Anybody ever hear of this finish going to look at a gun that has it He says it is like a hard chrome but looks like SS and was applied in the late seventies.

yes, it was one of the early hardchrome type finishes. Not sure if it's still avail.

Armoloy, was a hard chrome finish applied by a company in Fr. Worth Texas, back in the early 1970's.

It was fairly popular around here, back in the day. Several of my buddies had it on their duty and competition guns. Especially 1911 frames, however many did the whole gun.

It seemed pretty rugged, I never saw any flaking or rusting problems.

i have seen maqny with the armaloy plating and i never cared for the look, all that i have seen have a yellowish cast

Armoloy has a hardness of 78 on the C scale, knives are around 55 to 60.

Last price I had on handguns was @ $200 dollars.

How much would this plating affect the value of a gun? I know it won't be a collector gun but would it hurt or help the value of a shooter?

Actually to me Nickle looks yellowish, Armoloy always looked whiteish to me.

bigtubby to a collector any refinish is a detraction.

However for a using gun a good finish can be a plus. Back in the day, not many guns were avialable in stainless steel.
A lot of us bought S&W's and Colt's in the factory Nickle finish. My Nickle S&W's have held up real well, but compared to Armoloy, Nickle is soft as butter...

Some people like the way Armoloy looks, some don't.
It is a tough finish.

Whan model and calibre gun is it?

It is a M-27 3 1/2"

Would you take my right arm for that gun?

I have the same gun in the safe in collector condition thought this one would make a good shooter.

BT, why don't you go look at it and see what you think?

Obviously, the seller better not be asking a collector-level price.

If the gun checks out mechanically and you like the looks of it well enough, why not?

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You're shy a few manners.

Going to look at the gun today at 11:00 AM The gentleman bought the gun new in the early 70's for a duty gun and lived in Colorado so had it Armoloyed then it went to S&W for a action job and a TT & TH. He then went into corrections and was supplied a gun. He has qualified with the gun twice since it came back from S&W so a total of I think he said 120 rnds the last 30 years has a old basket weave holster as well to bad I am a lefty. I know buy the gun not the story.

I have a S&W Mod 76 machine gun with that finish...



... it's held up very well for over 40 years on a very tough gun.

GF

I had my Python done bck in 1980 in Armoloy-still great after 30 years-color in pic is not too accurate(no blueish hue). It is like more like a soft SS and has Elliason Colt sights and Hogue Cocobolos



Here's a better one

I don't see how you could possibly be disappointed by a 3.5" 27 with a finish like that. That is the very definition of a "shooter"...

Anybody care to put a $ figure on a gun like this in lets assume very good mechanical condition coated with the armoloy, grips are original and I would think magna's don't think they put target's on 3 1/2" guns but don't know for sure.

You are right about not buying the story...

However, since the story is not too far-fetched, and if the examination of the gun supports everything the seller said, you can feel pretty safe he's not dealling from the bottom of the deck. He may not have shot or carried it much if he was issued something else.

You might ask if he still has the original hammer and trigger, not because that is a very important, but they would be a nice deal sweetener. You could always sell them for a few bucks if you are sure you will never use them.
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Editted to add:
I would expect to pay somewhere in the $400 to $500 range if it is mechanically excellent. Maybe a little more if I really liked it. Some folks are ga-ga over 3-1/2" M27s.

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You're shy a few manners.

I also have a 1911 Natioal Match that is done with the Armaloy, one property it has that no one mentioned is that is has a lubricant built into the finish. It is always kind of slippery,at least mine is! Mine was done in the late 70's I think , and is about as durable as a woodpeckers lips!

