Creating a "Desert Warrior" out of my 96 Beretta - XDTalk Forums - Your HS2000/SA-XD Information Source!

Brickboy240 · 07-26-2007, 10:01 AM

I have a Beretta 96F who's finish has seen better days. That Bruniton (high tech paint job) that Beretta puts on their guns scratches very easily and wears the slide edges to silver real easy. The anodization on the frame also chips pretty easily. Right now, my 96F looks terrible with not w whole lot of hard use or carrying.

With some research, I have found out that Beretta uses 3 different finishes on their 92/96/M9 pistols. The alloy frame is anodized, the steel slide has the Bruniton finish and the steel barrel is parkerized! Great...refinishing a Beretta at the MD factory runs almost 500 dollars (yeah...I called). Theres NP3 and other finishes that CAN be applied to the three factory finishes but again this runs about 325 bucks or more not including the shipping. (darned Italians have to make everything complicated...don't they? LOL)

Further research has dug up a few reputable local smiths that use Dura Coat and can Dura Coat the whole 96F for about 125 dollars. This seems to be the least expensive way to put a decent finish back on this pistol. Their Dura Coat work looked VERY good, BTW.

Looking at the Dura Coat colors, I noticed they have a color that immitates Kimber's Desert Warrior brown very well. I always liked the color scheme of the Desert Warrior, but Kimber's high price on this gun along with the light rail (something I don't want on a 1911...it wont fit any of my holsters) kept me from buying one.

I was toying with the idea of doing the whole 96F in the Dura Coat "Desert Warrior Tan" and buying the "Coyote Brown" Ergo Grips that look very close to the grip color on the Kimber Desert Warrior.
Heres what these neat grips look like: http://www.ergogrips.net/item-detail...TOKEN=77755787

So...is Dura Coat a decent finish? It seems pretty durable and this pistol will not be carried that often and only in a soft leather DeSantis holster.

Any opinions of Dura Coat...or my "Desert Warrior Beretta" idea are welcome. This is not a collector pistol or some rare variant - just a pistol I picked up years ago for 300 bucks and like the way it shoots. I don't mind experimenting a little bit with this pistol.

Thanks!

- Brickboy240

bountyhunter · 07-26-2007, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brickboy240

Any opinions of Dura Coat...or my "Desert Warrior Beretta" idea are welcome. This is not a collector pistol or some rare variant - just a pistol I picked up years ago for 300 bucks and like the way it shoots. I don't mind experimenting a little bit with this pistol.

Thanks!

- Brickboy240

I have no personal experience with Dura Coat, but it sounds like some kind of baked on epoxy or similar.

If you are going to get it refinished, you might want to have the sharp edges on the slide "melted" (rounded off a bit) to prevent the new finish from rubbing off so fast.

I'm surprised you had a problem with the Bruniton on the slide because I think it is a baked on coating as well and it's very durable. I have a 92 and a 96 and the bruniton on my 92 is indestructable, held up far better than the standard bluing on many of my other guns.

The 96 I bought was police surplus which meant it rode in a holsetr it's whole life and had only a small amount of wear from that rubbing.

ichy_trigger · 07-26-2007, 10:54 AM

For less than half the cost of having it done, you can do it yourself with www.molyresin.com they have desert camo colors and its so easy to apply that its accually hard to screw up. PM me if you have any questions. I have done 6 guns with it now and so far Im VERY pleased.

chupacabrachus · 07-26-2007, 11:01 AM

I'm all for the idea of a "desert warrior" beretta so long as you post pics and promise to take it to a desert at least once.

If you've got lots of money to blow, go w/ the crimson trace "dark earth" laser grips as seen here on an M9:http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/images/42598.jpg

shipwreck · 07-26-2007, 02:41 PM

These guys are a sponsor at my FN Forum....

http://www.hardcorpsweaponry.com/

Here is a kewl pic of 1 of their Berettas...

RobFMJ · 07-26-2007, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shipwreck

These guys are a sponsor at my FN Forum....

http://www.hardcorpsweaponry.com/

Here is a kewl pic of 1 of their Berettas...

