Nickel plate vs Stainless

[jim4065]

Spent a long time holding two automatics in my hands, occasionally switching left to right, etc. I think nickel is smoother and "wetter". Old nickel looks like the ass end of hard times - but somehow more honest. I like it. Starting to dislike SS - maybe 'cause it will outlive me.

Have I been smoking too much rope?

[HeavyMetal]

The upside of Nickle is it looks great, and will for a long time, the down side of nickle is when it starts to look shabby it goes shabby fast!

Stainless you can polish, bead blast or leave it alone and it will always look the same if you give it just the barest of care.

A word of caution: be sure your stainless is stainless not "electroless nickle" which looks identical new! Had a buddy buy a "stainless" commander that wasn't!

[44man]

I owned one nickel plated gun, a nice S&W. It started to peel off when it got old and really got ugly. I had S&W put a bright blue on it and it was beautiful.
I love blue or stainless.

[Morgan Astorbilt]

Nickel plated guns are made of high carbon steel, which makes better action parts(Trigger, hammer, sear,etc.) than stainless does. While they seem to have solved the "galling" problem, you still can't get as good a trigger pull with stainless as you can with nickel.
Morgan

[floodgate]

And DON'T EVER, NEVER use Hoppe's No. 9 - or any other ammonia-bearing solution - on a nickel-plated firearm or part. Don't ask me how I know....

floodgate

[MT Gianni]

No you are not nuts, I still wish for my old nickle mod 19 4", aka "da pimp gun".

[Ghugly]

I have mixed feelings about nickle, I prefer blued. I did have an old 1911 that someone had chrome plated in an attempt to tighten it up. The gun was pretty well worn out but it had kind of a gold/yellow cast to it, where the chrome was wearing, that looked kind of nice and there was no pitting or peeling anywhere.

I wish I still had it, but a shiny, new Blackhawk was calling to me. Crap...........I wish I still had that one too.

[Ricochet]

I've never owned a nickel gun, but I do think they're pretty. And old nickel plated National guitars that have gotten tarnished and worn are really cool. But no, peeling plating doesn't do anything for me.

[454PB]

I bought this 2 1/2" S&W model 19 in about 1981. It has been cleaned hundreds of times with Hoppes, and I've never seen it cause any problems.

[Ricochet]

Cleaning it with Hoppe's shouldn't cause problems if you soon wipe it off. But I read in the late '70s a sad letter in the American Rifleman from a man who'd thought it a good idea to pack away his beautiful nickel Model 27 in a rag soaked with Hoppe's #9. He said it took the nickel off. It contains a small amount of ammonia, which will dissolve nickel as well as copper.

[S.R.Custom]

Nickel plated guns are made of high carbon steel, which makes better action parts(Trigger, hammer, sear,etc.) than stainless does. While they seem to have solved the "galling" problem, you still can't get as good a trigger pull with stainless as you can with nickel.
Morgan

Bingo. IIRC, stainless has like 3x the friction coeficient of carbon steel, and this without a question shows up in the action of a revolver. Take the same metals in a semi-automatic pistol, and you really feel the difference, particularly in slide fitment and feel. Nickel plating only serves to slick things up even further...

Smith & Wessons are a bit different in this respect --I'm not aware that they ever used full stainless bits in their actions, hard-chrome on the hammers & triggers, but carbon steel everywhere else-- but the action is still grittier than a nickel or steel gun, owing to the fitment to the stainless frame.

[Morgan Astorbilt]

In a Smith, it's the rebound slide that gives the most drag to the action. More so than any other part. Installing a lighter spring and keeping the slide clean will do wonders for the DA pull.
Morgan

[Meatco1]

I have a Nickel plated 6" S&W mdl 57 that still looks like new, and it has been been cleaned with Hopps, and shooters choice, from day one (bought new in 1981).

Not much upkeep on that one.

Richard

[Bret4207]

The good Lord intended guns to be blued. Nuff said.

[longhorn]

Aw, Bret--nickel is purty. IIRC, the first run or runs of the S&W Model 60-the original stainless handgun (remember the photos of it suspended in a goldfish bowl?) had stainless hammer and trigger. The alloy(s) they used for those parts evidently didn't hold up well, so they went back to some non-stainless alloy soon. If you run across an early M60 with stainless hammer and trigger, they evidently command quite a collector premium. Somewhat off topic, has anyone here ever hand polished a stainless Smith to look like nickel?

[The Dust Collector]

Back in the early 70's there was no such thing as stainless. Because of the problem at that time with the Teamsters and trucking, many a road side situations were a definate heads up for me! I carried a S&W M29 Nickel plated. I wanted every mothers son to see the "BIG" gun I was carring. That nickel sure shown itself! Damn these people, all I was trying to do was make a liviving. I came so close to................
DUST
I don't have it any longer, nickel really isn't my idea of cool.

[Alchemist]

Just as long as you don't put pearl grips on it! Nickle + pearl = pimp gun!

Alchemist

[e15cap]

I have a nickel plated Python that has been neglected. Who do i send it to for replating and how much will it cost? Best Roger

[Wayne Smith]

I have heard of and seen pics of great results from Ford's in Florida. There's a guy on FFF that has a relationship with them. Thats FamilyFriendsFirearms.com.

[unclebill]

Just as long as you don't put pearl grips on it! Nickle + pearl = pimp gun!

Alchemist

thats just what i was thinking of doing.
1873 S.A.A.
plated/with pearl grips.
Ive already got a pair of case hardened 1873's
and i want something shiny.