School me on ion bonding. I’m no engineer, but it sounds like an worthwhile development by BCM for a BCG. I noticed GTS offers barrels with this exterior, but it seemed to me all the reasons which make it a good choice for BCG would apply to barrel linings.
BCM did not develop it. ION Bond is also not used on the inside of the barrel.
I am in the process of doing Melonited BCG’s and barrels. What is great about Melonite is that I can do the outside and inside of SS barrels. My theory is that I should be able to get the accuracy of SS with the longevity of chrome lined barrel.
C4
I understand BCM didn’t develop the technology, however they’re the only folks I’ve seen apply it to BCGs for the mass market. Sorry about the implication :o
If melonite is superior to chrome, and ion bonding hasn’t been developed for barrel linings yet, melonite is where I’ll focus my attention. How would a lightweight profile SS perform with melonite? What kind of bills are we talking about?
To my knowledge, BCM does NOT offer their BCG’s in IONBOND. Another dealer has taken upon themselves to get them coated.
I have not had a SS barrel done in Melonite YET, but the day is coming soon.
No cost yet, but am fairly certain that it will me be much cheaper than IONBOND.
C4
I purchased a Young Mfg. Chrome BCG W/MP tested bolt and LMT Internals all ion bonded from Wes Grant at MSTN. Very pleased with it so far, have not tested it on the range yet.
ion bond over chrome?
Thanks for clearing up that BCM doesn’t do it/get it done. I was a little surprised not seeing this on their website but didn’t put it together.
Where is the best site for learning about the barrel lining application of Melonite?
Where is the best site for learning about the barrel lining application of Melonite?
There is nothing on the subject that I could ever find. We intend to push the envelope with this stuff.
C4
A little off topic, but are you still planning to do some 10/22s in Melonite? I thought you said that at some point.
I picked up one from GTS. They start out as BCM’s that get Ion Bonded by a specialty house that does this work. Haven’t used the carrier yet but it looks decent. The proof will be after running the gun and seeing how it wears, how it cleans up, etc.
Originally posted by WES GRANT at MSTN
I believe that we are the only company who is currently having Young Mfg carriers DiamondBlack coated by IonBond and offering them for sale. Youngs doesn’t offer the coating themselves, only phosphated or hard chromed. As the only remaining carrier manufacturer who center grinds to dimensions after heat treating, they are the most consistent carriers available. We have the DiamondBlack coating applied over a factory hard chromed carrier. This was originally recommended by coatings engineers at IonBond for two reasons. One, the chrome provides a cushioning layer that makes the IonBond coating even more durable and two, the extra chrome layer provides even better corrosion resistance. We hand fit and stake chromed keys prior to sending them for coating.
In complete, coated, BCGs we use only LMT bolts. They are 100% shot peened, MP tested and proof round tested. I know of no other IonBond coated bolts that are tested to this level. We also coat the cam pins, extractors and other appropriate internals. Combined with a DiamondBlack-coated Young Mfg carrier and a thin application of GunButter the result is dynamite.
A little more info on ION BONDING:
[b][i]Pricing:
10 pistols or more per shipment-$ 150.00 each
Less than 10 per shipment-$300.00 each
5 or more long guns per shipment-$200.00 each
Less than 5 long guns per shipment-$350.00 each
AR-15, complete coating-$425.00
AR-15, Just the upper assembly, including carrier assembly-$225.00
Disassembly and re-assembly-$40.00
Gloss polish-$50.00 to $275.00 depending on what is to be polished.
Our coating is a physical vapor deposition coating. The one most of my customers prefer on their guns is the DLC (Diamond Like Coating). This coating has a Rockwell C hardness of 70 to 80 and is very wear resistant.
Color is black after we oil it. Before oil it is a dark charcoal. We can also do this coating on aluminum as long as it is hard anodized which usually comes out grey before oil and dark charcoal after oil. But the aluminum process is a little difficult, please call for reference and availability.
Thickness on this coating is from 3 to 6 microns thick, which equals a bit under 0.0004 ten thousands of an inch at its thickest. So it is less than half a thousandth. Most of my batches come out at 3 to 5 microns.
We also have a zirconium coating in colors. Those colors are Desert tan and Flat Dark Earth. The F.D.E. is more of an olive drab tone. Hardness on this coating is 60 to 70 Rockwell C and thickness is right at 3 microns. This coating has not yet been developed for application on to aluminum, but is in process.
