Bodyguard 380 - bead-blasted slide?

[josh2415]

I like the look of pistols with a stainless steel slide. I know that the BG has a stainless slide - has anyone tried bead-blasting or polishing off the Melonite finish? I've found nothing on the interweb of this being done to the BG. Pros/cons?

 

[josh2415]

I have a friend who's an engineer in the gun mfg industry who said that it would be difficult to take the Melonite finish off the slide, as the chemical permeates into the metal, and that the underlying SS would be soft. Cummings Custom Refinishing, on the other hand, said that they can bead-blast the slide for $49 - tempting, but I don't want my BG to be a guinea pig to see if it'll work or not. Was hoping that someone has already done it.

 

[3dots]

I don't think this grade of stainless will stay looking like you want and will be hard to keep clean and free from yellowing.

 

[OldEagleEars]

Took a good look at my BG trying to imagine it with a polished slide but had trouble getting beyond the angularity of the design. It has elements of the M&P pistols combined with an almost alien set of surfaces that make it seem more sinister than most of the pocket-pistols. When I got mine the slide rails of the frame were speckled with Melonite (no, I don't know why), and it took a lot of careful filing and emerypaper work to get them smoothed out but it was worth it though. But for that reason I think you may have more of a problem with that stuff than you imagine! It can be done; but is it really worth it is the question. Whatever you decide to do, good luck with your gun!

 

[3dots]

It has elements of the M&P pistols combined with an almost alien set of surfaces that make it seem more sinister than most of the pocket-pistols.

You got that right! Best looking of all the 380s....IMHO of course.

 

[Smitchell417]

I was cleaning mine with a bronze brush and M Pro 7 cleaner and this is what it did to mine. Not what I wanted with a new gun but I like the look it gave.

 

[SmurfHunter]

Throw it on a polishing wheel now.