I bought a 338'06 A-Square barrel for an rifle and had it cut/recrowned to 22" from 24" so the muzzle is bare metal. Additionally, the high-gloss blue finish doesn't match the matte finish of the action.

I'd like to use a DIY finish like Gun Kote or Aluma-Hyde II. I've used Wheeler Engineering's Ceramikote and while it is very functional it doesn't look all that nice.

The challenge I see w/ Gun Kote is my oven... I don't know how I'd fit that barrel in there w/out leaving a mark when I bake it on. The nice thing about it is its smooth toughness.

I'm completely unfamiliar with Aluma-Hyde II. Is it as versatile as Gun Kote? I'm only doing the exterior of the barrel so self-lubrication isn't an issue. Will it go on smoothly without running?

How does the appearance compare? I'm planning to use the brushed stainless steel either way I go... do these look reasonably similar to real SS?

Thanks a lot for your input,

efw

Have thought about Cerakoating it? You know they sell this stuff to the public these days. It's not any harder to use than any other system and the results are much better. You can get it for $40 at Brownells and it's enough to do 2 guns. $20 apiece ain't too bad IMO.

I've used the Aluma-Hyde and you might as well just shoot it with a can of Krylon. It's not really that bad but it doesn't wear worth a crap.

I've never used Gun-Kote but I've seen enough of it to know I never will. The stuff goes on too thick.

Terry

I've done both and in the end, I'd choose to spend the coin and send it off to CAS, knowing it will be done right, I think cerekote is a big step up from the other 2.

You can cerakote it yourself. It's not that hard.

Terry

Do you need an air brush to apply cerakote or do they sell it as an aerosol like Gun Kote? I don't have an airbrush...

I was leaning toward sending it to Charley Santoni to have the whole thing cerakoted professionally, but that is $200. He does fantastic work but I'd kinda like to keep this one a DIY job if possible.

It doesn't come with a sprayer but that's no big deal, just use a Pre-val spray rig. They are about $6 and work perfectly. I bought mine at HomeDepot.

Preval spray rig

You just disassemble the barreled ation. Sandblast it, degrease it, heat it up to 250 degrees, spray it, cook it for 2 hours, let it cool and re-assemble.

I'm not knocking CAS but if you add in shipping both way's it's about $250 for something I can do for about $25 per gun. I wouldn't pay to have this done for the exact same reason I wouldn't pay a gunsmith to glassbed a rifle for me. It's just something I can handle myself.

pardon my stupidity , but after sandblasting and degreasing, do you literally just throw them into the kitchen oven, on the racks?

Thanx

charlie

I put the small parts on a baking sheet in the regular oven. I send my wife out shoe shopping during this operation.

My barreled action had a 27" barrel on it so it wouldn't fit in a regular oven. No big deal, I made my one. The barreled action hangs in an oven that's made from a piece of vent pipe that sits on a hotplate. The lid is off a paint can and thermometer is off a BBQ grill.

Here are some pictures of it. It's High Tech

Vent pipe sitting on a hotplate


High tech oven door. Paint can lid with a BBQ thermometer and a hook.

Bottom side


I've done two rifles so I consider the savings significant.

Terry

Thanks...this may just be the "March" project I need.

Consider yourself privileged. You've been treated to images of the top secret mancave! AR,AR,AR,grunt!

before


After

Still waiting on the McMillan stock


Here is the other one I did

I've used all three products mentioned, Aluma-Hyde, Cera-Kote and KG GunKote.

Of the three, I prefer the last two and I'll explain why.

Don't care for Aluma-Hyde on metal, too thick and pi$$ cans suck anyways (poor shelf life, clogged nozzles etc). I use to use it to cover the bare fiberglass found in McM barrel channels but good ole rust olem in a spray can works just as well at half the cost.

I've used KG GunKote for years, the 2400 Series and never had any issues like flaking or peeling like some folks have had (the secret is in the prep and handling of the parts). The 2400 series goes on very thin and is ideal for close tolerance parts and has some lubricity properties to it. Scope ring and base screws always receive this coating, prevents rust in prolonged wet environments. One tip for using GunKote on actions and barrels is to bake it at the recommended 350 degF for an hour, then lower the temp to about 250 degF and bake another hour or more. With flat black, I've never had color changes like the instructions warn can happen and the prolonged baking baking seems to increase it's durability. After blasting parts and degreasing I use to parkerize before applying GunKote, but their K Phos treatment has eliminated having to parkerize.

The other coating found on my bench is NIC Industries CeraKote, the bake on version. This coating is a little thicker and wears a bit better than KG GunKote. This coating works well for barrels, actions/bolts, scope bases/rings and TG/floorplates. Anywhere handling wear is expected.

For prepwork, I can't emphasize enough the need to degrease the parts to be coated before and after blasting. Only use new, virgin blast media in a dedicated blast cabinet for contaminate free gun parts. The bead blast cabinet down at Joe's engine shop is not going to cut it, I guarantee it's full of contaminants and oil. And one certainly should not be bead blasting auto parts in their bead blast cabinet, it brings in contamination issues.

Parts should be handled with new nitrile gloves with the care a surgeon gives in an operating room. Touching gun parts with bare hands will result in less durability.

Another tip is knock down all sharp, knife like edges found on gun parts and actions with emery cloth or a fine file. Don't go crazy here, just work the edge lightly so the coating won't be prone to wear or chipping. If done right, it's not noticeable.

Both companies offer excellent support, it pays to call and speak with their reps.

For small parts, build a jig to hold small parts after degreasing and blasting.

To protect threads, guard screws & base screws are placed in the action, ring screws placed in ring halves, and then blasted. Base/ring screws are then moved to be coated in this homemade plate made from a piece of angled alum (KG GunKote):

I have a homemade oven made from a 55gal drum that will heat up to 400 degF (don't have a picture at the moment). For small parts, I use a 250 watt heat lamp and an old pot:

For temp monitoring, my big oven has a barbecue thermometer and I use a RayTek infrared temp gun to verify surface temps:


Another tip is to preheat barreled actions before degreasing, lubricants often seep out of the barrel threads. Always degrease after blasting as well, I use acetone to wash out any embedded blast media from the metal (you would be amazed how much media embeds in gunmetal).

I've always used an external mix airbrush, one can can spray into the little nooks and crannies a spray can cannot and airbrushes offer more control and less waste. In the long run, an airbrush is far better.

KG GunKote 2401F


MtnHtr