I've inherited my Dad's (Baby Chief's) M36 (circa 1952-52) that has a Factory Nickeled finish. This was his daily BUG (he was a Fed) and he competed in National Matches for 25 years and sometimes in un-official BUG matches with this M36. I can not imagine how many hundreds of times he had cleaned this Nickeled gun in Hoppes, sometimes leaving it in a bowl soaking for a few hours before cleaning it. Remember, these were the days that no one knew not to use Hoppes on Nickeled guns!

While I would not ever recommend using Hoppes on Nickeled guns now, I have to say this little Chief's Special has not lost any of its finish and still looks fairly good after 62 years of service and hard use. I too have used Hoppes on Nickeled guns before I knew better, and I have had no ill affects either.

Today I use Rig #2 Oil or Remoil to clean & lube the gun, then Renwax on it after thoroughly drying the outside. Still looks great!