Howdy,I have never owned a stainless or nickle gun of anykind,how do you care for these and do folks buff or rub with a special 3m type cloth on stainless to shine it up and make it look brand new?
I have noticed several used pistols for sale that looked like they had been shined with a brillo- pad of some sort,is this normal and easily spotted & does it effect the value?
If you had a choice of a nickle,stainless or blue finsh on a new revolver all same price,,which would you choose and why?
Are some cleaners like hoppes#9 a no-no on these fine finishs?Any special care for nickle?Thanks in advance for any help..

I only have two SS rifles and I just clean them as if they were a blued rifle.

I wipe it all down with a pair of jersey gloves that I keep in my vault that have been sprayed with Rem Oil.

As far as the brillo-pad idea....if its bead blasted you would flat ruin the finish.

If its a bright finish, and you feel you must, you have to be careful to follow the scratch grain that is already there. Do not go across the grain.
If you feel you must do this, use Scotch-Brite.

I don't know a thing about nickel guns.

Nickel is similar to copper chemically ! If you use copper removing chemicals for the bore remember to clean it off the nickel !

Use Flitz on nickel and a lead free cloth on stainless. Do not use Flitz unless you want a bright finish...

Hoppes bore cleaner was cautioned for use on nickel as it would remove the finish. I do not know if a reformulation makes it less hostile so please check with the company. If nickel becomes dull Happich Simichrome polish will brighten it up. This is a very mild abrasive.
Stainless is the most practical finish while blue is the most authentic and attractive, especially on older models where it once was the only version available. Nickel falls between the other two for low maintenence and looks great. Blue or nickel should be used only if originally a factory option to avoid signalling the pistol is refinished.