Anyone know what they are using to finish the products?  I can say that, although I don't go outta my way to tear up my equiptment ARMS has one of the tougher finishes out there.  Still not sure why they use the gray instead of black when 90% of their stuff goes for black weapons though?  

I dunno what ARMS uses to finish their stuff with, but it makes a nice rough surface that holds paint REALLY well. I spray mine with Krylon "Ultra Flat Black" and it turns out terrific.

It almost feels like parkerizing to the touch. Some sort of annodizing/parking hybrid maybe?

I have read Jack say that ARMS use grey because black is one of the easiest colors to spot. The grey helped to break up the solid black and made the rifle less easy to spot. I cant put words in his mouth, this is just from memory. While I thought it made sense, and have heard many times before that black is the easiest color to recognize, I've heard other people whose opinions I respect say thats hogwash. I dunno? Just passing on something I remember hearing. Either way, yeah, whatever it is... it sure is tough!

Can't speak of ARMS reasons for choosing grey, nor am I an expert on the human eye and/or its functioning, but I can say that in nature, absolute black is indeed very noticeable.  

Large areas of it stand out.  If not to everyones', it does to my eye.  Charcoals/greys are less noticeable.