barrel and action coatings

[kennacl55]

Putting a 6mm Remmy together on a 722 action and I need advice on type of coatings to use on the barrel and action. Thanks in Advance:

[Dave W]

Kenny, my choice would be Cerakote.

[7mmfreak]

+1

[bryguy]

+2

I had my Savage MLII done and I honestly believe I could have bedded it and not used release agent. That stuff is slick and durable. Mine has taken a couple of good knocks that I figured would have at least scratched or left some kind of mark, but not a thing.

[rossman40]

Cerakote is the toughest spray-on finish out there, when applied right. I think the bake-on is just a tad tougher and a better/glossier finish then the air-dry from what I've seen. Put on top of a parkerized finish, or if the part is aluminum a hard anodizing, it is just about bulletproof. I know of a M1A that was done when it first came out and there is action wear but cosmetically the only wear you see is on the front sight post and the rim of the flashider. But then again I've seen some real hack jobs on ARs.

With finishes it's all in the prep, regardless if it is bluing, plating, or paint. You can spend 2-3 hours just on a receiver knocking down all the edges with a hone, polishing some areas, and taking care of imperfections before you blast it. Then with application the biggest mistake with Cerakote is getting it too thick. You get it more then a couple of thousandths and on a edge it can chip (that is why you knock down the edges to lessen the chance even when properly applied). On ARs with a hack job they may look good from a distance but get close and you will see chips around the mag well, where the upper and lower receivers come together, the charging handle, the trigger guard, and then the sights if it has them.

[Deleted]

Do the different coatings apply differently? Which coating do you find the easiest to actually spray? I guess between cerakote, duracoat, and norrell's.