Backstory: I picked up a HK91 about two years ago that was in very good condition, with the exception that at some point a previous owner had marred the hell out of it in what I can only assume was a hamfisted effort to mount a scope. The cosmetic blemish and sharp steel burrs drove me nuts, so I had a friend of mine smooth out the metal. I intended to refinish the entire gun after he was done, then I ended up overseas with the military for a while. Now that I am back I need to finish out this project.
Refinishing options: I have reached out to a few shops that offer HK refinishing, but my particular 91 has that slightly off-black bluish-grey color that some olders HK's have, and nobody seems to do that color. Ideally, I'd like to refinish it in the original color, can anyone recommend a good option? If I have to suck it up and get it finished in black, does anyone have experience with RDTS or Investment Grade?
I have done a lot of Cerakote work myself, but they don't offer a factory color to match the old-school HK finish. Can anyone recommend a Cerakote blend that's good for matching the old HK factory finish? I know DuraCoat offers their HK Blue/Grey but I have never used DuraCoat before; a sample chip is on the way...
Any input from people with experience and expertise is welcome.
Below are some pictures of the rifle in question. The lighting outside made it hard to really capture the color of the original paint, I will try to take better photos at some point.
"I specially adapted METACOL III™ Satin Black to match the factory finish on Heckler and Koch rifles, and I have been the authorized refinishing center for Heckler and Koch, USA, for over 13 years."
I'm in the same situation, but with an HK93 in the blue gray finish. In addition to needing a refinish due to negligent scope mounting of years past, I also want to go ahead and get a paddle mag release installed too. I think I'm just gonna take it to TSC machine since they're only a couple hours from me. I hear really great things about them, and their work looks great from what I've seen. As already stated refinishing still won't be original regardless of color, so I wouldn't worry with matching it unless you just really love the blue gray. For me I think I'd prefer a traditional black HK than a blue-gray one.
Ralph at RDTS in Scottsdale does great work. He says he can provide the '80's blue-gray finish, and can also coat the interior with a 'Teflonesque' that precludes corrosion and wear from the bolt carrier.
So far he has done two original 91's for me, flawless (in my choice of colors).
I had a good conversation with TSC today. They seem like a solid shop who does Cerakote right.
My conversation did lead to more questions. This is getting away from the original topic (but it's my thread), how do I know if my collapsible stock is an original A3, or not a clone or a surplus one?
Also, I am thinking of switching it out for an A2 or a wooden stock. Can someone explain to me why some are so expensive while others are reasonably priced?
Over all I am pretty happy. They got my rifle turned around in only a few weeks, I have yet to see any flaws in the refinishing, and their communication was great. Best off all he was the cheapest quote of the shops I talked to, only charging an extra $85 to deal with my A3 stock. I do miss the uniqueness of the blue-grey, but it's nice to have a fresh paint job on the rifle again.
I will take some detail shots next week when I have time, here are some quick snapshots for now.
Mods, why aren't photos showing up when I link from a URL? Photos should be appearing in this post...
Apparently I can get the photos to work if I select "Retrieve remote file and reference locally" when using a URL. It would be great if a regular URL photo post would work, so the pics would just display as they should instead of having to click on the tiny thumbnails...
Thant looks killer! Mike and Tammy very nice people I don't think you will regret nothing as far as the blue grey remorse the rifle and parts look new. Did he refinish anything else your bolt looks barand new? My 93 bolt is stained a little from back in the day.
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