my wife already has a ruger 77 in 7x57 . . . she doesn't use it much in favor of her custom 260 encore . . . but she doesn't like to take her encore out in wet weather. we are considering taking the m77 and making it an "all weather" gun, synthetic stock, teflon coating, etc.

having never had a teflon coated gun, was seeking input regarding the pros & cons of the process . . .

thanks
troy

Pro; When new it is attractive and impervious to moisture and most solvents.
Con; When a few years old it looks like Hell! It doesn't age gracefully. Scratches glare out at you. To really appreciate the teflon coated rifle you have to not care much how it looks.

I have two rifles with Teflon, it scratches way too easy. You can touch it up, but it is very noticeable.

Regards,

Terry

so, would you go with parkerization instead? or just save money and buy a nice bead blasted stainless barrell/actioned gun?

troy

Rust blue is always the best finish for a gun IMO...I have used Tefloned metal with good success and it, like a hot blue, needs to be redone every 5 years or so if you use it a lot..The stuff I used didn't scratch easily..Shop around some of that stuff is a lot tougher now.

Robar's finish is guaranteed against peeling and corrosion. That sounds nice but if scratches are a problem for that finish, it wouldn't be all that great of a guarantee. Has anyone used it?

As has been stated, Teflon finishes (black especially) look great when new - much like matte caustic bluing, plus it's weather-proof. That's the good news......

The bad news is, Teflon doesn't wear well at all, it's soft, scratches easily, and once that finish has been damageded, the weather-proof qualities it provides diminishes at an astonishing rate.

I remember an elk hunt a couple of years ago. I was using a .338 Win. Mag. with a black Teflon metal finish. As typical of late-season Oregon elk hunts, the weather was wet, cold, and miserable. I put a piece of black electrical tape over the muzzle to keep the rain and snow out, and when I removed it, some of the Teflon coating came off with it! Some durable finish, huh?

I prefer a good caustic blue job with a coat of Birchwood Casey's Sheath to any miracle finish I've used thus far, including Teflon, electroless nickle, NP-3, etc.........

AD

Another thought would be one of the products like Gun-Kote. Supposed to be very tough and looks good too!

I have heard/seen JBelk post on this question a couple times- "if you want to know how Teflon looks after a while look at your wife's Teflon pans" - or something to that effect. I believe him.
I have never seen a rifle, that was Teflon coated, that after a year or so of average use didn't start looking like crap. IMOP.
Mr.Belk I hope you don't mind the loose attempt at plagiarism. Just trying to make a point.
I would find someone to rust blue it. Or trade it for a stainless gun.
Or maybe just dry it off when it gets wet.

I had a rifle teflon coated a few of years ago. Looked great.

Now, after 3-4 seasons the stuff has peeled of the bolt handle and cocking piece and as was stated previously, removing tape from the muzzle also removed the teflon.The rifle is starting to look like a POS. I'll be getting it blued.

Whatever you do check out "DuraCoat"!

They guarentee that if you drop you rifle out of
the back of your truck doing 70 mph and mark it
up they will recoat free of charge.
It's the best stuff out there, It can be applied to gun stocks as well as barrled actions.

I would think that if a weapon were to fall out of a truck doing 70 mph, how the finish looked when it ground to a halt would be the least of ones worries...


I'll second the "teflon finish belongs in the kitchen" statement...

Malm

SU35,

Do you have pics of anything done with DuraCoat?

how does the rust blue process work? i have seen it mentioned many times but never the process as how to apply it. how would you describe the finish?
thanks
woofer

Woofer
This is the cliff notes: Polish metal, apply caustic solution of your choice, place in heat/humidity controlled environment (most people build a box with racks and hangers but if you live in Louisiana in the summer it is optional). Let set for a few hours. Take parts out and boil. Card/ brush off rust. Repeat. (Kinda like wash'in your hair.) Usually takes three or four times.
Keep in mind this is very abbreviated. It is a lot of work and is not cheap. I believe most people start in the morning and finish hopefully the next day. It is definitely an art. You must constantly keep an eye on it and you can�t be too aggressive with the rust removal or you will remove the blue in the process.
I would try a search on the net, I know I have seen sites with info.
If you try it let us know how it works out.

Wish I could get a definitive answer to: "how to make parkerizing greenish". The black and grey park looks...well...ok on a battle rifle but that green has a "look" I just like.

Alex Hamilton at Ten-Ring Precision in San Antonio is a big proponent of Gun-Kote Ten-Ring Precision Another I have heard good things about is Ny-Lite which sounds like a cousin of Gun-Kote/Gear-Kote Ny-Lite A third is Moly-Coating, and I talked with the owner a few years ago. His company is not a gunsmithing concern, but has done coating for the military using Moly-Coat. I haven't gotten around to trying it, but eventually will. URL: Alo-Mar
I had a race gun finished with Gun-Kote and it was a very functional finish, but it isn't a cosmetic finish. I think you should put on whatever finish you like with the idea that it will have to be reapplied in time if the weapon is used a lot.

Maj. Dad, thanks for that info I have emailed the company.

TBS, would you have a URL for Orion 7?

I would suggest trying poly-coat seems to be more durable than teflon. It might cost a little more but it looks nicer to. I believe John lewis of CPR rifles does this finish in house now. He visits here often.