Blued, Parkerize, or SS?

[kAnJii]

Looking for a 1911, preferring the SA Loaded in blued or parkerized. Last choice would be SS. I first want a non SS with the bells and whistles of a LOADED and the price too. Any other choices available? How does blue, parkerized, and SS compare in durability, etc? I do not plan to holster it.

[OneSevenDeuce]

This is a great question, and those finishes really are apples and oranges. A blued firearm actually has a layer of corrosion on it that gives it that distinctive black/clue color. This layer protects the steel underneath very well so long as it isn't scratched or worn off. You will see old blued firearms still in great condition sometimes 100 or more years after they were made. It's a great way to finish a firearm if done properly (and nearly all modern firearms are). Many people prefer bluing because it looks great and requires less care than many other finishes.

Parkerizing is a phosphate treatment that is applied to firearms. You see this on a lot of military type firearms because it is generally cheaper than bluing. This doesn't mean that Parkerizing isn't as effective as bluing as protecting your firearm though. You just have to take some steps to ensure that it works effectively. A parkerized firearm is designed to absorb oil, so when in storage you should have a thin coat of oil like CLP or Hoppes gun grease on the surfaces. The oil will penetrate into the coating and help the parkerizing prevent rust and other fouling.

Stainless Steel? This stuff is just all around great. Except in the looks dept. (at least according to me) I have a stainless mini 14 581 series and it is great maintenance wise. Especially if you live in a humid climate. But I had to paint it. I just didn't like the look of that bare steel.

[gorenut]

I'm a huge fan of all stainless. If anything, I think it requires the least maintenance. Seems to be the most rust/corrosion-resistant out of the bunch (remember, none of these are really totally immune to rust). I like the look of bluing, but it seems like the most maintenance required. Honestly, I love the look of warn out blue, but that's the same stuff that's protecting the metal underneath, so you'll most likely need to get it re-blued after a certain time. A lot of people might get super OCD with stainless though as scratches do come off as brighter. You can polish those out, but I figure as long as its not harming the gun, I'd just leave it. Sometimes too much buffing leads to greater damage. My all stainless P226 shows some holster wear, but I figure it doesn't affect the gun in any way and not like I'll ever see it when I'm looking down the sights. Lastly, from what I understand, stainless is potentially the most durable of the ones you list, but it also is usually heavier - good or bad depending on what you're looking for, since you're not holstering it might be good since it'll dampen the recoil.

[Black Majik]

I prefer blue, then parkerized with stainless last. Matte stainless such as the ones found on Kimbers and Ed Browns are nice. Stainless 1911s such as the Springfield Loaded and Dan Wessons, err... not so much.

Blued seems to be getting more and more rare these days. Guns are either finished in some sort of supercoat or parked.

I still appreciate the deep bluing, but it requires the most attention and maintenance of the three finishes.

[robcoe]

I spend a lot of time out on the ocean so as a rule I prefer stainless. However all those finishes work well.

[OneSevenDeuce]

I spend a lot of time out on the ocean so as a rule I prefer stainless. However all those finishes work well.

Oh yeah. That salt water is a killer when it comes to firearms.

[Deucer]

The main objection to stainless is aesthetic. As far as protection goes, it's the most resilient.

I like stainless, but you are going to have to deal with some comments. When I picked up my stainless SA mil spec this week, the guy behind the counter said, "oh you're here to pick up the pimp gun".

[shooting4life]

Love stainless. All my revolvers are stainless except one.

[fsx]

At least CA is relatively a dry place.

[OneSevenDeuce]

The main objection to stainless is aesthetic. As far as protection goes, it's the most resilient.

I like stainless, but you are going to have to deal with some comments. When I picked up my stainless SA mil spec this week, the guy behind the counter said, "oh you're here to pick up the pimp gun".

I've seen that a lot too. When I went looking for a new 1911 and no one had any one of the old guys said "We have it in stainless." I said "I'm not really a stainless kinda guy." To which he gave me an approving nod and said "Neither am I."

[gorenut]

Haha, don't let what other people think bug you. I personally chose my first gun as stainless because after research, it came up on top as the easiest to maintain and overall most durable. The look of stainless grew on me after that (especially when paired with wood grips). If something is overall the most effective, I wouldn't let someone's opinion of it being a "pimp gun" bother me. Plus since all my stainless guns won't be used for carrying, the extra weight helps recoil.

[Black Majik]

I can't deny my guilty pleasure to own a "pimp gun" someday.

Somewhere on my list of guns I want to acquire is a bright stainless Colt Government, for reasons unknown. Above I've stated my slight dislike for stainless 1911s, but those bright stainless Colts I must admit I have a hankering for.

[gorenut]

All seriousness aside, you can always get a Titanium gun

http://www.sviguns.com/1202.php

as already posted on another thread.

[Full Clip]

I love stainless. All my pistols and revolvers are matte stainless except for the S&W .38 service revolver I got from my grandfather (FBI).
But for those who want to take it down a notch, you can always go BLACK STAINLESS!

[Deucer]

I'm not too worried about it. I like the look, didn't pay a premium for ss and don't care much what the gun store counter guy thinks. Just throwing a warning out there because the op might care.

I pretty much look like the opposite of a pimp, so he might have just been trying to lighten the mood.