What are the drawbacks, if any, to nickel finishes?

I've been thinking about maybe getting a nickel M25, one of the new classic models. But, I'm just not sure.

I've be told by several gunshop owners, friends, and one gunsmith, that nickel plated guns are a nightmare to own. The plating is suppose to be soft and easy to damage. Once damaged, it will peel off and you have to get the whole gun replated, an expensive operation. I've also been told that you can't shoot them a lot or the plating will start to peel off as well.

Something seems to be amiss here. I can't believe that major manufacturers like S&W and Colt would use something that's that weak. But........, one never knows.

So, what's the real skinny on nickel plating? Thanks!

Nickel is much more forgiving than blue in the area of field wear. I also think it is much prettier.

They look nice but I have trouble quickly finding the front sight in bright sun light due to the glare.

I think nickel is more wear resistant than blued steel is.........it just looks like hell afterwards, at least IMO,

Some guys love nickel guns, some don't, I'm among those who don't.

I carried a 4" Nickel Python as a duty gun. It held up well. I have a 27-3 that has lots of marks that may polish out, I bought a bottle of Flitz and will try it. If the 27-3 would have been blue I'm sure the finish would look worse. I've owned 2 29-2's in Nickel and carried them hunting, no problems. The only flaking nickel I've seen is on some very old guns.

I only have one nickel revolver, a 29-2 that I purchased a couple years ago that was built around 1980. The gun hadn't been shot much, is pretty much flawless and still looks like a million bucks! I was always under the impression that before there were stainless handguns they were nickel plated for durability and corrosion resistance.

Nickel is if properly cared for is a lot more durable than many think. The only drawback I see is the post shooting clean up!

Some solvents, such as Hoppe's number 9 will ruin nickel. This is because in most nickel plating, copper is first applied, which some solvent gun cleaners attack, such as Hoppe's number 9. Hard to say which I prefer, but nickel sure is pretty.

So...how does one care for and clean nickel guns? I have one inbound to my FFL and better learn quickly

gr8smiles-use the search feature on this subject,it has come up several times in the past. I only have one nickle finished firearm,but it is 35 years old and has held up very well.

I have a few nickel finish guns, a 10-5, 39-2 and a 57. They all look great, but the clean up on the nickel revolver is a pain. The 10 and 39 came with some haze to it and the 10 had some pronounced finger prints on it. I took Flitz to them and all those things came off, with no damage to the nickel. Nickel is very forgiving and looks great.

I have also used Hoppe's #9 when cleaning my guns and have never had any damage on my nickel guns, including some old ones. It will do damage if the nickel gun is soaked in Hoppe's, but as long as you clean it off the finish after cleaning the gun, it is fine.

They can be purdy, that's for sure!

Here are some of my vintage ones . . .

This is one GORGEOUS "little" N frame from 40 years ago!!!


This 1982 Model 19-5 looks great, on this side. On the right, it does have some discoloration where someone left a pair of rubber grips on the gun for years evidently, and something under the grips "clouded" the finish in a spot. This was due to neglect, of course, and not a fault of the nickle plate!


This M36 "square latch" is in nice shape, but as you can see honest wear on its original, serial numbered-to-the-gun grips . . . but the nickle is in wonderful shape!

I ain't no expert.

But I have several nickel handguns. I even have, had and still have, Uberti nickeled revolvers. The Italian guns are not supposed to be as well done as Colts and Smith and Wessons.

My Ubertis have held up well with Cowboy Action Shooting and being shoved in and out of holsters. No flaking of finish, no wearing through of finish.

I first use a brush to clean off any residue so as to not scratch the finish when I go to wipe/brush off powder stains, etc.

I use Break Free in the bores and chambers and on the outside as it is supposedly not a threat to nickel finishes [watch someone post here..."Yes it is!"]. But I use it sparingly and clean it off quickly.

Supposedly, even if your nickel finish is showing no visible deep scratches, pin holes, or big holes...in other words "pristine", the continued use of Hoppe's #9 [or any other invasive cleaner] will, over time, work its way into unseen crevices and utlimately cause flaking. Whether true or not why take the chance? I do know that Hoppes will eat away nickel to the bare metal if left on long enough.

