Custom coloring on your handguns...

[Arkarayne]

Kinda wanted a general opinion, yay or nay, or maybe somewhere to do it semi-professionally in oregon, but:

Went in my regular pawn shop today, looking around, found a rather unique piece that caught my eye; a Ruger P89 with the slide, and several parts an awesome cherry red, and the frame a perfect jet black. ...honestly it made me think of my GF, and she loved it, so i put down a payment for it haha.
but the coloring process i couldn't quite pin down. I didn't appear to be annodized, or parkerized, but it wasn't a simple rattlecan job. (The lady there showed me another "custom" gun... poor thing, turned a $800 .45 to a $350 gun, looked like they used model paint and a brush...) It may of been a high-quality airbrushing, but each part was done through and through, and appeared to be fired with the new paint.
(obviously) there's custom pieces out there, in some cases making the gun more valuable, but, what's your opinions on a "custom" gun?

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[Dell_dude]

I've considered getting the polymer frames on my Glocks done, but nothing like that. I'm talking one in OD, one in FDE, etc. Just for faster easier ID.

While I grin just thinking about getting a pink one for the wife, she's already told me that she'll never accept me giving her a pink firearm.

So I don't see any super custom crazy color finishes in my future.

 

[magnum]

I saw this done to a poor sig. The scary thing about this is that someone spent a lot of money to have this done.:huh:My eyes are still burning!

If you are interested in some custom finishes, here's a link to a site that a friend of mine has used before and they do really good work: <broken link removed>

 

[techieguy]

...honestly it made me think of my GF, and she loved it, so i put down a payment for it haha.

I've been known to have a couple firearms duracoated for my wife... and it helps her enjoy her firearms a bit more and no one ever has to ask 'who does pistol \ AR belong to' and the color...goddess purple...

 

[Arkarayne]

I've been known to have a couple firearms duracoated for my wife... and it helps her enjoy her firearms a bit more and no one ever has to ask 'who does pistol \ AR belong to' and the color...goddess purple...

Awesome.. where'd you get those done?

 

[techieguy]

Awesome.. where'd you get those done?

I had David at Trident Industries do the work...

Trident Industries
1726 NW Kings Blvd
Corvallis, OR 97330
[email protected]

 

[Outrider]

Coloring a firearm can be done with Duracoat, Cerakote, K-Kote, Gun-Kote, etc. There are also hydrographic camouflage films that can be applied to firearms.

This stuff can be done well and tastefully or it can be done poorly and the end result can be tacky. Some people will make their stuff look more tactial with camouflage. Others will just pick a different color (i.e. blue, green, red. etc.) so it's not black. And then there are people who have a sense of humor about it. One of the funnier firearm things I have seen is an AR-15 from CA done in a pink and white "Hello Kitty" motif. I've also seen a pistol with a John Deere green and yellow color scheme. It's not something I'd buy but I respect that someone wanted to have a little fun with it.

Customizing a firearm is all about what you want. The problem is since you are doing it for yourself it may be harder to sell later. Not everyone will appreciate the features you add or the color scheme you choose. For instance someone here had a customized XD that sat for a while in the classifieds section. I'm sure the person who paid for the custom color scheme thought it was great. However, that opinion was not shared by the market. -Whether you should do it depends on how much you want to personalize your stuff.

 

[gunfreak]

I have done both my Rem 700 ang Rem 870 with OD green duracoat and it looks awesome and wears great.
If you wants pics and more info PM me.

 

[oregonshooter]

Arkarayne,
I can set you up with Cerakote if you go that route. I'm doing the local work for NIC now. <broken link removed>

techieguy,
How's that finish holding up? You get to put much down range yet?

 

[shoggoth80]

Not big on "custom" finishes. If it is a practical thing, say, like doing an OD green Duracoat or something, sure. That Sig made my eyes burn! Also, I am not too big into scrollwork or checkering. Unless it is a period custom piece (ie: old gun, customized sort of "old world" style), I generally could care less.

 

[techieguy]

Arkarayne,
I can set you up with Cerakote if you go that route. I'm doing the local work for NIC now. <broken link removed>

techieguy,
How's that finish holding up? You get to put much down range yet?

The finish is holding up very well thus far, but my wife doesn't shoot as much as myself. The pistol has maybe 2-300 rounds thru it. The rifle has only been sighted in (so it still needs to be broken in) and then the day light shot out of it.

 

[8ball]

How hard is it to apply Cerakote in an urban digital pattern, like this?

 

[stmcelroy]

How hard is it to apply Cerakote in an urban digital pattern, like this?

There are templates to do a finish like that.

It's probably not as hard as a person would imagine, but time consuming.

Patience is definitely your friend, something i'm not totally blessed with.

 

[Arkarayne]

Arkarayne,
I can set you up with Cerakote if you go that route. I'm doing the local work for NIC now. <broken link removed>

I'll have to save up some cash and get that done, i'm liking the color choices too. would probably do the slide, a couple parts to match the other ruger, and the magazines. (around 60-70 bucks?)

 

[oregonshooter]

Guys,
I don't want to turn this into an ad so email me if you have questions.

That is a very nicely done digital camo and digital sucks to do. You are basically coating the gun for every color unless you get female cutouts which I'm told bulldogarms has stopped making.

Most places will chrage you 300-450 to do that design in duracoat or cerakote.

 

[pokerace]

Not to long ago all this color stuff would be call TINHORN

 

[oregonshooter]

Pokerace,
I hear ya. One thing I have noticed playing with two tones (I was raised on the gunrag principle of all black guns) is that a lighter slide does draw my eyes to the sight picture better.

I haven't tested it on the clock but just snapping SPs in the shop makes the lighter colored slide feel faster.

 

[OregonJohn]

I have a buddy whos' sister was having a problem with her BF taking her pistol without asking. He would grab it and her ammo and go out with his boys. One night, he brought it back in a rag soaked in brake fluid or the like. It sat that way for a while, and lifted the finish off one side of the pistol. After we got done with it, I don't think he will be taking it out shooting with his buddies.

Glock G36 in Desert Warrior

Walther P22 traget in Tacticle Forest Green

 

[jimwsea]

How hard is it to apply Cerakote in an urban digital pattern, like this?

What gun? All i see are bullets on a sofa.

 

[huntpotter]

I use Dave, at Southridge Arms. Cerakote is what he did my guns in, I think.

See this thread for pics of my Kimber.
http://www.northwestfirearms.com/forum/washington-reviews/8019-southridge-arms.html