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Nickle/ ss 357 S&W cleaning care

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BluewaterLa

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Hello guys, I've read some older post over the web about what products will or will not damage nicke plate and stainless steel finished guns.
I've kept good care of my revolvers with regular cleaning.
The one in question was my late fathers, I have held this pistol as if it were a shrine :eek: regular cleaning the gun just to keep corrosion and dust off.
Finally took it to the range and fired 200 rounds with the largest smile and a some what of a heavy heart. Now time to clean the gun inside and out.
I used very mild cleaners and oils but need some advise on the inside of the barrel and chambers. I want to use hoppes no 9 as I do with all copper and led buildup. I'm afraid to damage the finish of this gun in any way :eek:
What to not do ? Parts to not get solvent on ?
357 is nickel plated I believe, wooden grip, and brass inserts on grips I know to keep away from those with solvent. Will small amounts on the finish damage it?
Sorry for the long post I tend to ramble when this relic is on my brain :D
Thanks for any imput, BluewaterLa.
 
You can't hurt stainless with any gun cleaning product.

Solvents with ammonia can cause nickel to peel if the nickel has a crack for it to get under. I clean the bore and chambers with solvent and clean the outside with an oily rag.
 
Thanks for the reply ! Definitely no cracks in the finish to wonder about, the gun has been well cared for and rarely shot. I put way more rounds through it in one session than its had since 1985 :)
 
Stainless steel guns will not be hurt by any cleaner, they are not stainless finished, they are stainless clear through.

Nickel plated guns have a copper sub straight put on the gun first to get the nickel plate to stick to it. Hoppes, if it gets a chance, will work on eating that copper out from under the nickel and it will peel off.

You need to figure out which gun you have. You can't use a magnet to tell because it will stick to both. You should be able to see your own reflection in the finish if it's Nickel but not in the stainless.
 
The one I'm more worried about spills or splashing is definitely nickle, mirror finish. The other is stainless and not much of concern as compared to my dads.
Thanks for the reply !
 
You need to figure out which gun you have. You can't use a magnet to tell because it will stick to both. You should be able to see your own reflection in the finish if it's Nickel but not in the stainless.
Click to expand...

Stainless can be polished to a mirror shine, and many people have done just that. The best indicator is usually the color.

Stainless will have a white appearance. Nickel almost always has a yellow hue to it. Hard Chrome will normally exhibit a bit of a blue tint.

Unfortunately, lots of guns have been mis-represented as "Stainless" when they are in fact Nickeled. I ran into this with my previously owned Desert Eagle. It was marketed in the 80s as "Stainless" but Magnum Research told me that the frames where stainless, but the slides and barrels were Nickel plated carbon steel. This type of confusion/mis-representation can be dangerous ground if you plan on using harsh cleaners.

I think the model of the revolver needs to be determined first and foremost. For example, if it's a Model 19, then we know it is plated and not stainless.
 
BluewaterLa said:
... Parts to not get solvent on ?
357 is nickel plated I believe, wooden grip, and brass inserts on grips I know to keep away from those with solvent. ...
Click to expand...

It takes less than a minute to remove the wooden stocks on my revolvers, and I do so any time one is getting a thorough cleaning. Use the correctly sized hollow-ground screwdriver to carefully R/R the screws and you have access to the whole frame.

Your remark about shooting your dad's revolver with a huge smile and a heavy heart struck a chord in me. I will be looking for pictures and more info on the model.

Good luck with your back procedure.
 
One thing I have always been careful about when cleaning nickel plated guns is not to get any kind of copper solvent on to the plated surfaces. Some bright nickel and chrome guns were first plated with copper to the metal as means of getting the nickel or chrome to adhere to the gun properly. What happens if using copper solvents is that any tiny opening in the nickel plate might allow the solvent to get in and remove the copper plate underneath. With the copper bond gone the nickel plate will peel off.
 
Howdy

Stainless revolvers from S&W always have a '6' as the first digit in the model number. As in Model 65, Model 66, Model 617. Also, stainless guns did not appear until after S&W went to the numbering system. So if it does not say MOD-6XX or something similar on the frame under the cylinder crane, it is not Stainless. If it does not say MOD-XXX on the frame under the cylinder crane, it is a pre-Model Number gun. On those guns there were usually assembly numbers under the crane.
 
I'm back home and can't think clear. MODEL 19-4
60k977 5 ob frame near crane
C14...then 17041 on crane assembly
Will post a pic as soon as my head comes back to earth and falls on my shoulders again :evil: thank you all for the replies !
Il.bill hopefully I didn't strum a painful chord, this gun has been mine
Since sept. 1987 and finally at 34 I decided I've waited long enough to connect with it. Wish everyone well in life and thanks again. BluewaterLa
 
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I would clean it with M-Pro 7. Do clean my guns with it. Or Hoppes Elite which is about the same and not like old No 9.
No ammonia to get under your nickel plate, no smell, effective cleaning. Might leave a little copper, but so what? It isn't a benchrest rifle.
 
Poor photos seem to be of a Stainless Steel Model 66.
Or a Nickel plated carbon steel Model 19.

In either case, it also appears to be recent enough to have the model number stamped inside the cylinder crane cut in the frame.

Open the cylinder, read it, then report back to us!

rc
 
Info in post 11 if any one is interested and its a model 19-4. Sorry but the meds are getting me !
I still have the original receipt in the attic, remember seeing nickel plate but its been years, may have to go find it :D
 
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Don't worry, it's nickel.
The stuff I use won't hurt it and there are more and more ammonia free solvents all the time.

Get some sleep. I am.
 
Often, but not always, stainless steel S&W's have flash chromed hammers and triggers. Nickel guns tend to have darker case hardened hammers and triggers. The ejector stars on stainless guns are stainless and blued on nickel guns. That's usually a quick way to identify as well.
 
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