Does anyone else hate the S&W satin finish ?

M

MR.G

New member
My S&W 627 V-Comp, and 686P 3" have the stainless "satin" finish. Why would they put such a non-durable finish on a gun?
 
I have never cared for the look of stainless. Waited for years for Colt to make the Anaconda in blue but they never did. Broke down and bought a stainless one but traded it away within a year because I couln't look at it any longer.
 
Satin stainless shows fewer scratches than a well polished finish. It also cuts down on production costs. If you want a shiny stainless finish, you could polish it yourself.
 
The "satin" is like a sprayed on fiinish.
It scratches off very easily. Looks like polished stainless under it. I have thought about polishing it off completely with something like Flitz.
 
Quote: Satin stainless shows fewer scratches than a well polished finish. It also cuts down on production costs. If you want a shiny stainless finish, you could polish it yourself.

I don't know why the quote function doesn't work, but I can't paste anything into it.

I just did polish a used Smith & Wesson model 60 to a mirror-bright finish. It had a few minor scratches on the side plate from the previous owner's holster, so I bought some 1000 grit sand paper (too coarse) and 2000 grit, plus some polish. Even the 2000 grit paper was too coarse for most of the gun. I poured a great deal of time and effort into polishing it, only to realize late in the process that once the metal was dry, even a light touch with a soft cloth would leave visible scratches. I had no idea stainless steel was so soft!

In any event, I've sent it to Magnaport for bead blasting: perhaps less pretty than a mirror-bright finish, but considerably more durable.
 
Found an easy way to polish my 686 and 629.

Went to the local auto supply shop and bought a small 4" buffing wheel specifically designed to create high gloss finishes in stainless steel, made by company called "DICO".

Along with that bought a bar of stainless polishing compound by the same company.

Put the buffing wheel on my drill press and while spinning, apply the compound to the buffing wheel to load up the wheel. Then bring the gun to the wheel and gently start buffing the matte finish. Be sure not to press to hard and create too much heat on the steel, light pressure does the job.

Each gun took about 15 minutes and when finished you'll have a very high gloss ss finish that will last forever. I never found it to scratch at all after that.

I should mention I washed off the guns with soap and water to get rid of the residue from polishing and then blew them dry with compressed air. Finished that off with light coating of G96 gun treatment which I always use as preservative.:)

Safe shooting.
 
Satin bead blast is the benchmark finish in the industry. It is used by every top gunsmith maker, as well as custom firearms manufacturers. S&W has been chastised by many for not offering the finish on the entire line. Can't have it both ways.
 
I always liked the satin stainless finish, considering it the best of both worlds, so to speak. Currently, the only Smith and Wesson handguns I own are blued or nickled revolvers, but I found the satin stainless to be very functional, useful, and even pretty good looking. I don't really like bright, polished stainless. Didn't think much of nickled either until I found two really good buys on perfect specimens, a Model 10 and a Model 15. Lots of room for different tastes.
 
I hate it.

It shows every little scuff and every smudge of dirt.

It is easily buffed out. Just takes time. Any mild polish will work. Flitz, Brasso, Mothers, etc.

Of course it also takes off the cheesy laser engraving as well.

BRING BACK ROLLMARKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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