Glock 34 in original finish

I’ve carried the same Glock 34 daily for 5 years now.  Some of that time was in an outside the waist band holster, but for the past couple years I have been carrying inside the waistband (IWB) with a Raven Concealment Systems holster.  Carrying IWB made it easier to conceal with less printing, but there is always a cost when advantage is gained in another area.  The down side I found to carrying IWB was that through the summer months in Arizona my Glock came into a lot more contact with sweat.

Regular cleaning and wiping it down with oil at the end of the day did little to prevent finish loss, and once the finish was gone it started to corrode.  The worst of the finish loss and corrosion was on the back right side of the slide and at the right sight of the muzzle.   Sweat tended to collect in the bottom of the holster and between the slide and the guard that keeps the pistol from digging into the side of the wearer (I’m left handed so the right side of the Glock is next to my body).  Guns are merely tools to me, so while I do my best to keep them in good repair, finish wear doesn’t bother me.  When it got to the corrosion stage I knew it was time to do something about it because rust was forming on a daily basis and it appeared to start spreading rapidly.

Fortunately, a friend of mine is a manager at Shooter’s World, and had recently received a flier for WMD Guns refinishing service.  WMD offers Nickel Boron Plating for a variety of firearms components, including semiautomatic pistol slides and barrels.  Nickel Boron coating offers improved corrosion and wear resistance over traditional firearms finishes.  It sounded like just what I needed to have done to refinish my Glock, so I had Shooter’s World send it off my barrel and slide and they came back about 4 weeks later.

Here is the end result:

I’ve been carrying it for 4 months now, and 2.5 of that was in 100+ temps so it did get sweaty in the same manner as it did before. The finish does not appear to be going away in those areas, and it shows no sign of further corrosion, but it is discolored:

I’ve also fired 500 rounds through it since getting it back.  The finish on the barrel  and slide shows wear as one would expect from firing:

All the wear from firing seems very normal.  Cleaning is much faster and easier with Nickel Boron coating as carbon does not stick to it the same way.  Even the worn areas do not retain carbon fouling as a traditional finish would.

Nickel Boron plating is a worthwhile upgrade to any gun that is going to be carried and used.  The corrosion resistance makes it particularly useful in hot or humid climates.  In addition to being functional it also looks great.  I liked it enough that I got my Glock 34 with RMR coated as well:

If you live in the metro Phoenix area, Shooters World can help you get your gun refinished, or send it off for you if you are purchasing new.  If you live elsewhere, you can send your components in direct to WMD Guns, or talk to your local dealer about getting a batch together to send in.