Bisley finish: Bead blast or Cerakote

[TENFAN]

I am going to send my Bisley to John Powers for a little work and I need to decide on what finish to go with. I had originally planned on having the stainless bead blasted but after seeing pics of the many blued guns with Holly grips I am not sure. John says he has a Midnight Black Cerakote that looks like bluing. Any opinions? This is a hunting gun but I still want it to look good and the Cerakote would add another layer of protection from the elements.

 

[contender]

As a hunting gun,,, I'd want a surface as non reflective as possible.

 

[Hondo44]

Unless you want a black gun, I'd stick with blue, but a flat coat like Durablue. Comes shiny or flat. Still look good with holly grips and has extra protection.

You can actually do duraBlue yourself now. It's an epoxy finish but comes in a spray can now. Once you're ready to spray, you push a button in the bottom of the can and that mixes in the epoxy. Once it's mixed as I recall you can use it for up to an hour.

$35.

 

[Enigma]

Send it to Bobby Tyler and have it blued. Yes, he blues stainless; he can color it, too!

 

[CraigC]

To blacken stainless, ionbond.

 

[rugerguy]

if its stainless , leave it stainless, thats what you paid for....all the others are "coatings" and in time and use, will chip,peel,flake, whatever,,,seen them ALL do that.....if you want to use it for hunting, simply go to an archery shop and buy a can of "camo paint", it is washable, will NOT harm the gun, and dulls the "shiney"...been there, done that...if a flat, matte stainless out in the woods a deer cane see for a very LONG distance, same goes for the sound of a hammer coming back in the quiet of a still morning...again,been there ,done that...... 8) :roll: :wink:

 

[TENFAN]

Send it to Bobby Tyler and have it blued. Yes, he blues stainless; he can color it, too!

Talked to Bobby and he is not doing any stainless bluing right now. He said it is the most time consuming and they are just too busy.

 

[Enigma]

Send it to Bobby Tyler and have it blued. Yes, he blues stainless; he can color it, too!

Talked to Bobby and he is not doing any stainless bluing right now. He said it is the most time consuming and they are just too busy.

Fortunately for Bobby and unfortunately for those who desire his work, he is developing a reputation for excellence. His work load and turn-around has begun to reflect that.

 

[Hondo44]

Another source I've used for bluing stainless.

For bluing stainless and also does CCH:
http://runniron.com/general/index.html
RUN-N-IRON Customizing
10116 - 744 Road
Bertrand, Nebraska 68927
308-472-1445
[email protected]

 

[Joe in Fl]

My vote is the cerakote. I have had it applied to several firearms and it has held up to more than it should have. My beater AR15 had FDE cerakote 7 years ago. I have abused the heck out of this rifle and the finish looks like new with a little cleaning. No chipping, pealing or anything else. They have a satin finish Armory Black which looks great with just about any kind grips.
Joe

 

[RoninPA]

I am going to send my Bisley to John Powers for a little work and I need to decide on what finish to go with. I had originally planned on having the stainless bead blasted but after seeing pics of the many blued guns with Holly grips I am not sure. John says he has a Midnight Black Cerakote that looks like bluing. Any opinions? This is a hunting gun but I still want it to look good and the Cerakote would add another layer of protection from the elements.

Actually, he probably said "Midnight Blue". In Cerakote it is the closest color to a standard "bluing" on a gun. It (Cerakote) can also be applied so that it gives you a non glare matte finish and doesn't change the corrosion/impact/scratch resistance ability. I do Cerakoting in my gunsmithing business and it holds up incredibly well.

That said, if you wanted a non glare finish on your stainless steel Bisley, like the picture below, you could have them blast it with 120 grit aluminum oxide. This gives a non glare finish and once you put oil on it, looks this one: