Cerakoted 2.0

[sandog]

I dislike black guns, I'd rather have mine blend in to the landscape. So last week I coated my 2.0 .40 in FDE and Desert Sand Cerakote.
S&W's FDE is a bit different than the Magpul FDE Cerakote I use.

I didn't think about doing my extractor and controls, but now that I have it all back together, they do stand out.
Next time I have those colors mixed up again, I'll get them coated as well.

While I had the frame stripped down, I installed an Apex Duty Carry Kit, next upgrade will be night sights and a TRL-2 HL G.
I also finished one of my Mini-30's in the same colors.

 

[Old_Cop]

Don't drop it, unless you have a lanyard.

 

[sandog]

I have managed to not drop a gun in 45 years of gun handling, but now that I'm in my sixties, there's always that possibility !

I realize you meant don't drop it or you might not be able to find it again.

 

[GeoJelly]

I think it’s only firearms that are going to the French military are the ones that have to be droppable ... . I think the black contrast on the M&P looks great.

 

[lrmnut]

Looks great is it hard to do and I like the contrast look.

 

[sandog]

I think it’s only firearms that are going to the French military are the ones that have to be droppable ... . I think the black contrast on the M&P looks great.

I think the ARVN (South Vietnamese Forces) got those same droppable guns !

 

[CB3]

Looks wonderful. Personalized. The reward is worth the effort.

I have had Cerakote applied at home wear quickly, especially with scratches and holster use. After a while I kind of just let the gun transition to a battlefield pick up motif. To me it wasn’t worth the effort to redo it just to have it degrade again.

Commercial applications have fared better, but where a holster screw lightly scraped a frame I got chipping. The underlying frame color/material has been fine. I have a slide that was commercially Cerakoted black that has seen a lot of holster use over two years and shows no sign of wear.

Whatever your experience with durability, the guns look great. I would not coat your black parts as the small contrasts are very appealing.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Marshal Tom]

The contrast looks nice. I would leave it just as is.

 

[HEADKNOCKER]

How well does that paint hold up??
I see lots of folks using it but I still remember my buddies AK that was stripped raw by gunscrubber..
JFYI That M&P looks pretty darn good from here..
I'll also note that the magazine release has been leftied..

 

[sandog]

Horror stories of Cerakote not holding up are either not Cerakote, or the guy that did the application skipped a crucial step in the preparation.
Properly applied, Cerakote will be holding up when my Grandson is using my firearms and I am long gone.

Scrub parts in Acetone, bake parts in oven to drive out hidden oils, sandblast using the correct size grit (100) at 90 psi, (30 psi for polymer), another Acetone bath, then proper ratio and stirring of hardener to Cerakote.
Spray a couple coats at 30 psi, then cure at the proper temp.

Only way it's ever coming off is to re-sandblast.
No chipping, flaking or wear. Parts that have metal to metal contact will show a burnishing of the Cerakote, just gets a shiny spot wear the contact is, but the Cerakote is still there.

This is one of my Mini-30's I finished in Tungsten Cerakote about 6 years ago, maybe 5,000 rounds through it since then. A burnished spot inside the op-rod and underside of the bolt where it rides over cartridges in the mag.

 

[HEADKNOCKER]

The paint my Buddy bought was right from the vendor @ The Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot..
He did bake it but I know for sure never had access to a sand blaster unless he went to our buddys auto shop who has a blast cabinet??
I guess the prep work is what makes any paint job anyhow, I was an autobody repairman early on in my career 1982 - 1987..
Sure hated that work, Too much work for the little amount of pay I received.. Of course shop owner made good money off me & lots of others.. That's the nature of the beast.. You learn something everyday.
I just learned that LGS has a Smith & Wesson M&P 9 Shield for $225..

 

[sandog]

Here's the 2.0 .40 after I went back and coated the controls in FDE, and the barrel and extractor in Desert Sand.

And my new 5 inch 2.0 9mm I picked up last week.
It came with FDE Cerakote from the factory.

 

[BAM-BAM]

I think the ARVN (South Vietnamese Forces) got those same droppable guns !

It was a French colony.................................. just saying!

 

[m&p2.0fdethumbsafety]

i assume you coated it from black to tan? how has the cerakote held up?

 

[sandog]

Yes, the .45 2.0 was originally black, and I finished it in "S&W Tan", which is more olive/mustard shade than pale FDE.
I sold it so I don't know how it's holding up.
Here is the .45 I Cerakoted on the bottom, a 5 inch FDE 9mm with factory Cerakote on top.

I kept the 5 inch 9mm, and bought a Hellcat 9mm that has factory FDE as well. It was starting to get a wear mark from the Kydex holster, so I heated the holster so the sharp inside edge and the front is no longer contacting the front of the slide.
The frame on the Hellcat is done in the pale FDE, and the slide is the darker tan like S&W Tan.

A .45 Shield that I've carried for the last 3 years was done the same S&W Tan. It held up well except for the leading edges of the front of the slide had a rub mark from the Kydex holster.
My friend Curt (curtmini14 here on the forums) recently bought it from me.