What's Your Favorite Gun Finish?

[Superfuzz]

ROBAR's NP3 is very nice.

 

[22-rimfire]

What is Tennifer?

I am surprised with the variability of reponses to the poll.

 

[Rskreli]

Can someone please tell me how does hard chrome matte satin finish looks.....I send my browning 2000 to chrome .......I thought its like Harley mufflers finish.....
Please post a pic for me since I have no clue what that looks like and I don't want to ruin a 1974 browning that belonged to my late uncle which he never used with no one scratch on it ...
The only reason I want to do it is because I like the 2 tone combination

 

[bushmaster1313]

Whatever they put on the Winchester Model 12's

 

[ol' scratch]

I like parkerized finishes. I don't have to worry about them looking like crap when I am at the range or in a duck boat, or sliding them in a holster.

That may be because most people think they look like crap anyway.

 

[ol' scratch]

Tenifer is not a finish, it's a surface hardening treatment.

I went with high polish bluing, for obvious reasons.

Beautiful...You need to 'park' that bad boy and get it out of the safe LOL.

 

[CraigC]

Ha! I don't need a crappy looking finish to use a gun. They're made for using and that's what I do. Nothing wrong with a fine finish that exhibits some honest wear.

Can someone please tell me how does hard chrome matte satin finish looks...

Industrial hard chrome as used as a firearm's finish is not the same as decorative automotive chrome, although if brightly polished before plating the look can be much the same. Here's a custom Ruger in matte hard chrome.

 

[Mags]

Tennifer, melonite or some variation of it. I also like KimPro.

 

[The Mayor]

One of our property lines is on the Great Lakes, It's quite humid here in the summer so my practical vote went to brushed SS.



But I am very fond of the Royal Blue, but not on the boat.

 

[RockyMtnTactical]

Hard Chrome is very nice IMO. I also like Gun-Kote, blued, and SS.

 

[gym]

I picked nickle, but don't have any for 30 yrs, lol. I like to look at them, but not carry them.

 

[Erik M]

Dont get me wrong I love my stainless Ruger Vaquero, but as long as I have been around handguns I haven't witnessed anything that comes close to the deep blue of an old Smith or Colt.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

High Polished Blue.

 

[driftrider]

I've always really liked Ruger's "Target Grey" finish.

 

[wishin]

There are few things prettier than a highly polished deep blue finished gun.

 

[CraigC]

Tennifer, melonite or some variation of it. I also like KimPro.

As stated before, Tenifer (and Melonite) is not a finish, it is a surface hardening treatment. What you are seeing on the surface of most guns that are treated as such, is a black oxide finish.

 

[FruitCake]

Highly polished stainless steel sticks out above the rest in my eyes especially in revolvers. But for any other handgun I'd go with a durable coating or finish.

 

[wep45]

stainless..........polished, blasted or what have you

 

[John Wayne]

Parkerizing is a great finish, if you use it as an oil-spnoge as intended. Not so hot alone, I think a lot of people misunderstand Parkerizing, probably because it gets applied on top of other finishes (Tennifer) as a cosmetic thing, not as an actual finish for the metal.

That's very interesting, I'd thought that Parkerizing was an outdated and ineffective method of finishing guns. It makes sense with regard to military appliations, now that you posted that link.

 

[bigfatdave]

It makes sense with regard to military applications

It makes sense to my applications, too! But a nice deep bluing job still leaves me staring in slack-jawed awe, someone posts up a 1911 with a blued finish that appears to go all the way donw once in a while, can't remember who it is, though.

But for utility use, give me Park ... it can take the abuse if you're willing to not shed a tear over a scratch once in a while.

 

[gym]

The more I think about it, it depends on the gun. Some look better in plain blued finish and others in a variety of light reflective stainless and nickel. I think that guns are like woman, they dress up one way, the another, and don't even look like the same Gal. The grips and sights accesorise the outfit. Like sneakers or 5inch heels. Sometimes you have to see them in a few different outfits before committing yourself. One way or the other.

 

[Dr.Rob]

Colt Royal Blue is about the prettiest finish ever. It's not practical like parkerizing or weather proof like matte stainless or showy like glossy stainless. But darn it looks great.

 

[JEB]

my vote goes to deep blued.

real guns are made of well blued steel and deeply polished wood. it frustrates me these days that guns only seem to come in flat black, camo, fake wood grains, and always seem to have rails. it makes you wonder how those fellers back in the day ever killed a buck or defended their home when their firearms werent coated in realtree APhd, or tacticool black with a surefire, eotech, and a viridian laser!

btw: im only 22. their are still a few in this generation that appriciate a finely made firearm. unfortunatly, my type seems to be very few.

 

[killchain]

I went with parkerized.

Because it's very durable.