Best finish possible?
 

Any opinions on some top tier finishs? Both tough and good looking i think should requirements. I think we can discount dura coat with that.

Here's a link to what some people say is the best there is.

http://www.robarguns.com/

The best finishes are nitriding and hard chrome. Both are nearly indestructible.
Duracoat is paint, and not even in the same class.

Electroless Nickel Boron Nitride Plating.

Used in applications that require hardness and lubricity.

http://i1060.photobucket.com/albums/...ps8afb2ce5.jpg

Any opinions on a matte black finish you can take home to mom?

I'd like to know why all the hate speak about Dura-Coat? Perhaps not "hate" speak directly but seems to be heading that way... A word about plating though... ANY finish applied to metal will eventually flake or wear off.. Aside from blueing, nothing lasts forever and even a good rust/hot blue will fade over time... I rate Dura-Coat up there with the best of any of them without hesitation. Since retirement from civil service, my hobby of restoring firearms is now my full time business and Dura-Coat is one of the finishes I use..

It's not so much I have an issue with it, and if the need arises I wouldn't hesitate to use it. But it obviously isn't the best out there, regardless of what some people think, and it'd be a cold day in hell I'd apply it to a weapon I was proud of owning.

Your knowledge of plating isseriously lacking. Nitriding, hard chrome, and nickel plating are all infinitely more durable than any bluing. While not impossible, it would be very difficult to wear through any of them. Paints like Duracoat have their purpose, but they don't compare to a properly plated finish.
Since retiring from 38 years of civil service, I am a full time cutler and gunsmith, and electroless nickel is one of the finishes I use. Plating requires fine finishes and the knowledge of how to achieve them. It's not like blasting and painting something.

I've got two turn of the century US Revolvers that I restored. Both had nickel plating that had worn off. I'm not a metalergist and neither are you. So don't start posturizing by cutting on my ablities. Before you go slamming a product such as Dura-Coat, I suggest you really read up on the product for what it is and it's properties. I have seen factory finishes that were not as durable as Dura-Coat. It may not be the end all and be all but it is an outstanding product.

By the way, plating is NOT more durable than blueing... It is simply impossible to expect anything PLATED onto a surface to last. You find me a weapon over 100 years old that's been plated and in pristine condition (that's not been stored in a vault it's entire life) with no loss of the plated coating. I can show you countless examples of blued firearms that simply turn plumb colored from age. Plating wears off... So does blueing..

I'm sure you are very capable at what you do. So am I. There is much more that I do aside from simply "blasting and painting" as you put it. Don't slam my work again in this forum...:mad:

By the way a little factoid: 36 years civil service and 4 years active military (NAVY)...

I'm sure you can paint a gun with the best of them. Thank you for your service to our country.
But- you're very wrong about plating. Perhaps it is you who should read up on plating. Industrial hard chrome, nitriding (which is not really plating,) electroless nickel, electrolytic nickel are much more durable than any paint. I'm not slamming your work. I'm stating that your knowledge of firearms finishes-especially plating is lacking.