Members metal finish consensus

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Bas

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So much is available today to choose a finish for a firearm. Is there a current trend for the best whiz - bang finish for both a safe queen and a hunting firearm ? Thanks for any input.

Bob
 
Tough to beat wood and some form of blueing. But for what I’ll call working guns/truck rifles/loaners..., I often use cerakote or some form of nitriding or bead blasted SS. We often deal with moisture, rain, snow etc. I have more than one rifle so done with both nice wood and a synthetic/laminated option. The walnut looks OK with a dark color of cerakote.
 
I prefer black Nitride. It dosent scratch or flake like Ceracote, but is more expensive and dosent come in all the color choices.
 
Depends on the weapon. I like ceracote on MSR and rifles with synthetic stocks. I like case hardened on rifles with walnut.
 
rinehart0050 said:
Depends on the weapon.
Click to expand...

This...

My “working” guns generally get duracoat when I build them...but that’s largely because it’s affordable, and is something I can do myself...

That said.. I’ve got a beautiful old 300 H&H in the safe that i restored last year that got a deep rust blue put on it.. anything else would have been sacrilege...

I’ve also got stainless guns in the safe.. parkerized guns in the safe.. a case hardened gun or two in there... etc..

Just depends on the gun
 
Gunkote.

I'm shocked at how durable it is.

In Australia we don't have trackers, skinners, gun-bearers etc etc etc.

Your guide/Ph is the be-all and end-all.

I have carried out buffalo heads on my shoulders with cape attached (yes in my younger years) and dripped blood all over my rifle to the point where it looked like it had been painted with red blood.
A good wipe down and presto as good as new.

I certainly never abused my back-up rifle but I used it for its intended purpose, never "nursing" it at the cost of getting the job done and yet it still looks like the day I got it !!

I cannot recommend a Gunkote finish strongly enough.
 
I love a nice classic old Mauser, Kimber Classic, or Winchester Mdl 70 deeply blued mounted in a nicely grained walnut stock! Beauties! But I no longer have any.
I mostly purchase stainless synthetic stocked purely working rifles now. I don’t have the time nor patience to spend maintaining the lovely rifles.
Never tried the nitriding, but the cerakote has held up so far on three Africa trips on my MRC. The bolt is not as smooth with the cerakote as without, but it works.
All that said, if I ever get a 404 Jeffery, it will be blued with a nicely grained walnut stock. Probably an MRC.
 
95% of mine are walnut and rust blue. I have one that is Melonite and walnut. The rust blue look and wood.

2vsg5f8.jpg
 

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My CZ 416 Rigby goes out to Wayne tomorrow for a few customization and he's going to do a Gunkote to finish it off. I love to look at blued metal...but prefer to use coated metal.
 
I'm grateful for old rifles with rust blued finishes. After they are filthy, dull, and have slight surface rust after 50+ years of use, you can lightly card them, boil them, and bring them back to near new.

So I vote for proper rust bluing for the sake of long term conservation/restoration. They look really good for a really long time.

(unrelated, but similar feelings about oil finishes...just add more during minor conservation and it looks good forever)
 
My preferences are blue for classic stuff, melonited/black nitrided or bare stainless for everything else.
 
Bas said:
So much is available today to choose a finish for a firearm. Is there a current trend for the best whiz - bang finish for both a safe queen and a hunting firearm ? Thanks for any input.

Bob
Click to expand...
I have numerous rifles that have been coated in Metaloy. They are located in Arkansas. Two rifles are 20 years old and show No Wear what so ever.
 
Bas said:
So much is available today to choose a finish for a firearm. Is there a current trend for the best whiz - bang finish for both a safe queen and a hunting firearm ? Thanks for any input.

Bob
Click to expand...

I've used Metaloy for over 30 years. I find on most Rifles around the muzzle shows wear first. I have Two Rifles that were coated 20 & 25 years ago. They look like I had the coating done yesterday.


http://originalmetaloy.com/
I like Metaloy
 

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DHH45 said:
I've used Metaloy for over 30 years. I find on most Rifles around the muzzle shows wear first. I have Two Rifles that were coated 20 & 25 years ago. They look like I had the coating done yesterday.


http://originalmetaloy.com/
I like Metaloy
Click to expand...

Thanks for your input. I tried KG 2400 . Is your finish glossy, matte.....?
Bob
 
I use Robar with their matte black finish Roguard with NP3 on bolt and internals. Very thin, even coating with outstanding weather protection and extremely durable.
 
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