Plating and coating

[johnwilliamson062]

Which is best for corrosion resistance and basically extending the lifetime of a gun irrespective of aesthetics.

[grymster2007]

Triple chrome plating is the most durable, but I don't know if that's the process used in chroming guns. First the parts are plated with copper, then nickel, then chrome.

[Bill DeShivs]

Industrial hard chrome is the most durable. It is not the same process as decorative chrome, as it is plated directly to the gun steel-without under platings.
Nickel may be slightly more rust proof, but hard chrome is harder.

[johnwilliamson062]

why do people complain about chrome "pimp guns" so much then? Seems pretty practical to me...

[Bill DeShivs]

Typically, "hard chrome" is not applied to a brightly polished gun. It's usually a satin finish that looks similar to stainless. There is nothing wrong with highly polished guns. Some guys just don't think shiny is macho.

[johnwilliamson062]

I just want to know what the most resiliant finish is and it sounds like that is hard chrome.

It's usually a satin finish that looks similar to stainless.

So I can ge hard chrome in a satin finish?

Can I have this applied to all the parts of a gun not original designed for it? Will it mess up the dimensions or is it very thin?
Lets say I want to do the blasphemous and plate an 03A3 or spanish 1916, will that work? Barrel, action, trigger group and all.
Also, who can do it? I assume there is a gunsmith known for this type of thing.

[trigger happy]

doesn't something have to be nickel plated before it can be chromed?

[Alpha-Omega]

Hard chrome is the way to go for durability, alot of the WWI and WWII military rifles had chrome lined bores. As far as where to go, any major city should have a few industrial platers. As for dimension changes, hard chrome will add material to the gun parts, you can specify the plating thickness, but it has been my experiance that hard chrome starts at about .005" thickness.
electroless nickle can be applied as thin as .0003" thickness, but it is not as durable. I have a machine shop and regularly have parts plated. If you get the 03a3 done let me know, I think a hard chrome finish would look really good.

Glen

[WESHOOT2]

I currently have handguns with three different aftermarket finishes: hardchrome, electroless nickel with a boron carbide substrate, and Robar's proprietary NP3, which is electroless nickel impregnated with Teflon.

When I 'finish' my next gun I'll use NP3 (since my other has held up perfectly for over a dozen years).

www.robarguns.com

[Shorthair]

This 1911 was industrial hard chromed about 15 years ago, and has seen hard use ever since. The weapon was bead blasted and the flats on the slide were polished with a fiber wheel before plating. What wasn't plated is after-market stainless.
Never rusted, spent more than one night soaked.

[johnwilliamson062]

I like the NP3. It may not be what I go with but i know of a female shooter who I guess is having problems with slides(I have no idea why, but I guess this is common). I may suggest it to her, because of the lubrication advantage. NOt cheap at $280 for a pistol and $320 for a rifle. Might be worth it to me, but I doubt she would be interested.

Contacted a local chrome hard plater who specializes in restoration of cars. See what they can do or who they know of..

[Bill DeShivs]

Car chrome is decorative chrome. That is what you don't want.
You need to specify "industrial hard chrome."

[johnwilliamson062]

I did. I will see what they say.

[koginam]

Bob Cogan provides a very good hard chrome finish and I believe he gives it a 300 hour salt spray guarantee, I have a rifle with very hard use that looks new except for the stock. http://www.apwcogan.com/Greetings.htm

[Swampghost]

I don't know where to get it done anymore but Teflon is the way to go. My 30-40 Krag has been on boats, in the saltwater enviroment, since the '60's. It still looks like the day that I picked it up.

I used to hunt with it too and it's been through many S FL rainstorms.

[T. O'Heir]

"...a lot of the W. W. I and W. W. II military rifles had..." Nope. Chroming barrels is very much a post war thing. Very early VN issue M16's didn't have chromed barrels. Totally non-existant in W.W. I.
"...why do people complain about chrome "pimp guns" so much then?..." Chrome that looks like a bumper is crass. IHC doesn't look like a bumper. No excessive shine issues for having a good sight picture.
Industrial hard chrome is your friend. When it looks like it's wearing, it's not. It's polishing itself.
"...have to be nickel plated..." No. Nickle plating is 19th Century technology.
"...do the blasphemous and plate an 03A3..." Some people will come looking for you if you chrome a 1903A3 that's in full military configuration. It'll drop the value by more than half too. Not such a big deal on a bubba'd rifle. Unless all it needs is a stock.

[WESHOOT2]

Mr. Bob Cogan at Accurate Plating & Weaponry is the right man for any hardchrome job.
(and pistolsmithing, too!)

I actually know (and so do some of my friends....).

[johnwilliamson062]

"...do the blasphemous and plate an 03A3..." Some people will come looking for you if you chrome a 1903A3 that's in full military configuration. It'll drop the value by more than half too. Not such a big deal on a bubba'd rifle. Unless all it needs is a stock.

I would look for a bubba and I doubt I would have any trouble finding one.

[TheRifleman]

You can specify chrome plate AMS-QQ-C-320 for heavy build or thin coat, depending on surface tolerances you need to hold. If bling's not your thing, go for a managanese phosphate finish with heavy oil post-treat immersion.