Hey guys, I have a Springfield "GI .45" 1911 with a blued barrel, and I'm thinking of having the barrel coated. The reason for this is purely cosmetic: the blued finish isn't very durable, and the barrel has a blotchy appearance where the barrel meets the slide, most noticeably near the ejection port. So I was thinking of coating it with something more durable.


I came across these guys on Facebook: MG Precision Arms. They're one of many companies offering that gold TiN finish that people seem to love or hate, but they also offer the finish in black:









What do you guys think? Will this make my barrel more resistant to finish wear?




Thanks.






 

Most finishes will wear off.  Some sooner than others.   Hard chrome and TiN seem to hold up better than most.  I wouldn't bother with anything short of that unless corrosion is a real concern.  Cerakote or whatever will soon wear off the hood and around the muzzle but the rest of the barrel would continue to be protected.

Melonite or any Nitride treatment would be your best bet.  Cerakote is a good option it tends to wear pretty well and relatively inexpensive.  One problem you may run into with nitriding the current barrel you have is issues with the take down pin link on the barrel coming loose after the nitride treatment.  
If it were me I would buy the barrel with the finish I wanted and have it fitted to your pistol.

FYI your barrel should be parkerized not blued.

The cheapest way is buy a bottle of cold blue solution and apply it when bluing on barrel wear off. Degrease, apply, wipe off excess, put some gun oil on. It is as good as new.

http://www.brownells.com/gunsmith-tools-supplies/metal-prep-coloring/metal-bluing/liquid-cold-bluing-chemicals/oxpho-blue-reg--prod1072.aspx

I don't see a reason to spent more money on the barrel finish that will soon wear off even with expensive coating. SA GI barrel quality is great, but it is in fact 2-piece barrel. Spend the money you saved somewhere else is my advise.

Good info, thanks guys.