Yes, you can strip nickle and refinish to your taste, depending on what's under the nickle. Robar, Arizona Response Systems, Tripp Research can all do it.

There are two commercial formulas available to blacken and stain stainless steel. Brownell's Oxynate 84 and DuLite's 3-0 salts. They are both hot tank solutions and are more difficult to use than regular blueing salts. Neither of them is really a DIY process.

Thanks Bruce!

Bluing a stainless steel gun makes some sense to me. It makes it less visible.

But why would you want to nickel plate it? Nickel is nearly the same color as stainless, and much softer. It builds up the metal surfaces (bluing it is a penetrating finish that does not affect dimensions), so some metal to metal fit problems might occur.

Hard chrome might make sense. It is a much harder surface than stainless steel and will wear better. It is applied very, very thinly so fit issues should be minimal.

If both the slide and the frame are coated you need to check the fit if you are using a finish that builds up the surface.

,,,,,,let me explain.
Ive found a good deal on a Raging Bull 454 with a polished Stainless Steel finish. I wanted to see if you could blue it, get it Parkerized, or something dark that would hold up. (Im going to hunt with it)

I never said I wanted to nickel or chrome it..............................

Originally Posted by Capt Rick Hiott

Like a asked,,,"Can you "Blue" a nickel or stainless gun?

I got the "a" and "or" transposed when I read your question, so it read as:

Can you "Blue" or nickel a stainless gun?


So my reply was in error.

Originally Posted by Packard

I got the "a" and "or" transposed when I read your question, so it read as:

Can you "Blue" or nickel a stainless gun?


So my reply was in error.

your batting .500 in replies, extrapolate that over 50yrs you could be right all the time

Originally Posted by danite

your batting .500 in replies, extrapolate that over 50yrs you could be right all the time

I'd love to extrapolate over the next 50 years (I would be 112 at that time).