Does anybody know what the FDE coating is on the P227? I would prefer something other than cerakote/paint.

It's a mystery to me, but then so is how you could go 9+ years without posting

What is wrong with cerakote?




I will now wait nine years for a response

It chips, scratches and nicks much more easily that the early 2000s marketing hype led us believe. Quite frankly, it is glorified spray paint, just like all the others.



With SIG, if it looks like a coating, it's Cerakote. If it doesn't look like a coating, it's either colored anodizing or its a PVD type finish, either or which would be preferable to a spray-on finish.



 

I have a P227 with FDE. It has 1800 rds thru it. Coating is holding up well. The only bare spots now are the friction points. The color under the bare friction points is black.This is my favorite pistol, also my night stand firearm with a 14rd mag in it. I paid $699 for it NIB when Palematto State Armory had them on clearance, two years ago. It is one reliable, accurate pistol. I have no complaints on the coating.

Apparently I signed up for an account when I bought my first AR years ago, and now I'm recently getting back into the hobby. At least I'm not a 13er



So would you say the coating is in fact Ceracote?

This.

Based on my experience, Cerakote is shit.

Coatings such as black nitride, PVD, etc are much better and don't chip off after drawing from the holster 5 times, or chip all around the ejection port after shooting one mag.

Sig's cerakote jobs are hit or miss in my unfortunate experience as well.

I had a 1911 Scorpion that looked like shit after 200 rounds.

Yeah, I know the "guns are tool! Omgz!" crowd doesn't care, but a $1000 gun should be better than that.

I like my guns to perform good and look good.

Yes i would say it is Ceracote. The coating was applied by Sig. The P227 was advertised as being Ceracoted. Yhe color of the base metal is black on the slide wear points. It is holding up very well, no chipping or flaking off. I didn't want a FDE P227, but for $699, $719 delivered to my FFL for a NIB P227 i couldn't pass it up. I am pleased with the Ceracote holding up.

Cerakote may not be the end all be all of finishes - but if you guys have cerakote that flakes or chips - the surface was pepped improperly or the cerakote itself was applied incorrectly. Bottom line.
Yes, it can scratch over time (as any finish will), yes, it can wear over time (as any finish will), but chipping and flaking = applied incorrectly.

I have now visited two different local Cerakote finishers who both had certifications posted on their wall showing that they are vetted applicators by Cerakote themselves.



Both talked at length about the importance of prep work.



Both then proceeded to show me examples of their work, aka Here's my EDC, and in both cases, the pistols exhibited chipping and flaking of the finish.



That was the final nail in the coffin for me. If certified Cerakote applicators cannot get the finish to perform as advertised in the early 2000s, then it is obvious to me that they are FOS and blowing smoke.



I've found the "prep work" line, more often than not, to be an excuse for painted finishes rather than the real reason for their lackluster performance.

Any experienced painter will tell you prep work means way more than the paint - same goes for cerakote. IMO any good paint or cerakote finish is 80% prep work. If you don't have a good base for the paint to adhere to, you're screwing up right off the bat.

I'm sorry a few bad applicators have left a bad taste in your mouth. I'm simply going off of my experience. We've coated hundreds of slides and have yet to have someone complain of their finish flaking or chipping. That simply doesn't happen with properly done cerakote. I have seen it scratch and I have seen it wear. I have never seen it flake or chip when done the right way.

Then I guess it is safe to say that I have spoken to some experienced (and certified) applicators. It may very well be that those whose guns you have coated have not used those firearms in a day-in, day-out manner, which in this case, includes going in and out of a holster every day, getting bumped into tables, seatbelt buckles, you name it. In fact, more often than not, those who go out of their way to have a gun refinished typically will baby their pistol afterwards, in either a conscious or subconscious effort to keep them in good condition on account of the money expended.



Cerakote sucks. Duracoat Sucks. Gunkote sucks. Alumahyde I and II both suck. The list goes on. The common denominator is the fact that they are painted finishes. Even applied over parkerizing where they can grab hold of the existing finish, they still can scratch and chip/flake easily.



I don't fault you for making money on it; a man deserves to earn a living in whichever manner he's carved out. I have not seen the claims come even remotely close to holding true in regards to long term durability. In fact, the only aftermarket finishes that I have seen that actually hold up to all of that is hard chrome and NP3. Everything else is just temporary.
 

If we had issues with our cerakote chipping and flaking - we would quit applying it.
Cerakote is a tiny - and I mean tiny - portion of our income and if it was a bad finish, we wouldn't put our name on it.

My Scorpion 1911 is 5 years old and still looks great even after 4k-5krds

A buddy does cerakote in his garage and he has done 40 shotguns, my AR-10 and soon a sig of mine. The AR-10 has been cerakote for a few years now and it gets drug through the wood and all kind of shit. None of his finished guns have flaked or chipped. My AR-10 does have scratches in the finish and wear spots on the rail points but that is to be expected.

Properly applied cerakote will not chip or flake. Like said above it will wear but not just fall off unless the prep work was shit.