Favorite/Least Favorite Handgun Finishes

[dovekiller]

Walter Birdsong's Black Tea looks rather elegant considering that it is a serious gun finish.

OTOH his Green Tea finish actually nakes me nauseous. It's the color of poison gas, I imagine.

 

[Ron H.]

Favorite: Parkerized

Least favorite/most disliked: Shiny silver (nickel, chrome, polished stainless, etc.)

Hope this helps, and Semper Fi.

Ron H.

 

[n4zov]

Best: Colt Royal blue followed closely by S&W nickel!
Bad: Stainless in any shape or form.
Worst: case coloring

 

[conn ak]

Love them all, don't care what finish as long as it hits the target...but kind of partial to blue.

 

[wbraswell]

I like polished blue, but one that actually looks blue instead of black. Unless, it's a Colt SAA, then casehardened and blue together. I usually like new shiney nickel, but when it's pitted or flaking, it's terrible. Satin nickel is my least favorite. It gets flattened, and looks really bad. Can you have that stuff polished? I don't like guns that look like squirt pistols either.

 

[RKO]

Interesting topic.

My favorite is the deep blue found on Browning T Series and the Browning Model 1955s, 30-35 years ago, followed the deep blue-black used by some after-market suppliers. Both tend to show wear gracefully, unlike many others.

My least favorite is shiny stainless steel, followed by dull stainless steel.

RKO

Originally posted by BlackAgnes:
Favorite: S&W early post-war subdued blue

Least favorite: Bead blasting (ugh!)

Yours?

Tim

 

[[email protected]]

Fav: Ruger Grey

Least: Blue

 

[j2k22]

the finish that S&W sprays on their otherwise-excellent Scandium revolvers has to be the hands-down worst finish ever to leave a major gunmaker's factory. Not much more durable than spray paint if you actually carry the thing on a regular basis, which is the only good reason for owning one. I am working through the third finish on my 340SC after carrying it for maybe 7 years. The original finish was a bad joke. The second one from CCR lasted maybe 2-3 years, and the third one, also from CCR ("black ceramic") has been holding up pretty well, but still is gradually coming off some of the edges.
So, to answer the original question: favorite on a "daily carry"; matte stainless or black ceramic. For a beauty queen- deep blue over a high polish. Check out the finish on "Sarah Noh"s Hamilton Bowen conversion in the "For Sale" section for instant gratification of this desire.

 

[Igiveup]

With the exception of nickel, I like the beauty in any of the finishes. For a safe queen, the older, polished deep blue, not black, is hard to beat.

 

[KeithCarter]

Stainless is my favorite, hands down.

I've never seen a BLUE finish. I have some guns that STARTED OUT blue, but become bare-metal shiny on all the edges, barrel, etc. I've seen a lot of half-blue guns.

I guess if you're not going to carry and shoot a gun, blue is great. I gave up on blue when my target Gold Cup's slide became so worn I had to Armolloy it.

(I must confess with 185 gr. semi-wadcutters downloaded, it was a favorite squirrel gun, but I didn't carry it THAT much.)

Keithcarter
NRA Life

 

[beemerrider]

Favorites:
1. Nicely Blued
2. 2-tone Blued and nickel on some autos.
3. My son's Custom finishes: www.guncoat.com

Least Favorites:
1. Poorly done finishes.
2. Poorly cared for finishes.

 

[VAdoublegunner]

Favorite: Case colored w/deep blue; alternately, brushed stainless.

Least favorite: Plastic.