The custom factor: Midlander uses oil field techniques to customize firearms

Jamie Ehl, owner of Metal EFX, holds a .458 SOCOM short-barreled AR-15 rifle sporting a custom breakup green Cerakote finish in his shop Wednesday. Ehl adapts oilfield nickel-plating technology to create custom finishes for firearms. James Durbin/Reporter-Telegram less Jamie Ehl, owner of Metal EFX, holds a .458 SOCOM short-barreled AR-15 rifle sporting a custom breakup green Cerakote finish in his shop Wednesday. Ehl adapts oilfield nickel-plating technology to create custom ... more Photo: JAMES DURBIN Photo: JAMES DURBIN Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close The custom factor: Midlander uses oil field techniques to customize firearms 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Jamie Ehl is changing the way people look at guns by taking downhole oil field technology and putting it downrange.

Ehl, owner of Metal EFX in Midland, got his feet wet in the oil field by nickel plating centrifugal pumps and tooling to protect against corrosion. A lifelong gun enthusiast, he made the jump to firearm coating a little more than a year ago when he disassembled his own AR-15 rifle and nickel plated the bolt carrier group.

“What’s the worst that could happen?” asked Ehl, recounting the experience. He said he only had a few hundred dollars to lose in the gamble. He lost nothing in the experience and instead gained a second business.

“The bolt was easier to clean because carbon doesn’t stick to it,” he said. “It ran cooler, it had a higher lubricity, and at that point we realized we had something marketable.”

In addition to the boost in performance, the nickel plating process completely changes the appearance of a treated part. A dull, rough finish is transformed into a clear, bright finish. When polished to a shine, the exterior is almost mirror-like.

Ehl began to nickel plate handgun slides, frames and small appearance parts, but soon customers began to ask about other colors.

“We looked around and Cerakote was the answer,” said Ehl. “It was an easy transition for us.”

Cerakote offers a rugged and durable finish that can be applied in any color or design a customer can think of. When it comes to custom Cerakote designs the sky is the limit, and Ehl’s customers are pushing the limits every day.

“It’s about having something unique,” said Ehl. “The custom factor is the appeal.”

With around 45 guns waiting to be worked on and a six-to-eight week backlog, there is no shortage of interested customers, many of whom are breaking the stereotype of a male-dominated gun hobby.

“We get a lot of women coming in wanting custom guns,” said Ehl. “We did a Barbie AR-15 — a complete, functioning gun in Barbie colors.”

No idea is too far-fetched, from a Luis Vuitton-patterned pistol slide to a Tiffany blue frame or a desert camo rifle stock, it can be done.

“Our Virus pattern has been a huge hit for us,” said Ehl, referring to a multicolor transitioning pattern of hexagons that he invented.

“You go to the range and every gun looks the same, it’s nice to have something that is completely your own,” he said.

In addition to gun coatings, Metal EFX also offers basic gunsmithing and is registered as a Class 3 FFL dealer, so the staff can help an individual go through the steps to obtain short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns and suppressers.

“We want people to know there is a local company doing this,” said Ehl. “We are oil field and we are Midland, we do guns because we enjoy it.”