In the last 50 years I’m guessing stainless has out sold blue by an exponential factor. In the more common models (10,13,19, etc) I’m thinking it must be ten to one. And nickel even more so. What does the board think?

What brought this up is I went to a small gun show today, that normally is pretty weak, and stumbled across a mint 13-2 in nickel. I always heard nickel was about 10% of any given models production tho I think in recent years it has to be much less.

Which also begs the question does Smith even do nickel anymore?

My favorite is nickel followed by the deep blue.

Guess I am old school; I prefer the deep blue of an early 70's S&W revolver. Having said that, I am fine with stainless for a carry gun. I don't believe anyone is doing nickel plating any more. It just doesn't make sense.

Attached Images

10-5.1.jpg (99.2 KB, 87 views)

I like them all.

__________________
James
On the Llano Estacado

Actually, I don't think any stainless models 10, 13, 19, etc. were made except in blue or nickel. You may be thinking of model 67 (equivalent to model 10) or 66 (equivalent to model 19). Can't think of an equivalent to the model 13 in stainless.

The latest nickel gun I have is a Model 21-4 in .44 Special made in 2005. Very special . Here it is (lower) along with a third model 44.

Attached Images

P1011812.jpg (66.5 KB, 515 views)

__________________
Some collect art; I shoot it!

"Can't think of an equivalent to the model 13 in stainless."

The Model 65 is a stainless M13.

__________________
John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

*
Many of their popular models were also made in stainless, mostly in the J and K frame sizes. The stainless "model 10" is the model 64. The model 67 is a stainless version of the m15.

__________________
NHI, 10-8.

I'm old school so I prefer nickel!



Other times, I'm not so sure!



Hmmm!

I, by slim chance, happened upon a Nickel m58 years ago before anyone wanted a m58. I impulse copped it and immediately found social acceptance. Gosh, it was a beauty, save for the diagonal scratch on the cylinder, and that I did not shoot it well with the service grips. As a lost dog I wonder where it is now. If stainless were to be as well assembled as the preferred years of luster blue,... I want quality fit more than color of material.

__________________
"Don't Give Up the Ship"

Yes, me too.

__________________
No baby we aint

My first carry gun was a model 19 pinned and recessed 4in barrel, that was around 1979. Bought it used from a friend and shot it to death with full magnum loads. Got hard up and sold it . I replaced it about 15 or so years ago with one just like it and a 2 1/2in version too, both pinned and recessed. They are very nice and haven't been shot or carried much and I can't bring myself to carry or shoot them. I have 4 model 66 magnums to shoot so the 19 just get fondled and live in the safe

Lets not forget the rarest S&W factory finish...

Attached Images

IMG_2007.jpg (222.2 KB, 183 views)

__________________
Remain Viable

Stainless steel, although it has its appeal in ease of maintenance, has lost its interest for me...Today I own zero stainless guns, all blued and nickel (with a couple of bumper chromed orphans I took in off the street)......Ben

__________________
Cogito, ergo BOOM!...

I'll just answer with this.

nickel.jpg

__________________
Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

I do think stainless steel S&W revolvers did outsell their blued or nickel plated carbon steel versions through the 1980's and 90's. Take a look at the L-frame 357's. Carbon steel 586's with blue or nickel finishes were available from introduction in 1981 to 1999, then discontinued until the introduction of the Classic series 586 in 2012. The stainless steel 686 has been in continuous production since its introduction in 1981.

__________________
VCDL, GOA, NRA

It's all about personal preference. For the most part I like deeply Blued vintage Revolvers. I do own 3 stainless steel carry revolvers for their durability in the field and I have a few Nickel guns as well. The Nickeled matched pair of Colt SAA's I have wear Sambar Stag grips. I also have a Nickeled Baby Chief's that was my Dad's - circa 1952.

I'm in love with the deep blue finish I can see on my several M27s, the same of Manurhin MR73, Walther PPK, other Smiffs I have, and the Python.
Anyway I admit I'm obsessed by the fear to wear the finish: I'm really much bolder handling the 686 in SS.
Never owned a nickel until today, when this animal came home. What to say? Impressive.

