Which finish shows less wear from handling and holster use on these new guns? My thoughts are with the bead blasted finish you would see a shiny or polished area and any scratches would easily show up.
With the polished surface light wear would not show as easily and could be polished out.

Any comments from folks who have had the matte bead blast finish guns over the long term use?

You are correct in thinking the standard brushed stainless will show less wear than the bead blasted finished guns will. With the brushed finish you can polish any wear spots yourself at home. With the bead blasted finish the only recourse to the inevitable shiny spots are to have the whole gun polished, re-blasted or live with it. Personally I prefer the brushed finish but neither would bother me enough to not buy a gun I liked in any given finish.

I don't care for stainless steel guns that have been polished so as to resemble a car bumper from the 1960s. But that's just me; a lot of folks like that look. However, buying a quality holster made to fit your handgun exactly with a lining of smooth leather or other non-marring material can go a long way toward preserving a gun's finish. Lobo Gun Leather holsters have those options and my guns carried in them show no buffing or scuffing of their factory finishes.

Ed

I have a 65-5 Ladysmith with the factory bead blasted finish. It seems pretty durable. I was told the glass beading peens the surface and makes it harder. I guess an expert on blasting would know better, but I does hold up pretty well. I have a few brushed stainless revolvers, and with a little elbow grease and going in the right direction with a grey scotchbright pad, seems to make the finish pretty darn close to factory. I have better luck touching up the finish on my stainless guns then touch up re-blueing on a blue gun.

I like the matte finish on stainless . After a time handling and wiping down with a microfiber cloth (dry, no polishing compound) results a slight sheen to the finish. This is from 1983.

I like the SS finish as it comes from the factory, as represented by my 686-4

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John

I have a 686-3 that I believe the previous owner polished somewhat. I'll have to try the grey ScotchBrite pad trick on it.

Ed

I think everything shows scratches to a degree. But yeah, the polished ones probably much less.

I prefer the smooth stainless surface over the bead blasted. I also prefer to take mothers polish to it and remove the swirl marks. Only had to do this once and all four I have like this have stayed loo looking good for several years without having to polish again.
The bead blasted finish has a texture to it. Hard to wipe the gun down. Texture likes to pull lint from cloth and leave it hanging on gun. No big deal, but by this day and age, revolvers are meant to be the pretty guns, for a beater, get a glock and run it dirty forever, right?
Secondly, you can always bead blast a smooth finish, but going from texture to smooth is not going to be easy.

And it's exactly why I have not bought a new 66, only offered in bead blasted finish

I want OLDSTER's 686-4, but if it turns up missing I had nothing to do with it.