How to polish a stainless firearm to a high shine

This video will detail the simple process of polishing a stainless steel firearm up to a mirror like shine.

[@stevenrush9862]

I swear, every time I think I’m going to stop watching you, you come up with an awesome video like this.

[@HiveMind3006]

Man that's a beautiful piece, I live in the UK where they don't allow us the freedom you guys have with firearms. I do target shooting with air powered rifles but would love a hand gun. That Sir is bloody beautiful!

[@ralphedwards5849]

I believe it is one of the reasons why your ancestral countrymen left Europe and founded the United States to begin with :)

[@HiveMind3006]

I only wish I could join them my good Sir :)

[@44sharshooter]

Ralph Edwards Well, maybe not: The Bill of Rights is an Act of the Parliament of England passed on 16 December 1689. Many of its provisions are similar to our Amendments. It reestablished the liberty of Protestants to have arms for their defense within the rule of law, and condemned James II of England for "causing several good subjects being Protestants to be disarmed at the same time when papists were both armed and employed contrary to laws. I do believe the Colonists loaded the guns they already owned onto the ships. I don't think they stopped along the way to buy them before they landed here.

[@rpcdude]

Move to the USA and become a citizen!

[@hisnameisiam808]

Yeah! Move here to California or new York and start the push to outnumber the gun grabbers who have brainwashed our youth! Grrrrr!

[@ypres1917]

I watched your video and went straight out and bought a can. I have a 25 year old S&W 686 which came with a satin finish. Well, it was looking it's age and in about 45 minutes Mother's had it looking better than new! I was never really happy with the satin finish look, now it is much shinier but I stopped short of making it a mirror type finish. Very easy to work with - minimal pressure required. Thanks for the video!

[@TheYankeeMarshal]

+Ross Henderson Shiny is always good.

[@pinkiewerewolf]

+TheYankeeMarshal Thats right my lil Firefly. ;)

[@twoquickii1330]

I have a model S&W Model 629 (44mag). It is stainless steel, that's all it needs to be right?

[@heavydutyreviews1303]

Is that a matte finish? Can you get a matte stainless firearm mirror shined?

[@bobzemek8302]

rally? it was that easy?? wanting to do mine too!

[@JoeyP322]

I have an old Model 66 (no dash) from 1974, that has been shot but well taken care of. After watching this video, I can attest to everyone that after cleaning it like this, the end result is unbelievable beauty!!! Anyone with a stainless steel firearm, you should do this. You will be very pleased. Thank you for this video.

[@kwcrouch66]

Dude, I suffer from chronic spinal pain and laughter really helps with my pain.. The comments you sprinkle throughout your videos keep me laughing.. Thank you for posting these videos. They have really helped me. I am what they call a techno peasant meaning I am not very good with my hands/tools etc... Your videos make up for my lack of knowledge.. Thank you and keep posting them.. kevin

[@Matic-777]

Thank you so much. I just got a new king cobra target. It was factory new. The cylinder was blackened a bit. Came right off. Then I took grips off and did whole gun. 2 hours latter, the gun looks like a mirror. No scratches. Finally something on the internet that works! Thanks again friend.

[@SOLDOZER]

TIP: I used to work at a business polishing small metal parts by hand. Don't use a tshirt, it's a waste. Use Charmin Ultra Soft toilet paper (the red package). My understanding of it is that it's one of the few TP that does not contain small cardboard bits, so it does not scratch at all. True or not? I don't know, but I know it worked GREAT. And you don't have to rub it in hard, just lightly. Fold a square into 1/8th. A little goes a long ways.

[@sgtron92]

+Tec 9 Thanks for the tip. I am gonna give that a try.

[@mattthadd4663]

Howd it workout for you?

[@thejarhead0313]

I knew my tp was a little scratchy

[@ChrisG1392]

You wouldn't be able to use the shoe shine technique without the shirt though

[@MrRazor99]

Thanks for the helpful info! I'm going to give this a try since that's what we use for tp.

