Dulling or Blackening a Stainless AR Barrel

**-JD-** · November 20th, 2008, 05:37 PM

Thanks for the ideas/offers re: powder coating.

I don't want to do anything that would impair or be damaged by disassembly. (unless I could easily repair it myself) Hence my aversion to any "thick" coating treatments.

I'd consider having them ION Bonded if they were high-end barrels. I think for now, mechanical dulling is the best route.

**o1dakota440** · November 20th, 2008, 05:46 PM

in my experiance powder is a great route to go. i have been coating all my mags and have not had a clearance issue. you can do a nice powder job and it will only be 1-1.5 mils thick, and tape off all the critical areas. but it really is a preferance thing fo me i was tired of the tiniest little bumds that were scratching off the factory coatings on my mags. and i am getting ready to do my whole ar, and maybe my gsg5. so i' ll post pics of them when i get them done.

**Seventy4Blazer** · November 24th, 2008, 02:05 PM

powder coating is great in some applicatons, but when used on things that CAN be dinged easily it needs to be a bit thicker.

im not saying it wouldnt work, but i am saying that repairs could be time consuming and costly. if i was going to go that route, i would just get some "VHT" paint from an automotive store and then bake it on.