For the most part, I consider painting guns to be a waste, but that looks awesome

Polymerhead · 07-26-2007, 05:23 PM

Any application of an aftermarket aerosol/HVLP spray is going to wear faster than the brunition. If you really want an impermeable finish, think hard chrome or one of the high-end "Black-T" type finishes that have lifetime warranties with them.

I think a desert sand beretta would be badass, but you'll see edge wear faster than you are now. If you do get it done, be sure to take pics!

**Ed Ely** · 07-26-2007, 07:31 PM

This was posted on 10-14-05. Lots of 'Desert Warriors"
have appeared since then, but I's claim the first!

The XD Desert Warrior by AjamesP51.
XD-45GAP LE (the only one on the planet
as of 10-13-05)

For those with DSL or cable who want to see
this machine in full size, please PM me with your
email address and I will send a much larger pix which
shows just how great a job James did/does.

I am very pleased with the results of the DuroCoat
application. Those TruGlo TFOs are 'out of sight'.
Please notice the contrast of the three colors. Very
well balanced.

I do not have a patent on this machine, so those who
are tempted, do not hesitate to call on James for a
duplicate.

The maker of DuroCoat -

http://www.lauerweaponry.com/

Ed

Myk9noseknows · 07-26-2007, 07:59 PM

If you plan on holstering/drawing your weapon on a daily basis, I would not go with DuraCoat. Moly Resin would be a better choice, but it is still not complete scratch/wear resistant. When dirt/sand get's trapped in your holster, the drawing of your weapon is like scratching the pistol with fine sandpaper. If you do a color job, proper preparation of the metal will go a long way in helping to keep it durable.
Unfortunately DuraCoat is NOT a bake on finish.

I'm not knocking DuraCoat, I've used it before as seen below. Just don't expect it to be a miracle and never wear off. A safe-queen would last a very long time with DuraCoat.

Here's a job I did myself about a month ago with DuraCoat. Just to give you an idea of the Desert Camo job. I also cut off the bottom portion of the stock:

Beretta CX4 Storm
Before:

After:

ichy_trigger · 07-26-2007, 08:05 PM

Very nice job

07-26-2007, 10:01 AM	#1
Brickboy240 XDTalk 5K Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 8,919	Creating a "Desert Warrior" out of my 96 Beretta I have a Beretta 96F who's finish has seen better days. That Bruniton (high tech paint job) that Beretta puts on their guns scratches very easily and wears the slide edges to silver real easy. The anodization on the frame also chips pretty easily. Right now, my 96F looks terrible with not w whole lot of hard use or carrying. With some research, I have found out that Beretta uses 3 different finishes on their 92/96/M9 pistols. The alloy frame is anodized, the steel slide has the Bruniton finish and the steel barrel is parkerized! Great...refinishing a Beretta at the MD factory runs almost 500 dollars (yeah...I called). Theres NP3 and other finishes that CAN be applied to the three factory finishes but again this runs about 325 bucks or more not including the shipping. (darned Italians have to make everything complicated...don't they? LOL) Further research has dug up a few reputable local smiths that use Dura Coat and can Dura Coat the whole 96F for about 125 dollars. This seems to be the least expensive way to put a decent finish back on this pistol. Their Dura Coat work looked VERY good, BTW. Looking at the Dura Coat colors, I noticed they have a color that immitates Kimber's Desert Warrior brown very well. I always liked the color scheme of the Desert Warrior, but Kimber's high price on this gun along with the light rail (something I don't want on a 1911...it wont fit any of my holsters) kept me from buying one. I was toying with the idea of doing the whole 96F in the Dura Coat "Desert Warrior Tan" and buying the "Coyote Brown" Ergo Grips that look very close to the grip color on the Kimber Desert Warrior. Heres what these neat grips look like: http://www.ergogrips.net/item-detail...TOKEN=77755787 So...is Dura Coat a decent finish? It seems pretty durable and this pistol will not be carried that often and only in a soft leather DeSantis holster. Any opinions of Dura Coat...or my "Desert Warrior Beretta" idea are welcome. This is not a collector pistol or some rare variant - just a pistol I picked up years ago for 300 bucks and like the way it shoots. I don't mind experimenting a little bit with this pistol. Thanks! - Brickboy240 __________________ The top 25% of wage earners in America pay 86% of all federal income taxes collected. (according to 2007 IRS website data) Es mejor morir a pie que vivir arrodillado Volvo...the Swedish Brick!

