My 92fs is looking a little beat, so I thought it might be nice of me to treat it to a face lift. I called beretta, and they want like $250 for a refinish job. so, my question is; what is the best deal for my gun. I have heard very good things about the various robar finishes, but I haven't heard anything about their prices. Also, how good is the black t? I want something that is durable first and rust resistant second. I don't care if it looks stainless or just black, i just want it to look nice for a long time. One more thing, if I have trijicons put on it, should i have it done before or after it gets refinished?

Thanks a lot,
ARben

If durability is paramount, choose hard chrome.  Check out www.apwcogan.com for an idea of pricing.

If hard chrome is not an option, go for NP3.  Nickel plating is another good tough finish.

All of the black finishes will show wear sooner than chrome or nickel.  Black T in particular has a reputation for poor resistance to abrasion.  

Have the sights installed by whoever refinishes your gun.  That way any scratches can be retouched for no cost.

thanks. I think that I may also want to drop in a jarvis match barrel for competitions. Sheesh, this is getting expensive. [:)]

Had NP3 put on a Caspian Framed 1911 about 10 years ago..Looks the same today that it did when i got it back from Robar....This gun runs about 2 weekends per month-it has not spent 10 years in a case----Dick

i kinda' like the looks of NP3. How much does it cost?

What does NP3 look like?

Thanks

I had Np3 put on a Sig P228 a few years back. I am not sure what the price is nowadays. Probably about $225-250.

Sort of a dull gray.  It's basically a nickel finish impregnated with Teflon.  It does look like it means business.  I am thinking a handgun would cost about $180 to refinish but I can't recall specifically.

See [url]http://www.robarguns.com/faq.asp[/url] for more details.

Forgot to say earlier that NP3 is as hard as a preachers dick and twice as slippery...As for color it is a chrome color with a very very very slight coppery color.  Not shiny but a nice warm glow...Since your Beretta has an alloy frame that may be a factor as to whether it will work for you or not....Dick

I think NP3 will run you $225-250 on  a handgun, plus shipping there and back.  Spendy proposition.  I had Robar do a Colt 1911 .45 in NP3, and they did JACK SHIT prep work on it.  For that amount of money they should be doing some bead blasting or polishing beyond just taking off the old finish.  NP3 is very slippery, probably too slippery for a gun like a Beretta with no checkering on the frontstrap.  I didn't like it, ended up selling the gun.  You can have your gun hard-chromed by Accurate Plating and Weaponry in Florida or by Mahovsky's Metalife for quite a bit less than NP3. APW does more prep work, Metalife is a little better finish (their chrome bonds better to the gun, seems to be more rust resistant).  Having your Beretta Metalifed would run you $159, including return shipping.  Quite a savings over NP3.  I think hard chrome looks better, myself.  The only problem with metallic finishes like NP3 and hard chrome with a standard Beretta is that you end up with a silver front sight.

NP3 and especially hard chrome will WAY outlast any of the black finishes.  Also, the mating surfaces on a chromed gun will polish over time and make it run smoother- I had a chromed Commander that ran much smoother than when it was blued, once the chrome polished up.

My vote is for one of the hard chrome finishes.  I think Robar is overpriced and overrated.

Will normal hard chrome hurt or increase wear on the alum. fram on the gun?

No.  Hard chrome is just that, HARD.  It vastly increases the surface hardness of your gun, reducing wear.  Chrome won't adhere to aluminum alloys very well, so what they do is plate it with electroless nickel first, then chrome over that.  Won't hurt your frame at all, will actually add to its service life.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM....
                   Black T  [:I]

If I could only explain how good this stuff is.

Get ahold of Derek from [url]www.azexarms.com[/url] before making your decision. His work is beautiful.
[img]www.azexarms.com/images/rifles/Dscn0668.jpg[/img]

Thank you soooo much!

I never thought how sweet my 92 would look in od green! This is definitely a great deal! I think I better give this place a call.

ARben