Best black finish for stainless steel handgun???

Endorphin Rush · 10-18-2004, 14:34

Anyone have any recommendations as to best black (or dark colored) finish for stainless steel guns??? I'm interested in having at least one of the two pictured 1911's finished in a dark color for duty use. Aside from being very durable, I'm looking to find a finish that virtually eliminates the incidence of galling with stainless firearms. I like what I hear about Robar's NP3, but am not crazy about the color. I've always been partial to Stainless Steel and for that reason ordered them that way. However, though I've never had a galling problem, would like to avoid that problem. I figured you guys might have some insight. Thanks in advance!!!

http://www.hunt101.com/img/214168.JPG

rubberneck · 10-18-2004, 15:15

Stainless steel can not be buled or parkerized so the two most common methods of making a gun darker are out the window. You can have it black chromed but that process is very very expensive ($400 per gun is the cheapest I have seen). Therefore, the only real alternative for you is a molybendium disulfate finish, which is a teflon inpregnated polymer coating. While it will last longer than bluing or parkerizing it will still wear off over time and depending on the amount that it his holstered and drawn it may need to be refinished.

The best of the polymer coatings are:

Robar's Roguard finish
Tripp Researches Cobra coat
Gun Kote (Used on Wilson Combat pistols)
Bear Coat (Used on Les Baer pistols)
Bridsong's Black-T (Used on t he Springfield FBI gun)

All four are more or less the same thing, despite what their advertising says they are all the same. I personally would send my guns to Virgil Tripp for his Cobra Coat. He is an outstanding pistolsmith in his own right (Which is important in that the gun has to be detail stripped and the finish can effect the trigger pull) but his turn around time is 8 shop days and his prices are better than the others. YMMV.

**Ambush Master** · 10-20-2004, 12:28

Try talking with these guys. There are some dark Hardchromes available. These guys get about $150 for a 1911 job !!

http://www.trippresearch.com/index.htm

Later
Martin