07-26-2007, 10:54 AM	#3
ichy_trigger XDTalk 5K Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Dayton, Ohio Posts: 7,414	For less than half the cost of having it done, you can do it yourself with www.molyresin.com they have desert camo colors and its so easy to apply that its accually hard to screw up. PM me if you have any questions. I have done 6 guns with it now and so far Im VERY pleased. __________________ "The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." http://militarysignatures.com/signatures/member2645.png

07-26-2007, 02:41 PM	#5
shipwreck XDTalk 1K Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Texas Posts: 1,305	These guys are a sponsor at my FN Forum.... http://www.hardcorpsweaponry.com/ Here is a kewl pic of 1 of their Berettas... __________________ - Visit: http://www.fnforum.net The ULTIMATE FN site!

07-26-2007, 05:23 PM	#7
Polymerhead XDTalk 1K Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: MO, USA Posts: 1,333	Any application of an aftermarket aerosol/HVLP spray is going to wear faster than the brunition. If you really want an impermeable finish, think hard chrome or one of the high-end "Black-T" type finishes that have lifetime warranties with them. I think a desert sand beretta would be badass, but you'll see edge wear faster than you are now. If you do get it done, be sure to take pics! __________________ No alarms and no surprises, please.

07-26-2007, 07:31 PM	#8
Ed Ely XDTalk 5K Member Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: 37.65N -84.76W (Elev. 932 ft) Posts: 7,618 Blog Entries: 1	This was posted on 10-14-05. Lots of 'Desert Warriors" have appeared since then, but I's claim the first! The XD Desert Warrior by AjamesP51. XD-45GAP LE (the only one on the planet as of 10-13-05) For those with DSL or cable who want to see this machine in full size, please PM me with your email address and I will send a much larger pix which shows just how great a job James did/does. I am very pleased with the results of the DuroCoat application. Those TruGlo TFOs are 'out of sight'. Please notice the contrast of the three colors. Very well balanced. I do not have a patent on this machine, so those who are tempted, do not hesitate to call on James for a duplicate. The maker of DuroCoat - http://www.lauerweaponry.com/ Ed Last edited by Ed Ely : 07-26-2007 at 07:41 PM.

07-26-2007, 11:01 AM	#4
chupacabrachus XDTalk 3K Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 3,256	I'm all for the idea of a "desert warrior" beretta so long as you post pics and promise to take it to a desert at least once. If you've got lots of money to blow, go w/ the crimson trace "dark earth" laser grips as seen here on an M9:http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/images/42598.jpg

07-26-2007, 07:59 PM	#9
Myk9noseknows XDTalk 1K Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 1,775	If you plan on holstering/drawing your weapon on a daily basis, I would not go with DuraCoat. Moly Resin would be a better choice, but it is still not complete scratch/wear resistant. When dirt/sand get's trapped in your holster, the drawing of your weapon is like scratching the pistol with fine sandpaper. If you do a color job, proper preparation of the metal will go a long way in helping to keep it durable. Unfortunately DuraCoat is NOT a bake on finish. I'm not knocking DuraCoat, I've used it before as seen below. Just don't expect it to be a miracle and never wear off. A safe-queen would last a very long time with DuraCoat. Here's a job I did myself about a month ago with DuraCoat. Just to give you an idea of the Desert Camo job. I also cut off the bottom portion of the stock: Beretta CX4 Storm Before: After: __________________ "When people need help, they call the Police. When Police need help, they call K-9"

07-26-2007, 08:05 PM	#10
ichy_trigger XDTalk 5K Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Dayton, Ohio Posts: 7,414	Very nice job __________________ "The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself." http://militarysignatures.com/signatures/member2645.png

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