30 Years of Finishing Solutions & 97% OTD for the Firearms Industry

Light Metals Coloring is no stranger to the world of firearms. From small components to big assemblies, LMC has seen and done it all. Government regulations, testing requirements, and certifications surrounding the firearms industry are intimidating. Not all metal finishers are capable of meeting ALL of the requirements and maintaining top delivery performance. In our industry, this is one of the major factors that separates Light Metals Coloring from the rest.

Anodizing for Firearms

LMC made its foray into firearms in the early 90’s when one of the top firearms companies in the world needed an anodize solution. Working directly with this customer’s engineers and suppliers, LMC worked to establish the standard finish now used as a baseline for many other manufacturers in the firearms industry. 

Having served the firearms industry for over 30 years now, we have seen and experienced the many changes and challenges the industry has faced. We have worked with companies producing large volumes of a few rifle styles, often for military purposes. We have worked with companies that have hundreds of rifle types and components, and we have worked with countless other suppliers feeding the industry at large. 

We can honestly say that we have seen it all here at LMC, and that experience enables us to always ensure we can achieve the desired result for our customer. Our technical services team can help guide the manufacturing of the part and engineer our processes to take a machined component and deliver it to our customers as a ready-to-assemble part with the right finish quality, every time.

Phosphating for Firearms

As the years progressed and relationships grew, the same customer was now facing finish quality and turn-time challenges on a different product line. We evaluated the process and determined that it fit well within our capabilities and aligned with our business goals and objectives. So Light Metals started a phosphate line.

Fast forward a few more years and our Phosphate line is in full swing. This finish is one of only a few accepted finishes in the firearms industry, specifically, assault rifles (also commonly referred to as “Parkerizing”). Many government drawings require Chrome plating in areas that will see a lot of movement and wear and manganese phosphate coating over the rest of the part to prevent rusting and corrosion. One of the benefits of a phosphate coating is that it provides a lusterless finish in the base material, eliminating the “shine” that plain steel or other finishes provide. Combine that with a chrome finish on the inside of a barrel, and you have coatings that will protect your gun through some of the most extreme conditions. 

The LMC Difference for Firearms Customers 

So, how do we do it? Our vision for LMC is to become the premier provider of metal finishes. To realize this vision, we have begun to invest our time working with our customers, particularly our firearms customers, to understand their needs and the challenges they face. This has allowed us the unique privilege of helping our customers solve their problems, from value stream delays to failed delivery commitments from other suppliers, and everything in between. In turn, LMC has the foresight to develop better, more accurate production plans. We are also working with our customers to receive purchase orders in advance of material arrival so that we can better utilize our labor, tooling, chemistry, and supplies. As a result of our customer partnerships, we have increased our on-time delivery to 92-97%, while still adhering to stringent compliance and quality requirements.