I had a 642 and sent the gun back TWICE to have it refinished. It was covered under their warranty and I didn't pay a dime either time. I even had a seperate cleaning kit, just for that gun, so I wouldn't use any brush that might be "contaminated" with some "unsafe cleaner" like Hoppes. I sold the gun, but was always annoyed at the finish. The tech on the phone just told me to use a gun oil to clean it. I consider a gun oil a lubricant, NOT a cleaner. And for S&W, a quality firearms manufacturer, to manufacture a gun with so frail a finish, that you can't even use HOPPES #9, probably the most commonly used (for a very long time) gun cleaner on it, is just unacceptable. For me, even if i use something else to clean, I like to follow up with a quick Hoppes wipe down. Guns don't feel clean to me unless I can smell the Hoppes! I know a guy who got tired of dealing with it and just hosed down the whole gun with break cleaner, which removed the whole finish