BORELLI CONSULTING: Tactical Equipment Reviews

DuraCoat: 3.5 Year Wear Report
23 July 2007

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About three and a half years ago I had some of my guns duracoated by R-Squared Custom Gun Finishing located in St. Mary's County, Maryland. That time frame, when considering the handling of the weapons, represents hundreds of presentations, thousands of rounds fired (100s for the shotgun) and lots of cleaning. I figured it was about time to take a look at how well the DuraCoat finishing was holding up on the weapons involved. For me that's a shotgun, an AR rifle and a trio of Glock pistols.

Before we get into the report on wear, let's get out some of the basic information about the DuraCoat product, uses we've seen, etc. Then we'll get into information about how well it's held up with plenty of photos showing color, wear marks, and so on.

Developed and produced by Lauer Custom Weaponry of Wisconsin, DuraCoat can be had in a standard matte or semigloss finish. For most of the work you readers do, the standard matte is going to be the way to go. DuraCoat can be applied to most materials to include ferrous metals, alloys, synthetics (can you say plastic?), wood and others. The application process is pretty convenient as there is no preheating required, but it can be if you feel it's necessary; there is no baking required, but it can be to quicken the drying process if you feel it's necessary. DuraCoat can be applied with a thickness that ranges from .25 mL to 1.5 mL and that's pretty thin. Think about your typical trash bag - the ones I have in my cabinet are made by Hefty and are 1.1mLs thick.

The number of colors available is countless. DuraCoat comes prepackaged in certain colors and color mixtures, but even the Lauer website lists thirty-five basic colors available. The listing includes colors that I'd never want on my guns, but some competitors might: colors such as sunburst, electric lime and lavender. In addition to the colors Lauer Custom Weaponry also has template kits available for predetermined patterns such as ARPAT (digital camo), tiger stripe, steel diamond and others. When I had my guns done I didn't want anything real complicated on my pistols or shotgun, but I did specify "Urban Tiger Stripe" for my AR-15. At that time there was no template for it so R-Squared had to do their best to create it by hand - and I was happy with the results.

My Glock pistols have easily seen the most use (and abuse) since I had them DuraCoated. My Glock 19 spent a month in New Orleans with me after Hurricane Katrina. The other two pistols I had done, my Glock 23 and my Glock 36, have both seen plenty of holster time since they were done and the coating is standing up as well on them as it has on my Glock 19. Take a look...

Seen full on from the side in the photo above, the slide on this 2nd generation Glock 19 shows wear only in the most common spots. The photos left and right show how the corners of the slide have seen the DuraCoat treatment worn off. On the front of the slide that's from holstering and drawing the weapon. On the rear it's from rubbing the security strap of my holster and from clothing rubbing against those rear corners when I'm carrying concealed. Obviously, as is clearly seen in the photos, the front corners and edges of the slide see the most wear from holstering and drawing. Think about it: even if you don't draw the weapon in the course of your daily carry it still gets holstered and drawn every day. With absolutely range time if you carry every day that's 365 presentations. Over the course of 3.5 years that well over 1,200 presentations. I'm quite happy with how the DuraCoat finish has held up so far.

That brings me to my Remington 870 shotgun. The history behind this weapon is kind of interesting as I first purchased it in the late '80s from a K9 handler in Maryland. He had stored the weapon in his cruiser in an upright shotgun lock centrally located in his vehicle. His dog apparently liked to chew on the front end of the barrel while the gun was stored this way. Now, obviously he didn't permit that, but he didn't relocate the shotgun lock and when the dog was left in the car during a shift or training the muzzle of the shotgun always ended up covered with dog slobber and showed a few scratches in the original blueing from teeth marks. For years I used touch-up blueing and kept it clean to prevent surface rust. I was delighted when the option of DuraCoating the barrel, magazine tube and receiver came along. Take a look at these photos:

The Remington 870 in its current configuration showing the OD Green DuraCoat finish as described.

A view of the front end of the barrel and magazine tube extension. Scratches and wear marks are visible. Weapon is now kept stored in a Storm Case for better protection. Much of the linear scratching was caused by the barrel/magazine clamp when it came loose during storage and transportation.

On the side of the receiver are some scratch marks that I haven't been able to find a ready explanation for. I believe they occurred when the weapon was slung and rubbing / banging against other gear being worn. That said, it's unreasonable to expect that a protective finish which is an applied coating will never wear or scratch. The DuraCoat OD Green finish that was applied to these weapons has proven durable as far as I'm concerned and I'm presently considering how to have a Glock 22 in my possession finished.

The finish on the AR-15 has held up in the most pristine condition. Even with the number of rounds that have been put through the weapon there are no wear marks on the upper or lower assembly, nor on the grips, barrel, front sight or attached EOTech. I also had all seven magazines duracoated and they DO show scratches in the finish where they've been inserted into the magazine well of the weapon and ejected when empty. R-Squared did an excellent job of making sure that, when inserted, the Urban Tiger Stripe markings on the magazines lined up with those on the sides of the mag well. The same can be said about the EOTech. I know R-Squared was paying attention because the weapon came with a carry handle that had the rear sight incorporated. The markings on the carry handle ALSO match the upper receiver. That took some forethought and planning and it was a pleasure to see that kind of time and energy spent by someone in the trade.

So, 3.5 years later that's where we are. I'm quite happy with how well the DuraCoat finish has held up. I'm planning on having another pistol done. And I strongly recommend anyone wanting a "custom" finish on their weapons to check out Lauer Custom Weaponry and the DuraCoat products.

BE SAFE!!!

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