Smith And Wesson Forums banner

Do You Have A Preference Between Stainless & Blue Finish & Why

8K views 86 replies 47 participants last post by  ussmanlovede36 
#1 ·
Personally, I like stainless guns for the ease of cleaning and durability. However, I think blued guns are much better looking. It's been said and I agree, "Stainless has durability and Blue has Soul".

What's your thoughts..............???

Here's a stainless 4" N-Frame Model 25 v/s 4" N-Frame Model 625 (different grips & front sights.....sorry).

Revolver Textile Trigger Sleeve Air gun


Revolver Air gun Trigger Gun barrel Shotgun
 
See less See more
2
#3 ·
Hey Geeze,

Take a FULL blame HOUSE to beat that pair!

How about a Blue Colt's with a STAINLESS Ruger Barrel? Every one has a 22LR PPC Gun in their Safe?

Don't they?

Later, Mark
 

Attachments

#4 ·
Hey Geeze,

Take a FULL blame HOUSE to beat that pair!

How about a Blue Colt's with a STAINLESS Ruger Barrel? Every one has a 22LR PPC Gun in their Safe?

Don't they?

Later, Mark
Now that's a new one on me Mark........................
 
#5 ·
Hey Geeze,

My Neighbor, Dave, had my Nephew wind this 8-3/8" 45LC tube(Blued) on his 625 (stainless), last summer...

Its his "new favorite" Revolver...and he shoots GOOD!

later, Mark
 

Attachments

#12 ·
Blued is purdy but high maintenance.
Stainless is practical.
I'm a function over form kinda guy, so SS for me.
Yep. The prettiest new or well-kept guns are almost always blue/black. (y)

With a bunch of use and wear, stainless steel is the superior finish. (y)

Love them both. A lot depends on the gun model. Some just demand one finish over the other. :)
 
#15 ·
You gentle persons are such meanies................Just looking at all the hardware is "ALMOST" better than the first cuppa Joe in the early dawn's light (you even got me waxing poetic, sorta).
Me, personally, I refuse to discriminate or judge based on exterior finish. I'm far too new to this affliction of gun love (less than 12 years, I reckon) for that level of concern, but I gotta say: love them revolvers. Oh, and yes, I have a couple or 9 or so. Both of my adult children visited last fall (they live 1442 miles away) and they also have the affliction, but they are reluctant to wait for me kick off this mortal coil, to acquire for this summers competitions.

P.S. Conned them into cleaning some of the revolvers and semi-auto's (firearms familiarization, you know). Daughter has already laid claim to the Ruger Super Redhawk Revolver 10mm, that is my latest acquisition. And yes, it's stainless.
 
#18 ·
Personally, I like stainless guns for the ease of cleaning and durability. However, I think blued guns are much better looking. It's been said and I agree, "Stainless has durability and Blue has Soul".

What's your thoughts..............???
Blues and stainless. Either one. I like both better than nickel.
What 1av8r said is how I feel. Of my revolver collection, I have one stainless and two nickel guns, the other eight are blued, my primary preference. I do like stainless, as long as it is the normal matte or brushed finish, and not highly polished. Nickel, to me is sort of gaudy and showy, I prefer a more subdued look. One of my nickel guns is a commemorative and only came in nickel, the other nickel gun is a model I've looked for for quite a while and never found a blued one with a finish that wasn't worn beyond what I would accept.
 
#24 ·
I like both SS and blued, however, that being said you cannot beat the finish of the older blued revolvers. Used to think that the Blued revolvers were more of a hassle to clean but that thinking soon disappeared...just need to care for them a little differently.
A couple of my blued revolvers...the 6" 28-2 was refinished prior to me obtaining it. The model 19-4 has the best blued finish of them all.
Model 28-2 4"
Revolver Gesture Eyewear Bullet Wood

Model 28-2 6"
Revolver Air gun Trigger Wood Gun barrel

Model 19-4
Revolver Trigger Air gun Gun barrel Wood
 
#25 ·
Stainless is easier to maintain, and I like it for a gun that I intend to use at the range.

For a self defense firearm (used in the home or for every day carry) I don't want something bright or shiny. I prefer black color (blued steel, Nitron, etc. finish) firearms for those purposes.
 
#27 ·
Stainless is easier to maintain, and I like it for a gun that I intend to use at the range.

For a self defense firearm (used in the home or for every day carry) I don't want something bright or shiny. I prefer black color (blued steel, Nitron, etc. finish) firearms for those purposes.
Yep, back in the day (before stainless guns) we used to say about nickel & chrome guns, "Glows In The Dark".......smile
 
#30 ·
This thread has had me thinking more about stainless vs blued and think I understand something about my preferences. As mentioned, there is an obvious advantage to stainless and my serious bullseye/precision shooting is done with stainless. However, there is something blue collar about a blued gun that draws me in. Especially a blued revolver that has been carried in a duty holster and it shows. I'm talking about that noticeable holster wear, but with most of its finish intact. The one that's been kept clean - that was treated with care. The one its previous owner counted on. The one I could count on as my carry gun. That kind of blue.
 
#33 ·
I have more Blued guns than Stainless so I will say reason is I feel on an older gun the bluing is just deeper and classier. All my newer guns are stainless (2000 and newer). I have one Dan Wesson which has gone plum and that is soul and character to me. However, overall best thing is they all shoot very nicely. I do have one Cimmaron in Nickel but is just plain purty.
Revolver Air gun Trigger Gun barrel Gun accessory

Air gun Trigger Wood Gun barrel Gun accessory

Air gun Trigger Gun barrel Wood Gun accessory

Revolver Air gun Trigger Gun barrel Gun accessory
Air gun Trigger Wood Gun barrel Gun accessory
Air gun Trigger Gun barrel Wood Gun accessory


Revolver Air gun Trigger Gun barrel Gun accessory


Air gun Trigger Everyday carry Gun barrel Gun accessory
 
#40 ·
We'll try this again...(got the Can & String Rip Off Co, internet dis service here...the strings wuz all tied in a fool knot...like they fool haids...knothaids! that is! anyone that got windstream is getting RIPPED OFF BIG TIME! :mad: )

I have had this 625 with the 8-3/8" LC Barrel for a long time...built by Al Greco. The barrel is electroless nickel... Dave is going to have his previously shown revolver done in electroless nickel at some point.

Got the 8-3/8" 586 a couple years ago....youngest son got the 7" 7 Shooter two years ago. The 5-7/8" No Dash Sq. Butt followed me home on Monday...

Yinz'll figure the rest of the pics out...which brings another question? To Flute? Or not to Flute?

Later, Mark
 

Attachments

#49 ·
Yinz'll figure the rest of the pics out...which brings another question? To Flute? Or not to Flute?
Later, Mark
I'm not a big fan of the unfluted cylinders, it looks heavy and unfinished, but then I've always owned and shot revolvers with fluted cylinders, so that's what I'm used to seeing.

What is the engraving on the right side of your M25-5? That's a beautiful gun.

@TTSH: I've been very fortunate when finding revolvers with almost perfect finishes. Three that I found (blue M27-2, blue M58"S" prefix, and stainless M66-1) were new in the box, unfired since the factory, and had been safe queens, The others were just well-cared for, and I'm trying to keep the tradition going under my ownership.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top