S&W M&P finish question

[simonsez]

I have owned and carried my Smith & Wesson M&P Compact for several years. A couple of years ago, during one particularly sweaty summer, I did not oil the gun as often as I should have. I ended up having rust form on the very front of the slide to the bottom left of the M&P in the picture. There was also rust on the barrel where it contacts the inside of the slide. After doing some research and checking reviews on a gun shop about 2 hours from my house, I met up with him and gave him the gun for what he said should be a two to three week turnaround to have the slide and all small parts blasted and DuraCoated. I also ordered a set of ameriglo idot Pros to have him install them since he would have the sites off anyway. After numerous phone calls and several months of being without the gun, I finally begged him to get it back to me which he did about three weeks later. There was a small chip out of the coating by the front of the gun and within the first couple weeks of the gun being holstered it was obvious the coating was not going to last. On top of that he had destroyed the front sight during installation and broken the tritium vial. The back one as you can see in the pictures was also hammered in there without care. He refused to do anything and said the site was not something that he could have broken. I quit contacting him and moved on with my life. I called ameriglo to get a new front sight and they offered to replace it for free if I sent them the slide. I say that is outstanding customer service! I told them that the local gun shop had butchered it putting it in and they put a new one on there anyway. Today when I was cleaning and oiling it, I blew off the gun with my air compressor and a lot more of the finish came off. Is this even DuraCoat if it comes off that easily? My question is this, what should I do with it now? I can't really leave it this exposed and expect it not to rust in the future. Is there someone that you guys would trust to have it done correctly a second time and without destroying the sites taking them off and putting them back on?

[Spartan1980]

Yes Duracoat can come off like that. It's just a paint.

But If I were doing it, I'd do it like this.

1) Detail strip the slide.
2) Degrease it thoroughly.
3) Media blast it to base metal.
4) Degrease it again.
5) Re-apply Cerakote or Duracoat.
6) Reassemble.

This is the proper way to do it. That guy is a disgrace. You actually have to work at it to do work that shoddy. SMH...

[Jason M]

Or fix it permanently and send it off to Robar for NP3...

[LockedBreech]

Or fix it permanently and send it off to Robar for NP3...

This right here.

[Hot Sauce]

After doing some research and checking reviews on a gun shop about 2 hours from my house, I met up with him and gave him the gun for what he said should be a two to three week turnaround to have the slide and all small parts blasted and DuraCoated. I also ordered a set of ameriglo idot Pros to have him install them since he would have the sites off anyway. After numerous phone calls and several months of being without the gun, I finally begged him to get it back to me which he did about three weeks later. There was a small chip out of the coating by the front of the gun and within the first couple weeks of the gun being holstered it was obvious the coating was not going to last. On top of that he had destroyed the front sight during installation and broken the tritium vial. The back one as you can see in the pictures was also hammered in there without care. He refused to do anything and said the site was not something that he could have broken. I quit contacting him and moved on with my life.

Please post the name of the guy and the shop in BIG BOLD LETTERS, because it sounds like the reviews you read were bullshit. You may have moved on with life, but no one else deserves that kind of horrific customer service. Shame him publicly.

[JAH 3rd]

This right here.

First, sorry for all the drama over this firearm. Although I have never used Robar, I like that option. I did get a Sig P220 and Smith j-frame plated by Mahuvsky gun plating. I got the metalife (ss chromium M) finish. It appears as a matte stainless finish. Had good experience with both plating jobs, and are holding up great.