Cerakote is very thin paint. It will not cover pits very well. I have two ceracoated guns.

The first one is the Ruger Wrangler with the factory applied Ceracoat. It doesn’t hide the mold lines and rough spots on the grip frame.

My other is a AR-15. The upper receiver was a blem with a couple of small minor rough spots in the finish on the upper. Ceracoat did not hide the spots which surprised me.

The best d-i-y product I have found is Brownells Aluma-Hyde II paint. It is a epoxy paint applied in several thin coats. It takes about two weeks to fully cure and when it does it is a very hard finish. It is easy to apply and gives a great result IF you follow the directions closely. I imagine it will be very hard to remove after it has fully cured.

I have done a entire AR barrel assembly using Matte Black. I removed the front sight base first before spraying the barrel and sight base. Aluma-Hyde is thicker than Ceracoat as the Front Sight Base will not longer slide over the gas journal. Sanding and Kroil is needed to get the FSB on the gas journal. However I can still read the stamping on the barrel.

If your plans are to carry it outdoors such as hiking, camping, hunting, etc. I would choose the Aluma-Hyde as it is harder. I would spray four light coats as recommended on the exterior and only two coats on the screw heads.

Aluma-Hyde is inexpensive quick project. $13.00 for the spray can and whatever a can of engine degreaser costs.