ar parts

[rancher1913]

has anybody ever pc'ed small parts on an ar, like the heads of the take down pins, triger, etc. could you keep the heat lower so as not to wreck the temper but still get it to stick. figure pc is tougher than a rattle can paint job.

[cwlongshot]

I have considered it but not followed thru.

400degrees isnt gonna do anything to temper IMHO.

CW

[RP]

I PC my PTR 91 looks good and works fine have not done any AR parts as of yet. I have some old 20 round mags that are just about bare metal I am going to coat.

[Lloyd Smale]

I guess I have to ask why? that and heating your trigger up to 400 degrees could very likely make the engagement surfaces soft at any temp hot enough for pc. If you just want take down or trigger pins ive got some you can have. I replace about all of my take down pins with extended knob style and trigger pins with anti drift locking style. bottom line is my ars are working guns not weatherbys or sakos. If they get a scratch or the anodizing is wore in a spot or two it just gives them character.

has anybody ever pc'ed small parts on an ar, like the heads of the take down pins, triger, etc. could you keep the heat lower so as not to wreck the temper but still get it to stick. figure pc is tougher than a rattle can paint job.

[Smoke4320]

Biggest issue is the increase in dia of any mating surfaces. Ie pins now bigger than hole.
If just coating the pin heads only you will be fine.
Same with the trigger. If doing just the finger hook no issues

[rancher1913]

yes, only visible parts was what I was thinking. ended up with some colored lowers and also what to be able to distinguish between ar's easily. how low a temp can you go with your powders and have it stick, I know some members are doing pc at lower temps and times for boolit coating and was thinking even though I dont agree with it on coating boolits it might be fine for the parts I have in mind.

[Lloyd Smale]

ebay sells stencils that you can use to mark the mag wells. They also sell less a gaudy way. The mag release bar on the opposite side from the button engraved and filled in with white the caliber of the gun. I bought those for my 300 bo I think they were like 10 bucks shipped. I use the stencil to mark all my bo mags and the rubber band type mag identifiers they sell on ebay fit perfecty around a forend just ahead of the receiver. Heck you can even keep all the same caliber with the same color pistol grip and stock. I guess I look at it like this. Im the only one using those guns. its not like 10 people that don't know guns have access to my ar15s. Truthfully the average guy has a couple ars. If im not smart enough to remember which is which well ________________! Ive got ten of them and can look in the safe and know which are which by what rail stock ect it has on it. Even magazines. I can look at a loaded mag and know whats in it. I do mark my bo mags because they are caliber specific mags and at the range there easy to mistake for any other mag. but even that said they are marked on them right from the factory. But the stencil makes it obvious and I don't have to put on my readers.

[Willbird]

No idea what steel they use for AR parts...Hmm google is showing me 8620 is often used, which is a steel that can be carburetor and case hardened, giving a tough softer core and a hard outer surface. Quick google is giving me tempering temperatures of 150C to 200C for 8620 which is 302F-392F for us folks. So yes it would not be good practice to cook our action parts at 400F in a process where some have seen higher surface temps than the ambient temp of the oven .

I like looking this stuff up because some of it sticks and it is still there when I need it someday in the future .

For the air hardening steels 400F is often a good stress relief temperature if I recall right. Past employer would stress relieve H13 die cases at 400F.

Bill

[Idz]

These steel parts are stuck into an aluminum receiver. No matter what you do the steel is going to be a lot harder and stronger than the receiver.

[Willbird]

These steel parts are stuck into an aluminum receiver. No matter what you do the steel is going to be a lot harder and stronger than the receiver.

The action parts however interact with each other......the receiver really only controls movement right to left on the pins, and supports the pins.

[white eagle]

not parts for an AR but I did powder coat some nuts for
my 8N tractor that needed to be red
next time I will put a small bolt in to make sure the size doesn't
get to small and act like a loc washer

[Smoke4320]

"next time I will put a small bolt in to make sure the size doesn't
get to small and act like a loc washer "

or use silicone plugs

[Gatch]

Did a fair bit of hardening and tempering in the machine shop. Every bit of steel is different, but 400F is definitely in the lower end of tempering temperatures for lots of steels. I wouldn't play around with that.

[Dragonheart]

I have powder coated numerous items over the years and as Smoke pointed out the main consideration is the increase in overall thickness. Also as Smoke pointed out the use of silicone plugs to protect threads. In addition there is high temperature tape of different sizes that can be used to mask off just about any surface. Coarse threads can often be PC and just end up with a very tight fit, but fine threads can be a problem.

I personally PC an aluminium handgun frame several years ago that was continuing to corrode & pit regardless of clean & lube, but there was a lot of cleanup involved getting pins back in holes, so I would not recommend it to most. The corrosion problem was completely eliminated and the finish is near indestructible. However, I would not recommend coating the actual working firearm parts.

For other items (tools, machine parts, yard equipment, engine parts, etc. etc.) I do a high preheat like so many commercial applicators, then spray. The coating flows on contact and obtaining a beautiful smooth finish is pretty easy to do. Then cure as usual.