powder coating 1911

[lonewolf21]

ive recently been looking around at a good and affordable finish to put on my Springfield 1911 loaded model. i was settled on a black t finish from birdsong, but was at the local gun show and talked to some guys who powder coat some guns. i checked out their guns that they had on hand and it looked to be quality work. any input on powder coating a gun. they advised that it undergoes the same treatment that is used for parkerizing, but is applied a special powder coat at the end. i guess if it works for mechanical equipment and motorcycles it will work for guns.

[Ga45fan]

I've got something similar on one of my 1911's, I don't care for it and it wasn't very durable. Showed immediate holster wear and was easily scratched and literally rubbed off in heavy contact areas. The gun is headed to Robar to be refinished, not cheap but not going to have to do it again either.

[Don Robison]

I don't see how powder coat would be as durable on a gun as other "conventional" gun finishes. It works well for machine parts and motorcycles, but they don't get holstered much and the powder coat looks like crap after it's dropped on gravel or hard porous surfaces like a road or range.

[mkmckinley]

BUBBA NOOOOOOO!

Sorry I couldn't resist. I've seen powdercoated guns and it didn't look great. Of course the one I saw was black and yellow, so that was part of the problem. If I were going to refinish a firearm I'd go for a firearm finish. Been wanting to try duracoat. I have Baercoat on a 1911 and it's decent but not as durable as I'd hoped. I also have KG Guncote on a knife and it's the best I've seen so far at holding up. It seems like a harder finish than the Baercote.

[metalman]

If you don't plan on shooting it or wearing it, powder coat is fine, but it just wont hold up to regular use.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

There are all kinds of powder coatings out there, but the main issue I would have is that powder coatings usually go on fairly thick, like a couple of mils (50ish microns). That might not work very well on a tight tolerance gun like a quality 1911.

The reason powder coatings exist is to make is to that there are no solvents used in the painting process. It has great transfer efficiency, but out side of VOC regs, it wouldn't be nearly as prevelant.

[willowofwisp]

Hmm i had a set of rims powder coated on my old car..and well rims take quite a beating between road debris and what not and well after 30k miles they still looked good.

I would imagine the right type of powder coating wouldn't do such a bad job on a gun

[Rosco Benson]

Powder coat is too thick to serve as a gun finish. Years back, a good friend did powder coating for the motorcycle and hot-rod folks. He was also an very talented gunsmith. He occasionally used powder coating for Ruger 10/22 rifles that were built up as "Chevy Truck Challenge" guns (usually in garish "candy" colors), but it was just for the exterior.

Rosco

[eternal24k]

the main issue I would have is that powder coatings usually go on fairly thick, like a couple of mils (50ish microns). That might not work very well on a tight tolerance gun like a quality 1911.


my thoughts exactly

[marco.g]

check out birdsong if you dont mind shipping off your gun for a while.

[willowofwisp]

check out birdsong if you dont mind shipping off your gun for a while.

+1 that and IONBOND DLC are the only finishes i would consider on my 1911

[Pumpkinheaver]

Powder coating is nowhere near as durable as NP3 or some of the other finishes on the market.

[lonewolf21]

Thanks for all the input. Pretty much confirmed my suspicions about the whole deal. Gona send it to birdsong fir the black "t" treatment. Don't have the chance for gunwork very often so I have to be as thrifty as I can but don't want to sacrifice quality with anything. Thanks gents.

[Pumpkinheaver]

I have been looking at Black T myself.

[Lucky Strike]

+1 that and IONBOND DLC are the only finishes i would consider on my 1911

+1

If you're going with a matte black (since that's the only color it comes in) color then Ionbond DLC should be your top choice