Hello All-

Trying to understand the differences in maintenance for a satin glass bead finish as I am considering purchasing a satin model in the near future and have only ever maintained blued and stainless steel models in the past.

Would appreciate any insight into the differences and likelihood of issues from the satin finish.

Thank you-

Just be very careful with it, any marks on the finish are there forever, or until the finish is re-beaded. Other than that just keep it lightly oiled like any other gun.

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Gunsmithing since 1961

Just to be clear, are you asking about a bare matte finish on carbon steel or stainless? If carbon, I heartily concur with Alk8944! Keep it covered with a protective coat of oil. Matte stainless is a lot more durable and forgiving.

Froggie

The finish I am referring to is described in the catalog as a glass beaded stainless steel frame version. So that means it in fact would be much more durable than originally described by the first comment?

That is good news as I was tentative after hearing the first description.

Avoid abrasives on the stainless finish, so don't wipe down the entire firearm with a Lead Away cloth or use polishes like Flitz, Semi-Chrome, or Mother's as these will polish the surface and it will become less satin and more high-shine stainless. For cleaning, just use solvent and finish with a very light coat of oil, like you would for a blued carbon steel firearm.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

Glass beading produces more of a dull grayish satin finish and will show more cosmetic wear than a brushed stainless gun. The bead blasted finish is also harder to spot repair to blend in. Personally I don't care much for the bead blasted finish, but many do - sort of like what's your favorite color.

My Fav is traditional bluing (vintage process) however I do own some brushed stainless guns and even a few Nickel Plated ones. I don't own any bead blasted ones.

All depends on the look you want. I have a bead blasted matte finish 66-8 that I LIGHTLY used a little Flitz and t-shirt to brighten up but still maintain the matte finish. On satin brushed stainless guns I'm not a fan of the multi-directional scratches and dull gray finish so I use a combination of Flitz and Mother's to achieve a bright stainless polish on the gun, but do so without completely removing all the factory brush marks. It's all up to you. When I'm done shooting I clean with Hoppe's #9 and wipe down with a silicone gun cloth before returning them to the safe. Below a 66-8 bead blasted and 686-6 bright satin polish: