To polish, or not to polish, that is the question.

[am44mag]

I HAD planned on getting a .327 Fed Mag to carry around my place. Something light that might have been able to do double duty as a carry gun. Well, that was before I found a Ruger sp101 stubby in 357 mag for a killer deal. I'm weak, give me a break! :p

The gun is more or less pristine. It has some light scratches on the left side above the trigger though. Probably the type of thing a lead away cloth might buff out. Well, I'm not a fan of the utilitarian look that these revolvers have when they are stock (mainly the grips), so I ordered some birdshead style finger groove grips. Now here's the question. The finish lends itself pretty well to polishing. It already has a slight polish and honestly a few hours of rubbing would probably produce a mirror shine. I would leave the top strap dull so that I can still shoot on sunny days of course. This will be a carry gun, it will get shot a lot, and it will get dirty. I know a mirror polish is horrible about showing smudges, but at the same time, it's so pretty!

So do I leave it semi gloss, or do I go crazy and turn this thing into a work of art?

https://ruger.com/products/sp101/images/5719.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9d/1d/d1/9d1dd1a24859bad9390541e10300e531.jpg

[Tatume]

Hi Aaron,

If it pleases you, do it. It certainly won't hurt the gun.

Take care, Tom

[smokeywolf]

Agree with Tatume. Just remember, a high shine will show the smallest scratches.

[EMC45]

I would polish out the trigger and be done with it. Everything else will show all over the gun.

[MUSTANG]

That polished finish looks like it would blind everyone around even in moonlight. Pretty as art; but would suffer surface blemishing from carry/use.

[am44mag]

This is kind of what I was worried about. I love that high polish, but I'm worried about how hard it will be the keep it that way. Maybe meet it half way? Just polish it enough to get any scratches out and maybe brighten it up a bit without going full mirror shine?

[charlie b]

Why polish a carry gun? It will just get more scratches and rub marks along the way.

Maintaining a polished finish is not difficult, IF you don't scratch it. Once scratched you have a long process to get the scratch properly polished, ie, not a 'dished' finish.

FWIW, I loved the little SP101. Great gun for outdoors carry.

[Rick Hodges]

I would not polish....but it is your gun. I would buff out the scratches and blend the rest with the most appropriate 3m abrasive mat (I usually used the maroon one to blend a Model 66 and 686 S&W). I like the matt finish.
Everyone has their own taste.

[dbmjr1]

For some reason Rugers don't maintain re-sale value the same way Smiths do. I wouldn't be concerned about the revolver's value.

What kind of holster do you plan on carrying this in? If it's made of Kydex, I'd say no. If'n it's a nice leather holster, that covers most of the firearm, I'd go for it.

Worst that can happen is that you get tendinitis.

[Thumbcocker]

If it was my pistol and I wanted it shiny I would shine it.

[Plate plinker]

Polish for a working gun? Why bother?

[Hannibal]

Why polish a carry gun? It will just get more scratches and rub marks along the way.

This ^^^ makes the most sense to me.

As others have said, it's your girl and your dance and if you like the fancy dress, well, I get that.

Having said that, I had a small farm with the big yard and I recently sold it because I grew tired of spending all my 'free time' keeping the place up. Kept me so busy, I had no time to enjoy anything.

A mirror finish on a carry gun is gonna be like that. High maintenance.

But it'll sure look nice.

[Biggin]

I've got one I've had for 20years and love it! I'm not crazy about shiny finishes but it's your gun have fun with it!

[country gent]

I have done this for a couple guys and when done its is a pleasing finish. In the pic above handling with gloves is the truth, every finger print, scratch, ding, scrape and handling mark stands out much more than other finishes. One reason the bright nickel plated finishes get away with this is the hardness of the plating when done its in the 65-68 Rockwell range. Stainless is probably in the 30-35 rc range much softer material. The finish with all the lines north and south handling allows the finish to hide carry marks and dosnt allow them to become as obvious as quickly. I really like a matte blasted finish on a carry gun it allows preservatives to stay in the valleys and not be wiped off handling. The matte finish dosnt have any direction to it and reduces glare and shine a lot. Even leaving the rib and top strap alone every surface on the polished firearm reflects light in some direction.

[am44mag]

After doing some thinking and reading the comments here. I think I'll forgo polishing for now. I think I'd love it at first, but not after a few weeks of carry.

Thanks fellas.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

With a rare exception or two...I prefer tools (and guns) to look stock...and it is more than OK for them to look used.
that's my 2¢