Either you can prep you guns for coating or I can. If sending in a complete gun that needs to be disassembled and re-assembled after coating there will be a $40.00 charge. After coating, your gun will be re-assembled and thoroughly checked for fit and function before we return it to you.
I can prep your gun to any type of polish you prefer, matte, satin, or gloss. All prep is included except for a gloss polish. We charge and additional $50.00 to $175.00 for this polish due to time consumption. Price depends on what is to be polished.
When sending your gun to us please enclose a letter stating what parts you want coated if not the entire gun and what finish you would like and how you want your gun prepped. If you would like a two-tone please state that as well and with what colors. Or if your want the flats on your slide polished. Also, if you are sending a complete pistol it must be shipped next day air. IF YOU ARE SENDING A GUN THAT YOU HAVE RE-BARRELED, PLEASE REMOVE THE BARREL FROM THE RECIEVR OR FRAME AND THOROUGHLY DEGREASE THE BARREL AND THE RECIEVER IN THE THREAD AREA. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM THAT IS CAUSING OUT GASSING AND IT IS DUE TO OIL IN THIS AREA.
I have attached a credit application and credit card form for payment method. Fill out and sign both forms and either fax it back or scan and return via email to ##### our customer service rep., as well as myself. Her email is ###### . This is so we can have your account set up in our system before your gun arrives and lessen the chances of any delays. Note: credit application must have an actual signature on it before we can accept it.
Current lead time for the custom shop is a maximum 25 working days for the coating. Most lead times are an average 2 to 3 weeks. All guns are processed in the order they were received. If you would like a Rush one week turnaround there is an additional charge of $150.00 for pistols and $175.00 for long guns.
Parts pricing from the Custom Shop
Slide only $50.00
Slide and Barrel$ 75.00
Slide, barrel and all internals of slide $100.00
Frame only $100.00
Frame and all internals $200.00
Complete pistol $300.00
10 or more pistols per shipment: $200.00 each.
AR-15 complete upper $225.00
AR-15 stripped upper $45.00
AR-15 stripped lower $45.00
Complete AR-15 $425.00
Complete AR-15 lower $160.00
Free float tubes: Rifle and mid-length: $40.00
Carbine: $30.00
Complete Bolt rifle $350.00
Barreled action only $275.00
Rifle barrels (AR-15 and other centerfire rifle) $65.00
Complete bolt carrier group $75.00
If no metal prep is required ie: blasting off phosphate: $50.00
Small parts and components $5.00 to $15.00 a pc. Depending on Size and complexity
Pistol barrels only $25.00
Shotgun receivers $175.00
Shotgun Barrels $65.00
Shotgun internals/ all $150.00
Pistol Magazines $15.00 each
AR-15 Magazines and variants: $25.00 each
Custom fixed blade Knives $40.00 each
Custom Folders w/ all parts $55.00
Disassembly and re-assembly of Firearm: $40-$60.00 depending on type of gun.
Cleaning (if guns come in dirty): $30.00-$50.00 depending on type of gun and how dirty it is.
Polishing: $50.00-$275.00 depending on what is polished and how high the polish is to be desired. All other metal prep (blasting) is included.
[/i][/b]
Yes.
C4
Grant,
What does the Melonite finish look like?
Derek
Ever see an S&W M&P pistol?
C4
Yes. I didn’t know that was Melonite. I’m still a Glock guy. 
Thanks.
Derek
The finish on the Glock (Tenifer) is just about the same as Melonite.
Sorry about being a “glock guy.” With age comes wisdom. 
C4
Melonite is a surface treatments, not a finish. The finish on M&P and Glock pistols is applied after the melonite (or tenifer) treatment is completed. The slides of M&P pistols are stainless steel so if someone scratches, or uses a strong enough chemical, they can remove the coating down to the SS base metal.
Yes I know, but to most people they are the same thing.
C4
Before I bought my G26, I looked at a new M&P, and the exterior finish on the slide was quite scratched up (minute, superficial). Obviously this occurs to most pistols over time and has nothing to do with performance, but in a new pistol I didn’t see it as a mark of character. If this is an example of Melonite, I’m not impressed yet.
BTW: The Glock still looks like new, after daily carry.
We move 20-30 M&P’s a month and have never seen what you are talking about.
The thing about Melonite is even if the “finish” is worn off, the protective properties of Melonite are still there.
The Tenifer finish on Glock’s is nice, but we cannot use that finish in the US because of the EPA.
C4