Powdercoating a rifle

KBP75 · June 15, 2011, 10:49 PM

I have a Remington 760 that has some minor issues with the finish on the metal. Someone in the past let water or something cause speckling of the finish. Its not pitted to the touch, just in looking at the surface. What do you think of powdercoating the rifle? There is a person who will powdercoat the rifle for $70.00 Is this a good finish for the money? Is it durable for a hunting rifle?

GURU1911 · June 16, 2011, 12:30 AM

If they are not an established firearms plating specialist, then my answer would be "no". Companies such as "robar" in arizona or "coal creek armory" in tennessee or "metaloy" in arkansas, will do a much better job plating the rifle, as they are specialists with such work.

Guru1911

Scorch · June 16, 2011, 02:32 AM

Powdercoat typically goes on thick, not ideal for firearms. Powdercoat requires aggressive surface blasting as prep, also not ideal for firearms. GunKote works well, if you really want a coating, but I would recommend just having it blued.

Jason_alex · June 17, 2011, 11:46 AM

^x2 I run a powder coating facility we have never painted a rifle but the thinnest you can put powder on and make it look ok is 2.5 Mills depending on the paint the ideal finish is 3-4 mills thick... And as stated blasting works great for long lasting finishes but can be done without blasting.

I would not recommended powder coating your rifle and if you do, (I wouldn't and i powder coat everything) plug or mask with high temp tape anywhere that holds any tolerance and screw holes.

Jim Watson · June 17, 2011, 12:02 PM

Clark would powder coat a gun but they knew where to coat and where not to coat so the relatively thick coating would not cause malfunction. And I can't see on their www where they offer it any more.

There are a lot of gun coatings thin enough to not gum up the works. But they cost more than $70.

If it is just stained, I would oil it up and leave it otherwise alone.
In fact some of my house fire guns have so little staining on the metal that I am not having those reblued. All the wood stocks need refinishing, though.

Jason_alex · June 17, 2011, 02:38 PM

If you know what your doing it might not be a big deal but, with powder when you spray it it goes every where it can get into crack and crevices you wouldn't think it could but it is a tough finish for the barrel.

Pahoo · June 17, 2011, 03:21 PM

A couple of months ago, a buddy of mine had a .410 bolt action shotgun done, for one of his Grandsons. It was in worse shape than yours. It was pitted and just plain rough. Came out looking pretty good but you can still see some of the pits. The "Smith" that did the work, backs it up and charged my buddy $75.00. It's very durable.

Now, I say it can be done and some perhaps, should be done but not too sure about yours as it doesn't sound like it's in too bad of shape. Consider sending it out to get reblued. Your gun, money and call !!! ...

Be Safe !!!

Edward429451 · June 17, 2011, 03:59 PM

I had my 870 WM powdercoated a few years back. I had everything done, the 28" Mod barrel, the 18" Police trade in barrel, the extended mag, the original mag tube cap, all but the wood.

No amount of taping it off with hi temp tape will stop them from getting overspray into the action. I forgot to tape the barrel where it goes into the action too. It was days until I had it back into action again. I had to reverse tape it and go slow to protect the new finish. Was it worth it? If asked when I was still sanding off the overspray, you'd think I was a sailor how I said no. But now a couple years later after the pita is a distant memory...Heck yes, I have a SG that is impervious to the elements.

They powdercoated over my Serial number...I can barely read it so it's ok. If I were to do it again, I would tape of over the Serial number for increased visibility when done.

