I was thinking of buying an old K31 Swiss army rifle and was wondering how much it would cost to re-blue or Cerakote one? It would similar in size and shape to a 308 hunting rifle. I don't mind doing it myself but it looks like all the better cold blue products can't be shipped to Canada, so I am inclined to have it done professionally. As an alternative, I might be able to get a rifle in almost new condition for extra $$ which would obviously have benefits beyond the cosmetics. I am in Calgary. Feedback is appreciated.. thanks.
Gun Bluing or Cerakote
- Thread starter MikeinCalgary
- Start date
Cost wise both are close to identical. KG/Cera/Arma/Dura coat are more expensive, but the process is more straight forward than bluing. Clean, blast, spray, bake ( optional ), done. With bluing you clean, strip, sand/polish/buff any imperfections, blue, buff, done. The extra time and effort that goes into a quality bluing job takes away any savings from the base materials being cheaper.
A gorgeous deep blue can be stunning to look at, but in the end it's just cosmetic. It can never hope to offer the genuine resistance that you'll get from any of the quality finishes on the market today.
A gorgeous deep blue can be stunning to look at, but in the end it's just cosmetic. It can never hope to offer the genuine resistance that you'll get from any of the quality finishes on the market today.
Tarrantula
CGN frequent flyer
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If you end up looking at Cerakote, a friend of mine just had a shotgun done by Cerakote BC, with tremendous results. He highly recommended them.
One of the advantages of Cerakote is that you can change the color? if that's something you would like to do? Also, it's a very tough and durable finish, and will protect your rifle, if that's something you want as well. Cost varies depending on who and where you get it done, just make sure that whoever does it, is a "certified" applicator, there is some science behind it. Good Luck, I recommend TacOrd.
Depending on the cost difference between the old one and an "almost new condition" one I'd be going with the newer one, especially if the money difference between the old one plus refinishing and the new one is minimal. K-31s typically go for between $250-$400 so if you can get the almost new one for between $500-600 it's almost a wash, price wise when you add in the price of a good refinish job. Remember too that the "almost new' one will also likely have less wear mechanically than the old one so that's a big plus as well. It will also have better resale value if you ever decide to sell it assuming you maintain it's condition. I would love to have an "almost new" K-31 but the supply of those seems to have pretty well dried up.
