Gunsmithing Question about cerakote colors

Jcas2012

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May 28, 2011
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I got my rifle back and I requested to have everything done in graphite black. The barrled action and bolt look good but the bottom metal and the rings and base don't quite match and look closer to a duller armor black. Is this normal seeing the barreled action is stainless, the bottom metal is aluminum and the rings and base steel? Or should they all match regardless of steel? Thanks for the help.
 
Re: Question about cerakote colors

If the metal is different then there can be a little bit of a difference in the sheen of the finish. I try to compensate for the different metals by using lower pressure on softer metals.
 
Re: Question about cerakote colors

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: JCas45</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I got my rifle back and I requested to have everything done in graphite black. The barrled action and bolt look good but the bottom metal and the rings and base don't quite match and look closer to a duller armor black. Is this normal seeing the barreled action is stainless, the bottom metal is aluminum and the rings and base steel? Or should they all match regardless of steel? Thanks for the help. </div></div>


The bottom metal on many factory rifles is very cheap and porous castings (pot metal) and there almost always be a variation on how the finish appears on this very porous, grainy metal, vs. the fine grain structure on the steel in the action, barrel and bolt. The same with aluminum vs. steel, the grain structure is different and therefore you will have slight variations in the appearance of those parts. Another factor can be the thickness of the application, which can also have a slight affect on the sheen and the porous bottom metal typically requires 2mils or more to adequately cover those parts, so there will be some variance in the sheen and appearance.
 
Re: Question about cerakote colors

It is very noticeable, I would show you all some pictures but I am currently not with the rifle bouncing around to different places in the Corps. The bottom metal is a quality aftermarket detachable mag so I don't believe its the metal quality in this case.