Mac's! · June 19, 2011, 10:45 AM

We have powder coated quite a few firearms in the past but it does have it's problems. We apply it over our "regular" Tuff-Gun 1 (TG-1) finish and call it TG-2. It does work well but like I said: It does have it's problems. First, it can't be applied to any close tolerance parts and not to any internal surfaces. It's to thick and will not burnish. The thickness problem is obvious but the burnishing problem only shows up after the firearm is reassembled. Burnishing in this case means that the finish will wear to match the part next to it. It does not "break in" very well at all. Our TG-1 finish uses Gunkote 2400 Series as the color coat. It will wear to a perfect fit on the parts that move against each other. In fact, I purposely apply it thicker to some areas like slide rails, etc. so that it has "room" to burnish properly. Powder coat will not burnish, it will just break! There are some other finishes like duracoat that also will not burnish and have the thickness problems but that stuff is easy to remove.
The second big problem with it is that it's not really very good at withstanding high heat. (Yes, they make powders that are heat resistant) I applied it to an AK barrel and then went to the range. After two mags at rapid fire, the powder coat on the barrel had changed colors and was smoking.
Now having said all of that: It does work well on non-moving parts like bipod outer legs, slow firing barrels, bolt handles, etc. but it's worse than no good on close tolerance moving parts. Removing that stuff takes a LOT of work!!
As other posters have said: It's applied as a very fine powder. The part being powder coated MUST ABSOLUTELY be 100% masked off to keep it from drifting to the inside surfaces. That's why I will not apply it to pistol frames, rifle receivers, etc.. There's just to many openings for that stuff to get inside.
Another problem with it is that it can have "leakage" meaning that if moisture gets under it, it will rust the metal before it flakes the finish off. That's why I apply it over our TG-1 finish so the metal has that protection from adverse environmental conditions.
Overall, it is a good finish for firearms as long as it's properly applied by somebody that knows what NOT to powder coat! Keep yer powder dry, Mac.
(That's not a pun. It's the way I sign my posts!)
Tuff-Gun Finishes. The Name Says It All.
Mac's Shootin' Irons.
http://www.shootiniron.com

June 15, 2011, 10:49 PM	#1
KBP75 Senior Member Join Date: November 18, 2010 Posts: 316	Powdercoating a rifle I have a Remington 760 that has some minor issues with the finish on the metal. Someone in the past let water or something cause speckling of the finish. Its not pitted to the touch, just in looking at the surface. What do you think of powdercoating the rifle? There is a person who will powdercoat the rifle for $70.00 Is this a good finish for the money? Is it durable for a hunting rifle?

June 16, 2011, 12:30 AM	#2
GURU1911 Senior Member Join Date: December 22, 2010 Location: SEALY, THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS Posts: 501	Refinishing options to consider If they are not an established firearms plating specialist, then my answer would be "no". Companies such as "robar" in arizona or "coal creek armory" in tennessee or "metaloy" in arkansas, will do a much better job plating the rifle, as they are specialists with such work. Guru1911 __________________ NRA LIFE MEMBER (1984) & PRESIDENT: S.W. LA. R&P CLUB, LAKE CHARLES, LOUISIANA (1994-1999) METALLIC CARTRIDGE RELOADER (1977) & GENTILE CHRISTIAN ZIONIST INFIDEL !!! "THERE AIN'T TOO MANY THINGS THAT YOU CAN'T FIX, WITH $500 DOLLARS OR A .30-06"

June 16, 2011, 02:32 AM	#3
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	Powdercoat typically goes on thick, not ideal for firearms. Powdercoat requires aggressive surface blasting as prep, also not ideal for firearms. GunKote works well, if you really want a coating, but I would recommend just having it blued. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

June 17, 2011, 03:21 PM	#7
Pahoo Senior Member Join Date: February 16, 2006 Location: IOWA Posts: 8,783	Can be done but you might want to reconsider. A couple of months ago, a buddy of mine had a .410 bolt action shotgun done, for one of his Grandsons. It was in worse shape than yours. It was pitted and just plain rough. Came out looking pretty good but you can still see some of the pits. The "Smith" that did the work, backs it up and charged my buddy $75.00. It's very durable. Now, I say it can be done and some perhaps, should be done but not too sure about yours as it doesn't sound like it's in too bad of shape. Consider sending it out to get reblued. Your gun, money and call !!! ... Be Safe !!!

