Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Teflon vs. Cerakote

Going to do a rifle never have used either, Going to send it off to be done, What's the diff. between them Pros and Cons Thanks Jerrad

Jerrad,

Not to add to your confusion, but I'd suggest you google "Black T" as well.

I have had experience with both finishes. The teflon finish would not hold up against even a slight brush with a mesquite tree or sage brush. Don't know if it was the type of teflon, the preperation or what but it did not last. It was also back in the late 90's when I had it done. Ceracote, IMO is probably the most durable of the spray and bake finishes. I have had it done on most of my rifles and have been very pleased. It will scratch but if applied correctly it will take a hell of a bang or whatnot to get it to scratch. As for Birdsong's "Black T" no experience with that yet, but I have a Tac Ops rifle coming soon which is done in that finish.

My tefloned rifle is almost 10 years old, it gets used hard every year and still looks like new.

I have had a gun KG'd, Cerakoted, and just sent one off for teflon. Will post up when I get it back...

Gap243 , whoever applied the finish to your gun , didn't do it right . If you go by the directions that Brownells puts on their aerosol cans , it will never stick ! I got on their case about that and they were going to change the instructions on the can . That was three years ago and they haven't changed anything yet , they must have a hell of a backstock of that stuff , or they were blowing smoke up my butt ! I did figure out how to prep and bake Teflon-Moly , I have done at least 30 guns with it in several colors and it doesn't rub off or even move under hammer blows ! What I like about Teflon-Moly over the CeraKote is that it is self lubricating , which is a good thing with Pumps and Semi autos , with all the moving parts that they have inside of them !

I have teflon that has held up for YEARS.

First cerakote rifle I had left me anything but impressed. It was nothing to chip that [bleep] off.

I've since had another rifle done by Eddie Fosnaugh (eddief on the 'Fire) and have been very happy with its durability.

It would seem that it truly is about being applied correctly.

Teflon sucks. Like they say, nothing sticks to it, not even the pan. I had Shawn Carlock build me a 30-06 several years back than has seen LOTS of use and needs a new cerokote job in a big way, all the teflon just flaked off. Tape the barrel, blue tape of course, and when you take off the tape the teflon comes with.

Not my experience with it, which leads to the 'it's all about proper preparation and application'

...I tape the barrel on one rifle I had cerakoted and the cerekote comes off with the tape. Doesn't happen on any of the others.

I agree with the "proper prep and application". If it's screwed up from the start it ain't ever gonna get any better.....

Anyone who's had both: Does the teflon go on thiner than cerakote? I know cerakote's not supposed to be "thick" but it still tightens the way the bolt runs...

That's too bad, you should of had it done by somebody who knows what they are doing.
Lee is the man.
http://blackicecoatings.com/

No experience with Cerakote, but on the 700 I just had Tefloned it actually slicked up the bolt, which is one of the benefits of Teflon being "self lubricating".

My only experience with teflon was in two versions of the Remington AWR (Alaskan Wilderness Rifle) and both had propensity to flake/chip. Granted this was a number of years back and things have likely improved since then.

I've had several cerakoted and have been happy with the results though if I have another coated it'll be in Black T - due in part to much of the favorable testimony that I read here.

All in the preparation and application.

Teflon-Moly , when properly applied is only .0004" thick , which is less than 1/2 a thousandth " . It is the thinest on the market as far as I know .

I have both. I just got the Cerakote, so I cannot give a response yet. However, I have had a few of my rifles done by Black Ice Coatings and I have had no issues at all. I am pretty tough on my rifles when I go hunting here in AK. They are constantly getting wet, muddy, being laid along side the jon boat, and hopefully at times, getting bloody. Price wise and w/ Lee's FOREVER WARRANTY and the quick turn around time, I will never hesitate to have him do any of my guns.

^ good to hear, sent an action to Black Ice last week...

I've had quite a bit of experience with Birdsong's Black-T and none with Cerakote. I even sent my Spyderco "Police" folder to them and had it done as well. They key with Black-T from Birdsong is with the thickness (or maybe I should say thinnest?) and how it can be used on the internals of Remington triggers such as small screws, springs, pins etc. The attention to small detail is pretty impressive by the guys at Birdsong. I currently have the finish on my Remington 700 APR and my Custom Husky in 30/06. I've also had the finish on a Ithaca 37, Beretta 391 and on Leupold QR rings and bases (3) and 2 sets of Buehler rings and bases. The action on my custom Husky feels like it's running on greased ball bearings and even the stainless 700 action feels like it was honed to death. I've also had Black-T applied to 2 40X triggers and they function perfectly.

I have a 700 KS that was blued. Sent it off to get the Black-T, and as stated earlier; the attention to detail (everything but the bore has black-t applied) and slick smoothness of bolt operation is incredible. The finish has a rich luster to it, and is in my opinion fantastic.
I believe they offer Green-T coloration also.
I highly recommend Birdsong and Associates.

This is my 700 African Plains Rifle I had done.

I have had both teflon & Cerakote. Assuming both are applied properly there are differences.

Teflon
The teflon is most likely to be affected at the muzzle where the intense heat is applied during firing. As long as it is kept off the bolt lugs & breech face it will help the bolt stroke like butter w/o lubricant.

Cerakote
This stuff is tough!! It is marketed as more weather protective than stainless steel. I believe it. When I got my Wby Mark V home from the coating the weather was terrible. It was raining an inch per hour or more. A typical hot steamy day in Texas I decided to put it to the proof test. I took the rifle straight out the back door, set it on the patio and left it in the rain. After the rain let up I retrieved it, put it in the safe muzzle down and left it there a week w/o any attention. When I took it out of the stock there was zero rust on the barreled action anywhere. Have hunted it in such weather several times with no hint of corrosion.


The teflon looks nice with a natural satin finish. I bought that gun with the coating already applied. It was done right and has been durable.

The Cerakote looks nice with a natural flat tactical finish. If I am spending my money it will be Cerakote hands down.