Scratches

S

SonOfScubaDiver

New member
I was cleaning my SP101 this morning, and I noticed that it now has some scratches on the cylinder and the frame. They aren't too bad, and I'm not upset about them because it's a gun I carry sometimes so it does get banged around a little. Anyway, I'd like to get the scratches out of it, but I'm not sure what to use. What do you guys use on your stainless steel guns to deal with scratches? Thanks.
 
3M Scotch Brite Nylon Pads:

7445 - White pad, called Light Duty Cleansing - (1000) 1200-1500 grit
7448 - Light Grey, called Ultra Fine Hand - (600-800) 800 grit.

Don
 
If you carry the gun the scratches will just come back.

Just about anything you use will polish the gun if used incorrectly. lightly going over the are with a Scotch Brite pad is probably the best to make the scratch less noticeable, but it's not going to remove the scratch unless you work at it for a while and after doing that the whole area will be a nice high polish shiny surface.

It's about technique as much as anything. Make sure to test in an inconspicuous area first.
 
I got a great deal on my Ruger Redhawk because it arrived at the store with scratches and the guy didn't want it. The store got him a new one, and the manager made me a great deal on the scratched version. Same thing - on the cylinder.

Scratch is a bit ambiguous though. Being that it is stainless, it's probably not very deep and will little to affect the gun. I used a series of 0 through 000 steel wool and a light lube. I think I used WD40. I'm not a fan of Scotch Brite. To me, they are too abrasive [just my opinion].

But, REDDOG81 is correct - if you're going to carry, it will get scratched again...and you will not take the scratch out. In order to take the scratch out, you would have to remove all the material from the cylinder so that the deepest part of the scratch now becomes the overall dimension of the cylinder. Scratches don't come out...all the material around the scratch gets removed. That's why I like the steel wool, as it seems to buff the edges of the scratches to make them less noticeable. ScotchBrite always seemed to simply introduce new scratches in my experience.
 
So, what y'all are saying is that I shouldn't expect a whole lot in terms of getting these scratches out. I suppose I can live with that. I just didn't expect it to get scratched up so soon. I haven't had this SP101 for even a year yet.
 
The finer the finish,the more it shows scratches.IMO,Scotchbrite can mask minor scratches with a "brushed" sort of finish.

Consider this: Your hand is not going to scratch the pistol. Unless contaminated with sand,a good holster is not going to scratch the gun.Yes,there is "holster wear" It comes with the territory.

Sliding the gun on a shooting bench? Yes,that will. I suggest you look at what activity puts the scratches in.

I used to be a canoeist. Water just does not scratch up the boat.Using it for a sled or a bridge will scratch up the boat. The secret? be willing to get your feet wet.

If you keep the gun in your hand or in your holster,or a rug,heck,even put it inside a plain old wool sock before transporting it,,it should stay pretty good.

But,yes,there will be the "Patina" of use.
 
Stainless is nice because it requires minimal maintenance to prevent rust and serious problems, the Ruger finish does seem to pick up tiny scratches that would show up on blued guns. I'd assume this why S&W and Colt give there's a heavy sandblast type finish.
 
HiBC, I have wracked my brain trying to figure out how those scratches got there. The gun is always holstered, the table at the range has a rubber mat on top of it, and it's not like I carry it very much. It's only gone in the car with me maybe a 8 or 10 times, not including range trips. The only thing I can think of is that maybe I scratched it the last time I cleaned it before this morning.


*edit* I no sooner made this post and suddenly it hit me. The last time I took this gun to the range, I also took one of my semi-autos. I have this habit of taking all the guns I am going to shoot out of my range bag to lay them on the bench. They stay there until I am done. Well, what does a semi-auto do? It ejects the casings. I bet those scratches were caused by casings hitting the gun while it was on the bench. It has to be how they got there. My Bersa ejects the casings to the right at a 90 degree angle, they hit the wall, and end up on the bench a lot. My other semi-autos eject at a different angle where they end up falling behind me and to the right. I sure wish I would have thought of that before my gun got these scratches! Oh well. Now I know to not have all the guns I'm going to shoot laying on the bench at the range.
 
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So, what y'all are saying is that I shouldn't expect a whole lot in terms of getting these scratches out. I suppose I can live with that. I just didn't expect it to get scratched up so soon. I haven't had this SP101 for even a year yet.
Click to expand...

When I bought my first Jeep (CJ-5), the owner of the dealership, and old man who had been selling Jeeps since they had flat fenders, came out, stuck his head in the window, shook my hand, then pointed across the street to a dirt road leading down a power line.

"You might as scratch it first thing,"

I did.

Same goes for guns. If you're going to use it, it's going to show wear.
 
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