appropriate finish

[Ithabrown]

okay, i have an old 70 series colt combat commander whose barrel and slide obviously need refinishing.

i plan to have the slide finished with glossy black chrome but i'm not sure about the barrel (perfect inside, not outer).

in case i have the bbl done in hard chrome, will it eventually chip out internally? if it will then rebluing is the best finish for it then? what about teflon finish?

[stans]

Hard chrome, if done correctly, on the exterior of the barrel should be very durable. Ever notice the bright, shiney control rams that control the blade on a bulldozer? That ram is usually hard chromed. Teflon bake on finishes will quickly chip and bluing will wear away, but the hard chrome will be there for years. Hard chroming the bore and chamber can be done, but it is much more difficult to execute correctly. If the bore and chamber are at or near minumum allowable dimensions, the layer of chrome may make them undersize.

[Ithabrown]

Hard chrome, if done correctly, on the exterior of the barrel should be very durable. Ever notice the bright, shiney control rams that control the blade on a bulldozer? That ram is usually hard chromed. Teflon bake on finishes will quickly chip and bluing will wear away, but the hard chrome will be there for years. Hard chroming the bore and chamber can be done, but it is much more difficult to execute correctly. If the bore and chamber are at or near minumum allowable dimensions, the layer of chrome may make them undersize.


stan, thanks for the inputs! it seems hard chrome is a good choice, but it is also that....risky?

[stans]

Chrome lining the bore and chamber are risky. If it is not done properly, the bore dimensions will vary. Basically, you can go from a groove diameter of 0.451" the whole length of the barrel to groove diameters that vary from just a little tighter to much tighter, depending upon where in the barrel you take the measurement. Chrome lined barrels are excellent for corrosion resistance, but are not always superbly accurate. And chrome lining a barrel does tighten the internal dimensions. Smith & Wesson made up a bunch of replacement barrels for U.S. 1911's. The barrels would not pass inspection because they were slightly over sized in the internal dimensions. S&W chrome lined the bores and the barrels passed. I would not try to have a bore chromed and Colt actually makes excellent barrels, it is the poor lock up that gives factory Colt 1911 barrels a bad name.

[Gammon]

My experience with high mileage 1911s (over 100,000 rounds) has made me a believer in hard chrome. This finish is great for corrosion and wear resistance, and is rather attractive, IMHO. I have a custom, hard chromed 1911 with in excess of 100,000 rounds through it that shows very little wear. I would hard chrome the frame and slide, and most of the other parts. I would NOT plate the barrel (for the above mentioned reasons) or any of the internal parts that are replaced on a regular basis: i.e springs, sear, hammer, and disconnector.
PS I also use Break Free lube with excellent results.
PPS I am a great procrastinator; I have two Para P-16s I built, badly in need of plating, but I can't bring myself to send them to the platers until I get them "just right". Maybe this winter.