For machines to function reliably, they have needs. Cleanliness, lubrication. Firearms are machines - machines upon whose dependability officers lives depend. However, due to the nature of their use in the wide variety of environments they are used in, it is not unusual for cleanliness and lubrication to become conflictory.
Following reports of continuing malfunction of American military small arms in the dusty deserts of Afghanistan, UCT coatings, a metal plating firm in Stuart, Florida, developed its UltraCem process, a nickel boron sacrificial plating. UltraCem, now known as EXO, is a plating process which has proven to permit lubrication free operation of equipment while also providing surfaces which are easily cleaned. While considered sacrificial by its manufacturer, it has achieved an exceptional reputation for durability as a coating. It has also shown itself to be one of the strongest protective coatings for corrosion protection available.
Since the exception of EXO technology, UCT has worked with a variety of industries. EXO is becoming a standard in several industries, where its protective qualities have tremendously increased the life expectancy of hard use tools and components, such as blades used in the lumber industry and valves involved with petroleum flow.
Very early on, the Department of Defense began to evaluate EXO for use on weapons. EXO has already been adopted for some weapon systems. In small arms testing it has been proven to be a cost-saving upgrade to firearms, considering the extension it provides their service lives, not to mention the increased reliability for small arms being used in heavy combat conditions.
UCT has applied EXO to a variety of military firearms, including M-9 pistols, M-4 carbines, and Mk 46 squad automatic weapons (special operations version of the M-249 SAW). In torture testing, EXO finished firearms continued to show themselves as highly superior to off-the-shelf models. In one continuing test, an Mk 46 SAW is routinely taken to the range and one or two cans of 5.56 NATO ammo fired through it - dry, with cleaning conducted at intervals as directed by military manual (wiped down at 2, 000 rounds, cleaned at 4,000 rounds). Thus far 28,000 rounds have been fired through the gun dry - cleaning of treated parts (bolt, trigger, and related components) easily accomplished with a brush.
UCT has also worked closely with the Martin County Sheriff's Office of Stuart, Florida. A variety of firearms have been treated, including Glocks and Mossberg 500 shotguns. Also, personal firearms from several firearms instructors were treated, including two Kimber 45s, a Sig Saur P220 and Glock 21 and 24.
Several years ago MCSO began issuing firearms to personnel. Initially these were Glock 22s; with the introduction of the S&W M&P series, the M&P 45 was selected. A problem with the M&P's was a poor finish for the magazine; in the subtropical atmosphere of Martin County, much of it coastal, rust quickly appeared on many magazines. These magazines were also treated with EXO.
Martin County's jurisdiction encompasses almost 200 square miles of navigable waters; these include the Atlantic Ocean, Intercoastal Waterway, Indian River, St. Lucie River, Okeechobee Waterway, and Lake Okeechobee. MCSO's five member Marine Enforcement Unit patrols these waters. Armed with Glock 22's and Mossberg 500 short barreled shotguns they were an excellent test bed.
Sgt. Richard Parks, currently a supervisor in the Traffic Unit, was with the Training Unit and also provides fill-in work with the Marine Unit. His personal Glock 21 is EXO plated, as are the magazines for his issue M&P. His experience, both as a firearms instructor and on boat patrol, has been that the coating works excellent - firearms continued to function dry, and cleaning, even after extensive firing, is simplified. His M& P magazines have shown no signs of rust growth after treatment, even after he is on the waters.
On two occasions I had the opportunity to test fire UCT test guns. On the first, Tim Poteet, chief armorer for UCT, had a Colt AR-15, Beretta 92F, Ruger SR9, and a Colt Government Model .45. Each firearm was shot with a variety of ammunition. Each 9mm consumed 300 rounds, the .45 200, and trhe AR-15 280; no malfunctions that could be attributed to the firearms occurred, despite each gun being fired dry - lube free. Each was then field stripped. Carbon buildups, which usually require scrubbing with a brush or chiseling with a pick, wiped off with a finger or were chipped off with a figure nail or tip of a knife.
On another occasion, the DoD Mk46 test gun was fired - 1000 rounds. This was when the firearm was approaching 15,000 rounds, lube free. No stoppages or malfunctions occurred. After completion the bolt was inspected and any build up wiped off easily.
To support the firearms industry, UCP has established FailZero. FailZero provides parts and parts kits for AR-15 and M-4 platforms, a 1911 parts kit, and can provide firearms plating services, in bulk, too agencies. It also provides its parts kits through a growing number of distributors. Further one of their distributors, Rifle Dynamics Inc., under license provides EXO finishing of individual firearms.
The AR-15 kit consists of a bolt, hammer, and key that have been EXO finished. An experienced AR- 15 user or armorer can swap parts in five minutes, and have the rifle operational.
Equipped with an AR-15 drop-in kit, I tested the system in an Eagle arms M-15A2 rifle, a semi automatic M-4 for clone. After 400 rounds of mixed, cheap, imported and old surplus 5.56 NATO ammo, rounds began to fail to extract. At round 410 the cartridge would not go into battery. Unlike mill spec guns, the Eagle does not have a chrome lined chamber. Carbon and debris buildup seized the action. Upon disassembly, I found the bolt and firing mechanism unfazed - most carbon wiped off on my finger, and baked debris on the bolt face easily flaked off with a touch of a cleaning pick.
Felipe José, a deputy sheriff with the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (Florida), is also the law enforcement and military representative for FailZero. He explained to me that FailZero, recognizing economic concerns of agencies, tries to work with them to ease funding for EXO upgrades of their equipment. While some agencies have been able to apply budget funds for the coating, others have been able to procure grants. FailZero also has worked with a third-party public safety training program. Here, an agency presents items of surplus value – old agency firearms, guns released from evidence, or even parts it wishes to upgrade (e.g. AR 15/M-4 bolt groups) to a firm which will inspect them and offer a credit value. If acceptable, the credit is then transferred to UCP for finishing or parts kits.
FailZero also realizes an agency cannot afford to take its entire inventory out of service for finishing. Thus if agency has 100 firearms to plate, with 10 spares, they will work to process the firearms in groups of 10, ensuring that no duty guns are off-line during the processing.
Currently, several manufacturers apply to EXO finish to their products. These include the well-known high end AR-15 manufacturer LWRC and the custom gun shop Cylinder and Slide. However, a variety of manufacturers are currently evaluating the application of EXO to their products in the future, to improve the bit dependability of their products
As it comes from the shop, EXL has a bronze-stainless steel appearance. However, Poteet said that most modern quote "paint" finishes work well with it – Dura-Coat, Brownell's, etc. He has also found Rifle Diagnostics Inc. (RDI), a licensed EXO applicator, using Norrell's finishes, to produce exceptionally attractive and durable work, if the stainless appearance is not acceptable.
The UCT EXO processes, and the FailZero firearms kits, provide law enforcement with an economical advantage that protects officer's lives. The nature of police work exposes firearms to harsh environments; whether wet, cold, and dusty for routine patrol, the grime of the highway for motorcycle officers, or even corrosive salt spray for marine units, guns are subjected to the worst conditions imaginable. A product like EXO, permitting them to be carried dry, oil free, where they will not be magnets for dust and dirt, yet providing lubricity, and giving an extremely corrosion resistant finish, permits an agency to upgrade its firearms to better and more safely serve its personnel.
