Gastro Gnome - Eat Better Wherever

Why Cerakote a stainles rifle?

After my wife's father died (before we met) his guns stayed in the safe in the basement. After I learned of their existence, I convinced my mother-in-law to let me see/clean them. Turns out someone unplugged the dehumidifier a number of years ago.. and that's how I learned that if you try hard enough you can make a stainless gun rust
 
Glare. I had my .270 Win SS Criterion barrel cerakoted from the factory when I bought it since I did not want the reflective properties. The action that I screwed it onto is still bare SS, but it is bead blasted and does not have as much visible surface area
In 24 years of using stainless rifles I have never had a problem with this. mtmuley
 
Thanks. No reason to I see as far as return on invesment. mtmuley
So my one rifle was rebarreled with that Lilja barrel. The carpet no longer matches since it’s sat in the safe. The two different stainless are aging different shades. I am going to have to send it back and have it bead blasted and clear Cerakoted to get it to stay matched.
 
I have started having all my bolts nitrided as well as a lot of actions.
I’ve had one done for about two years now. For the cost I don’t know if I would ever do it again. I don’t see/feel much difference between that and a OG bolt.
 
So my one rifle was rebarreled with that Lilja barrel. The carpet no longer matches since it’s sat in the safe. The two different stainless are aging different shades. I am going to have to send it back and have it bead blasted and clear Cerakoted to get it to stay matched.
I expect the barrel won't match the reciever exactly. mtmuley
 
i have glass beadblasted and put the stainless barreled actions in the hot blue tank just like regular steel, gives of a softer duller looking finish,, customers like it, alternative to cerakote or raw stainless,

maybe 20 years now couldnt even count how many i have done
 
Thanks. No reason to I see as far as return on invesment. mtmuley
You are so right IMO. Your barrel will pit before anything else becomes an issue and since you can’t cerakote the inside of a barrel I see no benefit to it. And as snowy said the action will never be as smooth. Use stainless steel wool to buff out surface rust and you should be good to go.
 
In 24 years of using stainless rifles I have never had a problem with this. mtmuley
When I ordered the barrel my options for SS were: no finish (I have a factory SS barrel like this and it’s as bright as a mirror), bead blasted, and cerakote. It was only a few bucks more for cerakote over Brad blasted so I went with OD Green for funsies.

You hunt in a different place and a different way than I do, so I’m not surprised that you may have had different experiences. I mostly hunt deer at close range in tight brush, but also mix in field edges and other environments. On a clear sunny day a bright stainless barrel can cause glare, especially in the high contrast of patchy shadows and sun.
 
I like the added corrosion resistance for barrel and action but will never have a bolt cerakoted again. It was done by a very reputable smith but it was never slick enough again. I had it blasted and treated in Black T and it’s good now.

If I went through barrels faster I would not bother.
Shoulda gone with E series. It's about as slick as Teflon. My bolt is done with an E-series midnight black and it is smoother than my tikka was.
 
I had a stainless barrel [Hart doesn't offer chrome-moly] put on a chrome-moly action and to match the finish I went with a teflon based coating. I call it Mississippi black T. They also have green.


ioas6Z0.jpg


DYALi0t.jpg
 
I've never had one done but would consider it if I lived in a different climate. For the most part it is just aesthetics. It's been a handful of years since I've really looked at their products but I agree that a coated bolt and action makes it quite sticky. At the time I was looking at it, micro slick was the best option for the bolt but I haven't looked at the E series. I'd probably skip it on the action and have it nitrided if anything
 
The newer matte style stainless finish is absolute garbage, and I hate that that's the direction all hunting rifles went. They rust almost as bad as blue does.

I have a 90s vintage Ruger with the glossy stainless finish, and I have abused the hell out of that rifle in all sorts of weather and it still looks incredible. Really wish my newer stainless rifle had that same finish.
 
Shoulda gone with E series. It's about as slick as Teflon. My bolt is done with an E-series midnight black and it is smoother than my tikka was.
I believe you that yours worked out, but mine was Elite Blackout which had just come out at the time, done by Fosnaugh. I don’t doubt his work a lick but the feel just wasn’t good in this case. I love the coating on the rest of the rifle though, it’s been tough as nails.
 
I believe you that yours worked out, but mine was Elite Blackout which had just come out at the time, done by Fosnaugh. I don’t doubt his work a lick but the feel just wasn’t good in this case. I love the coating on the rest of the rifle though, it’s been tough as nails.

Could have been a tolerance issue too. I've seen guys buy PTG bolt that ran great before coating but ran like crap afterwards because they were just too tight
 
There is no reason I see other than looks. Maybe a little extra protection I guess, but it doesn't seem necessary by any means. I think it is just to give people some color options and differentiate. I do like the bronze coat on my Christiansen.
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
113,668
Messages
2,028,997
Members
36,276
Latest member
Eller fam
Back
Top