difference between blue and stainless finish
Does one hold an advantage over the other? I know that you can refinish a blued gun, but is that the only difference?
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Stainless provides greater corrosion resistance. It will rust, but it takes much more exposure to develop. 0 -
An SS firearm may also be refinished.
When SS was first introduced as a material for the manufacture of firearms, - by Smith & Wesson on the Model 60 (a stainless version of the Model 36 Chief's Special) - there were some initial problems, particularly with galling.
But now that those early difficulties have been resolved, many consider SS to be more desirable than blue: it doesn't rust when exposed to the elements or human sweat, as bluing does, and is a lower maintenance finish altogether. The downside to this is that many do NO maintenance on it - a bad thing.
I used to try to get all my new firearms in it and had a lot of them. As I have matured (meaning gotten old), I find that blue finishes are more attractive to me, so currently only have a couple in SS.
So, as in all other endeavors, "You pays your money and you takes your choice."
Whatterya lookin' at bine ??
Doug
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...Short answer, no. A quality SS finish will not show holster wear and other such light wear as easily as a blue finish.
...Bright SS finish will tend to show "spider scratches" that can be seen and not felt, in other words, very very shallow "scratches"...if you can call them that.
...Matte SS will tend to dull/darken and not show holster wear much. The original matte color can be brought back with a NON abrasive chrome polish usually. Fact is, Mothers Mag Brite and a couple of other chrome polishes can turn a matte SS into a bright SS finish with a LOT of rubbing, when I say a LOT; I mean take the gun and watch a football game etc., and the whole time just rub away at an area then hand buff with a soft rag, 100% cooten towel works good.
...Do this every chance you get, and after an entire football season [:D] you'll have a pretty shinet SS finish on your gun. Ive done a couple of carry guns of mine like that, just for fun...and it takes a while...now if you have gobs of patience and are in a hurry, polish away hours a day for quicker results.
...There are several types of "blue" finishes and "grades"...and the guy who runs the buffer is about the main factor in how good a blue job turns out; it's almost all in the prep.
Blue in general is a durable finish but needs a good bit of care, FLITZ, a wipe down and oil after EVERY time it's handled; some people have so much acid in thier body they can cause a rusty finger print to appear in a matter of hours if not wiped down.
...Blue will show holster wear on all the "edges" really quickly when holstered/unholstered quite a bit; and around the front strap & MSH/GS on 1911's.
...Bright nickle finish acts about the same as a bright SS finish, but tends to wear thru to the base metal coating, no biggie really, but a LOT of care to keep looking really good. BN also shows finger prints as bad as any finish Ive evr seen...takes a lot of rubbing with a 100% cotten rag and FLITZ or a good oil to make it stay at it's best...and youwill never get allthe liitle "less shiney" spots next to fire control parts, as shiney as the open areas.
...A BN finish will also, peel/chip over the years, even quality guns/BN finishes; the better cared for (climate controlled) and the better quality finish will take decades or longer to peel...Ive seen a lot of BN guns that are 70+ years old that the finish was yet to peel, others peeled like a bad sunburn in a LOT less time.
...Hard Chrome, either matte or bright, is one of the most durable finishes...if, it was a quality job, on a quality gun...all bets off on a HighPoint or Jimenez.
A lot of GI's after WWII brought home their issue sidearms, US Property stamped, and were worried about having Uncle Sams property; and for various other reasons too, ahd thier 1911's chromed. Problem was that most the places that did chrome back then were car bumper mabf/or bumper refinishers and....as you can imagine many a nice 1911 were handled by car bumper people, buffed to death and a HEAVY layer of all metals needed to obtain the chrome finish, a shame in a lot of cases, well all really.
I have seen some that vets had done at these places and still had the gun, and was surpised at how good they looked...considering.
...Ther are lots more types of finishes, nothing lasts forever, and all have pro's & con's...[;)]
...Never store a gun in a leather holster no matter the quality, lined or unlined.
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Thanks yall appreciate the good amount of info 0
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