Blued finish, nickel, black, stainless etc...which to opt for, and is there really any difference?

Question

Does it matter as far as the lifespan and maintainance of the firearm is concerned?

Answer 1

Simply put YES..It does have a direct effect. "Blued" firearms are finished by using a hot-salts dipping method that penetrates the steel firearm surface and is the most common. If maintained and not scratched deeply, it is a very effective finish, but can easily be re-blued if damaged...
"Nickel" is actually a metal plating process that using electricity, the Nickel finish is "bonded" the the firearm surface as a seperate outer layer. Nickel is the LEAST durable finish and is more preferred by people attracted to the "flash asthetic's" rather than the durability of the finish.More glamourous than practical for most people...
"Black" is just another form of hot-salts blueing or chemically induced finish that is done by first "bead blasting" the surface metal on the firearm (Like a light form of sandblasting using minute plastic beads to rough up the surface metal FIRST)then the finish is applied. This is a good finish too, and is used so the firearm will not reflect light off of the firearm finish. These finishes can also be redone if necessary..
"Stainless Steel" is the most durable of all finishes because the surface is either polished or bead blasted and no hot salts or finish is applied. The Stainless steel is naturally tough and will last the longest simply because there is no applied finish to wear off. If you want a muted non-reflective stainless steel finish than it is just bead blasted as with the "Black" finish previously described. Nothing is done to Stainless steel other than polishing if you want a brighter finish..
"Parkerizing" is just another form of hot -salts Gray-Green-Black colored finish usually used on Military weapons, and on some shotguns for a non-reflective surface.On both steel and alloy firearms....

I hope this at least clarify's the differences in finishes. What you choose is a personal choice as to what you like the best and hopefully considering what will last the longest......Good Luck.

Answer 2

Yes there are differences. For poor weather conditions, stainless steel is going to last longer and weather much better. It is more difficult to make it rust. The draw back to stainless steel for CCW is that it is very shiney, and easier to spot if say, your coat swings open slightly etc. A blued gun, is much easier to hide in that it doesn't really stand out if your coat swings open, it looks almost like a shadow rather than screaming GUN"!! But, blueing does tend to rust faster, takes fingerprints that etch into the bluing etc if you do not clean and oil it daily. Nickel is a choice in between blued and stainless. It is more weather resistant that bluing, but not as well as stainless. Nickel can be affected by harsh cleaners etc and cleaning chemicals can sometimes cause the nickel to flake loose on the firearm. Other finishes out there are "parkerizing" (which I think you are calling "black") and variants of that. I prefer the black parerizing finish on my CCW weapons. It is tough, durable, easy to clean and easy to hide. Also, If needed, I can have my pistol re parkerized for $149.99 which is a very good savings over other finishes. My wet weather hunting rifle, is stainless steel in a synthetic stock. This is not affected by moisture, requires much less upkeep, and wears so much better than a blued rifle with wood stock. I remember one hunting trip where it rained every day for a week. By the end of the first day, the bolt handle on my winchester rifle was already rusting. I would have to strip and detail clean the rifle daily, and still had rusting problems each evening. Not so with Stainless steel.
Hope this helped

Answer 3

In my opinion it depends on what the purpose of the firearm will be. For example, if I wanted a long range rifle that I planed to hunt with I would look for a Stainlees Steel rifle. The reason for this is the Stainless barrel holds better groups than that of equal in regular steel barrels. The harmonics of the Stainless are more controled due to the hardness of the materials.

If that same rifle was for combat long range shots I would go with a heavy barreled matte black finish for less visual reasons. While the heavy barrel is not as good as the stainless, its a very close second.

For a carry handgun its your choice. The things to keep in mind are:

Stainless will last longer
Stainless will cost more
Stainless will be seen easier
Stainless will be heavier

If your going for raw beauty, high luster bluing is hard to beat in a walnut housing. For real time purpose, Parkerizing is hard to beat. It takes more abuse than the blu & is easier to conceal. The Parkerized coating takes and hold oil better to keep the forearm working and in good condition. Stainless is just tough, beautiful, and lasting.

So the answer to your question is yes, there is a difference and it all depends on the use the firearm will see. What do you see yourself using it for ? The answer should determine the finish for you !

Good Luck & Happy Shooting !!!!

Answer 4

There is a great deal of difference between the various finishes available for different firearms however, for most people , other than those who really understand why a particular finish is used, the finish of a firearm is more often a question of aesthetics - which is the most attractive to the owner. There are however, varying degrees of practicality to different finishes for example: Blued, Black and camouflaged finishes offer tactical advantages whereas "Parkerized" finishes offer durability in adverse conditions such as marine environments. Ask yourself these questions:
"Is there any tactical reason for selecting a particular finish?"
If the answer is yes then according to your intended use you should consider black, blued or camouflage type finishes.
"Am I going to use the firearm in a harsh, salt water or other overly moist environments?"
If the answer to that question is yes then select a Parkerized finish.

Answer 5

Blued, Nickel and Black are all coated finishes and will wear off eventually, depending on the use of the weapon. Stainless is not just a finish and it will last the life of the weapon.

Answer 6

Why not opt for NP3 coating by Robar. Looks like a matte chrome or stainless and is self lubricating.

Answer 7

Finish has NOTHING to do with the function of the firearm. This is a personal preference thing.