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View Full Version : 1911 and Nickel Boron question...



AviatorTroy
03-14-2013, 12:57 PM
Let's just say that I have a friend who is the head chemist at a company that is the largest supplier of Nickel Boron coated gun parts in the country. Friend is going to do some AR parts for me for the cost of a couple six packs of really good home brew.

I have a pretty new Springfield Armory Range Officer and I was looking into plating a few parts on it as well. Let me begin by stating that I have no desire to have my 1911 looking any different than stock , not "blinged" out in any way. Heck I have a hard time accepting Stainless Steel finishes hehe, call me a traditionalist.

From what I've read, The Company recommends plating the barrel, bushing, frame, slide, trigger, hammer, and disconnector.

No, I'm sure not going that route, but I was thinking about doing just the following parts..


Hammer, guide rod, barrel bushing, extractor, and firing pin retainer.


The trigger and disconnector on my pistol are already stainless steel so I'm not worried about doing them.

My concerns are this... The R.O. is no custom Les Baer, but the are certainly some really tight tolerances in there. The coating is supposed to be .0003-5 thousands, so the barrel bushing could theoretically shrink by almost one thou. I measured the ID and the barrel OD and it seems to have about .002 of clearance, so is half of that going to be enough? I could certainly just massage the barrel with crocus cloth until the right clearance is obtained.

Second, the disconnector and the hammer notches are real sharp, dose that edge get maintained after the coating process? I would think it would be fine but I'd hate to have to get those surfaces stoned and mess up the coating.

Should I skip the hammer and bushing, and just get the other little odds and ends done?

Thanks gurus!

runfiverun
03-14-2013, 10:19 PM
the bushing to barell interface being ascloseaspossible will increase your accuracy.
that is the number one thing to get right on a 1911.
the .002 is fairly big.

AviatorTroy
03-15-2013, 12:15 AM
I figured the bushing clearance could be a bit smaller and wont hurt to be as close as possible. Mostly I'm wondering about the ground surfaces on the hammer and disconnector, can coating affect that? The gun isn't a custom match pistol, but it has a pretty good trigger pull right out of the box. I was kind of thinking the coating could maybe make it a little bit smoother, as well as making everything slippery and easier to clean.

44man
03-16-2013, 02:31 PM
I can't help about coatings but you perked me up about home brew. PM me with some recipes if you would.