Coating after AW Cut

Mike_R · 2025-05-06T00:28:08-0400

I've got an Impact 737 I am thinking of sending in to get cut for AW mags. Corrosion resistance is pretty important where I am at.

What are people doing for coating after having action work done? It is already nitrided- I don't know that I can nitride it again. Hard chrome? PVD? Cerakote? At some point it may make sense to just sell it and pick up a factory AW cut action, but being in CA that's a bit of a pain so I am trying to figure out my options.

Mulepackhunter · 2025-05-06T00:37:20-0400

If you have any access to cold blue try it in a small spot and see if it reacts, if it doesn’t do anything then your good to go raw metal with maybe light oil coating.
If it reacts I would say small touch up with cerekote, no great way to patch that up.
I’ve used Durrakote before but not in wet region.

Tralle · 2025-05-06T00:58:51-0400

Call me ignorant, but isnt most custom actions made in stainless steel?

Mike_R · 2025-05-06T01:23:15-0400

Tralle said:
Call me ignorant, but isnt most custom actions made in stainless steel?

I think most of them are 400 series stainless, the martensitic stainless steels which aren't all that corrosion resistant. I've had 410 stainless STI mags rust pretty hard, even had some surface corrosion on 416 stainless barrels.

Mulepackhunter · 2025-05-06T01:31:28-0400

4340 maybe 4140 , not all stainless are actually “stainless” in the sense of no rust. Some are also magnetic and some are not.

ShtrRdy · 2025-05-06T08:23:15-0400

I think I would look into seeing if it could be nitride again. Cerakote is nice but I think would wear out from cartridge feeding and magazine insertion.

spife7980 · 2025-05-06T08:49:40-0400

Id just sharpie or spray paint it and call it good. When you have it out of the stock once or twice a year give it a little oil wipe, it should be fine. Its not visible and its not a critical area.

kthomas · 2025-05-06T09:01:20-0400

I thought all 737 actions are cut for AW mags, and have been for a long time now - am I wrong on this?

W6SPK · 2025-05-06T09:31:32-0400

I was considering sending my impact in and I had the same concern, this was Greg's response when I asked about refinishing after the modification:

'The way nitride works is using chemicals and somewhere around 850-900 degree heat. If we tried to recoat it, it will become brittle and probably crack. The action body and bolt are both made of stainless, so rust is no issue. And, the cut is pretty small, and only towards the front of the action, so it won't be much bare metal.'

It probably would have been fine, but ultimately I ended up buying a new action with an AW cut and sold my old one.

spife7980 · 2025-05-06T09:43:16-0400

kthomas said:
I thought all 737 actions are cut for AW mags, and have been for a long time now - am I wrong on this?

They werent initially, you could choose which. They have since defaulted to all aw the last few years since it accommodates both.

W6SPK · 2025-05-06T10:45:32-0400

kthomas said:
I thought all 737 actions are cut for AW mags, and have been for a long time now - am I wrong on this?

They are all AW cut now, but previously most were AI and you would have to specify AW.

Mike_R · 2025-05-06T11:44:40-0400

Mine is an AICS cut version I bought back in early 2022.

It sounds like I am overthinking it. I had bugged Tate a year ago about it asking if I could get it cut and renitrided. Tate said they didn't offer a re-coating service but that they were looking into it.

Does the feed ramp get modified at all or is it just the clearancing around the front/perimeter of the magwell? If it is just the underside that is a bit less concerning.

Entropicitis · 2025-05-06T11:49:07-0400

Mike_R said:
Mine is an AICS cut version I bought back in early 2022.

It sounds like I am overthinking it. I had bugged Tate a year ago about it asking if I could get it cut and renitrided. Tate said they didn't offer a re-coating service but that they were looking into it.

Does the feed ramp get modified at all or is it just the clearancing around the front/perimeter of the magwell? If it is just the underside that is a bit less concerning.

I bet you can sell your current one and rebuy a new one for less than it would cost to do any kind of coating

Mike_R · 2025-05-06T12:05:27-0400

Entropicitis said:
I bet you can sell your current one and rebuy a new one for less than it would cost to do any kind of coating

You are probably right, the only reason I haven't done it yet is more of a matter of principal. I'm in CA and so on top of the various transfer and paperwork fees, plus sales tax- there is an extra 11% sin tax that goes towards funding additional gun control.

W6SPK · 2025-05-06T13:17:17-0400

Mike_R said:
Mine is an AICS cut version I bought back in early 2022.

It sounds like I am overthinking it. I had bugged Tate a year ago about it asking if I could get it cut and renitrided. Tate said they didn't offer a re-coating service but that they were looking into it.

Does the feed ramp get modified at all or is it just the clearancing around the front/perimeter of the magwell? If it is just the underside that is a bit less concerning.

It is just a minor notch cut on the bottom side

1911Shootist · 2025-05-06T23:49:08-0400

I had mine cut 2 years ago and left uncoated. It’s still mint.

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