Expert: Dean Speir - 10/17/2006

Question
Which finish is better on handguns between NP3, Tenifer, and Black-T? Thanks for your time.

Answer
Hi, Jamey...

I dunno... which is a better flavor of ice cream? Vanilla, Chocolate, or New York Super Nut Chunk Fudge?

You didn't specify what your particular requirement is, or what type of environment in which you will be operating, so I'll have to address this in generalities.

I'm an NP3 kinda guy myself, having been a big fan of Robar's proprietary NP3 (electroless nickel + polytetrafluoroethylene) for almost 17 years now. It's appearance is almost pewter-like, a dull silvery look. It is so corrosion-resistant that the process is used on petroleum drilling couplings on the floor of the Noth Sea. It also has extraordinary properties of lubricity, and as I live a scant mile from the Atlantic Ocean, it works for me.

Birdsong's Black-T is another popular proprietary finish with good lubricity, and is quite durable. I don't have any firearms with that particular finish, but that's more because I never got around to it, #1, and, #2, I've been "locked into" NP3 for so long, and I tend to dance with the gal I brung to the dance.

Tenifer is a trademark of Glock Ges.m.b.H. for the cryo-nitriding process applied to the ferrous metal surfaces of their extraordinarily popular handguns, so unless you buy a Glock, you won't have a handgun with a Tenifer finish. If you have enough money, of course, you can have the generic process done on a gun of your own. It's so expensive, that it's invariably done as a batch process.

So your choice pretty much comes down to vanilla or chocolate… want a dark gun, start with Black-T. Want a light-colored gun, NP3's probably your answer.

If you're anything like me... an NP3 type who prefers a "black gun," you might look at my solution: http://www.thegunzone.com/rtwp.html It's a Robar "Roguard" finish with NP3 highlights and internals.

G'luck to you.