Rem 700 full nitride finish

[jharris06]

Wanted to share my rem 700's that went through the nitride process. Action, bolt, and barrel. Along with a rem 870. I searched all over for answers on this process and did not come up with anything. All parts were processed at Houston Unlimited in Chapel Hill TX. Rifles still shoot great after process. Only issue with the process is the brazing on the bolt that holds the handle to the body. See pics.

 

[clcustom1911]

No pics

 

[jharris06]

Figured out how to upload

 

[jharris06]

 

[Mgordon]

Looks great. I really like Melonite/Black Nitride whenever I can. I don't do it on barrels anymore because I have had problems with small dings and damage to the threads and crown, plus it is a 100% finished precision product before it goes. I hate sending something off that can be damaged so easily.

I have never used Houston Unlimited, so I'm not sure how they handle things.

 

[clcustom1911]

That's some SWEEEET looking gear!! And yes, the finish doesn't work on the brazing areas due to their metallurgic properties. FNC (ferritic nitrocarburizing) only works on stainless and carbon steels.

 

[jharris06]

Thanks guys, I am very pleased with the process! Now I know what to expect with future builds.

 

[wes1]

Looks great.
What was the cost for the rifle parts?

 

[Eric1977]

Had you shot the rifle prior to sending it in for coating?

If so, did you have to do any prep work to it prior to shipment? Am also curious if the velocities changed if you had any load development prior to and after coating.

 

[jharris06]

The cost was 150 per batch, one batch processes about 150lbs of parts. So all three firearms only cost me 165 with the disposal fee. The company did all the prep work for the process, all I had to do on my end was break everything down to parts. I would like to add, everything needs to be in pieces. I did not remove the extractors from the 700 bolts or the flat guide/springs pressed into the 870 action. I was warned by doing so may cause a salt crystal growth to form on these areas due to trapped salt. This did happen after a day or two. The rep instructed me to clean with water. I added some CLP when dry and no more salt crystals. Both rifles function great, still need to shoot the 870.

 

[jharris06]

yes, the short action was shot prior to processing. I consistently shoot 3/4 groups at 100 yards with it using beck 178 amax match ammo. After processing i notice no change in group size. The one thing i regret is not using a Chrono to record the before and after velocity. Another thing I wish I had done was add a extra part to the process to leave out side in the weather as a means to check corrosion resistance.

 

[jharris06]

I would also like to add that the nitride process is not a coating, it changes the structure of the steel making a very hard surface layer. Any action/barrel/bolt work ( laping, cutting, threading )should be completed before the nitride process.