Sunday, July 12, 2026

Custom Cerakote Mix That Mimics Black Nitride Coating

We recently came up with a new custom mix of Cerakote that mimics Black Nitride coating (aka QPQ or Tenifer). This is a mix of 90% Graphite Black (H-146) and 10% Stainless (H-152) with a 12:1 ratio of catalyst to give it a slightly higher gloss. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to see the differences in photos, but it has a subtle metallic flake within the black which gives it an appearance of an actual metal surface treatment. It has a very slight grayish tone to it compared to Graphite Black alone. Below are examples of a Watchtower Defense Apache which is done in Black Nitride from the factory, compared to a Kimber 2K11 Pro and a Live Free Armory Apollo 11 that we refinished in our custom Black Nitride Mimic color.




Be sure to ask for the "Black Nitride Mimic" Cerakote if you want your next project to be refinished in this color.

Check out our website for more details and pricing on all of our products!

Thursday, March 12, 2026

Cloud Defensive EPL Weapon Light

While the Cloud Defensive EPL weapon light is a full-size duty light, its shape is different than most other full-size weapon lights in that the body of the light is thinner than the light bezel. This is problematic for our full-size weapon light indexing holsters because they are designed to have a friction fit retention solely on the body of the light, which is typically wider than the light bezel and wider than the pistol that it is mounted to.


Unfortunately, the thinner body of the EPL light only allows for a friction fit retention on just the light bezel, which is not ideal. Because of this, we don't offer a full-size weapon light indexing holster specifically for the Cloud Defensive EPL light. However, our full-size weapon light indexing holsters that are made specifically for the Streamlight TLR-1 HPX (shown below) will work with the EPL, because the light bezel diameter and the overall length is very similar. Just be aware that the gun will have a little more play or movement than normal when it is in the holster because the contact surface area of the holster is limited to just the light bezel. Because of this extra play, we do not recommend using the EPL with the OWB version of these holsters.


We can certainly make custom IWB or OWB light bearing holsters that are specific for the EPL and your gun, but in some cases, we may need your actual gun to prep and use to form the kydex into a holster. Please contact us with any questions about a holster for the Cloud Defensive EPL light.

Check out our website for more details and pricing on all of our products!

Monday, September 1, 2025

Springfield 1911DS AOS Optic Plate Mounting Tips

Springfield Armory's "AOS" optic plate system for the Prodigy 1911DS has a lot of options for mounting a wide variety of different optics, but the factory plates fit a little loose on the slide and the mounting screws are very small, which can cause issues with the screws coming loose or shearing off. There are several companies that make aftermarket mounting plates for the Prodigy that fit better and use stronger screws, but the screws are still very small for the task.



We've experienced loose or broken screws on multiple 1911DS guns that we've mounted optics for on customer guns as well as our personal guns, so we came up with a fix that should keep the screws from backing out or shearing off. We use a 1-minute epoxy gel to help secure the plate to the slide. The epoxy is applied to the bottom of the plate as small dabs in specific spots so that it fills up any gaps when the plate is screwed down. 



The 1-minute epoxy cures fast, so you'll need to be ready to install the plate onto the slide quickly once you mix the epoxy up. Once the plate is secured to the slide, the rest of the optic installation process is normal. Since this epoxy has such a quick cure time, it doesn't have a very high tensile strength, so the plate can still be removed from the slide at a later date. We've done this to all of our personal guns as well as several customer guns and the plates and screws all continue to remain secure.


Before mixing and applying the epoxy, make sure that the screws that secure the optic to the plate don't protrude through the bottom of the plate. If they do, you'll need to trim the screws down so that they are completely flush with the bottom of the plate. You should also make sure that the mounting plate screws don't contact the extractor inside the slide, which could cause feeding/extraction issues.

Check out our website for more details and pricing on all of our products!

Monday, August 18, 2025

Custom Cerakote Mix That Mimics DLC Coating

We recently came up with a custom mix of Cerakote that mimics the factory DLC coating that comes on Staccato and STI 2011 guns. This is a mix of 80% Armor Black (H-190) and 20% Tungsten (H-237). Being sandblasted for Cerakote application obviously doesn't leave a nice smooth polished finish that you get with DLC, but the color match is virtually identical. We applied this custom mix of Cerakote to our older Staccato C2 shop gun after doing some dehorning and blending work. It is pictured below with a factory DLC coated Staccato P. Be sure to ask for the "DLC Mimic" Cerakote if you want your next project to be refinished in this color.




Check out our website for more details and pricing on all of our products!

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

Springfield Prodigy 1911DS Enhancement Package

The Springfield Prodigy 1911DS is a very popular 2011-style gun, but at it's budget price point it lacks the refinements and reliability that other higher priced 2011-style guns have. We offer an enhancement package specifically for the Springfield Prodigy 1911DS that improves it's performance, reliability, ergonomics, and aesthetics. Why the Springfield Prodigy? The Prodigy's slide, frame, barrel, and grip module offer an excellent base to tune and customize. Because it is Cerakoted from the factory, it is relatively easy to refinish a used gun that has some wear or blemishes or even to change the color completely with Cerakote without worrying about downgrading from a more expensive factory finish like DLC, Black Nitride, or PVD. 

