Anyone know about S&W stainless finishes? I'm getting a 627 PC V-Comp V8 in a few days. (Hope I don't regret this) But while looking at it I noticed it isn't as shiny as my j frame in stainless. It is more of a matte finish. I know anything from S&W with a model number starting in a 6 means stainless. Can these be polished or is that a special coating?
S&W stainless finishes
- Thread starter rayman
- Start date
- Status
I don't believe that any of Smith & Wesson's stainless revolvers are "finished" in the conventional understanding of the word. They may be bead-blasted, high polished, or somewhere in between. If it floats your boat, bead-blasted guns are often brought to a high polish by they're owners. All it really takes is some mag-wheel polish and plenty of elbow grease.
Hondo 60
Member
That's not a coating.
It's made with stainless steel, so if you want to polish it, Flitz or Mothers Mag Polish will do nicely for you.
It's made with stainless steel, so if you want to polish it, Flitz or Mothers Mag Polish will do nicely for you.
Waywatcher
Member
That looks like a bead blasted stainless gun to me. Most stainless S&Ws are a more brushed appearance, similar to what a scotchbrite pad would produce.
I like yours, and would leave it alone.
I like yours, and would leave it alone.
CraigC
Sixgun Nut
Typical of S&W's frosted finishes. A little softer than your average bead blast. You really need to buy a sixgun in the finish you want. While it's boringly easy to bead blast a brushed gun, it is extremely difficult, time consuming and expensive to polish a beaded gun.
BlindJustice
Member
S&W Stainless Finishes I'm aware of:
My S&Ws
Model 60 & 617 both have the 'Satin' bright polished finish
FYI - the 60 is the first handgun produced in
Stainless steel circa late '60s.
I also have a 625 .45 ACP and a S&W1911 both of these
have the 'Matte' finish - the Matte finish is accomplished by
bead blasting makeing little indentations. IT would take a lot
of work and indeed a removal of material to shine em up
and why would you want to? Everyone I've shown my S&Ws to
prefer the Matte finish. In 'COmbat' be it military or Civilian you
don't want a gun that reflects light
THe Matte finish is not offered on as many of the 6nn revolvers as the matte.
Randall
My S&Ws
Model 60 & 617 both have the 'Satin' bright polished finish
FYI - the 60 is the first handgun produced in
Stainless steel circa late '60s.
I also have a 625 .45 ACP and a S&W1911 both of these
have the 'Matte' finish - the Matte finish is accomplished by
bead blasting makeing little indentations. IT would take a lot
of work and indeed a removal of material to shine em up
and why would you want to? Everyone I've shown my S&Ws to
prefer the Matte finish. In 'COmbat' be it military or Civilian you
don't want a gun that reflects light
THe Matte finish is not offered on as many of the 6nn revolvers as the matte.
Randall
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
NO!
If you want a shiny "Bling" buy a chrome plated Saturday Night Special.
Leave the nice S&W factory satin finish alone for future generations of S&W collectors to drool over.
rc
OK, it stays as is!
I guess you're right. I've always left all my S&W's OEM. I grew up in the 70's and stainless steel meant shiny. This is starting to grow on me and the comp is doing what it is supposed to do .357's don't feel like .357 in this gun. My 15 yard groups are nice and small. I'm slowly liking it more.
I guess you're right. I've always left all my S&W's OEM. I grew up in the 70's and stainless steel meant shiny. This is starting to grow on me and the comp is doing what it is supposed to do .357's don't feel like .357 in this gun. My 15 yard groups are nice and small. I'm slowly liking it more.
towboat_er
Member
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2011
- Messages
- 889
I like it the way it is.
ColtPythonElite
Member
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2011
- Messages
- 10,477
It can be polished if you ever want to do it. I prefer to do my polishing with a bench mounted buffer. After 15 years of holster time, this little Ruger was showing some wear. I high polished the cylinder and then just buffed the frame a bit.
Hondo 60
Member
You want pictures?
Well, here's my 66-2
Yes, very shiny & shows every little swirl.
Well, here's my 66-2
Yes, very shiny & shows every little swirl.
DC3-CVN-72
Member
I have a S&W 627-3 V-8 V-comp. like yours except my cyl. is unfluted, and would leave it alone.
finish fanatics...
I purchased a new garden variety 640 last year and it looked just fine. Then I decided to make it a project piece for the heck of it. As you can see, the edges have been dehorned, along with a buff job to soften the appearance. You can easily experiment with the stainless finish provided its not bead blasted.
Left: Original / Right: Modified
I purchased a new garden variety 640 last year and it looked just fine. Then I decided to make it a project piece for the heck of it. As you can see, the edges have been dehorned, along with a buff job to soften the appearance. You can easily experiment with the stainless finish provided its not bead blasted.
Left: Original / Right: Modified
Attachments
Last edited:
Confederate
Member
S&W's stainless finishes have been horrendous, almost like a room full of monkeys with Brillo pads. Scratches go in all directions and it's up to users to polish the guns.
S&W cuts corners every chance it gets, keeps raising the prices and people keep paying them. I recently watched a guy at a local gunstore looking at both a S&W 686 and a Ruger GP-100. The fit and finish of the Ruger was far superior to that of the S&W, and the price difference was slightly more than $200+ for the S&W.
It's a shame the guy was even thinking about it!
S&W cuts corners every chance it gets, keeps raising the prices and people keep paying them. I recently watched a guy at a local gunstore looking at both a S&W 686 and a Ruger GP-100. The fit and finish of the Ruger was far superior to that of the S&W, and the price difference was slightly more than $200+ for the S&W.
It's a shame the guy was even thinking about it!
Last edited:
jad0110
Member
I shined up my 686 a bit with some Flitz, but only because a LOT of S&W revolvers made a few years ago had a very noticeable amount of variance in the finishing between the cylinder (shiny/polished) and the rest of the frame (duller, with lots of swirl marks). Stainless S&Ws made after 2008 or so appear to be much more consistent.
Before:
After:
Before:
After:
Confederate
Member
Flitz is great, but the hammers and triggers of new S&W guns still detract from their looks. I had a 686 4-inch years ago that I got rid of. I thought I'd just be able to get one later...boy was I wrong! The ones now have a pinned on front sight, crappy finish and MIM parts.
Hi Jad0110,
Well, if you notice my 'newer' 640 above, the cylinder was a bit shinier than the frame. Now, even though I liked the toned down buff job, its currently at Smith’ being ‘bright polished’. In fact, I called today to add something else to the work order. If it comes out the way I expect, it will likely become more of a show-piece than any EDC.
Well, if you notice my 'newer' 640 above, the cylinder was a bit shinier than the frame. Now, even though I liked the toned down buff job, its currently at Smith’ being ‘bright polished’. In fact, I called today to add something else to the work order. If it comes out the way I expect, it will likely become more of a show-piece than any EDC.
Last edited:
- Status
Similar threads