June 17, 2011, 11:46 AM	#4
Jason_alex Member Join Date: June 10, 2011 Posts: 23	^x2 I run a powder coating facility we have never painted a rifle but the thinnest you can put powder on and make it look ok is 2.5 Mills depending on the paint the ideal finish is 3-4 mills thick... And as stated blasting works great for long lasting finishes but can be done without blasting. I would not recommended powder coating your rifle and if you do, (I wouldn't and i powder coat everything) plug or mask with high temp tape anywhere that holds any tolerance and screw holes.

June 17, 2011, 12:02 PM	#5
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,541	Clark would powder coat a gun but they knew where to coat and where not to coat so the relatively thick coating would not cause malfunction. And I can't see on their www where they offer it any more. There are a lot of gun coatings thin enough to not gum up the works. But they cost more than $70. If it is just stained, I would oil it up and leave it otherwise alone. In fact some of my house fire guns have so little staining on the metal that I am not having those reblued. All the wood stocks need refinishing, though.

June 17, 2011, 02:38 PM	#6
Jason_alex Member Join Date: June 10, 2011 Posts: 23	If you know what your doing it might not be a big deal but, with powder when you spray it it goes every where it can get into crack and crevices you wouldn't think it could but it is a tough finish for the barrel.

June 17, 2011, 03:59 PM	#8
Edward429451 Junior member Join Date: November 12, 2000 Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Posts: 9,494	I had my 870 WM powdercoated a few years back. I had everything done, the 28" Mod barrel, the 18" Police trade in barrel, the extended mag, the original mag tube cap, all but the wood. No amount of taping it off with hi temp tape will stop them from getting overspray into the action. I forgot to tape the barrel where it goes into the action too. It was days until I had it back into action again. I had to reverse tape it and go slow to protect the new finish. Was it worth it? If asked when I was still sanding off the overspray, you'd think I was a sailor how I said no. But now a couple years later after the pita is a distant memory...Heck yes, I have a SG that is impervious to the elements. They powdercoated over my Serial number...I can barely read it so it's ok. If I were to do it again, I would tape of over the Serial number for increased visibility when done.

June 19, 2011, 10:45 AM	#9
Mac's! Senior Member Join Date: August 15, 2001 Posts: 129	We have powder coated quite a few firearms in the past but it does have it's problems. We apply it over our "regular" Tuff-Gun 1 (TG-1) finish and call it TG-2. It does work well but like I said: It does have it's problems. First, it can't be applied to any close tolerance parts and not to any internal surfaces. It's to thick and will not burnish. The thickness problem is obvious but the burnishing problem only shows up after the firearm is reassembled. Burnishing in this case means that the finish will wear to match the part next to it. It does not "break in" very well at all. Our TG-1 finish uses Gunkote 2400 Series as the color coat. It will wear to a perfect fit on the parts that move against each other. In fact, I purposely apply it thicker to some areas like slide rails, etc. so that it has "room" to burnish properly. Powder coat will not burnish, it will just break! There are some other finishes like duracoat that also will not burnish and have the thickness problems but that stuff is easy to remove. The second big problem with it is that it's not really very good at withstanding high heat. (Yes, they make powders that are heat resistant) I applied it to an AK barrel and then went to the range. After two mags at rapid fire, the powder coat on the barrel had changed colors and was smoking. Now having said all of that: It does work well on non-moving parts like bipod outer legs, slow firing barrels, bolt handles, etc. but it's worse than no good on close tolerance moving parts. Removing that stuff takes a LOT of work!! As other posters have said: It's applied as a very fine powder. The part being powder coated MUST ABSOLUTELY be 100% masked off to keep it from drifting to the inside surfaces. That's why I will not apply it to pistol frames, rifle receivers, etc.. There's just to many openings for that stuff to get inside. Another problem with it is that it can have "leakage" meaning that if moisture gets under it, it will rust the metal before it flakes the finish off. That's why I apply it over our TG-1 finish so the metal has that protection from adverse environmental conditions. Overall, it is a good finish for firearms as long as it's properly applied by somebody that knows what NOT to powder coat! Keep yer powder dry, Mac. (That's not a pun. It's the way I sign my posts!) Tuff-Gun Finishes. The Name Says It All. Mac's Shootin' Irons. http://www.shootiniron.com