I just found a nickel plated S&W. Do I have to use special cleaning solutions or will any CLP do? Thanks!

Solvents and oil may get under the nickel which will cause it to rise... be sure to wipe it off good whatever you use. Be careful around edges where peeling will begin.

CLP is just fine. Peeling of the plating is not nearly the issue many seem to believe it is!

Ok....Ill get the ball rolling. The can of worms is officially open.....

Any CLP or cleaning product designed specifically for guns should be fine. The key thing is to read and follow the directions closely.

Avoid "solvents" that contain ammonia, ammonium hydroxides or other 'harsh chemical' compounds. These, and other harsh chemicals and abraisives can damage the finish over time if not used correctly.

S&W warns specifically about these chemical compounds in the owners manual that comes with their firearms. As always, there are people who ignore the manual, don't read it at all, or attribute the material in the manual to lawyers who are "trying to mitigate litigation".
They will follow with posts about how these chemicals, including ammonia, pose no health threat to you, or the gun's finish. Go figure.

https://snwcdnprod.azureedge.net/sit...l_12-15-16.pdf

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

IMHO CLP is only a fair agent, as it aims to be both a cleaner and a lubricant. I think it is too sticky for revolvers and may gum stuff up. May work better on semi pistols and rifles, but I have little experience there. I prefer a non-ammonia cleaner like Hoppes Elite or M-Pro, followed by the lightest application possible on bearing surfaces of a dedicated gun oil like Rem Oil, which evaporates, leaving a hard protective surface behind. I save my old school Hoppes #9 for old school blue revolvers or to help with getting the lead out. These methods have given me no problems with finishes over the years.

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Some collect art; I shoot it!

I use Rig #2 Oil - won't harm Nickel, wood, rubber, synthetic, paint, etc. There are other products that will work just fine as well, just that I have been using the Rig #2 for 35+ years with excellent results. If it ain't broke - - - don't fix it!

Ammonia left on with strip the Nickel from the metal edges along with some of the other solvents. Be safe. Read what's in the brew before you ruin what could have been a factory original finish

I mix my own:

1 part Mobil #2
2 parts Canadian maple syrup
3 parts dirty toilet water
4 parts bumble bee honey or tuna
5 parts 110 octane gasoline

Light swab on fire, scrub bore appropriately.

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NRA Benefactor

As I understand it, it is recommended that you use only the tuna in oil as the tuna in water can or will cause the bullets to fishtale over a certain velocity.
Just so ya know,

Good catch! No wonder I'm all over the paper.

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NRA Benefactor

domestic Albacore or imported?

Domestic on steel guns,.alabacore on the plastic is the general preference.


I pity the newcomer to the forum who happens upon some of these posts when looking for sound and serious guidance.

I have used WD-40 and other cleaners on blue and nickel handguns. I always seem go come back to WD-40. Use as a cleaner only and wipe off and then use lubricant of your choice. I use it exclusively after shooting cast bullets. Good stuff and a can lasts a long long time. Gary

What about Gunzilla?

No experience with the product personally. Doing a search brings up the fact that they have no hazardous chemicals in it. And if it had ammonia in it, they would have to declare so by law as ammonia is a hazardous chemical. As a matter of fact, I couldn't find any MSDS sheet on this stuff either, just a pdf that sounds like pure advertising.

And to me at least, that sounds like snake oil and I tend to shy away from products that I feel are snake oil remedies or products. But if you are happy with the product, I would think it should have no effect on S&W nickel plating. The nickel plating process that S&W uses is darned good and you would really have to try to mess it up, IMO. Like sitting the gun in an ammonia based product for a day or so. Even ammonia based products such as Hoppes #9 have been used to clean nickel weapons in the with no major problems, but it has to be wiped off right after cleaning.