Bead blasted SP101

[*Klutch*]

anyone have one? I'm thinking about doing this to my newly acquired SP101. My gunsmith gave me a price of $30, I'm also putting on a Hiviz green fiber optic sight and Trausch grips and really considering a bobbed hammer. The reason for the bead blasting is the gun id used and has some small scratches in it, so tonight I took some purple scotch bright to itan cleaned off the scratch marks but it dulled the finish some and I think it looks pretty badass so I want to further the badassness. Anybody have pics of theirs?

 

[John Wayne]

I have seen a few and they all looked very nice (especially since a lot had had the Ruger billboard removed also).

I would caution you though that a bead-blasted SS finish is not the scratch-resistant finish some believe it to be (just think of a SS refrigerator door). Polished SS can be touched up with metal polish when it starts to look worn, but bead-blasted finished have to be redone with a bead blaster. At the price you quoted though, that's not out of the question.

 

[motorcycle-charlie]

take a look at Gemeni Customs for ideas. they turn stock SP101s into mean machines. there are some bead blasted guns on their site. you can at least see what the finish will look like. maybee even send it to them some day in the future for an overhaul.
geminicustoms.com

 

[*Klutch*]

Thanks guys, their black t/tr gunkote is awesome but $280. How durable are these finishes? How well do they hold up to cleanings/holsters?

 

[rnpollard]

A little holster wear on a gun...

is like belt buckle scratches on the back of a good guitar. It is honest wear. I like my guns to look like they've been used and used well.

I have no use for safe queens. I'm the same way with knives. I carried a Randall Made Knife for the majority of my Army career. I carry a Chris Reeve Small Sebenza daily now. It is used but used well.

I make kydex/leather holsters and sometimes people are worried about the holster wear with a kydex holster. Keep the gun clean and the holster clean and you won't have problems. Grit and dirt in a lined holster will wear a finish more than a well maintained kydex holster.

My $.02.

 

[camsdaddy]

Is there any reason to not beadblast one.

 

[Waywatcher]

Is there any reason to not beadblast one.

1.) Bead blasted surfaces have more surface area and are more likely to start rusting.
2.) Scratches do show up more and are impossible to remove without refinishing.

That being said, I own a bead blasted stainless gun and I think it looks very nice.

 

[camsdaddy]

Sorry duplicate

 

[ShadyScott999]

Here is mine after I finished it.

 

[Steve_NEPhila]

I had an SP101 I traded last year that I had bead blasted ans it looked fantastic. I had everything blasted except for the cylinder, which gave it a cool semi two-tone finish and the cylinder was left smooth for a smoother action. Bead blasting does not make your revolver more prone to corrosion, claiming that more surface area makes it more likely for rust is exactly like saying that a larger weapon (Super Redhawk for example) is more likely to rust because of more surface area.

Bead blasting has an added benefit, it makes the surface of the revolver stronger! Removing sharp edges and peening the surface makes for a stronger surface of the metal. Go for it, and enjoy it.

 

[Waywatcher]

Bead blasting does not make your revolver more prone to corrosion, claiming that more surface area makes it more likely for rust is exactly like saying that a larger weapon (Super Redhawk for example) is more likely to rust because of more surface area.

I should be more clear: More surface area per unit of area. Think microscopic.

There are more "nooks and crannies" for rust to begin, compared to a polished surface.