Notes to self & black diamond v tenifer

pm45 edg · #1 (**permalink**) 02-07-2010, 11:05 PM

New to the board but not new to Kahr. I had a pm45 SS slide and it made its way out of the collection from a momentary lapse of reason. It kept me up at night and finally I came a across a black diamond pm45 and I had to rid myself of the nightmares. At any rate I took to the range and ran 200 rounds of pmc thru it per Kahr recommendations. A couple of FTF's toward the end but I racke that up to gun being dirty or maybe a limp wrist. So my notes to self were.
1. Contact Kahr and ask them why the kink in the trigger guard? Nice blister on my trigger finger. No biggie.
2. Contact Kahr and ask them to round off the rear of the frame...once again nice blister. No biggie.
3. Wear hat! The extractor yanked that brass out and flipped up so hard into my forehead that I have a half moon cut making me feel like Harry Potter after my range session.

Ok, now the black diamond v tenifer. I own several Glocks. I know its a love/hate relationship with some, but I do love the ugly things. That being said is there any info you all can share about the durablility of the Black Diamond v the tenifer on Glocks? Is it impregnated into the steel and if I were to scratch it will steel show through? They are tools and once again no biggie, but just curious of the durability.

Thanks for reading my ramblings and I am impressed by the knowledge and insight on several topics on the site. Thanks to the mods for a great site!

Vinikahr · #2 (**permalink**) 02-08-2010, 01:07 AM

Welcome!
Congrats!
I have no idea about the DLC treatment but it suppose to be corrosion resistant. I have not see any torture test for Kahrs either. If any of the members have any info, they sure will post it. But I can start you with this DLC info.

Vinikahr · #3 (**permalink**) 02-08-2010, 01:16 AM

Tungsten DLC

Quote:

Paint It Back
A couple of years back Kahr decided to discontinue carbon steel guns and manufacture all slides and steel frames from stainless steel. Most consumers liked the corrosion resistance of stainless.
However, Kahr quickly discovered that not all consumers wanted bright and shiny guns. In dim light, the glint of a stainless slide being withdrawn by an undercover operative could lead to fatal complications.
To solve this problem and darken the stainless slide, Kahr flirted briefly with baked-on Teflon used by many manufacturers but found the results less than satisfactory. The economy of the finish was appealing to Kahr, but is soon discovered that the cosmetics were short-lived. Kahr tried another process that required substantial heat. This actually changed the metal's molecular structure and made it more brittle. Finally, Kahr developed its proprietary Tungsten Diamond-Like-Coating (Tungsten DLC), which uses a process called Plasma Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition to coat the parts.
Tungsten DLC is applied in a vacuum chamber where cathodes transform the tungsten into a gas that plates the parts. The process increases the surface hardness to a whopping 90 on the Rockwell C scale. Just for comparison, your average 1911 frame will register about 28 to 30 on the same scale.
One of the best selling points of the Diamond-Like Coating in that the parts are never heated over 300 degrees Fahrenheit, so there's no need to worry about the parts losing their temper, softening, or becoming brittle. Also, only about two microns of the material is deposited on the slide. In case you're wondering, that amounts to about 80 millionths of an inch-far too little to affect the parts' function or fit.
Kahr's Tungsten DLC thoroughly impresses me. Not only does it perform its intended task of coloring the bright stainless steel to a matte, non-reflective black, it also provides a tough, corrosion-proof covering that is virtually scratch proof. And it will not wear even when subjected to extensive holster carry. For a gun that will be used exclusively for concealed carry, the Tungsten DLC finish makes a lot of sense.