Durable Finish Needed

[StrikeEagle]

My very favorite .45 is an original DA conversion by Louis Seecamp... a man I had the pleasure of meeting in his home a number of times. The piece is a Nickeled Combat Commander. I thought the factory finish would offer some protection and I suppose it did. But I carried the gun constantly for ten years or more... and had to have it refinished twice.

I seem to be one of those folks who sweats sulphuric acid... sigh. I can even rust stainless guns if I'm not very very careful.

Anyway, I do love and trust the gun that Mr. Seecamp built for me... and I'm thinking of getting it refinished again. But I'm just not sure what to do... I've considered having it parkerized... park seems to actually hold oil and has proven rather durable in my experience.

Internally the gun is fine... VERY reliable, and doggoned accurate. I shoot it very well from using it so much. What do you suggest?

It also has a good bit of sentimental value... reminds me a great man who was kindly to a gabby and excited young man many years ago.

StrikeEagle

 

[Gunsnrovers]

Hard chrome. It can be done bright (like stainless) or matte.
Should provide excellent chemical resistance.

I would recommend Tripp Research if you go down that path.

Pictures of your pistol would be great!

 

[JB in SC]

Definitely industrial hard chrome, very durable. Accurate Plating and Weaponry is one I can recommend. I understand that there are some Boron finishes that are very good, but I've no experience with them.

The Seecamp conversion is a real gem.

 

[DBR]

I suggest you consider Robar NP3 or Tripp Research hardchrome over E-Nickel. Hardchrome while very wear resistant is not as corrosion resistant as E-Nickel. The combination is the best of both worlds. NP3 is kind of pewter gray. The hardchrome can be bright or matte.

 

[StrikeEagle]

Pictures of your pistol would be great!

Ok... I took one. Hope this works out... but you can see that this gun has been through a lot... carried a heck of a lot, fired a heck of a lot.

I love it.

It's ugly, but it sure can cook.

Never posted a picture before... hope this works...

StrikeEagle

ps Just got it out after a few years in storage... gonna clean it up now.

 

[GunnySkox]

"It's ugly, but it sure can cook."

*warble* If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life, never make a pretty pistol your piece, so for my personal point of view, get an ugly weapon to ride with you...

~Slam_Fire

 

[Third_Rail]

Slam_Fire - you're strange. Really, really strange.



StrikeEagle, I would think about some sort of polymer coating like NP3 or GunKote (or however it's spelled)

 

[Sean Smith]

For corrosion resistance, Black-T. But it, like all the polymer finishes, will wear off.

For good (but not perfect) corrosion resistance, combined with extreme wear resistance, hard chrome is the way to go.

NP3 will give you more wear resistance than any polymer finish, and more corrosion resistance than hard chrome, but is not as hard as hard chrome or as corrosion resistant as the polymer finishes.

 

[bubbygator]

He's not strange - I recognize that song.

(Oh.... maybe I'm strange too.)

 

[Third_Rail]

Yeah, I did too....


The grips are ugly, the mags don't match, but believe me it's a better catch....

 

[StrikeEagle]

Thanks for the advice folks!

BTW, I asked Mr. Seecamp to pin the grip safety... that was one of the trendy modifications back then. Kind of made sense because the pistol is not really for Condition One carry.

But today... I'm thinking that in the event of a righteous shooting, having disabled one of the safeties might look strange... like using handloads for defense. Thinking of unpinning it. Sigh.

Many thanks!
StrikeEagle

ps Yeah, great song!

 

[ulflyer]

Just my 2 cents worth, but that is a fine looking gun. I'd much rather have one like that than several polished ones I have now. It has character, and a "feel" ....sorta like my '43 Rem-Rand with its worn dulite finish, all slicked out from carrying. Had to fight Tuner to keep him from runnin off with it.

 

[Igloodude]

I was just getting ready to start a thread on this question, and found this thread pre-made, and it answered all my questions except one:

Will a parkerized finish stand up well to carry/IDPA handling? I assume it isn't as good as hard chrome, but how much better (if any) than stainless/E-nickel is it?