Help me Choose

[J]

I've had my eye on the Dan Wesson V-BOB for quite a while, and think I'm getting close to biting the bullet. Need some opinions, hopefully some with experience between the two finishes, but opinions on looks are fine too.

I need to decide between the stainless finish and the black "duty-coat" finish. The black finish is roughly $250-400 more depending on where you compare.

Also, any ideas of a place that might have them both to compare side by side. I've only ever seen it in black, never in stainless.

Pics, for fun (ignore the fact that the stainless is obviously an inverted image):

[blacklabel]

I carried a stainless 1911 for a while and wasn't a fan of it. The other option is to go stainless and then refinish it in black if you get tired of it. I'd expect that you could have it finished in black for a lot less than $250.

[J]

Indeed. I don't have any experience with it, but I have heard their black "duty finish", they call it, is ultra durable and somewhat impervious to holster wear. Was hoping for confirmation/rebuttal on that point too. I'm skeptical, but if it is so, might be worth it.

[Tinelement]

I owned the stainless one. Although, it is a coated finish as well. I carried it daily and it really didn't bother the finish. Normal I would say.

If I did it agin, which I probably will some day , I'll go with black. Only reason. I think it looks bad ass.

Either way, you will not regret the purchase of the VBob! They are get shooters.

[spyder]

Indeed. I don't have any experience with it, but I have heard their black "duty finish", they call it, is ultra durable and somewhat impervious to holster wear. Was hoping for confirmation/rebuttal on that point too. I'm skeptical, but if it is so, might be worth it.

There really isn't any finish out there impervious to holster wear. It's either a pain, blue, parkerizing, or a mix of parking and then bluing or painting over it. Get the stainless, you can always have it blued later.

[J]

There really isn't any finish out there impervious to holster wear. It's either a pain, blue, parkerizing, or a mix of parking and then bluing or painting over it. Get the stainless, you can always have it blued later.

From everything I have read on current processes, and my engineering background, I don't believe this is an exclusive list.

The duty coat on the DW, for example, is a ferritic nitrocarburizing process. Which is different from park, paint, cerakote, and bluing.

The ferritic nitrocarburizing is more closely compared to color case hardening than any of the other treatments you listed. If you would compare F-NC to something else, I'd welcome the discussion.

[spyder]

From everything I have read on current processes, and my engineering background, I don't believe this is an exclusive list.

The duty coat on the DW, for example, is a ferritic nitrocarburizing process. Which is different from park, paint, cerakote, and bluing.

The ferritic nitrocarburizing is more closely compared to color case hardening than any of the other treatments you listed. If you would compare F-NC to something else, I'd welcome the discussion.

That is the same stuff (nitrocarburizing) that Hk, S&W, and Glock use to treat their slides. Glock uses a salt bath to do it, Hk uses a gas chamber to do it. The finish on each of them however (black color) is due to the finish process which is usually one of the three I listed above. The nitrocarburizing is a metal treatment, not a finish. If they left it as the finish, the gun would be a shade of gray, not black. A lot of companies are using some form of nitrocarburizing, even my Volvo's engine and tranny parts are done in it, just depends on which company you are talking about and the name they give it. Gun manufacturers don't do nitrocarburizing to stainless parts as they don't need the protection (that I know of).

[J]

Interesting... I didn't realize those fancy names like Tenifer were ferritic nitrocarburizing.

I do know that the black DW is stainless, so whether it needs it or not for protection, they do the treatment to it. Perhaps whatever they use to do the black finish sticks better to it?

Thanks for that lesson, learned something new.

[ray1970]

Based on nothing other than looks, I would say go with the black one.

[hghclsswhitetrsh]

Based on nothing other than looks, I would say go with the black one.

Cause one you go blac... Sorry.

/thread trolling

Black for sure though.