How Durable Is Nickel ?

[Nick B]

To start off I’m a shooter not a collector and have never owned a Smith with a nickel finish . Today I came across a 4” nickel 29-2 for sale . Perfect factory grips and no box . The gun was really nice except for a spot on the cylinder where there must of been some corrosion or something and the nickel was gone . A spot maybe a little smaller than a pencil eraser.
So my question is about the durability of nickel for a gun that will be holstered and shot . Does it hold up with normal use ?
Thanks in advance.

 

[THEWELSHM]

To start off I’m a shooter not a collector and have never owned a Smith with a nickel finish . Today I came across a 4” nickel 29-2 for sale . Perfect factory grips and no box . The gun was really nice except for a spot on the cylinder where there must of been some corrosion or something and the nickel was gone . A spot maybe a little smaller than a pencil eraser.
So my question is about the durability of nickel for a gun that will be holstered and shot . Does it hold up with normal use ?
Thanks in advance.

I love. My 29-2 & 27-2 in nickel.

Threwelshm

 

[cololab]

Of those associates of mine who have or had nickle plated revolvers, the only concerns they expressed were regarding certain cleaning solvents having the potential to discolor the nickle.

Others more knowledgeable can provide you much better advice.

 

[GypsmJim]

You can ask about a gun, a boat or a car, etc, etc. Take care of your things and they will last a looooong time.

My nickle S&W revolver is circa 1980 and it still looks like new. And, I only clean it once or twice a year.

 

[Model19man]

Bought my nickel plated Model 19-5 new in 1981. It still looks great. Poor storage and mistreatment will hurt anything.

 

[stansdds]

Until the advent of hard chrome, nickel was the most durable, most corrosion resistant finish you could put on a firearm. I do advise when looking at a nickel plates S&W to be sure it is a factory finish. Factory nickel plated S&W's usually have an "N" stamped on the back of the cylinder or in the recess for the extractor star. They also usually have an "N" stamped into the left side of the grip frame, near the butt of the frame. A plated hammer and trigger are sure sign of an aftermarket refinish as S&W did not nickel plate hammer, trigger, or extractor.

 

[diyj98]

I think nickel is beautiful and it's tough, but once it's chipped or deeply scratched it is for life. I have nickel guns, but they aren't the ones I choose for hard use.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

My 2 29's and 2 34's and a 19. From the 70's all still look new when wiped down.....My old 4 in 29 has ridden many many miles in a holster while deer hunting.....Still looks good..........I prefer nickel to blue or stainless. But, Alas. No more nickel Smith's are being made

 

[murphydog]

Standard polished nickel plating, as on S & W revolvers, is fairly soft so susceptible to scratches, chips, etc. Removing scratches works but takes off the plating, so caution is indicated.

If you get the model 29, you can change your Forum name to "Nickel B".

 

[444 Magnum]

Nick, you've heard from all the nickel lovers and I am one as well.

The truth is, however, if it's going to be holstered and shot, i.e. used with frequency, then a stainless finish will hold up better. This is simply because the finish is the actual metal-whether polished, brushed, matte, etc. it can be maintained and repaired easier than an applied finish. When nickel wears or rubs off, it's gone. Scratches can be polished out but muzzle and high edge wear from frequent holstering is gone forever.

Nickel looks better imo, but stainless wears better.

 

[chief38]

I still have and have had a bunch of Nickeled revolvers. While they are not nearly as durable as Stainless, Hard Chrome, Parkerizing or Nitride, most of the Nickel does stay on the gun. Sometimes you will get a small black spot due to a knick or scratch but other than many fine scratches over the years my Nickeled guns have fared acceptably. Again, nickel is much softer than Chrome and it will pick up scratches easily however at least for me, peeling has not been a major issue.

On areas that have gotten small black spots I have used Flitz to polish them to full smoothness and brightness so that even though the Nickel is missing from that area, it appears to be just about perfect to the eye.

Nickel guns I have had have been shot thousands of times. Normal firing seems to not have any ill effects other than the front of the cylinder gets stained and discolored with carbon and lead, just like any other revolver cylinder does. If one were to constantly try and remove the lead and carbon with abrasives, the Nickel would eventually thin and wear off. That is also true on blued guns - maybe just not as obvious.

 

[VaTom]

Back before stainless became popular in revolvers nickel was the choice over blue for durability. As a LEO in the 1970s and 80s we carried nickel Model 10s (like mine in the picture). Any dulling of the finish can be brought back with flitz and renwax. My 1978 M10 had a little dulling on the back strap and a small nick on the end of the barrel when I bought it. Likely a police trade in. Cleaned up nicely. As others have said check for the N to indicate factory finish.mine is on the barrel flat. A prized find 8 years ago at a small gun show for $300!

 

[.38SuperMan]

Here’s my 1920 M&P. It’s not perfect and I don’t know it’s history but it looks better than the average blued gun that’s that old. Saying that I’ve seen nickel guns that age that look terrible. So it really comes down to how you treat it. Keep it clean and don’t abuse it and it’ll look great for decades.

Note: Some cleaners are not recommended for nickel. I believe the older formula of Hoppes #9 wasn’t recommended for nickel. I’m not sure about the current reformulated version. The best thing to do is contact the manufacturer and ask.

I’ve owned several nickel revolvers and still own several. All have been shot a fair amount and none have ever started peeling or pitting and still look nearly new but then I clean and oil my guns and take good care of them.

I have a model 15 that had a bad finish when i bought it to use in IPSC. I wound up having it bead blasted and electroless nickel plated. Electroless nickel has slightly different properties than electroplated nickel but the gun was plated about 35 years ago and has been in and out of a leather holster thousands of times and there’s no apparent wear.

 

[chief38]

Back when I was a kit, we never saw a Cop carrying a Nickeled gun. Our local PD did not allow that. A Nickeled gun was always a sign the gun carrying person was a perp and not a LEO - at least in theory!

My Dad who was a Federal LEO for a popular Agency did carry a Nickeled revolver (a Baby Chief's Spl) when undercover and in plain clothes. His theory was that it would be more difficult to "make him" as a Fed that way because they did not carry Nickeled guns.

 

[Glenn R. McMannly]

More durable than a penny, less durable than a quarter.

 

[stansdds]

More durable than a penny, less durable than a quarter.

5 times better than a penny, half as good as a dime, and only 1/5 as nice as a quarter, to be exact.

 

[Hair Trigger]

To start off I’m a shooter not a collector and have never owned a Smith with a nickel finish . Today I came across a 4” nickel 29-2 for sale . Perfect factory grips and no box . The gun was really nice except for a spot on the cylinder where there must of been some corrosion or something and the nickel was gone . A spot maybe a little smaller than a pencil eraser.
So my question is about the durability of nickel for a gun that will be holstered and shot . Does it hold up with normal use ?
Thanks in advance.

It will hold up as well as a blued gun used the same way, maybe a bit better, but once a nickel finish has chipped it can't be fixed without replating it. It will scratch and minor ones can be polished out but the plating gets thinner.

If the spot on the one you're looking at doesn't bother you, get it and shoot it. You said you're not collecting, so don't worry too much about the finish.

I've only got two nickel guns, but blued is my preference.