This page started out as a 2017 new-arrivals announcement: Cerakoted Daniel Defense .308s, some custom-finished Angstadt 9mm guns, a couple of upper deals. Those exact guns sold years ago, so I’ve rewritten this into what customers actually ask me about week after week: what Cerakote is, whether it’s worth paying for, and how to get it done right.
I’m Lance Rankin, owner and gunsmith at Western Sport in Roanoke, Texas, and this topic is personal, because we do Cerakote finishing in-house. When I talk about spray technique and oven cures, it’s because I’ve got the burns to prove it.
What Cerakote actually is
Cerakote is a ceramic-based coating that gets sprayed on in thin layers and oven-cured onto the metal. Done properly, it adds serious corrosion and wear resistance while barely changing part dimensions, which is why it’s safe on slides, receivers, and even small parts. It isn’t paint. Paint chips and rubs off in a season of holster wear. A well-prepped Cerakote job survives years of honest use. The catch is in that word \”well-prepped\”: the metal has to be degreased and blasted before spraying, and cut corners show up as flaking around edges and pins. Most of the bad Cerakote reputation you’ll hear comes from garage jobs that skipped prep.
Factory Cerakote: the Daniel Defense example
The original version of this post announced DD5V1 rifles in Tornado Grey and Mil Spec+ Cerakote, and those factory finishes are a good example of the breed: consistent color, proper prep, and a warranty behind it. The rifle underneath was worth the trouble too. The DD5V1 was a groundbreaking .308 platform with a four-bolt barrel connection system, a cold hammer forged barrel, and a Geissele SSA two-stage trigger, all at just 8.3 pounds. If a factory offers the color you want, that’s the simple path. Our current Daniel Defense inventory usually includes a few Cerakote options beyond basic black.
Custom Cerakote: when you want what the factory doesn’t make
The fun part of that old post was a pair of Western Sport exclusives: Angstadt UDP-9s we’d had finished in custom multi-cam patterns, one rusted, one woodland. That’s the real argument for custom work. Factories offer four or five colors; a Cerakote shop can do battle-worn, multi-color camo, color-matched builds, or just that one specific shade of FDE you’ve been chasing. We spray and bake Cerakote right here in the shop, on complete guns, uppers, handguards, you name it. Turnaround depends on the pattern, and I’ll quote it honestly before we start.
Worth knowing: Cerakote is cosmetic armor for the outside of the gun. Coatings on internals like bolt carrier groups are a separate subject with different trade-offs, and I covered those in my guide to bolt carrier group coatings.
Does Cerakote hurt resale?
Honest answer from a guy who takes trade-ins: a clean factory finish or a professional custom job in a popular color holds value fine. A loud one-of-one pattern narrows your buyer pool, so do bold custom work on guns you plan to keep. That’s not a reason to skip it. It’s a reason to Cerakote the keeper, not the flipper.
Getting a Cerakoted gun (or getting yours coated)
If you buy a factory-finished rifle from us online, it ships to your local FFL like any other firearm, and I wrote up that whole process in how to buy a gun online. If you want your existing rifle refinished, get in touch and we’ll talk color, pattern, and price. Email [email protected] or call 817-393-4000. Between the gunsmithing bench and the spray booth, we can probably build exactly what you’re picturing.
Lance Rankin is the owner and Chief Gunsmith of Western Sport, a family-run Type 07 FFL and Class 3/SOT dealer in Roanoke, Texas, serving shooters since 2007. Born and raised in Texas with over 50 years of experience handling firearms, Lance purchased Western Sport in 2017 and turned his lifelong passion into his profession. He specializes in AR-15 and AR-10 platform rifles, manufactures Western Sport’s own AR-15 line under the Rankin Industries brand, and runs the shop’s in-house Cerakote coating operation. When he’s not behind the counter or the workbench, you’ll find him on his ranch deep into the night, hunting coyotes with an AR-15 and thermal optics. Lance holds an MBA and personally shoots and tests the products Western Sport sells.
