I have seen some nice looking bead blasted stainless slides and wondered if anyone has tried it on a Sig? Of course for $100 I can get it professionally coated by CCR in their mat stainless CP II but I have a buddy with all the gear. Is it a bubba move? I know how to strip the slide.

I've seen a few done. Sometimes it turns out well, sometimes it doesn't. I think it really depends on the media used in bead blasting.

I'm thinking that the two tone Sigs may have Passivated slides, as they stay fairly clean.

I bought a slide that had been bead blasted by Sig and I can hardly keep the rusty finger prints from appearing.

quote:

Originally posted by GP229:
I'm thinking that the two tone Sigs may have Passivated slides, as they stay fairly clean.

I bought a slide that had been bead blasted by Sig and I can hardly keep the rusty finger prints from appearing.

That doesn't sound good. I'm going to do it the right way then.

If you decide to have it done in our CPII Nickel Boron Nitride check out our Spring Sale

quote:

Originally posted by mrtuna:
I have seen some nice looking bead blasted stainless slides and wondered if anyone has tried it on a Sig? Of course for $100 I can get it professionally coated by CCR in their mat stainless CP II but I have a buddy with all the gear. Is it a bubba move? I know how to strip the slide.

I had SIG bead blast three (stainless P239 and P229) slides for me. The price was reasonable and the turn around time was ten days. They R&R'ed the sights and internals. They looked exactly like my other SIG two tone pistols. I wouldn't do it to a classic folded steel slide unless it was coated in some manner to prevent corrosion.

The after market can do it but the grit used may be different than oem from SIG, producing a slightly different finish than oem. Turn around time may be longer depending on the shops work load, but pricing may be less.

For me, no way would I change the Nitron treatment for a bead blast look.

quote:

Originally posted by az4783054:
The after market can do it but the grit used may be different than oem from SIG, producing a slightly different finish than oem.

I have three SIGs with raw stainless slides and all three have a slightly different original finish from the factory.

quote:

Originally posted by CCR:
If you decide to have it done in our CPII Nickel Boron Nitride check out our Spring Sale

I saw that thank you! Great deal!

quote:

Originally posted by Sunset_Va:
For me, no way would I change the Nitron treatment for a bead blast look.

That's how I see it as well.

Mrtuna, not a good or bad idea, just personal preference. I have a blast cabinet, etc. and did do a P229 slide one time. Came out looking just like the SIG factory two-tones. I used very fine glass beads for the blast media. No rust issues, after all, it is just stainless beneath the Nitron. I have done several other stainless slides, guns,etc. Never an issue......ymmv

I have five pistols sent to Sig for their slide bead blasting. P239, P226R, P229, P320C, P320FS...all sent over a two year period. Needless to say, I'm pleased with the results. Allowing for different slide contours, they all visually appear the same.

First, it's a personal preference item. Some like it, some don't. I never cared for two-tone, until I sent my first one out to Sig. Then it became SOP for all my Sigs.

Observations:

1) Appearance wise, bead blast SS photographs poorly. It looks quite different in person than in even professional quality photos.

2) In person, the color is more of a silvery very light gray than a pure silver/SS tone. I think it's attractive, although I'm not a cosmetics hound.

3) After five years, wear seems to be a non-issue. I might find some if I put on my 3X loupe, but no glaring wear has shown up yet. All my guns are carry guns and used from the holster at the range. Milt Sparks and Blade-Tech holsters. I'm not sensitive to honest wear, if any, on any pistol...including my Wilson Pro.

4) The matte finish does not glare under direct sunlight. Our outdoor range is oriented east-west. No glare from direct sun coming from front/rear or angled from the side.

5) Sig service was excellent. Two weeks or less from/to my door.

6) Unexpected bonus (for me). I found the contrast between the black sights (Heinie black/black) to aid in faster sight acquisition. It's like a back light effect...the light/dark contrast naturally draws the eye to/through the dark sights.

FWIW, I have a bias against accretive finishes like Cerakote. Given the popularity of these finishes, most don't share my bias. Regardless, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw my first bead blasted slide in person.