Removing Scratches? (Stainless S&W)

[Model12Win]

Hello everyone and greetings to you all! I bought a used Smith & Wesson Model 66 double-action .357 magnum revolver today but it's got scratches.

Can I buff these out? They look a lot worse off camera, and "shift" in the light so are pretty noticeable. They don't look deep though, more like scuffs. I do not want to refinish the whole revolver, only remove these scratches and make it blend in with the rest of the gun if possible.

What should I do? (please don't say leave it be, it's bothering me and I want to clean it up).

Thanks!

-M12

 

[OzeanJaeger]

A little Flitz on a rag and a little elbow grease will take out light scratches.

 

[4V50 Gary]

Polishing will make it shiny, but the scratch will still be there. Just enjoy it.

 

[Scorch]

I literally just finished doing this. A customer brought me a S&W Model 60 that had picked up a couple scratches and dings over the years, and wanted the scratches removed. OK, not a problem. Told him it will take about an hour and a half, he OKed it.

You could see where someone in the past had used metal polish on the side plate (different surface finish, different look). I disassembled the revolver and removed the cylinder from the crane, cylinder bolt and latch, and then replaced the side plate and screws. Since the surface was not deeply merred, I started out with 600 grit on a hard sanding block. I polished out the dings and scratches (stainless is very soft), then moved up to 800 grit, then to 1000 grit wet/dry paper. For the cylinder, I polished to 1000 as well. I finished by wet sanding with light oil and the 1000 grit paper. Disassembled, cleaned in the ultrasonic tank, and reassembled. Looks perfect now.