Gunkote / Duracoat ??

[Dan877]

I have a stainless rifle that I want to "blue" before putting it in high grade walnut stock i picked up. Any opinions on which is better, i.e. easier to apply, more durable, and particularly, which gives a better looking finish?

I'm hoping to get as close to a "finely blued" look as I can. Any opinions on which color in either would be best, i.e. duracoat gloss black, gunkote gloss black, gunkote gloss gunmetal blue, or maybe a color I hadn't thought of like duracoat German blue?

Thanks
Dan

 

[BillPa]

Dan,
I use a fair amount of Duracoat. When it fully cured it seem to hold up well.

Here is a Mod 7 a young lad decided to "refinish" using some unknown kind of black paint and a cheap brush. On top of the paint job, he buggered up one of the filler screws in the barrel then sanded the barrel. Why...?

The before.......

After some discussion he settled on matte black Duracoat for barreled action and floorplate assembly. This might give you some idea what one looks like...

If your not sure of the color give Lauer a call. Sometimes the color chips you see on the screen or their pamphlets don't exactly match the paint, so they'll steer you in the right direction to get the effect your after. The problem, no matter what you do, any paint will never have the same coloration and quality of a well done bluing job. Will it look good..Yes, will it be the same ..no.
Duracoat isn't tough to apply, metal prep is important however. I use a airbrush to apply it. It goes on very thin. In fact, although you can't see it in the pictures the stampings on the barrel look 100% normal...no appearance of being filled in.

Bill

 

[Hoot]

I've used both Duracote and Durabake. If I have something to paint and I can fit it into my oven, I will always take Durabake over Duracote. IMO, Durabake is more foolproof. When heated, it turns into a viscous gel that evens out. With Duracote, you have to be more mindful of applying a nearly perfect layer or else, when it cures, you can see where you put more, or less on than in other places, much like conventional spray paint. With Durabake, that demarcation is more blurred. It's hard to find the right terminology as I don't paint for a living. It would surprise you what you can fit in an oven working one corner against the opposite corner. Once cured, I would rate both as having the same, tough finish. Will it look like a polished, blued surface? No, its not bluing. Will it look good? I think so, but keep your expectations more in line with a well done spray paint job. It goes without saying that nothing looks like a blued finish except a blued finish. Also, no matter how well you spray a finish on, how well it looks and its durability relies heavily upon surface preparation before you coat.

Hoot