686/686+ in Melonite Finish

[Titan]

I'd love to see the factory do one or more of the 686/686 Plus models in a Melonite finish.


My personal preference would be a 686 Plus in 3" or 5".


It's all about aesthetics. I realize there are current black revolvers, they just tend to be Scandium frames and I don't like the 'pink dots' on the left frame face caused by the studs used to hold the two frame pieces together.

 

[MMA10mm]

+1, especially in 5"

I've got one of the original 686 "black beauties" that they made back in 1989 or so. Mine's a 4" and I bought it to carry on duty with the Sheriff's Office, which I had just joined then. Carried it on duty for many years, and shot it A LOT. The finish is a little worse for wear, but I bet the Melonite would be more resilient than this "blue-black" they put on the old Black Beauties...

 

[Steve_NEPhila]

Just send your 686 to Robar for the Roguard Black matte finish. It wears hard and looks great. An easy fix for a couple hundred bucks...

 

[MMA10mm]

Steve,
That's definitely an option, but it's a very "tactical" finish - a lot like parkerizing - and I don't think it would set off the revolver as well as a good blue finish that has a deep, lustrous shine to it.

Also, my Detonics came with the Roguard finish on the slide, and it didn't "stick" very well. It almost rubbed off in my hand. The NP3 underneath is the most resilient finish I've ever found, but the blackening on top -- not so much...

Who was it that did the "black chrome" finishes with the lifetime warranty? That might be a good option too.

 

[shawn mccarver]

I'd love to see the factory do one or more of the 686/686 Plus models in a Melonite finish.


My personal preference would be a 686 Plus in 3" or 5".


It's all about aesthetics. I realize there are current black revolvers, they just tend to be Scandium frames and I don't like the 'pink dots' on the left frame face caused by the studs used to hold the two frame pieces together.

Melonite is a far superior finish to the "black magic" finish and to the blue/black they did for Connecticut years ago, and the factory has done several revolver models in melonite on contract for LE agencies. Melonite over stainless makes it just about as impervious to corrosion as anything.

 

[MMA10mm]

Melonite is a far superior finish to the "black magic" finish and to the blue/black they did for Connecticut years ago, and the factory has done several revolver models in melonite on contract for LE agencies. Melonite over stainless makes it just about as impervious to corrosion as anything.

Shawn,
I used to think the same thing and it IS logical. - Take the most corrosion-resistant base metal (stainless) and add the most corrosion-resistant finish (Melonite), and you get the best of all worlds, but here's one of those situations where real life isn't logical. I'm cut-and-pasting a post from another site:

August 19, 2008

Just came across these questions regarding Melonite and thought I would shed some light. As the former engineering Manager of S & W I can tell you that we chose Melonite for several reasons, one being durability and the other that it could be used on both 4140 and 416 stainless. However, I don't recommend it for the latter because it actually removes some of the properties of the material, which ultimately could allow for rust/corrosion.

The facility we selected is located in the Mid West (no secret there) and let's not give Gaston Glock too much credit, the Tenifer finish has been used by the German automotive industry for years, including BMW and Mercedes.

I will give him credit for taking a very traditional industry and introducing a great product using simplicity and light weight materials (Original patents for many of Glock's design were filed in the 40's, years ahead of its time)

Hope this helps.

David Sargeant
- Coral Springs, Florida

So, you can see, there's no free lunch, as they say. Putting melonite on stainless steels IS possible, but it hurts some of the inherent corrosion-resistant properties of the steel in the process...

 

[SaberOne]

Just send your 686 to Robar for the Roguard Black matte finish. It wears hard and looks great. An easy fix for a couple hundred bucks...

Actually, it's more like $285. plus shipping both ways. I know because I'm doing it. My 640 is being melded, tuned and moon cut, and Roguard Matte is the final process. Should turn out pretty nice!