As is the case with most gun guys, I have evolved over time. What I mean by that is I started off looking strictly for self-defense-style firearms. I didn’t want anything flashy; just simple and reliable handguns.
From there, I evolved on to rifles and then later shotguns. I started running out of new platforms to explore, so I began my journey of customizing firearms with accessories, performance upgrades and, of course, custom coatings.
Smoke Signals
As I have used about every coating available, I get very excited when a new coating shows up on the market. This is why I was so interested in a new coating called Smoke from Caveman, and boy did it warrant my attention.
I first saw the coating at SHOT Show where they had a suppressor that was being heated up with a blow torch. When the flame hit the suppressor, it would change from black to an American Flag.
I had to find out what kind of witchcraft sorcery was going on, so I got in touch with Caveman after the show and sent them a 9mm Suppressor I had from GSL Technologies for my Springfield SAINT Victor 9mm. The goal was to have the suppressor coated by their licensed application shop, Crossed Rifles.
Caveman has an applicator program in place and will be adding lots of licensed applicators in the near future, so you may be able to get Smoke on your gun at your favorite Cerakote shop soon. For now, your stuff will need to be sent out to Crossed Rifles, which does a fantastic job and was very easy to work with on the project.
The Hosts
The suppressor is a simple 9mm-specific can called the Lancer that GSL Technologies designed for PCC-style rifles chambered in 9mm. It is super quiet, lightweight and simple. I ordered mine with a three-lug quick mount for easy on and off, and I attached it to my rifle using a Rugged Suppressors three-lug mount.
The SAINT Victor 9mm is so much fun to shoot suppressed because it is lightweight and boasts virtually no recoil when chambered in 9mm, so throwing a suppressor on the end is a no-brainer.
Why It Matters
If you ever shoot suppressed, you know the “lick the fingers and tap them on the can” process to see if it’s hot before putting it away. The Smoke coating by Caveman eliminates that step, making for a safer shooting experience while looking awesome at the same time.
The coating is a thermal coating that changes from black to clear when hot, revealing your custom design or colors. This patented tech delivers real-time information about your temps, with visuals like nothing else you’ve ever seen.
Smoke is a cutting-edge thermochromic coating that will blow the minds of you and your friends every time you go to the range. In essence, it’s a topcoat applied just like Cerakote to any project you can dream up.
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The coating is sprayed over the top of your Cerakote H-Series design and appears black until it hits the target temperature range of 130 degrees. Once it heats up, the Smoke overcoat goes from black to clear, revealing your artwork or a solid color underneath. It’s like magic right in front of your eyes.
Smoke is definitely very cool and will blow your mind watching it change; however, it is much more than just a cosmetic pretty face. The coating will also give you live, visual data on when your coated part is ready to be handled with bare hands or put into your case to take your gun home. No more burnt fingers or melted range bags with the visual aid Smoke provides.
For precision shooters, you will be able to know very quickly and easily that your barrel and components are staying at optimal temps by keeping Smoke from transitioning. That will easily tell you you’re firing under cool, consistent conditions to optimize accuracy. The best part is that you get the same exact durability as H-series Cerakote, ensuring long-lasting protection for firearms and other products.
In Practice
On my suppressor, I went with a Yellow Gadsden flag theme with “We the People” on one side and the snake and “Don’t Tread on Me” on the other side.
The second I got my suppressor back, I headed off to the range. I had to see what it looked like and how well it worked. I threaded the three-lug mount onto my SAINT Victor and went to work loading up 32 rounds of 9mm from Black Hills. I then mag dumped it to heat the can up.
As it was 28 degrees and windy out, unfortunately the suppressor didn’t get over 130 degrees. It was nice to know it wasn’t too hot to stop me from warming my hands on it, though. I quickly loaded another 32 rounds and dumped that, followed by one more full mag. This finally got the can hot enough to reveal the magic.
This revealed the artwork. After admiring it for a few minutes, the cold weather started to cool the can down, causing it to turn black again. This also allowed me to know it was safe to grab onto so I could remove it from the gun and put it back into my range bag. I was very impressed.
Conclusion
This turned out to be not only very sweet visually, but also extremely useful when it came to enhancing the safety of my range time. Caveman’s Smoke coating is simple yet revolutionary and honestly has the ability to truly enhance the shooting sports industry in my opinion.
If you are looking for a unique coating for your next project or just something to enhance your range safety, look no further than Caveman and their Smoke coating for your guns.
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