bigtubby, about 22-25 years ago I bought a used Colt National Match with an accompanying Colt .22 conversion kit ,both were armaloyed. I still have that combo and have shot the stink out of it in competition[small time] and recreation. The pistol is a 1960 National Match, I have no idea what year the conversion kit was mated up with the pistol or when the Armaloy was applied. What I do know is ,I had a set of Wichita sights put on in about 1984. I had the rear frame cut for the sight and the front cut for a dovetail 1/10" front sight. The reason I mention this is none of the cuts have ever shown any flaking or chipping or deterioration. I didn't like the frosty dull finish so I GENTLEY hand polished the slide flats to a beautiful shine[without breaking through the finish].This particular pistol has sent 12000-15000 rounds down range since I've owned it. It has fired everything from mild target loads to Speer LE "flying ashtrays". It has been carried in duty holsters, exposed, concealled and competition rigs and with the exception of one little "scuff" on the dulled top of the slide show no damage,rust, pitting or peeling.It is ,in short, one heck of a finish! The only thing I didn't like was the dull whitish hue. I like a little accent "bling". Now, last year I had Bob Cogan at Accurate Weapons and Plating re-do a different [1969] National match frame in hard chrome. This had been done by Nitex for me prior to my trip to Germany at "Uncles" expense.The space above and behind the right grip had started to deteriorate. I got to Germany and it wasn't 6 months before the finish flaked off where the original problem was[poor polish and cleaning?]. I'm in FRG and can't send the piece home for warranty so, I'm had. I took the gun to Cogan[ awpcogan.com] and they did a job that would satisfy angels. I also have a .22 Colt SA NF that they did. I wasn't happy with the little Colt so what does a guy like Bob Cogan do? He re did the gun so well, well let's just say I couldn't be happier. If you like the appearance of the Armaloy you won't be dissapointed , if you don't, PM me I have a blued 3 1/2 I'll talk to you about in trade. Regards, Nick

Not specifically Armaloy, but I have had a couple done in Metaloy, by a company in Berryville, Arkansas. I had a 1911 frame done over 25 years ago and it shows almost no wear, and I shot it in competition for many years, and a Mod 19-4 (with finish problems) done just a couple years ago.
See for yourself.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

I almost bought a 38-44 that was Armaloyed........found out it had a cracked forcing cone right before I bought it.........

I think it's a good looking finish, but stainless has made it obsolete IMO.

Still, as a "retro" touch, I wouldn't mind taking a non-collectible 1940's-1950's era 2" M&P in "shooter grade" condition and having it Armaloyed.

That 19-4, OMG, that 19-4...

Well I bought paid it more than I wanted to and did not have S&W grips has Mustang grips it has a excellent action super smooth and gun is very tight figure it will make a excellent shooter.

If you ever want your money back, I will start saving up. I'm green with envy just from those few pics.

My Commander was done by Nitex back in the early 80s. It was actually a hard chrome , but they kinda flat polished the slide sides and it looks just like a stainless gun.

The way the tops of those grips are offset from the rear of the frame, it makes it look like they were for a K-Frame.

That is one heck of a nice shooter... wouldn't hurt my feelings at all if "she who must be obeyed" slipped one into my Christmas stocking

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Conrad
SWCA #1830 SWHF #222

bigtubby

I think you did great. That is a nice looking revolver.
There are a lot of different custom finishes out there, but I do not know of one that is any tougher, and most are not as tough as Armoloy.

That looks like a primo, shooter, carrier, user, rugged, badweather, rough duty Mod 27.

Grips can be changed, and you might even like how the ones on it shoot.

I do not see anything not to like.

Let us know how she shoots.

H Richard is right on the money about the folks in Berryville Ar doing Metaloy, back in the mid 80's when combat shooting was big here in Ar they did a lot of pistols in combat circles and I never heard any one bad mouth their work plus their pistols looked great. I always thought they were tied up with Wilson but they were not in the same location. Jeff

Very nice looking piece, bigtubby. I'd love to know what you gave for it, with just your pics and the info you posted to go by I'd have gladly paid $600-650 for that gun. Should you ever choose to sell I'd appreciate a heads up.

Armoloy is very durable and very hard. I like the look and feel of it. This is my Armoloyed Behlert 25-2...

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Don't kiss smiling dogs!

this is my 14-3 that Behlert did in the late 70's ~~~ has held up extremely well and a lot of rounds through it

also had a 1911 national match with a 2 digit serial number that was armaloyed, sorry i traded that

Attached Images

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More Armaloy from the late 1970s...early 80s

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C & L

Some where out there is a nice K22 from the early 70s that I was dumb enough to let some one trade me out of . The Armoloy finish on it was great and held up to all the adventures I drug that revolver on.

Well bigtubby, you shoot it yet??

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Don't kiss smiling dogs!

Haven't been out yet maybe later this week!!