Does anyone have up-to-date info on the toughest, most durable finishes for carbon steel? I have to admit I was gah-gah when I saw the many types that the “Desert Eagle” offered - especially BLACK chrome ('Black and SHINY - googie-googie!") , but I wondered if it could stand up to even the least wear-and-tear that I put my “using” collection through. The last thing i want is a “wall-hanger” that I’ve lost interest in, - I’ll trade it in to get rid of it. Kurt17
1 Like
THX - Kurt17
1 Like
For absolute bomb proof finish Nitride, Armaloy or Hardchrome are tough to beat but spendy IF you can find a place to do it. That said I have been playing with Ceramacoat and Ceracoat a bit and have been pleasantly surprised with the durability albeit I’ve really not beaten on it and it lives in a leather holster so no real abrasion. Parkerizing, Anodizing (Aluminum) and Hot Blue are the gold standards by which all finishes are judged in the gun world. I have an EAA Witness with a factory Armaloy finish (silver over carbon steel) and I have beaten that pistol to death and it still looks as good as the day I bought it. I have multiple parts that claim to be “Nitrided” but as I understand it there are two ways to do it and I’m not sure which one is which but they seam to be holding up well as a a coating.
MOST finishes ADD to the overall dimension of whatever they are applied to so if you have very tight tolerances in fitting you may run into issues. Cold/Hot Bluing adds nothing.
Cheers,
Craig6
1 Like
THX - Kurt17
1 Like
I have had good luck with Cerakote, even though it does wear.
The polycoat that CZ uses is bad ass tough… took over a decade to even show with hard use.
Park is good.
Bluing is good.
Get Stainless 
From what I have heard, Nitride really holds up well.
2 Likes