Finishes

[troglodyte]

I have a blued S&W .41 mag I carry hiking, etc. that I constantly battling surface rust on. I am now considering getting it refinished with something that will hold up better and need some suggestions, names, websites, etc. I'm not looking for anything fancy, just something that works.

I live in dry west Texas but go to the mountains of NM frequently where rain and sweat tend to work their devious plans on my pistol.

I'd love to find a Texas shop but will consider all.

[Target1911]

tons of info here.
http://www.ar15.com/forums/forum.html?b=6&f=19

[sbb]

Trog, find an engine shop in your area and ask them if they know anyone that coats racing pistons with ceramic. I have one of my 1911's refinished in this manner. It is not completely scratch proof but the finish resists moisture quite well.

[KinnyLee]

Robar's NP3
or
Walter Birdsong's Black-T

[Charles L. Cotton]

Trog, find an engine shop in your area and ask them if they know anyone that coats racing pistons with ceramic. I have one of my 1911's refinished in this manner. It is not completely scratch proof but the finish resists moisture quite well.

Can you post a photo?

Chas.

[sbb]

Charles, I will attempt to post one in the morning. I hope that I will have some free time and will not be out picking up debris from this storm.

[sbb]

Charles, these photos from my cell phone.

[barres]

Robar's NP3
or
Walter Birdsong's Black-T

I have no experience with either of these, but they have a truly excellent reputation. Birdsong also has a Green-T, if you want something other than a matte grey/silver (NP3) or black finish. There are numerous gun finishing companies out there. Do a little digging on the web and you'll find plenty that'll have a pretty good reputation. Unfortunately, from what I have heard, Tripp no longer offers his Cobra Chrome service. I had heard good things about that, too.

Being as budget minded as I am, I have been looking at this service: http://cgwgun.com/centac9h.aspx. Although I hear Birdsong is quite inexpensive, but there is a long wait, because he puts all of his military/government projects before his civilian projects. I haven't reached the point, yet, that i need to have a pistol refinished, so I haven't dug too deep into what is available out there. Good luck in your search!

[G.C.Montgomery]

Robar's NP3
or
Walter Birdsong's Black-T

I'll post another endorsement for both. Black-T is probably one of the best for those who want a "black" finish. I know KinnyLee has been running a Springfield Professional for some time that is coated in Black-T. The last time I saw it, that gun appeared to be in great condition.

I have a Colt LW Commander and all it's small parts coated with Robar's NP3. Other than hard chrome, it's probably my favorite finish. Nothing seems to stick to it. Even after a 1500-round training session, all it took to clean the internal surfaces was a quick pass with a oily rag! After coating it with NP3, I carried and shot that gun almost daily for a year and used it in several classes before deciding to stick with 5-inch guns. The gun still shows very little wear and the action is far smoother now than it was before NP3.

Surface thickness is fairly uniform with both Black-T and NP3. That's important because some finishes, when applied incorrectly, will interfere with the tolerances between moving parts. I have never seen this issue with Black-T, hard chrome or NP3. Having said all that, the newer ceramic coatings, may offer the best available finishes.

[bdickens]

Five inch gun! I'm guessing you don't carry that IWB.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Oh, you mean length!

[G.C.Montgomery]

Five inch gun! I'm guessing you don't carry that IWB...

I'm not touching that joke with a 10-foot pole! But, I am refering to traditional Government Models with a barrel length of 5-inches.

[DoubleJ]

whaddya think it'd cost to refinish this'n?

[G.C.Montgomery]

whaddya think it'd cost to refinish this'n?

Umm, idunno...Considering what it costs to do NP3 on a pistol these days, I'm guessing I might actually be able to afford that Corvette I wanted.

[bryang]

whaddya think it'd cost to refinish this'n?

A whole lot of hard work and sweat, not to mention a couple of buckets of "haze gray" paint. I was the mount captain of a dual-5'' on a destroyer.

-geo