777 and Nickel

[E.R.Beaumont]

Howdy Pards and Pardettes.

Does any one out there know if 777 specificaly attacks nickel plateing?  It seems to have done nastys to my Berettas, of course that may only be my perception.  If I am wrong let me klnow that too, I don't want to give the stuff a bum repp.

I am considering getting a pair of stainless Rugers converted to .44Wcf for just that reason though.  I figgure that even though they were the same price when I bought them the Berettas are prettier, so I'll just save them for smokeless shooting.  After all ya gotta shoot that stuff outa something to get the brass.  And use the Rugers for 777 shooting.

Now don't go telling me about as how Real Black Powder won't do nothing like that to nickel.  Cause that ain't what I asked about.  I know that changeing powders changes the type of fouling, etc., etc., etc.  I only want to know if 777 specifficaly attacks nickel.  I ain't a gonna shoot it in them Berettas again anyway, but it would be nice to know about it.  Kinda like knowing not to use Hoppe's 9 on a nickeled gun.

Thank-You for your time and trouble.
Regards, Beaumont

[Dick Dastardly]

Howdy E.R.Beaumont,

Pards I've heard from won't use 777 with nickel plated guns.  You stated your question well.  I will also add that I've seen a lot of old guns with nickel plating that was ruined long before 777 was invented.  Plating is only that.  If you want durability in a shiny gun, go stainless.

DD-DLoS

[E.R.Beaumont]

Howdy Pards and Pardettes.

Dick, Pard thank-you for your helpful answer.  That 777 stuff is great to shoot, a .44wcf case full of 2f with a 200 grain bullet stuffed into it is a" joyful noise".  You are probably right about shiney and stainless but, nickel is prettier.  I posted over on the Gunsmithing Page asking about a Smith who was capable of converting my .45 Vaqueros to .44 Wcf. but it degerated into a hi how are you post.

Seth, Pard the Amonia in the Hoppes, and most other nitro solvents, is great ar removeing copper fouling.  It also attacks the copper underplate on a nickeled gun.  I noticed that you said you have had many nickel plated guns, that probably means that you didn't hold on to them for any length of time.  It takes a while for the damage to show up, but when it does the nickel comes off in chunks.  It is best to use something like breakfree, or tetralube, use an oil to clean a nickeled gun.

That is all I think I know.
Regards, Beaumont

[sundance44`s]

Your right i have an old nickel plated S&W that the nickel is flakeing off ...and i`ve used hoppies #9 on it too . I won`t buy another nickel plated pistol again because of it . I do have a Remmie old silver that isn`t nickel plated it`s high polish stainless steel .. looks just like nickel but a much stronger .. i haven`t been able to so much as dull it . Don`t ask me where ya can buy one i bought it off a guy on the net last year and i haven`t been able to find a match for it anywhere .. it was made by ASM in 1999 and of course they are out of business now .

[Major 2]

Sundance

Contacr Taylor's for your SS Remy... made by Uberti cat. # 430C...
Sorry to highjack the thread , just wanted to help Sundance out...
now back to the  Q&A at a hand   

[sundance44`s]

Thanks Major ..I`ll try Taylors

[E.R.Beaumont]

Howdy Pards and Pardettes.

Well I think our Pard Dick answered the question first thing out of the gate so the thread served its purpose. 

I think that the reason some of them old gunslingers bought nickeled guns was protection from BP fouling, and easier clean up.  The nickel lasted great with only water and soap being used to clean them with and with olive oil or sperm whale oil used to lube them with. The snake in the garden was nitro powder solvents.

I love the smell of Hoppe's 9, I think it works great on blue and stainless guns I have a quart bottle of it.  I also have a big bottle of Break Free for my nickel plated guns.  If I shot them with BP I give them a good scrub with Murphy's, alcohol, peroxide, and water.  Then I dry them, and lube them with Break Free.  I also like Tetra-Lube, but their bore solvent is an amonia mixture too so don't use it on nickel guns either. Of course a Stainless Steel gun will be ever so much more durable as the finish is just a buff job.  It is a homogenius piece of what ever formula stainless steel the gun is made from.

Sundance, Pard don't eliminate nickel from your battery just because of a chemistery problem, change cleaning products.  I don't think it is my place to tell you to buy nickel guns, I just hope that you won't deprive yourself the joy of a fancy  Bar-Bee-Que gun just because it might be a nickeled pistola.

Heck I have a nickel plated 2" model 19 S&W I got for carying.  I got it so that at night an assailent could see that it was a pistol and know enough to run.  If I had a "tactical black" cary gun the perp might not recognize it as a gun and press the attack and get shot.  I do not want to have to shoot someone. It is not from moral or ethical grounds, its just that I don't want to do all that paper work. 

Seth, Pard I really don't know how long it takes.  I would guess how much and how often you clean them with the stuff.  It is a chemical reaction between the amonia and the copper, it probably starts first thing but amonia will evaporate so it is controlled by how often it is applied and for how long.  Do you soak your cylinder?  All I know is that nickel has gotten an undeserved bad reputaion because of progress. 

That is all I think I know.
Regards, Beaumont

[sundance44`s]

ER I have the same reason for carrying the nickle plated S&W .. i figured the way it gleams at night just pulling it might be enough to make a bad guy a runner . I can`t really say i took very good care of it eaither it did spend a lot of time in my truck .. not the best place to store a pistol for sure . Stainless guns wern`t around when i bought the Smith ..

[Noz]

I took an armed self defense class a couple of years ago. The instructor recommended that you carry a flashlight and a weapon. If the bad guy was not in the immediate attack mode, the instructor said to turn the light on briefly on the weapon then on the bad guy. Then there is no question that you are armed and ready for any trouble he might bring.  Confrontation is generally over at that point.  Nickle and stainless are much more visible.

[sundance44`s]

Lucky for us bad guys aren`t the Brave Heart types .. some don`t seem to mind prision life .. but the other choice isn`t whey the want ..