I'm normally better at making plans and decisions, but this one is giving me analysis paralysis, so I thought I'd throw out a thread for those who are willing to weigh in (without clogging up an existing thread where maybe not everyone wants to play Tactical Barbie).
I have a Les Baer Premier II that I'm making some tweaks to before adopting as my primary carry pistol. Work includes my own reduction of the oversized left side safety, some massaging of sharp corners, replacing some parts, and direct milling for an EPS Carry. Some of that's done and some is to come, but it's all getting done and the pistol will need to be completely refinished after. On top of that, high-polish blue flats won't look right, to me, once it's wearing a flat black dot and VCD grips. The gun's use will be a lot of carry and a lot of shooting, pretty much exclusively out of kydex (mostly JMCK).
My initial plan, which is still in the running, was bead blast (or matte, whatever we want to call it) blue, finishing all parts besides the trigger, hammer, and barrel, for a classic look that's just a bit more "rugged" looking and will go well with the dot and grips. My hope is that this would be similar to the old Les Baer Ultimate Recon or the Alchemy Quantico.
Advantages: Can be redone as many times as I decide to in future as I put wear on the gun; worn blue always looks good; replacing parts if necessary should result in at least "close enough" color matching. Downsides: I've never carried a blued gun and don't know how well one will hold up to my sweat, and it gets hot and humid here with all this corn in Iowa.
I'm now considering Cerakoat in all black as an alternative that may be more rust-resistant if done by someone who applies it correctly. Going this route, I'd coat everything for a fully blacked out look.
Advantages: Potentially better corrosion resistance; all black 1911s are hot. Downsides: Unlike blue finishes, Cerakoat cannot be redone an infinite number of times; replacement parts may not match; worn Cerakoat can sometimes look like sad spray paint.
A third idea I toss around is a two-tone Cerakoat with a black top and either olive drab or medium grey frame, but that's all the same advantages and disadvantages as any coating job that just looks different. I've loved this look since lusting over Wilson Ultralight Carry models years ago, and constantly seeing @SW CQB 45 post his MCOP doesn't help.
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Originally Posted by Elwin
