Michael Ware writing at Ammoland.

Duracoat has been around for a lot of years. Duracoat firearms coatings require a catalyst and will air cure over time. If you can afford to set aside your work for a month after you’ve completed it, the curing process is usually about as done as you’ll get. You’ll need an HVLP spray gun #ad (high-velocity low pressure) for this and some dry air source, like most spray-on finishes, but it is easy to use and consistent. They offer a Duracoat in a rattle can as well. Same as any finish, it does requires thorough mixing, but isn’t too hard to use.

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Aluma-Hyde II is pretty easy to use. You use it as you would any spray paint from a can. I’ll caution you, though, when they encourage you to shake it well, they’re not joking. If your arm isn’t sore after shaking it up, you haven’t shaken it long enough yet [see the Norrells’ coating shaker video tip above.] My other concern is how quickly the product comes out of the nozzle. This is truly a case of testing it on a piece of cardboard or the likes first. If you don’t take a few moments to familiarize yourself with the rate this coating comes out, you’ll have some problems. Be thorough, and you’ll do fine. Find a nice place to let your work cure for a few days, and you’re ready to roll.

KG Gunkote is a common these days. We use the 2400 series product often. It is just about as simple as they get. Shake it well, spray it, and cure it in the kiln. No catalyst is required. KG has been consistent as the sun coming up on color rendition and sheen from batch to batch, so matching something or doing a repeat job for the same customer isn’t tough with KG Gunkote. We use it quite a bit.

The product we use the most in the shop is Cerakote. There are different products of course, depending on which you need to accomplish, but by far we see the most call for H series. Cerakote C series doesn’t require a catalyst and is a high heat application. I use it on machine gun barrels, suppressors, and things that get really hot. However, literally 90% of what product and type that gets sprayed in my paint booth is Cerakote H series. Depending on color it can be a tad fickle to apply, but the results are good. If you have any HVLP skills you’ll be fine. They even have a Cerakote air dry spray coatings products if having a kiln is out of the question. Cerakote is used by some of the biggest names in the gun world including Ruger.

I have literally no experience in the use of coatings, as I’ve never had a need to change colors or add protection because of wear and tear.

But in case I have that need, readers are invited to weigh in on what they’ve used and the relative ease and consistency of application.