NOTE: These services can also be done to the MAC/Tisas, Alpha Foxtrot, Girsan, Bersa, and other 1911/2011 clones.


We dehorn the slide and frame of all the sharp edges and corners to improve the overall fit and finish of the gun as well as to increase the durability of the new Cerakote application by reducing potential wear spots. In addition to dehorning the slide and frame, we dehorn the thumb safety levers and the beavertail grip safety, and lightly blend the grip safety and the back of the frame together with softer lines to make the gun much more comfortable to shoot and carry.



Before refinishing all of the parts in Cerakote, we make sure the gun cycles smoothly and shoots reliably. We tune the factory trigger components to give you a nice 2.5 to 3 pound trigger pull and ensure that the slide no longer hangs up on the disconnector when cycled slowly by hand. We polish the barrel's feed ramp and chamber, chamfer the leading edges of the chamber, and tune the extractor to improve feeding and ejection reliability. We adjust/reduce the grip safety's engagement point so that it no longer has to be fully depressed to be disengaged, while still keeping it completely functional. Alternatively, we can pin the grip safety in the fully depressed position if you prefer for an additional cost.


Despite all of the metal injection molded (MIM) parts that come on the gun, the only parts we feel that absolutely need to be replaced on the Prodigy is the firing pin and spring to eliminate the known issue of intermittent light primer strikes, as well as replace the cumbersome and failure prone two-piece recoil spring guide rod with a tool-less design to make disassembly and reassembly much easier. These upgraded parts from EGW and Atlas Gunworks are included with our enhancement package. For an additional cost, we can also install any parts that you supply like trigger components, external controls, or a red dot optical sight.

The Prodigy's polymer grip module has a very nice contoured feel and when stippled with our Concealed Carry or Competition texture in a 360-degree wrap around configuration, it transforms the grip into something that looks and feels better than any factory 2011-style polymer grip module. In addition to the texture, we chamfer the inside edges of the magwell opening to allow for easier reloads and we create a smooth border on the bottom of the mainspring housing that matches the magwell border to improve the aesthetics, comfort in hand, and to help with concealed carry so that the back edge of the grip doesn't hang up on clothing as easily.



We also offer an extra cost step-cut grip chop option that allows the grip to accept compact 16-round (120mm) Staccato C2 magazines.  The grip chop still maintains a full-size feel in the hand, but gives you enhanced concealability by using a shorter magazine.

NOTE: The Prodigy 1911DS Compact 15-round magazines are 3mm shorter than Staccato C2 16-round magazines, so they will not work with our grip chop for Staccato C2 magazines. We can certainly chop the grip to accept the shorter Compact 15-round magazines, but the bottom of the back of the grip and the mainspring housing will hang down about 1mm farther than the bottom of magazine base pad.

A detailed list of all the services included in the enhancement package is listed on our website:

Thursday, December 12, 2024

Springfield Echelon Grip Chop and Texture

Now that the Springfield Echelon 4.0C is finally out, we are now offering our grip chop service for full-size Echelon grip modules to accept the new compact 15-round and 18-round magazines. This is done with a "step cut" chop to maintain the full-size feel while giving you enhanced concealability. We offer this service with or without our texture service.




We've since updated this grip module with a grip angle correction to give it more of a 1911 grip angle as well as our Concealed Carry texture. This modification does permanently attach the back strap to the grip and a spare back strap must be sacrificed to add more material to the back of the grip.




Check out our website for more details and pricing on all of our products!

Friday, December 6, 2024

Holsters For 2011-Style Guns

Our 1911/2011 holster mold is designed to be generic so that the holsters work with a variety of 2011-style guns. The design is specifically for slide lengths up to 4.25" with a partial or full-length railed dust cover. The holster design works for all the compact Staccatos (CS, C, and C2), as well as the older STI/Staccato 4.15" guns. It also works for wider framed guns like the Bul Amory SASII and the Springfield Prodigy 1911DS. These generic fit 2011-style holsters can be made for no weapon mounted light as well as popular compact weapon mounted lights such as the Holosun PID and the various Streamlight TLR-7 lights (A, X, and HLX). Below are examples of 2011-style holsters that fit several similarly sized guns.

Springfield Prodigy 4.25"

Bul Armory Tac 4.25"

STI/Staccato P 4.15"

Check out our website for more details and pricing on all of our products!

Custom Cerakote Mix That Mimics Black Nitride Coating

We recently came up with a new custom mix of Cerakote that mimics Black Nitride coating (aka QPQ or Tenifer). This  is a mix of 90% Graphit...