I've used KG Gunkote and Norrell moly bake on finish on several guns and they all turned out nice.
I have a 1911A1 pistol which I used Norrel on inside and out and after spending 6+ years on a CC fishing boat it is still rust free.
My daily carry pistol has Norrell too and after 5+ years and thousands of drawing and holstering it has minimal wear on edges and corners. I refinished a LEO Remington 870 shotgun with KG Gunkote for a friend and after 2+ years it's still looks new.The key to good finish is surface preparation and then accurate baking time and temperature.
Do you degrease then blast with aluminum oxide before using the Gunkote?
I clean and degrease and then blast with aluminum oxide then clean and rinse with acetone.
Finally I put it in the oven at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes for all oil to sweat out.
Then some more cleaning and degreasing.
^^^ good method for parts prep no matter what coating you use
99% of any coating job, whether it's painting, powder-coating, anodizing, plating, bluing, etc., is the prep work. Your finish and durability all depends on the prep. I've painted cars, boats, planes and associated parts professionally, not just as a hobby. They've been made from many materials, including cast iron, steel, stainless steel, titanium, aluminum, copper, fiberglass, plastics, urethane, phenolic, and stuff I wasn't sure what it was. About the only common denominator is the fact that you have to do the prep work right, or the finish won't last, and/or it will look like :crap: !
I just wish I had kept the little blast cabinet and accessories I had back when I did that kind of work. I think all I have now is a bucket of playground sand and a gravity feed spot-blaster gun that I haven't used in 5 or more years.
