drivingit Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 So your typical Newbie question. Noticing the substantial price difference between chrome and "blued" sti/svi, why so? Is it because of looks, or is the chrome better? Also how about cleaning, is one better than the other? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-ManBart Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 If you take a gun and have it chromed, it's going to cost about $200 give or take. It may not cost the retailer quite that much, but it does add noticably to their costs, which is why you see the difference. Hard chrome will make a gun last longer (surface hardness it twice or three times what non-chromed steel is) as wear won't happen as quickly. It's a little easier to clean and it does make the gun resist rust and wear from repeated holster use. Now there are some good alternatives such as IonBond and several other PVD coatings that are even harder than chrome....even more durable, but they tend to cost a little more. I have IonBond on my Open gun and that's what I'm planning on using on the new Open gun being built soon. R, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimel Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 I personally think a blued gun looks better but this is mostly a matter of choice. Hard Chrome makes maintenance must easier in that it is more durable and less likely to rust. Blue takes quite a bit of care to keep rust free. I have seen blued guns get pretty rusty just during a match from sweaty hands. Having said all that, I know people that leave their guns "in the white" for a season or two until they can afford to chrome them and the guns survive. They just take even more care than blued guns. If cost is a big issue go ahead and get blue. You can always have it chromed later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PINMAN44 Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Oh I thought that Rust was the finish that came with my gun... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMITH Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 In my opinion hard chrome is still the best all around finish for a competition handgun. It is hard, wears forever, is very corrosion resistant, and is not costly to have applied. Some of the new PVD or more accurately PACVD coatings being chosen now are not as good in my opinion. It chips on the breechface, it chips on the upper and lower lugs, and leaves those areas unprotected. Other than that they are extremely good. Hard chrome is where it is at if you want a known good quality finish that will keep your gun healthy for 100K rounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff686 Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 Might I suggest getting any new gun in blue. Shoot it for a while. You will undoubtedly want or need some changes made to it. If it is already chromed, you'll be paying again for another chrome job. Once you get it running right, just the way you like, then get it chromed or IonBond or whatever. Also, remember that if you wait to get it chromed, you can get any type of finish you want: polished, brushed, matte, or any combo thereof. Tripp did a great two-tone brushed/matte on my single stack, and I really like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pevadijk Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 If it is already chromed, you'll be paying again for another chrome job.Does removing chrome, nickel or whatever (I think it's called stripping) damage your gun, or more specific: how is plating removed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HSMITH Posted April 13, 2008 Share Posted April 13, 2008 It doesn't hurt the gun to strip the chrome if it is done right, any good chrome shop can also strip them. It is done chemically, almost the reverse of the plating process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbocomp38s Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Long Life if you have your gun chromed. I do agree with HSMITH, I believe chrome is still the best in my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted April 16, 2008 Share Posted April 16, 2008 Hard Chrome is the only finish for a high rd competition gun. Wear resistance, corrosion resistance, easy to clean, make it a great and proven choice. The other "coatings" have less performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deitsch2 Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Might I suggest getting any new gun in blue. Shoot it for a while. You will undoubtedly want or need some changes made to it. If it is already chromed, you'll be paying again for another chrome job.Once you get it running right, just the way you like, then get it chromed or IonBond or whatever. Also, remember that if you wait to get it chromed, you can get any type of finish you want: polished, brushed, matte, or any combo thereof. Tripp did a great two-tone brushed/matte on my single stack, and I really like it. Looks like tripp is not going to do any chroming after 6/13, http://www.trippresearch.com/osdoc/chrome.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kildar Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 Just had my Springfield .45 returned from Tripp. Probably one the last hardchrome jobs his shop is going to do. Beautiful work which I know will extend the life of my gun and improve it's performance. Very easy to clean too. I wet the fouling with solvent, brush lightly, then spray it down with brake cleaner. Comes out looking new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianH Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 They're actually buried in guns right now. 4-5 week turnaround as of 2 weeks ago. They're not 'taking' guns after today but they'll be plating for a couple months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozarksman Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 Check out Chris Peters at Metaloy Industries in Berryville, AR. Does great job, had several guns done by him, short turnaround and competitively priced. Website says $240 for a complete S_I racegun. http://www.originalmetaloy.com/ Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe4d Posted June 13, 2008 Share Posted June 13, 2008 Might I suggest getting any new gun in blue. Shoot it for a while. You will undoubtedly want or need some changes made to it. If it is already chromed, you'll be paying again for another chrome job.Once you get it running right, just the way you like, then get it chromed or IonBond or whatever. Also, remember that if you wait to get it chromed, you can get any type of finish you want: polished, brushed, matte, or any combo thereof. Tripp did a great two-tone brushed/matte on my single stack, and I really like it. +1... That's pretty much what I did on my first and probably only high dollar sombody else built it. I ordered it blued figuring I would probably end up changing something. This winter I'm gonna IONBOND or hardchrome it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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