You said "Brownell's Gunkote". Are we talking about KG Gunkote [now sold by Brownell] or Brownell's Baking Lacquer? I have used both products and think the KG Gunkote is by far the better product. Of course, Brownell's now carries the KG line, so I assume you were talking about KG GunKote carreid by Brownell's. In any event, the KG is good stuff. I am not a gunsmith but like it 'cause it is one of the few gun finishes the lay person can apply himself with a minimum of equipment. You need to bead blast the surface before application and it also helps is you parkerize or phosphate the surface too. There are some phosphating solutions that you can use at home that give a good result. With proper surface prep [bead blast and phoshate---on mild steel only, not stainless], then proper cleaning of surface before applying GunKote and then a thorough baking per the instructions, you can end up with a real ncie, tough finish.