a finish topic, I have had good results from Duplicolor Ceramic Engine Enamel in a spray can. Good for beater cheap guns and have held up really well on my camp 16 gauge. Obviously not as good as the others, but I figured it would be worth mentioning if someone wants a cheap option for an old rusty beater.

For the best, I like stainless steel. Coated stainless steel is a double win.

 

[RustyShackelford]

CeraKote, tests, Metalife, NP3+ .....

Recent videos and tests by CeraKote show how durable/well engineered it is.
As posted, it's a fairly new coating/surface so not much is known about it.
To find a certified application shop or CeraKote business that offers a lifetime warranty is smart. Blowndeadline.net suggests also adding a coat of CeraKote Armor-Clear to the base color.
I like some of the CeraKote colors and it seems to be gaining popularity with US shooters/gun owners. The camo and "battle-worn" formats are slick too.
I had a Beretta 96D coated with black Rogard in 2007. It would nick & scuff quickly, . I would not get that surface coating again. The Robar NP3 and NP3+ is great, but wait times can be long & the prices are not cheap, .
I owned a surplus Beretta 96D .40 in the late 1990s. I would CCW it in a Aker Comfort Flex holster, left hand. It had regular NP3 and 03 NP3 10rd .40 magazines. I had no problems or misfires with that pistol.
Another decent surface application to check out is: Metalife, www.Mahovskysmetalife.com . It's like NP3 with a silver-grey color. I'd say about 90-95% of the web reviews or forum posts about Metalife are +.
I might add it to my Glock 21 gen 04 .45acp upper later this summer. It's approx $90.00 with the S/H.

I have noticed a few minor scuffs and marks on my M&P Shield 9mm upper. I think S&W used Melonite but now have a slightly different format, . The minor scuffs are more cosmetic than a serious flaw but I may get the Shield coated too when I can.

 

[CraigC]

None of the coatings are going to compete with hard chrome or nickel for toughness or corrosion resistance. Hard chrome is harder and wears longer. Nickel is more corrosion resistant but less abrasion resistant. Either is better than stainless steel.

Metalife, SSKhrome, Mag-Na-Life, etc., are just proprietary variations of hard chrome. NP3 is a nickel/teflon hybrid.

For what it's worth, I know people like Cerakote, Tenifer, Melonite, Nitride finishes.

People need to get away from the idea that Tenifer/Melonite is a finish. It is not. It is a surface hardening treatment. It does not alter the steel's appearance.


OFF TOPIC PS, at this point in time, I cannot imagine relying on an incandescent Maglite when there are so many better options available.

 

[herrwalther]

Nickel boron is slightly harder than hard chrome. And Para's new Ionbond is considered 3x harder than chrome finish.

While not the hardest finish, melonite finish is probably my favorite coating so far. Never had a problem with deep scratches or rust forming.

 

[bannockburn]

I like hard chrome, primarily that done by Ron Mahovsky at Metalife. Very tough, very durable, and looks great too. This gun received their SS Chromium M finish many, many years ago and still looks as good as it did when I got it back from them.

 

[OilyPablo]

I've had decent experience with Cerakote. My Colt Rail Gun is holding up nicely. Of course I can see it wearing in the slide. The fit was always good on the gun, but when both the frame and the slide are filled with "paint", something must give. It's not a problem, just noted that it does wear just like the native stainless steel.

My Glock - Lone Wolf 20L slide is new, but the Cerakote is holding up nicely.

And my AK-47 Saiga Conversion, which gets some abuse, after cleaning looks like it was just coated.

I don't say it's the BEST. But if you get the training or have a trained and experienced shop/individual near by - it's relatively low cost, color selection is excellent, durability decent.....it's right up there.

Drawback: It's never PERFECT. If you look close enough you will see little flaws. Little nibbins. Tiny inclusions. And as others mention, if the surface isn't prepped properly then you could have issues - applies to any such coating. I haven't had this problem, thank goodness.

All that said: The Nitron coating on my Sig 1911 and P238 are pretty hardy!

 

[19-3Ben]

You cant beat stainless for corrosion resistance.

Sorry, that's just not accurate. I've had stainless carry guns develop freckling when carried in summer months because stainless is not rust proof. It just resists rust better than carbon steel. This is especially true on bead blasted finishes where salt has little nooks and crannies in the surface to hide. Usually, the higher the polish, the less likelihood of rust, if all else is equal.

If I had my druthers, for an all out, weather resistant gun, I'd start with a stainless gun, have the surface melonite treated, which as pointed out is a hardening treatment NOT a finish, and then I would have NP3+ over that.

Yeah. Stainless + melonite + NP3+ would make a gun darn near impervious to anything you could throw at it.

 

[OilyPablo]

Well OP didn't mention cost!