A composite metallizing wire useful in thermal flame spraying, having a conductive metallic solid core wire strand and a coating consisting of solid lubricant particles (i.e., graphite, BN, Teflon) and wear-resistant particles (i.e., SiC, TiC, Cr.sub.3 C.sub.2) homogeneously suspended in a conductive metal (i.e., Ni, Fe, Cr, Mo, Ti) complementary to said solid core wire strand. The wire is used to produce a metal matrix composite coating, comprising providing a thermalizing through-flow chamber with an exit nozzle, the chamber having a gas flow-through of at least 100 ms.sup.-1, establishing a flame in said chamber, and feeding a composite coated wire into said flame to be melted and projected by the gas flow to a target, the wire being constructed as above.