DuraCoat and Cerakote are the two finishes people ask about most. Both are thin, tough coatings made for firearms, and with good prep they hold up about the same in normal use. The differences come down to how they cure, what you can do with them and how easy they are to fix later.

How they cure

Cerakote is a ceramic-based finish that’s usually baked in an oven to cure. DuraCoat is a urethane finish that air-cures with a hardener, so no oven is needed.

Side by side

• Durability: Both resist wear, rust, oils and cleaners well when the prep is done right.
• Curing: Cerakote is fully cured when it comes out of the oven. DuraCoat keeps hardening for a few weeks after pickup, but the gun is fine to handle and shoot right away.
• Heat-sensitive parts: DuraCoat is safe on parts that shouldn’t be baked, like some polymer parts and assembled components.
• Colors and patterns: DuraCoat comes in a huge range of colors and is great for camo, stencils, flags and custom blends.
• Touch-ups: DuraCoat is usually easy to touch up or add to later. Cerakote touch-ups are harder to blend.

Which should you choose?

If you want a detailed camo or stencil pattern, a custom color blend, or you’re coating parts that shouldn’t go in an oven, DuraCoat is a great fit. That’s why it’s what we use at Rushworxs.

Prep matters more than the brand. A finish is only as good as the cleaning, degreasing and surface prep underneath it. We handle all of that before we spray.

Caring for a fresh DuraCoat finish

• Go easy on harsh solvents and steel brushes for the first week.
• Normal cleaning and oiling after that is fine.
• Don’t oil the gun right before you drop it off for coating.

See examples in our DuraCoat gallery or learn more about our DuraCoat service. Custom coatings run $125 to $1,000 depending on the gun and the pattern.

Want a custom finish?