The face of the cylinder will acquire a lot of black marks from powder gases, lead, and just plain bullet "stuff". Do not try to clean that off harshly. I use the least invasive method first and progress to a certain point. If, after that, the front of the cylinder is still stained, I go no further. What I do is clean with the Break Free and a toothbrush that has its bristles cut short. If that is not enough I might go with a copper brush, maybe, if I want to go that far. The black cylinder face is [to me] preferable to a cylinder face that has the nickel cleaned off by harsh methods.

NEVER use a lead free cloth on the cylinder face. NEVER use a lead free cloth anywhere on a nickled handgun, except in the the bore. The lead free cloths will take off the nickel [supposedly].

After the weapon is clean, if I oil the exterior I use a soft rag soaked in Rig, or a suitable replacement. I CHANGE THAT RAG OFTEN, as in when it even "hints" that it is getting dirty I toss it. There's another thread going on the Forum about silicone cloths. I posted that I don't use them anymore, they pick up grit, but then any oiled rag will.

You will see nickeled handguns that have a lot of minute scratches in their finish, I suspect that is due to using a gritty oil rag/silicone cloth.

If the nickel finish is a bit tarnished [some say even cloudy or frosted] a good metal polish like Mother's Mag or Flitz, USED SPARINGLY, will shine it up. If there are any scratches the polishes will not take them out, unless they are very, very light.

As an aside, I have a nickeled Colt Python that has wear spots on the barrel and the cylinder flutes showing the copper underneath. I used Mother's Mag to polish it overall and it "appeared" to blend the copper and nickel to where it "appears" to look better. Something to remember if you find a worn, nickeled gun you just have to have.

Here's a some pics to wet your appetite. I think that many of the Smith and Wesson revolvers lend themselves well to nickel in appearance. However only a few Colts appear "nice" to me in nickel, mainly Pythons, Diamondback, and of course the SAA.

The last one is a Uberti/Beretta "Laramie", a somewhat copy of the Smith and Wesson New Model Number 3.

gr8smiles said:

So...how does one care for and clean nickel guns? I have one inbound to my FFL and better learn quickly

Click to expand...

It's simple... stay away from any weapons cleaner that says it's formulated to remove copper fouling from the barrel.

It, as well as other common cleaners (like metal polish or mag cleaner), will most likely contain ammonia, which is said to be the culprit that can eventually break down of the copper substrate, and also cause discoloring (yellowing) of the plating.

I had a nickel 459 pistol and a M34 22/32 Kit gun for many years that served me well.

"This is because in most nickel plating, copper is first applied, which some solvent gun cleaners attack, such as Hoppe's number 9."

I believe that this has been stated numerous time on this Forum but Smith & Wesson does NOT use copper under their nickel finish.

Personally, I don't care for nickel or bright stainless because of the glare factor while shooting. I guess that glare bothers some folks more than others.



Bruce

LOVE that Beretta Laramie & the rig. El Paso Saddlery?? Would you mind if I used the pic for my computer desktop background? Very nice!

I am very fond of nickel guns and have several Smiths and one Python so finished. These are useing guns, not safe queens. All the nickle has stood well except for an M25 that reeked of Hoppes #9 when I picked it up from my FFL. It looked pristene but after a hundred rounds, the nickle came off the face of the cylinder. I clean nickel with turpentine. If it still looks shot, then it looks shot but the nickle remains in tact.

seattleM29,

Thank you, be my guest.

My partner and I both carried Nickle 4" S&W 29's for several years, with no issues.

And we shot them quite a bit.

I have also deer hunted with a 6 1/2" Nickle Mod 29, and I have shot it quite a bit as well.

I also shoot a Nickle 4" Mod 34 a bunch.

I have had all 3 of those guns for over 30 years.

I own several S&W Nickel guns. One drawback as one contributor has already said....if you are finicky about your front sights, they really glare at you when shooting in sunlight. Paint the front sight flat black or use some other blackening compound.

The second draw back, at least I have found, is that rubber grips will stain the nickel pretty quickly and even worse unless you have a really good coating of grease or wax on the metal where the rubber touches. So just use your wooden or non-rubber grips instead.

Had a M19-4 Nic. one time that I left the Goodyears on for about 6 to 9 months one time without checking. Took them off and found small pits forming in the nickel and on into the steel below. Of course the pits won't polish out either.
I have not found this problem with Goodyears on blue or stainless guns.

I've never used a cleaner with any ammonia in it to clean any of my nickeled guns. I just use one without ammonia to avoid any problems.

None-the-less, I still like nickel plate on S&W revolvers.