#DuraCoat

Welcome everyone to the 125th edition of ‘Hot Gat or Fudd Crap?’, one of our many series here on TFB. If you’re new to the series, this is where we look at the most obscure firearms that are actually for sale and ask the question – is this Gat a sweet deal or only has a Fudd appeal?  Each week the TFB staff weighs in with their thoughts, but readers get the final say in the poll at the bottom of each article.

Modern corrosion proofing techniques have largely relegated paint coatings to hobbyists looking to customize the look of their firearm. I, on the other hand, seem to have the biology of a xenomorph, and by that, I mean that I have managed to corrode a couple of my gun slides as well as one of my recently purchased Shield Arms S15 magazines. Today I’ll provide you with a guide to corrosion proofing your gun parts with Aluma Hyde II as suggested by TFBTVs James Reeves.

As you’ve seen in the title picture, today’s Photo Of The Day is a brightly colored, snek themed AR-15, giving a light-hearted “danger” warning to anyone that would attempt to take its user’s rights away.  Reddit user /u/ForynGilnith said he enjoyed using Duracoat for the first time and was pleased with how it worked in his airbrush and the subsequent easy cleanup.  He said he initially wanted to keep the rifle yellow and black, but Duracoat accidentally sent Electric O’Sherbert (orange) instead, which they quickly corrected and sent the intended Electric Sunburst.  /u/ForynGilnith decided to use the orange on the stock, grip and lower controls as well.

One only needs to spend a minute or two at the Lauer Weaponry/DuraCoat booth to instantly recognize why the company is absolutely thriving.

At a time when every other firearms coating company strives to create exciting new colors and differentiate themselves from their competition, the guys at Cerakote decided to focus on something completely different with their new “imaging software”.

This has been said before, but can be repeated: the AR-15 platform is really amazing.

Gun finishes have gone through a bit of a renaissance in recent years as companies like DuraCoat and Cerakote have opened up the color palette and allow companies and hobbyists to be very creative with their firearms. Traditional bluing, Parkerizing and other finishes are still very popular. But for many people, applying a custom camo pattern to a hunting rifle or some bright colors on a race gun can be nearly as enjoyable as shooting it.

Trident Custom Coatings is a company out of East Dundee, Illinois that specializes in firearms and some automobile coating jobs, but has recently gotten into customizing Glocks. Specifically the company uses Duracoat, Hydrodipping, Black Oxide, and Nickel Boron for their current coating process.

JP Enterprises is a company that focuses on high-end competition rifles. JP is based in Hugo MN. For the record, JP also offers a line of Law Enforcement rifles: “ JP-15 Duty Rifles“.

Rainier Arms had a very colorful stand at the IWA exhibition in Germany.

Back in October, Ian Cherry of Whisky Tango Firearms, provided a fantastic interview with The Gun Writer on the benefits of the two major coatings that dominate the firearms industry, Duracoat and Cerakote. With the video, Ian goes through details on the application of the coatings including his remarkable aftermarket and patterned designs. 

Youtuber  The Social Regressive shows us how he Duracoated his .243 Win Savage 12FV varmint rifle. The video is 25 minutes long but worth watching if Duracoating an entire rifle and it’s accessories is something that appeals to you. He uses a Air Compressor, Air Brush, Respirator, Cotton Balls, Homemade Stencils and of course Duracoat paint. If you don’t have an air compressor, they can be purchased for less than $50 from Walmart. These types of compressors are intended for inflating, but as far as I know they work fine for air brushing.

DuraCoat will be launching their new Shake n’ Spray product at SHOT Show next year. The kit allows you to apply the paint without an airbrush, saving you money. I think this is a pretty neat concept.