Refinishing my gun

[Juicymeat]

So, I got a P6 and I want to refinish it. Simple enough, but the hard part is that I don't want to ship it out, so would any know of a place in and around San Diego that could refinish my gun? Also, what are my best options for a refinish, ie cerahide, duracoat, etc (I only know those two).

[Saigon1965]

Hit the search, there's a ton of guys went thru what you're looking to do. Some duracoated themselves really cool.

[Overkill]

Both Duracoat and Cerahide are spray-on finishes. Duracoat requires no heat to harden. Cerahide is baked onto the part for usually about an hour. Duracoat is easier to apply, but is generally a thicker material and is less durable than Cerahide. There are a number of finishes similar to both Duracoat and Cerahide, often basically the same product marketed under a different name. Alumahyde is marketed by Brownells, and is similar to Duracoat although you can get it in spray cans (Duracoat is applied with an airbrush). Guncoat, Norrells Moly Resin, Black T, Cobra Coat, etc are similar to Ceracoat in that they are baked on.

All these finishes have their strengths and weaknesses. Generally, a spray finish holds up reasonably well to normal use. The finish will wear better than bluing, but not as well as something like Hard Chrome or Ionbond. However, for someone that wants to finish a pistol themselves, or wants to have it done locally, a spray-on finish is usually the best, and most economic finish available. You could easily spend more on the refinish of the pistol than you paid for the pistol itself if you chose to use one of the more exotic finishes. The spray-on finishes are usually fairly reasonable in price.

Like all finishes, prep work is the most critical. Your slide will likely need to be sandblasted. The frame should be okay, as bake-on finishes generally adhere to anodizes aluminum pretty well.

I'm sure in So-cal that there are many options available for you. Many gunsmiths do spray-on refinishes as well.