Warning

 

Close
Confirm Action

Are you sure you wish to do this?

Cancel Confirm
AR15.COM
Armory Sponsor
7/8/2007 12:08:11 PM EDT
I'm planning on refinishing my M4gery and mags sometime soon.

I've always been a Bowflage guy but I'm looking for a more permanent (and cleaner) two tone finish.

I've heard good and bad things about the durability of the Duracoat product line...any advice? Gunkote? What's the most durable finish on the market right now?

I plan on doing it myself with an airbrush kit...any suggestions for a noob to the permanent finish world? What finishes (if any) will hold up to non-chlorinated brake cleaner (my prefered method of cleaning)?

Thanks in advance...
7/8/2007 4:34:26 PM EDT
[#1]
It might boil down to whether or not you can bake your finish.  If you dont have an oven, then duracoat might be the best.  The best finish in the world wont stick without proper degreasing.  I have painted quite a few guns with duracoat and havent had any problems as long as they were properly degreased.....I figured out the hard way.  And, you have to allow the finish to properly dry.  Duracoat takes about 3 weeks to dry completely.  As far as cleaning with brake cleaner, I am not sure, but I bet it isnt a good idea with any finish to soak it with brake cleaner.
7/12/2007 11:15:08 AM EDT
[#2]
My opinion is that Duracoat is better than Gun Kote.  I also agree that you'll be hard pressed to find a finish that will allow you to clean it with brake cleaner, that stuff cuts through most anything.  Although the 1 time I had to remove Duracoat it took quite a bit of scrubbing and soaking with acetone to get it to come off.
7/12/2007 2:15:51 PM EDT
[#3]
I'm not going to weigh in on which is better.  However, if you allow Duracoat to dry properly, you can use brake cleaner to your hearts content and it won't do anything to the duracoat.  I've been cleaning my Para ord with brake cleaner since I refinished it with duracoat and it hasn't even faded or discolored it.
7/12/2007 4:30:00 PM EDT
[#4]
I haven't tried the brake cleaner on my duracoat yet.  But it is really durable.  I haven't tried the bake on either.  It is pretty much a no brainer using the duracoat.  Degrease it and scuff it up and spray away.  It is pretty much that simple.  
7/13/2007 3:43:39 AM EDT
[#5]
WOW!!!!  Typically there's a lot of DuraCoat bashers here on arfcom.  I'm glad to see it finally get some of the positive recognition it deserves.  I've had very great succsess with it, and see no reason to use anything else.  Prep and curing time are the two areas that most people don't take serious enough when it comes to refinishing.  Take your time to do it right, and there's not much out there that can compete with DuraCoat (IMnotsoHO;>).
7/13/2007 5:39:47 PM EDT
[#6]
I agree 100 percent.  I was scared, so to say, the first time after reading all the negative.  But I tried it first on an ate up Win 30-30.  It turned out so good, I surprised myself.  
7/13/2007 5:40:57 PM EDT
[#7]
my rifles baked on GunKote finish stands up to brake cleaner and so does my  other rifle thats finished in Solid Film Lubricant . again its all in the prep and the bakeing.
7/14/2007 4:47:32 PM EDT
[#8]
I used Brownells Teflon-Moly on my mossberg 500 and it's works great. I would suggest though that you watch how thick you layer it b/c I had to get after mine with fine sandpaper so that I could pump it. I will most like use it again since it is in spray can form, which is really convenient for a college student living in an apt. I haven't gotten to use my shotgun a whole lot lately, but so far it has held up amazingly. Only problem I had was the I should have prewarmed my barrel to allow some of the oil to seep out of the nooks and crannys of the barrel.
Armory Sponsor