S&W finish coming off, how to fix/help?

9

9mm

New member
I feel like a idiot, new S&W J frame, shot 150 rounds, my hand hurts sooooooo bad. Not good idea to shoot 150 rounds through a J frame!! So, as I was cleaning it, there was tons of burnt powered. I used a brass brush to get it off, because a regular brush/tooth brush wasn't removing it. I removed some of my finish, in the inside of the gun where the cylinder free floats. It isn't that much removed, but still enough to make me me mad about on a new gun.


So I should just apply CLP often to prevent rusting? I doubt I will be shooting it anymore, this is going to be my BUG and all 150 rounds went off without any problems so I see no sence of shooting it more. I can trust it now.

I notice it from the lightning and shadows it was making. There is still a burnt powered line above the barrel, which I cannot remove even after using a brass brush, and that removed a tiny bit of finish on top. :mad:

It's the SS model which doesn't show that bad, it just creates a "dark shadow" greyish color.
 
Hello, 9mm...At first, I thought you had overscrubbed & removed bluing from end of brl., frame area..then I read wher you said it's the SS model...9mm..you can't remove finish from SS..it goes thru all the way!..you can scratch or otherwise change the original factory finish however. That "dark greyish" color is probably from high temp. powder burn..nothing at all to worry about..and if you do remove..very next time it's fired it will be back.
 
It's a 642,
you can scratch or otherwise change the original factory finish
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Thats what I mean, the factory finish. It's still SS underneath. The factory finish is like a light grey, while under its more darker. The barrel looks like whats under the finish. Because when the barrel is in the light it has a different finish than the frame. The same is this with my M94 snuby.
 
9mm said:
this is going to be my BUG and all 150 rounds went off without any problems so I see no sence of shooting it more.
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You should sell the 642 and buy something you will practice with regularly. It doesn't matter if it's a bug or primary, if you plan on carrying it you should plan on shooting it a lot, period. Just because the gun functions doesn't mean it will work in a SD situation. After all, what good is a gun you can hit anything with? Sounds like the 642 is not for you.
 
The frame on a M-642 is aluminum and coated with a silver finish. The barrel and cylinder are steel and coated with a silver finish. I suspect you accidently removed some of the coating revealing the aluminum. I would not worry about it too much unless it starts to flake off more. Someone like Birchwood Casey might offer a touch up material or you may check Brownells.
 
The frame is aluminum. The barrel and cylinder is stainless steel.

I wouldn't worry if you took off some of the coating although I would still continue to put some ammo down range. It might be a back up, but you still need to practice with it. I might also limit it to 50 rounds a session if it beats you up.
 
Well, there's two really good reasons why I will never buy an AL framed compact anything if I can get one in steel.
 
If you cannot remove the residue above the forcing cone in the topstrap area with a nylon toothbrush and a little CLP,it dosnt need removing.
Same goes for the cylinder faces.
 
Yeah, just use solvent and a toothbrush there. No reason to clean it so aggressively. Airweight J-frames make great backup guns or for concealed carry when carrying a full size revolver is not doable.
 
Here's a Cleaning suggestion.

No matter WHAT kind of gun you have use ONLY
the following:

Commercially sold powder solvent
Commercially sold Gun Oil
Brushes with SYNTHETIC ( nylon ) bristles

You can use a Brass Brush for the BORE Only. ;)
.
 
^

I used a brissle brush and it didn't remove the black brunt marks from the gun, so I used the brass(I used this before on my M94 Taurus and should have learned better)
 
Clear Coat

Good job practicing your snub nose - the more the better. To lessen recoil / encourage more practice you can try lighter bullet weights (although 125 grain has been hitting a few inches low for me, it hurts the hand much less - see Walmart) and a nice grip.

The 642 has a clear coat over the aluminum frame. People used to mention problems about it spontaneously chipping or with certain solvents. The barrel and cylinder don't have any coating to worry about.

I've tried Birchwood Casey Lead remover cloth on the cylinder front to remove the carbon rings - it wasn't worth it to me. They came right back after the next firing and the Lead Remover cloth has abrasives - so technically I was removing metal every time I scrubbed / polished with it. I didn't like that and I could already feel a difference with my finger on the texture of the cylinder face. I wouldn't use the Lead Remover cloth on a blued finish by the way. Or aluminum.

I usually just use a dab of gun oil and rub lightly with gun rag to get carbon deposits off the frame.

Back when lots of people were complaining about their clear coats failing, someone asked the question: why don't I just spray on a new clear coat myself? (rather than send it back to S&W) - he did, and it worked as far as he cared to share with the forum. I don't think it looked factory nice but it worked. That might have been on the "642 club" thread on the high road forum.
 
S&W 642 recoil is not that bad and I am a recoil wuss with hand issues. However, 150 rounds through an Airweight snub in one range session is a lot for almost anyone. Between the recoil and the tough double action pull I start fatiguing around 75 rounds. A box of 50 for practice sessions makes a lot of sense, and you do have to practice with these little guns frequently to maintain proficiency. Mine has exhibited some flaking of the finish on the backstrap and the underside of the trigger guard, who cares, its a pocket gun not a BBQ presentation piece. And I always love the advice about steel snubs, yes they are more pleasant to shoot with, but I find they are definitely no-go for pocket carry.
 
You over-cleaned it. Don't do that & quit trying to get rid of the burn marks.
Aluminum won't rust.
If you do ever shoot it again, clean it enough to get what comes off with normal effort, leave a light coat of CLP or whatever lube you like on the surfaces, and call it quits.
NO lube in barrel or chambers.

Denis
 
I doubt I will be shooting it anymore, this is going to be my BUG and all 150 rounds went off without any problems so I see no sence of shooting it more. I can trust it now.
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J frames aren't exactly a gun you shoot to function check once and that's it. They are probably the single hardest handgun to master, to become proficient with them it takes a good deal of practice. I suggest putting a couple boxes through it every now and then to stay on top of your game.

thats what I mean, the factory finish. It's still SS underneath. The factory finish is like a light grey, while under its more darker. The barrel looks like whats under the finish. Because when the barrel is in the light it has a different finish than the frame. The same is this with my M94 snuby.
Click to expand...

Only the cylinder and barrel are stainless steel, the frame is coated aluminum which is why the gun is so light. Taking a brass brush to the finish on the frame is no different then rubbing off bluing with it.
 
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