Chris Kirk switches in custom ‘Gun Blue’ Callaway Apex MB irons

Chris Kirk has debuted an eye-catching set of Callaway Apex MB irons, with a special ‘Gun Blue’ colourway.

Kirk has always had a sophisticated eye for clubs, which made him an integral part of the collaborative design of Callaway ’s new Opus wedges.

The PGA Tour pro has typically preferred irons that have a black or darker look – claiming they help him hit the ball better.

Kirk says this is because the dark finish makes the head of the club appear smaller. However, Black PVD isn’t a terribly durable finish; it wears off quickly leaving the metal exposed to the elements.

“I’ve been wanting to get back into a blade, and so I had these built on Monday,” Kirk told GolfWRX.com.

Kirk has made the switch from Callaway X-Forged cavity-back irons into the Gun Blue Apex MB blades.

The change goes beyond aesthetics as well as Kirk hopes a switch back to blades will have a positive impact on his game.

“My favourite set I’ve had in a while are the older Apex MBs, and they were raw. And so I would always Gun Blue them just the same as I always do my wedges. We’ve done that forever. So they had a set of new, raw Apex MBs on the Callaway truck, and Dean (Teykl) on the truck has taken over so I don’t have to do it anymore.

“So he did that for these and they turned out great. I had a set of CBs made earlier in the year in black, but they were like a black PVD coating, and I didn’t love the way that they wore. So these will wear and they’ll rust and kind of stay looking good for longer.”

Through the prototyping process of Callaway’s Opus wedges, Kirk and Callaway started using a Gun Blue formula application process on his raw wedges.

Kirk was able to use this process himself; treating his own wedges, but he has teamed up with Callaway’s R&D to create the Gun Blue look for his irons.

Bluing, also known as black oxidizing, is a treatment process that’s popular in the world of guns to change the color appearance of raw metal hence the name Gun Blue.

Aside from creating a new aesthetic, the benefit is that the Gun Blue finish is especially durable to help ward off the wearing process, and the treatment can be re-applied easily enough by the club owner to achieve a similar effect in the future.