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Another Melonite Question....Please read though. **Link provided

Pusher591

Pusher591

Gunny Sergeant
Full Member
Minuteman
    • Jun 18, 2009
    2,655
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    Gaston County
    I'm having a Devient action rifle built and planned on having the entire barreled action Melonited by MMI. I want the smoothest action possible and I think that meloniting may provide that vs cerakoting. I started looking at older threads and came up on the link provided below. I don't fully understand a lot of what Chad, Jerry, and Dave Tooley were talking about so is it ok to do the 416SS actions with the 4130 bolts? Both are different hardness from the get go, so will it cause galling or make the 416 Action brittle?

    http://www.snipershide.com/shooting...g/96017-custom-actions-melonite-g2g-list.html

    I've seen another Defiance Rebel that was Melonited and it took to the process very well. I'm about to drop another bank roll on a custom build and I just want to make sure the money is spent wisely.

    Keep in mind I want the smoothest action possible and the coating must remain black. No NP3 or microslick.

    Thanks in advance for your responses.
     
    Have you considered Ionbond? It's a little pricey, but it's black, very thin, hard, durable, and holds oil/lube very well. Not sure on it's lubricity specs, but I think it's one of the slickest surface treatments going. Also I'm pretty sure there are no issues applying it to an action and bolt.
     
    That's a great idea, I will look into it.

    Edit: after reading some more on It I don't think it's for me, or at least not this application.

    If anything, I would probably melonite barrel and action and maybe Ionbond the bolt.
     
    Last edited:
    Look at black nitride (which may be similar if not identical to Melonite). It's harder than hell. I have a 1911 that I had finished with black nitride. The hammer and firing pin stop are stainless, but I had them finished, too. Even underneath the hammer and on the surface of the firing pin stop, there is almost no visible wear after several hundred rounds fired.
     
    I talked to defiance and they said they have had customers melonite their actions with no worries. Was just advised to not do the smaller parts.
     
    10-4. Mark @ SAC is building me another rifle and he has been really happy with it but I've always heard good and bad about melonite so I just wanted to check. I think it will be ok and it's gonna sweet! Marks work is just so clean, I'm sure the melonite will be up to his standard.

    Anybody else have any input regarding the hardness or different RC issue?
     
    I run the BAT Tactical action which is fully Melonited inside and out. I think it does make the whole setup slicker. Regarding ION Bond though, I have a buddy who Ion Bonded his Badger M2008 and its soooooo slick. ION Bond is in Greensboro N.C. as well so I would give them a call for some more info. Also, if you go Melonite, Graphite Black cerakote matches the action very very close.
     
    I treated an FN SPR and a Savage model 10. The FN was treated when it had ~50 shots on it, and has ~2000 shots on it now. It is good to go.

    My Savage had ~6k on it before treatment, and ~7.5k on it now. Its good to go.

    I'd do it again. The Savage was definitely slicker after treatment.
     
    If you just want a slick bolt, do what Bighorn does and just ion bond the bolt.. You dont need to treat the entire action for a slick bolt. Also consider having Mark at Short Action Customs do his LBC mod to your action. Very smooth!!
     
    Gray said:
    I run the BAT Tactical action which is fully Melonited inside and out. I think it does make the whole setup slicker. Regarding ION Bond though, I have a buddy who Ion Bonded his Badger M2008 and its soooooo slick. ION Bond is in Greensboro N.C. as well so I would give them a call for some more info. Also, if you go Melonite, Graphite Black cerakote matches the action very very close.
    Click to expand...

    just a heads up for anyone wanting to get individual firearms or parts, as far as I know, Springer Precision is the only way to have your parts IonBonded. The NC facility is busy with manufacturers batches of parts, and doesn't deal with individuals. Springer Precision :: The XD Specialists
     
    Gray said:
    I run the BAT Tactical action which is fully Melonited inside and out. I think it does make the whole setup slicker. Regarding ION Bond though, I have a buddy who Ion Bonded his Badger M2008 and its soooooo slick. ION Bond is in Greensboro N.C. as well so I would give them a call for some more info. Also, if you go Melonite, Graphite Black cerakote matches the action very very close.
    Click to expand...

