For those who have carried a long time... scratches?

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NewToGuns17

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Hey guys. I would like to have my slide cerakoted on my 2.0 but a few things have popped up in my mind. I have hiviz f.o. sights on there right now but may want to change to tritium in the future. A local shop will install new sights and blast/ cerakote the slide for $60 (and they do great work). My next thought is letting the slide get beat up a bit before a new finish. Does a carry gun get beat up inevitably or only if you aren't careful?
 
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If you carry it in anything but a soft gunsock, it will wear. Guns with pristine finishes haven't been carried much, if at all.

I wouldn't refinish a gun that didn't need it, and maybe not even if it did.
 
I speak from little experience but from what I have seen from others: those that leave their gun holstered and dont draw/practice much have minimal wear.
Those that actually use their guns more frequently even if just practicing drawing at home had scuffs and wear showing.

Not sure if add'l coating being applied can help slow down holster wear?
 
Cerakote is one of the best gun paints out there if its done well. that being said, its still a paint and it will come off at some point. depending on the color you want to coat it with, it might look cool once it starts to wear and give it that "battle worn" look.

If you are picky about your gun looking good for a long time...don't get it cerakoted. the factory finish is far more durable.
 
I think they look better beat up. It's a stainless slide, you don't need to worry much about corrosion. Carry it for years and draw it a few thousand times. Then post pics for street cred :)
 
Cost of doing business. I've carried concealed since the '70s and they all looked as though they'd been beat with the Ugly Stick. I didn't buy them to go with my lip gloss. I bought them to defend my life and the lives of others. Scratches and dents mean nothing. Even some rust, even on "stainless steel" slides. Fact of life for guns that live near skin.
Cerakote: I have a Sig P220-10 Camo Hunter with exotic reptile Cerokote. For as little as it's been carried it shows wear on the rail, slide front end and trigger guard. I don't see how it could be touched up, so it wouldn't be my choice for future purchases.
 
zephyr said:
I think they look better beat up. It's a stainless slide, you don't need to worry much about corrosion. Carry it for years and draw it a few thousand times. Then post pics for street cred :)
Click to expand...
The stainless that M&P slides are made of will absolutely corrode. They treat the stainless with melonite and that makes it much more corrosion resistant. Some amount of sand blasting could actually blast through the case hardening that melonite provides since it's only microns thick.
 
Stainless hold up well................... my two tone 1994 PC Shorty9.... has wear on the edges and high spots...... so does my Dad's 1938/39 .357 Colt New Service

Both show "honest character" wear not 'beat up".................... like a badge of honor!!!
 
Smakmauz said:
The stainless that M&P slides are made of will absolutely corrode.
Click to expand...

Yes of course, any metal will corrode eventually. But I wouldn't worry about it. The stock coating will probably hold up better than Cerakote so I would just leave it as is and put a lot of miles on it before giving it a second thought.
 
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Don't care if my hand tools get a few scratches and show wear, and since my carry guns are tools also, don't worry about them either.
 
Carrying a gun will not add wear. Using the gun will. As has been said, if it just sits in the holster it won't show hardly any wear. However, if you use it and practice with it, as you should, it will shot wear. It's just character marks.

This is the result of a LOT of practice. Both shooting and presentations from the holster:
0jn0sBT.jpg


It's character to me.
 
Glock now has a "battle worn" finish available...I guess that's for the wannabes, who want to pretend to use a gun. A gun that has honest wear and tear is to be cherished. That's not to say you can't refinish a gun, but I certainly wouldn't do it until your gun needs it, if at all.
 
We keep guns clean, oiled and run them regularly.
Scratches get a brief moment of silence and are forgotten. :cool:

Then there was the time my Dad and his buddies dropped the new Gold Cup.
He then left it in the damp trunk of his car for a month before I remembered I loaned it to him, with dummy loads, as I was prudent. :rolleyes:
 
Scratches are proof that you train! Been to many schools and running and gunning and treating guns tough!
 
Yes, if you haven't heard enough already on this post (:)), a regular carry gun will wear. We all speak from experience. Inevitably "adds character". If you're really concerned about this you may want to try the Sig p320, since the only serialized part is the fire control group, you could order slides and grip modules for "show" right to your house. Like an AR once you aguire the lower.
 
I've been carrying my 9mm Shield EDC for near 4 years now in a hybrid holster. Hundreds and hundreds of practice draws and 2400 rounds through the gun. It is not showing much wear at all, in fact, looks dang near new.

Some wear is normal, but your handgun won't get "beat up" without some really rough handling.
 
If you're worried about holster wear forget the cerakote and go with hard chrome plating - problem solved.
 
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