Help with XD Refinishing?

[wfrazee]

I am trying to understand the options that are out there for refinishing the slide of my springfield XD. I am considering another purchase which would them fall prey to my mod project. Part of that would be slide refinishing. I did a search and found some stuff on some different finishes but I was unable to find anything that really did much in the way of comparison outside of two specific choices someone was choosing from.

The ones that I know of (perhaps not "about" but "of") include standard "blue" brurinal finish, stainless steel, Armory Kote, Gun Kote, Cobra Coat, and Hard Chroming.

Trouble is, I cant find a good resource that helps figure out which is "better" than the other or how "hard"/resistant such finishes are.

Help. Anyone
1) Know of a resource that cover this for most common finishes?
or
2) Mind contributing to the subject to get some coherent details about each?

One of the things I would like to do (because I am a visual person) is put them in a list (along with whatever ones I didnt list/dont know of) in order of hardness.

As I understand it, something like this?

least hard / resistant
brurinal finish
stainless steel
Cobara Coat
Armory Kote
Gun Kote
Hard Chroming
most hard /restistant

Other than cost, are there circumstances in which you would want to go with a less resistant finish for your handgun for some other reason?

[Sky042]

a guy on steyr club just got hit S9 hard chromed and it looks GREAT plus after hitting it with a punch you couldn't even tell so I'd say it's hard enough.

I can give you a pic if you want it

[Arnisandyz]

I think it will be difficult to name one hardest AND most corrosion resistant. Hard chrome is very hard, but is not as corrosion resistant (salt spray test) as say Robar for example, so you have to weigh your options and choose a finish based on your needs. I live in Florida (alot of salt) and will CCW carry my gun, so corrosion resistance is more important to me than durability.

[masterofg3]

You don't mention what kind of shape your finish is in now? I think that as long as the existing finish is in good shape(i.e. no rust),stay with it.I am amazed at the number of people who fall in love with something,only to turn around and try to change every conceivable thing about it(your women must have some serious insecurity issues by now).My best advice is (if you are one of the very small % that has experienced problems with the xd's finish) to send it back to springfield and have them re-finish it under warranty.The armory kote that springfield uses is extremely tough stuff,looks great and wont affect your initial investment.Springfield will offer you several colors to choose from(including silver,which looks identical to matte hard chrome).Personally I'm not crazy about "the look" of a pretty silver slide on a polymer framed pistol, but again to each his own. [/url][/list]

[nikon777]

i like the diamond kote..which is a slight variation of the kg gunkote. all of the above are better than the factory finish.

[SLCDave]

There is Black Chrome as well. Not as hard as Hard Chrome, but tough, from what I understand.

[Delija]

It really is amazing how many threads there are on this issue. More
than one going on right now.

Seems like there is very little to say that hasn't been said already.
It all comes down to "if it ain't broke don't fix it".

BD made the point about gun care as well as can be made. No
finish exists that can't get rusted or scuffed or something. A
minimum amount of care...wiping the metal with an oily cloth
will do wonders to prevent rust.

If you want a hard chromed finish, that's great. Looks great on
some guns. If I had a Hi-Power, and some extra money to have
it hard chromed, I'd do it.

For me, a chromed slide on a polymer frame doesn't do it. I
prefer all black. But that's just me.

My out of the box standard XD Sub has been subjected to
ocean salt water spray. Every time it leaves my house, it's
subjected to humid florida air, sweat, and a lot of gun shot residue.
The finish is perfect. I bought it used, and I have no idea how the previous owner treated the gun.

I used a polymer car "wax" (Klasse) on the gun one time a few
months ago. Seems to work great. But maybe it's all in my head.

I clean all my guns regularly. I finish up getting a drop of oil on
my finger and rubbing the surface of the guns and then wiping the
oil off with a silocone treated gun cloth.

AFAIK, the polymer car wax may make all this unneccesary. But to
take an extra one minute per gun to do this extra step seems like
no big deal. Or, maybe the "car wax" does nothing, and it's just the
oil that's working.

I sometimes see a beat up old Colt or some other military issued
1911 that is completely worn. I think how much character a gun that looks like that has. I have a new stainless 1911....
I love how it looks.

Like with a new car I don't want to see a first nick or blemish of
any kind.

Yet I see these old worn guns and I wonder what looks better. New,
or worn?

I guess there is not "better"....just different. Anything wrong with
a gun that looks like this? (below)? If it was mine (I wish), I'd be
proud of the wear!!! It looks like what a 1911 should look like

Peace,
D.

[Greg in OKLAa]

Glad to hear I am not the only one to wax their pistols
When I had my XD9 refinished by Springfield,they said the they would do the slides on my other XD's for $40 each.Pretty cheap.I really like the look of the Armory Kote,it is quitw a bit "blacker" than the factory black.I will try to post a pic later

Greg

[wfrazee]

Ive had so much trouble acquiring an XD9302 around here I was thinking about getting a 9102 and having the slide hard chromed after it is radiused and contoured.

[one-eyed-fatman]

Email these people and find out which one works the best for conceal carry. Drawing from a holster causes the most abuse. Chrome and Black chrome are probably the best choices.