What coating looks the best on stainless steel? I want to build a Alaska/Africa .375 HH and wondering what finish looks the best?

We use RIE in MN, they have several finishes and colors, I have the matte black on a Ruger .25/06 and their satin (shiny) black thin-coat really looks like high-quality bluing. Very tough, rustproof, and works fine on stainless. Just don't let them get any in the chamber!
Call Daryl at 320-453-8311, tell him Walt sent you.
Walt H.

I use flat black high temp BBQ paint. You can buy it at Home Depoit or Lowes for ~$4.50 per can. Take the rifle out of the stock and degrease it and spray it on. Take out the bolt and put a rag in the breech. I spray the end of the bolt and bolt handle, but not the inside of the action.

Before I discovered this I spent a couple hundred bucks having a stainless steel M-70 classic teflon coated. Well the teflon coating started wearing off after a couple years, so I spray painted it and it looked just like the orginal only a lot cheaper. The paint will wear off after a couple of years, but I just spray it again. Have two stainless steel M-70's that I have done this to. I can send you pictures if you would like to see what they look like.

Duracoat in H&K Black. I just did my M70 Classic FWT that has a blue receiver and stainless barrel. The H&K black is not as flat as matte black; it has a satin look. Looks very nice. Lou

I recently had my stainless rifle hard chromed and I'm pleased with how it turned out. I used Accurate Plating & Weaponry. It took about six weeks for them to turnaround my gun. I got the matte finish.

quote:

Originally posted by EDMHUNTER:
What coating looks the best on stainless steel? I want to build a Alaska/Africa .375 HH and wondering what finish looks the best?

www.bearcoat.com The FBI Matte Black.

I built a gun for someone else that I spray can painted Rust-oleum on the stainless barrel.

I had the camo colors, and I used just the black.

http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=124

True Value:
1916830 - Black
1917830 - Khaki
1919830 - Deep Forest Green
1918830 - Earth Brown
1920830 - Army Green

The can cost $4 and it weighed only 2 ounces less after one barrel, so this is a cheap process for materials.

It contains Toluene.
Me and Toluene go way back. I associate it with expensive paint that gives a headache and a bad high.
Toluene is in paint that I would paint a motor cycle frame with, not in a paint for painting a kitchen.

I do not know how durable it was for the girl I gave the rifle to.
The painting was fast, easy, and cheap to do.
It looked good.
I did not get cancer from the Toluene, yet.

I sprayed it outside, with the wind at my back.
I spun the barrel in the lathe and polished it with 320 grit.
I cleaned the barrel with liquid detergent and a tooth brush, and rinsed with tap water.

I'd go with Balzer's WC/C. Stuart Satterlee can do it.

I sprayed a couple of rifles with the Krylon flat black in their Camo line of sprays, looked as beautiful as many matte blue jobs I have. Prep is everything!

New Guy-Can you tell me more about the type of finish you described. I googled it and couldn't find much. Love how it turned out on your rifle. Still can't get over those torx receiver screws either.

yeah new guy, that looks awesome. was that on stainless?

I had the stainless barrel of my Duane Wiebe built martini done with Falcon Coat. It looks very much like a low gloss blue.

quote:

Originally posted by loud-n-boomer:
I had the stainless barrel of my Duane Wiebe built martini done with Falcon Coat. It looks very much like a low gloss blue.

Tip Burns does a QPQ "bath" it is damn hard and looks like bluing.

He QPQ a piece of a barrel and thru it into the yard for about 5 months. Brushed it off and it looked like the day he had it done. It cost about $~300. Its a good looking long lasting finish. I'm sold!

www.burnsgunrepair.com

One of the best finishes that I've seen is by Falcon Gun Finish.

http://www.falcongunfinishing.com/falcon/index.php

I have their finish/coating on several rifles.
On an all weather rifle, I had them do parkerized base (on the bare metal) followed by an olive drab polymer over that.

I also have a black polymer finish on a 300 Dakota Mauser that looks like high luster bluing.

It's pretty durable too, so one treatment will do for a lifetime of hunting.

Garrett