Don’t know who designed that but I am pretty sure they were drunk at the time! Interesting looking beast!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I like them all, and the shiny ones better. I rarely find nickeled ones in decent condition in my area. Most are heavily scratched and otherwise wear-challenged. My nickeled ones are a 110-year old 38 HE, a 100-year-old 44 HE, and a 40-year-old 38 J that lived on a sheriff's ankle as his backup and rarely fired. That one took a lot of RenWax to get back to "shiny". Sweat is the enemy of finishes - luckily it did not eat up the nickel. The 38 and 44 look to have been safe queens (or shop drawer queens) all their life, and took little effort to get them to mirror finish. All my others are blue, mostly antiques, and three stainless, one 40 years old, and the others less than 5.

__________________
Heavily armed old man.

Diecidecimi. I would like to know more about that interesting pistol you posted. It appears to have a single shot swing out breech? Perhaps you could stat a separate thread on it?

__________________
Kind regards, Heinz

Ops...I thought it was well known! These guns are extremely sought after in US, more than in Italy where they are born years ago. MATEBA 6unica by Emilio Ghisoni. Autorevolvers , semiauto. They are the parents of the Rhino. Yes, I think it is necessary à dedicated thread.

Whenever I get in my mind to start looking for a particular model, I look for a blued one. If I find a nickel one in nice condition that has all the other features I was looking for, I'll buy it if the price is right. I do like stainless revolvers though, but I only own one, and only have two nickel ones. They can all be made to shine.

Attached Images

IMG_2507.jpg (221.5 KB, 42 views)

A few years ago I traded my M60 3" for a beautiful 6" M19-3 in nickel. I figured I was coming out ahead on the deal but in reality, I just never took to the M19 and it's a safe queen now. I don't see anything wrong with nickel, I guess it's just not for me. I love the look of blued pistols but the ones I use most are stainless.

Stainless is cheaper to make because you just polish it and you are done. I don't care for it at all. Give me blued steel or case hardening or nickel.

__________________
S&WHF #946
S&WCA #3824

I like blued if I can get a pre 70's Smith. Never had a nickel revolver and don't want one. Stainless is my choice for low maintenance. I think blued is out of style these days but it certainly is gorgeous if done right.

__________________
That's just somebody talkin.

I think all three finishes are beautiful in their own way. That being said, if I had to pick one, a deep blue revolver with Walnut grips. There is just something iconic and timeless about a blued revolver.

Attached Images

PXL_20230501_060230033.MP.jpg (68.4 KB, 159 views)

All three are great finishes, but some lend themselves to certain revolvers better than others. Personal taste: Blue (old style Bright Blue, not the new black looking "blue") looks great on classic vintage guns, M29, M19, M27 etc. Stainless looks good where S&W put it, and full underlug revolvers in particular,, 686, 629, 617, 60 Chiefs Special. Nickel to me only looks appropriate on special edition or commemorative type revolvers. I prefer stainless as I can keep the gun looking like new easily eliminating minor handling scratches and scuff, (big relief for my OCD). Also easy to polish to any degree you want. Not a big fan of frosted/matte stainless, but it does look good on the new PC guns like the PC 686. Below my M19-4 and 629-6.

I do not like nickel for restoration reasons. I have seen lots of guns where the nickel is chipping off and there is no home way to repair it. Stainless, you can polish, blue you can polish and re-blue yourself.

Rosewood

I like all three finishes.. and shoot all three (sometimes)... I only have one nickel, a handful of blue and a bunch of stainless.. I mostly buy based on cost and availability

Attached Images

20160105_195533.jpg (104.2 KB, 14 views)

Give me a DEEP blue finish any day!!! Bob

Pristine nickel is pretty but worn and chipped is not.

I like the looks of a blued gun and worn blue has "character." And we can get tougher dark finishes that don't wear as much.

But on a new purchase, I would pick stainless because plating, bluing, and blacking add time and cost, especially if you need to have them refinished on a one-off basis.

It all depends if you just admire them or actually use them often. For working guns, I prefer stainless or hard chrome. Back in the day, when revolvers ruled in law enforcement, the appearance of stainless steel revolvers was a gift from above!

Mile deep bright blue from '51.

Mirror nickel you could use to shave from '52, '55 & '61.

Bright polished stainless from '65.

Decisions, decisions.

x All the above.

Attached Images

	March 7. '51 Bright Blue Baby, service stocks, original thumbpiece.jpg (128.1 KB, 23 views)
	L-R 3, 4, & 5-screw Chiefs.jpg (156.2 KB, 26 views)
	60 401781 L.jpg (180.9 KB, 24 views)

__________________
Wrangler of stray Chiefs
Bob

Stainless is more practical, but I now truly prefer blue and wood!

