I have had a bunch of Nickeled guns over the years, and I have never had one with a flawless finish. There was always a dot, chip, stain, or similar. As Bullseye2620 states above, they do scratch rather easily. My only current Nickeled guns are a matched pair of Colt Single Action Army Revolvers. Other than that, it's blued guns for me, except for a few dedicated carry guns which are stainless.

chief38