Recommend Cerakote or something else?

[Rick_ICT]

I hope this is the right subforum for this question. I couldn't find one I thought was a better fit.


I recently purchased a Beretta PX4 compact with the "Bruniton" finish on the slide. I'm not impressed with the finish, to put it mildly. First off, I had to go through all four of the samples the gunshop had on hand (still in the factory box!) to find one without glaring factory defects and/or scratches in the slide finish. I finally settled on the fourth and last sample, which only had a very light scratch on the left side of the slide near the muzzle. Then, I decided to put Trijicon Hds on it. Imagine my surprise when I removed the factory sights to discover that not only was the slide not finished in the dovetail below the front or rear sight, but there was also steel showing on top of the slide where the factory sights had overhung the dovetail. Surely it is not as it appears? Do they actually paint this epoxy finish on after installing the sights? I've also noticed that an errant glance at the pistol will leave additional marks in the finish (ok that may be a very slight exaggeration).

If I understand the factory coating correctly, apparently the slide is Parkerized prior to the epoxy, so at least it isn't raw steel exposed (I think).

My question is, what is the best finish to replace the Bruniton, and which is the best shop to do it? Keeping in mind this isn't an H&K or an heirloom, I would like to stay under $150 for the slide and possibly the safety levers.

I do intend to carry this gun year-round if it proves reliable and I prove capable of running it to my satisfaction (looks promising so far). Therefore, I need something that will stand up to Kydex holster wear and sweat and the general wear and tear of carry.

There is a shop local to me called FTW coatings (http://ftwcoatings.com/), which specializes in Cerakote. As far as I can tell, they get great reviews, and there are enough reviews out there I feel like it can't all be friends and family members. And their price seems eminently reasonable, they quoted me $60 to Cerakote a stripped slide with about a two week turn-around.

Is Cerakote considered a decent, hard-wearing finish? I've only ever had a Ruger Security Six hot-blued, so I have zero knowledge here. I realize that it won't look like a hot-blued high carbon steel work of art, but it will probably be better than the C grade middle-school art project look that the slide has now.

Thanks for any advice you can offer.


Rick

[OnionsAndDragons]

For that price, I'd go Cerakote all day long.

It is a good finish. It will be much better than what you have now. Like you said, it's not an HK or custom 1911. The only issues I've run into w Cerakote is the finisher going a bit too thick and buggering up clearance for a plunger. Since the shop is local, even if this happens it should be relatively low hassle to get fixed.


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[Rick_ICT]

For that price, I'd go Cerakote all day long.

It is a good finish. It will be much better than what you have now. Like you said, it's not an HK or custom 1911. The only issues I've run into w Cerakote is the finisher going a bit too thick and buggering up clearance for a plunger. Since the shop is local, even if this happens it should be relatively low hassle to get fixed.


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Thanks for the insight. I wondered about fitting and clearances since this is another paint on finish. But all of the other deposition/nitriding etc finishes I'm seeing are in a completely different league price-wise. And they do have some beautiful (and some hideous but well-done) work on their site and Facebook. I think I'll give them a shot, can't be worse than I've got now (assuming everything fits back together).