    Thanks, exactly the feedback I'm looking for.
     
    flounderv2 said:
    If you just want a slick bolt, do what Bighorn does and just ion bond the bolt.. You dont need to treat the entire action for a slick bolt. Also consider having Mark at Short Action Customs do his LBC mod to your action. Very smooth!!
    Click to expand...

    I'm pretty sure Bighorn uses NP3. While NP3 is a great coating (I have several bcg done) they wear fast and are shiny silver which is not for me.

    The LBC mod is great, I had Mark perform it on my Surgeon and it works.
     
    Pusher591 said:
    I'm pretty sure Bighorn uses NP3. While NP3 is a great coating (I have several bcg done) they wear fast and are shiny silver which is not for me.

    The LBC mod is great, I had Mark perform it on my Surgeon and it works.
    Click to expand...

    I think you are correct and I may have mis-spoke about ionbond vs NP3. Thanks for the correction. And yes the LBC mod is great. I will be getting it done on my next build from him for sure.
     
    Adam B said:
    get the action melonited and the bolt NP3 or IonBonded if you are looking for a slick bolt

    I have 4 Deviant actions/rifles, all are melonited and all work flawlessly
    Click to expand...

    They being said, if you done any of the 4 over again would you have Melonited the action and Ionbonded the bolt or do you think you would really even notice? I'll probably just Melonite barrel,action, and bolt to simplify things but if you think Ionbonding the bolt will make that big of difference I might give it a try.
     
    what I dont like about IonBond is that it is a line of sight coating so they cant do the entire part where as melonite coats the entire part. It is hard to go wrong with either method but I prefer melonite, the bolt is very slick after you break it in and oil it
     
    MELONITE, here my action comes.....in 6-10 weeks :)

    Yeah, I'll stick with it then. Hopefully my entire build will be done in 6-10. Either way I'll post pics and a review of it. I'm sure I'll be impressed.
     
    Mark uses MMI and they were the first I heard of when meloniting started blowing up. There's another company called H&M I think, I have heard good stuff about them as well.
     
    When I google mmi, a corporate website shows with different locations. I guess I'll have to call around to get the info.
     
    Adam B said:
    what I dont like about IonBond is that it is a line of sight coating so they cant do the entire part where as melonite coats the entire part. It is hard to go wrong with either method but I prefer melonite, the bolt is very slick after you break it in and oil it
    Click to expand...

    Are you sure about that? I have an AR BCG and a Battlecomp BC 1.0 both in IonBond and they both look the exact same inside and out.
     
    I've got an ION Bond DLC'd 1911, and it's the single most impressive finish I've found yet. From a pure aesthetics standpoint, DLC kinda sucks: it's not particularly glossy, and it picks up dirt and crud easily. Unlike a polished blued steel, carbon fouling and crud doesn't just wipe away with a fingertip (at least, not as nicely). But take a piece of cleaning cloth with a drop or two of oil, and in a few swipes it's like the pistol has just been refinished again. I've carried the same pistol for well over a year, and I still can't discern any holster wear or marks on the finish anywhere. The only way to hurt it seems to be blunt physical impact. Cerakote, Duracoat, and even Birdsong will all eventually wear and chip. I'm curious to see how the DLC holds up over the years, but so far it shows every sign of outlasting the other polymer-based coatings out there.
     
    elephantrider said:
    Are you sure about that? I have an AR BCG and a Battlecomp BC 1.0 both in IonBond and they both look the exact same inside and out.
    Click to expand...


    this is what I was told when I contacted Springer Precision about having my gun done

    here is a quote right off their web page

    http://www.ionbond.com/en/technology/faq/
    "the PVD process, which is a line of sight process"
     
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