Attached Images

IMG_0885.jpg (129.1 KB, 289 views)

I prefer nickel or blue.
.
I’ve never had a stainless gun. I remember years ago when the stainless guns first appeared they had issues with gauling: surfaces rubbing each other creating gauling and occasionally binding.

As I recall, Smith made some metallurgical changes and solved the problem. Nevertheless, I’ve never warmed up to stainless guns.

I really like vintage blued Colt and S&W revolvers. The same goes for factory applied polished nickel. I have 2 stainless guns, a model 64 and a model 67. My older higher condition guns never get holstered or carried. They are always in a case during trips to the range to preserve condition.

For carrying I have 2 stainless guns as well as a few blue and nickeled guns that already have finish issues.

Blue first, then nickel. I only own two stainless revolvers, a model 60 and a model 640 for carry.

My preference is stainless.

On DA revolvers I am primarily interested in practicality. Stainless has no finish to show wear. It is corrosion resistant. Since I spent my LE career in a coastal county, anything that will help slow the tin worm is advantageous.

For PPC shooting my two match guns were built up on stainless revolvers. One was a back up, to be used in the event my primary had an issue. That never happened, with the result that the back up is new except for being sighted in. The primary saw all the use, but unless one looks very closely, it appears identical to the back up. That would not have been the case with blue.

Besides practicality, there is also beauty. Many years ago my wife bought me a holster set commissioned by the (then) Roy Rogers - Dale Evans Museum in Victorville, CA. This holster set is hand-made and beautiful. It has its own shadow box and is mounted on the wall. It came with two replica single actions, whose appearance was not in keeping with the quality of the leather work.

So stainless to the rescue. I bought two high polish Ruger Vaqueros since the finish would replicate nickel. I installed stag grips (which then were reasonably priced) on them, and I was back at the Saturday matinee.

Despite having a permanent home in the leather holsters, the finish on the two Vaqueros is as perfect as the day I bought them.

I have had no experience with nickel, so all I know is what I have read. I do have a few blue firearms. They are beautiful, especially in a rifle with a nice walnut stock, but I am always aware that it is more fragile.

I am very particular about firearms care, maintenance, and appearance, and stainless is a great assist towards that objective.

Back when I was a young LEO I would buy all three flavors.

I have 1 stainless gun, a 629-1, 4". Everything else is blue. I have had 2 nickel guns in my life. A Colt 1911 that had a factory plating defect, and a 5" M27-2, cased, unfired outside the factory that I sold a week after getting it.

I am looking at another nickel gun now. Why, I do not know. It is the disease

__________________
Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

The downside to stainless steel revolvers in LE was the "easy maintenance" thought cops had 50 years ago. I remember one cop I work with had a rusty Model 66. Stainless does not mean rustproof. Back then I remember a lot of abused Model 60s too.

I carried a hard chrome six inch Colt Python back then.

I have a Model 25-5 (45 Colt) four inch in nickel that is gorgeous.

I like 'em all too except the new blue on late model Smith and Wesson revolvers. It is to the old deep blue what a nice pair of boots is to going bare foot.

...and it will turn your new blue S&W plum colored.

__________________
"He was kinda funny lookin'"

I love them all. Every time I think or hear "nickel", I always think of Tommy Lee Jones in US Marshalls telling Robert Downey Jr. to "get rid of that nickel plated sissy pistol and get yourself a Glock"... LOL

Years ago I had a stainless Colt 1911 Gov't model choke up on me from the slide and frame galling. Never had a stainless 1911 or semi-auto again.

Wasn't that a Taurus? Betting it was actually Stainless.

Rosewood

It was a Taurus PT-945 and it was their polished stainless finish.

__________________
VCDL, GOA, NRA

I like all three finishes. Smiths from the 1970's

Model 15 - 1974
Model 10 - 1979
Model 64 - 1976

Attached Images

IMG_0020.jpg (112.2 KB, 29 views)

Based on what I own - blue, nickel, and stainless.
Based on what I use/carry - stainless, blue, and nickel.
Based on the human attraction to shiny things - nickel, stainless, and blue.
I will add that I have recently developed a deeper fondness for nickel Terriers - guess the shine attracts me.....

Post-war Improved I-frame first version
IMG_3831.jpg


Pre-war six-screw
IMG_E3780.jpg

__________________
NRA Endowment Member