Huge mistake with new 57!!

Very sorry to hear that, you must be crushed.
Hopefully S&W will somehow make this right for you.

Not being able to use Hoppes 9 to clean a quality firearm is akin to being told your new cars paint will come off if you take it to a car wash.

Thank you for sharing this information with us, as painful as it is.

If worse comes to worst, send it to Fords for a re-blue.

Let us know what happens.
 
I bought a 36 3" heavy barrel from a gun shop that had a fire. It had been exposed to water and steam so the finish was trashed. I wanted it for a beater carry gun, glass beaded then Parkerized. The frame took the finish fine but on the barrel and cylinder the finish just washed off. Repeated the process and the same thing happened. The barrel and cylinder seem to be some type of stainless definitely not carbon steel. This is a late production IL model.

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I have had the same thing happen and I was sick, still am. I cleaned the cylinder on my Model 57-5 Mountain Gun that I purchased new (I think in 2009) and removed some of the bluing from it. I was using Winchester Super X bore cleaner on the barrel and charge holes in the cylinder, and Hoppes #9 on the outside of the cylinder and frame. The bluing only came off of the cylinder as I was rubbing a little hard due to a long day at the range and some lead residue. I have stayed away from Hoppes on nickel but have used it on blue for 20 years. I did not call Smith and Wesson because frankly I have not even wanted to think about it. I love that weapon and will keep and shoot it no matter the finish, but am curious to see if they remedy it for the OP. Best of luck sir.
 
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ShelbyV8 said:
I bought a 36 3" heavy barrel from a gun shop that had a fire. It had been exposed to water and steam so the finish was trashed. I wanted it for a beater carry gun, glass beaded then Parkerized. The frame took the finish fine but on the barrel and cylinder the finish just washed off. Repeated the process and the same thing happened. The barrel and cylinder seem to be some type of stainless definitely not carbon steel. This is a late production IL model.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Definitely much more difficult to get a durable black on stainless. But I wonder why the rest of the revolver is carbon steel? Makes matching the finishes even more difficult!
 
I was shocked when I found this. I don't know when they changed their manufacturing process. It is going to the factory for a broken hammer pin. I am going to send a letter questioning this. I assumed I was buying a carbon steel revolver like they had been made for years.

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HOPPE'S ELITE

I CALLED S&W AFTER READING THIS POST SINCE I'VE JUST PURCHASED A NEW CLASSIC M57. SURE ENOUGH, I WAS TOLD THAT HOPPES #9 HAD THE POTENTIAL TO DAMAGE THE FINISH IF USED IMPROPERLY (WHATEVER THAT MEANS?) I ASKED IF THEY COULD SUGGEST A SAFE SOLVENT FOR USE & WAS TOLD THAT S&W RECOMMENDS HOPPES "ELITE" CLEANING SOLVENT. I HOPE THIS IS OF SOME HELP TO THOSE WHO HAVE PURCHASED A NEW S&W. AFTER CHECKING OUT THIS PRODUCT ON MIDWAY'S WEBSITE, THE REVIEWS OF THIS PRODUCT WERE VERY POSITIVE & MOST RATED IT AS AN IMPROVEMENT OVER THE OLDER HOPPE'S #9 SOLVENT. I PLACE AN ORDER FOR IT & INTEND TO TRY IT OUT.
 
I bought a Classic 29-10 a couple years back and use nothing but Hoppe's 9 on it, no problems. Now, I smell something, and it's not roses.
 
I've never seen a bottle of Hoppe's Elite, anywhere, so perhaps they oughta supply one with new guns? Crapiola, this is redden ing my buttocks, Hoppe's, probably the largest selling and most common cleaning fluid in the world, unsuitable for one of the largest handgun manufacturers in the world? Makes no sense whatsoever.
 
Did hoppes change there formula?

I use only the orginal USGI RIFLE BORE CLEANER
I cleaned the bore on my m58 very sparsely using it. I didn't spill a drop on the finish with a mop. I just wiped out the bore.

On my rifles and stainless revolvers it never hurt the finish.

I only have one new s&w in blue that I may trade in on a python. Maybe, I hate to do it.

Do we need to pull the grips and do a solvent test?
 
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If this was actually a problem do you really think this would be the first time we had heard about it? The new guns have been out for a while, I'd expect dozens of instances. I either think something was wrong with the blued finish on this gun to begin with or a key part of the story is being left out.
 
Coaltminer said:
I've never seen a bottle of Hoppe's Elite, anywhere, so perhaps they oughta supply one with new guns? Crapiola, this is redden ing my buttocks, Hoppe's, probably the largest selling and most common cleaning fluid in the world, unsuitable for one of the largest handgun manufacturers in the world? Makes no sense whatsoever.
Click to expand...

Yep.... like "Larry the Cable Guy" says: "makes no sense at all, it's like wiping before you poop".

S&W needs to be more forthright in the owners guide about it, and not add to their already overburdened repair queue with owners sending in their Hoppes #9 damaged guns in.

Plus.... if being an ammoniated solvent is the issue, there is a long list of other gun/bore cleaners in addition to Hoppes #9 sitting on shelves just waiting to do their deed.

Out of curiosity, I did an internet search on "ammoniated bore solvent" just to see how many are out there, interestingly enough... the search results included a posting that appeared on The Firing Line forum from back in 2007, discussing the use of Hoppe's #9 on M&P pistols due to the warning in the Instruction Manual.

So that got me thinking... when the heck did S&W start putting that warning in the instruction manual?

Well... in the collection of manuals I've accumulated along the years buying these things, I found one from 2005 that I got with a 3rd gen pistol. It has the ammoniated/strong alkaline solvent warning, along with this pearl of wisdom no longer in the current manual:

"As a rule of thumb, if you would be comfortable applying the solvent of your choice to the finish of your automobile, it will probably be safe for use on your firearm"

So like allergy testing, I'm heading out to my garage to put droplets of various gun cleaners on the trunk lid of my car and wait to see which ones lift the paint... :rolleyes::rolleyes::D
 
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Vulcan Bob said:
If this is indeed the case I would suspect EPA involvement.
Click to expand...

Traditional bluing salts when depleted are a tough commodity to get rid of. EPA regulations, Haz Mat , profit margins and all that stuff.

So they are now most likely using some sort of bluing process that is simply weaker. Or reacts to Hoppes #9.
 
Once they halt bluing they will be epoxy painted. A few gun manufacturers have done this.

Let's not jump to s&w being the problem yet.

Did you contact hoopes? Maybe a bad batch?

What solvent should we use?
 
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