Thread: Cerakote yay or nay?

I have a wee Howa mini in stainless. Lovely wee gun. However, it is prone to gathering a light amount of surface rust in no time at all if it gets wet in the bush. I treat it exactly the same at my other firearms but for whatever reason this one loves to rust….

My question to you guys and girls is should I get it Cerakoted and if so who by? I’m based in Auckland so Cerakote NZ is the closest in Tauranga I think. I’d love some real world experiences, good and bad.

Cheers

awesome if done properly and baked on like aftermarket appliers, factory rifles it normally air cured so nowhere near as durable

Absolutely, brilliant finish, tough as nails and completely rust proof.
Just need to look after the bore
Perfect for NZ conditions.


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Don’t worry about the specs of stains just use it and give it a little scotch pad plastic scrubber every year or two
I do like painted guns tho mostly because it wears and they sell for cheep


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Close quarters Cerokote is ment to be the ducks nuts done a few rifles for a mate of mine he’s quoted mine and his price beats competition for a superior job

I cleaned a mates cerokoated rifle, left some bore solvent on my finger and that finger touched the coating and wasnt removed as i didnt realise...... ate the cerakote. i am constantly reminded.

Would have been fine on a stainless or blued object. Your results may vary, this was on a Howa. Dont recall if it was factory applied or aftermarket, I'm not going to ask him, just to be reminded i fecked the finish on his rifle. But I do remind him he needs to learn how to clean his own rifle

Painting gun metal is not new or unusual. Australian SMLE metal got green painted. LE Jungle Carbines got sprayed black.

If I see a rifle that has Cerakote, I automatically think 'What is it trying to hide?'

I give my external rusting rifles 2x coats of Penetrol - the clear and hard setting 'poor man's Cerakote'.

Does the job well and is $32 at Bunnings.
https://www.bunnings.co.nz/flood-pen...rimer_p0151613

Duracoat. Cheaper, easier to apply and slightly easier to strip if you want to. All finishes have +/-.

Only constant is the bore or bearing surfaces that can only realistically be oiled.

Basic maintenance is still going to be a thing

All comes down to the person doing the prep and finishing work. I picked up a cheap rifle from somone who had a firm do it and they completely fucked it, sprayed it all inside the action including the bolt runs, inside the mag so the follower was jammed, they screwed the rings together and sprayed it as one which completely locked up the screws in place and ruined the rings, sprayed the DPT as one and its never been able to be stripped down since and the finish has chipped away a little in places.

Took me a long time to get the rifle running smoothly again! The agent offered to redo the rifle but there wasn't a chance I was going to send it back to them.

Originally Posted by Mintie

All comes down to the person doing the prep and finishing work. I picked up a cheap rifle from somone who had a firm do it and they completely fucked it, sprayed it all inside the action including the bolt runs, inside the mag so the follower was jammed, they screwed the rings together and sprayed it as one which completely locked up the screws in place and ruined the rings, sprayed the DPT as one and its never been able to be stripped down since and the finish has chipped away a little in places.

Took me a long time to get the rifle running smoothly again! The agent offered to redo the rifle but there wasn't a chance I was going to send it back to them.

So you don't have to be a gunsmith to paint guns...

The guy at Ceracote NZ has pics of his work which speak for themselves.

Originally Posted by Cordite

So you don't have to be a gunsmith to paint guns...

The guy at Ceracote NZ has pics of his work which speak for themselves.

Yep a mate had is new Sako (factory finish failed) reworked by him and it was a perfect job.

Originally Posted by Hermitage

If I see a rifle that has Cerakote, I automatically think 'What is it trying to hide?'

I give my external rusting rifles 2x coats of Penetrol - the clear and hard setting 'poor man's Cerakote'.

Does the job well and is $32 at Bunnings.
https://www.bunnings.co.nz/flood-pen...rimer_p0151613

I used this on one of my rifles. I'm well impressed with it. Brush on.

The duracoat is good and easy to apply with the aerosol sprayer. Better if you have an airbrush. Heat the room up in winter so you can apply coats quicker.

I sprayed a rifle with black Duracoat a week ago, using their supplied aerosol sprayer.

Spent a good deal of time cleaning the barrel and action, prepping it exactly as per instructions, using their supplied stripper.

Very very happy with the outcome. The finish is extremely hard and has turned out perfectly. I got several coats on both barrel and action as this rifle gets a hard time in the field. No issues with adherence or bubbling or runs. Took my time letting it dry in a warm draft proof room, hanging on fishing line. I used a cylindrical foam insert in the action so no paint in there.

Total job including the sprayer cost me $100, and I still have half a bottle of Duracoat left for another rifle.

Originally Posted by Flyblown

I sprayed a rifle with black Duracoat a week ago, using their supplied aerosol sprayer.

Spent a good deal of time cleaning the barrel and action, prepping it exactly as per instructions, using their supplied stripper.

Very very happy with the outcome. The finish is extremely hard and has turned out perfectly. I got several coats on both barrel and action as this rifle gets a hard time in the field. No issues with adherence or bubbling or runs. Took my time letting it dry in a warm draft proof room, hanging on fishing line. I used a cylindrical foam insert in the action so no paint in there.

Total job including the sprayer cost me $100, and I still have half a bottle of Duracoat left for another rifle.

go on then giz a look
sounds awesome