[@reginaldardis3239]

I just did this with a very rough LE Trade-in 6906, I used a bench grinder with a cloth wheel, very quick and easy.

[@UchihaItachi00000]

shiny ak here it comes

[@bobbyfischer6149]

Did u ever do it

[@lifeofmike556]

@@bobbyfischer6149 Lmao no please don't

[@bobbyfischer6149]

@@lifeofmike556 lol why not? Im bored lol

[@PVGunDaddy]

Getting my first stainless revolver in a couple of weeks. Can't wait to get it super-shiny. Thanks for the video!

[@TheYankeeMarshal]

@250rapid the main reason is the risk of damaging the surface. Any polishing tool that spins at high speed can marr the surface. Especially if the wheel become contaminated with residue from the polishing. It may not be that noticeable but hold the gun up to the light and look at the spider web like marks. There is also the risk of overworking a surface. Hand polishing is relaxing and eliminates all the risk of retexturing.

[@EnricoDePaoli]

I was trying to decide between a matte (sandblast) finish or a high polish for a new snub purchase, and you just helped me end that decision process. High polish all the way! Very nice. Thank you!

[@dan4466]

Thanks for the video. I had never polished one of my handguns. Did my Freedom Arms Premier Grade and SP101 Engraved. Instead of having two absolutely gorgeous guns, I now have two absolutely incredibley gorgeous guns. Was a little hesitant about doing the 101, but said what the heck. Came out great.

[@beliot5022]

out of curiosity, since they are engraved, did the polishing take out some of the engraving? would you recommend getting it engraved first, or polishing it first?

[@edha4827]

YM, thanks for this video. I did one coat (so far) on my new SP101 and it is significantly better - not so dam rough. Took me about 45 minutes.

[@woodtool6320]

This really helps! I just bought a Model 64 and I'm going to use this video and the scratch video to bring it back.

[@nickbaldelli2321]

Man I had NO idea this was possible with mothers and a cloth. Awesome video!!👏

[@laika6978]

Awesome. My GP100 and I have a date now...

[@TheYankeeMarshal]

That is why I like stainless. No finishes to get damaged.

[@monorayis3233]

Hey do you think this method would work on the kimber k6?

[@TheYankeeMarshal]

A shiny barrel really does add some bling to a gun.

[@bennryan2]

you've given me some hope... i unintentionally sanded the fine edge where the frame comes together above the trigger (gp100). i cant leave well enough alone. thank you!

[@wsvitak]

Not sure about polishing guns, but I did a vid on polishing aluminum once...I used some really fine sand paper, before using the same mothers polish. It may take a little elbow grease out of the equation. I used the polish as the final step and it came out very nice.

[@wvXvxvXvw]

If you want perfection, use a sanding block to get a perfectly flat surface and then a cotton buffing wheel on a bench grinder with a fine compound. You'll get a perfect mirror even on stainless. Be careful with the sanding block(I use 1000 grit at the roughest and 3000 on the last pass) because you can burn through the embossed logos and numbers. It isn't necessary unless you want a perfect, wave-less mirror finish. If you don't mind some waves and reflection distortion, just go straight to the buffing wheel. Never use steel wool. It leaves deposits behind that will rust and damage the gun.

[@Johnny-km3jl]

Thanks man I just got the mothers mag ima do the same to my gun looks really nice bro good video

[@brianblackburn-author7531]

Great job! I picked up a new 649 in .357 about a month ago. I now know what to use and how... Thank you, sir!

[@eirizarry2568]

Thanks......GREAT VIDEO ! ! great demonstration. You take the magic out of the art of polishing it and make it a reality that we can all achieve.

[@kufnugs1]

Just in case you're curious, you CAN achieve a #8 finish (mirror) with stainless steel. It takes much longer than other metals to get there, but at the same time you'll never get there unless you use a green polishing compound (which is meant specifically for stainless).

[@DoctorMangler]

I realize this is way dated, but thanks a ton for this video, it's exactly what I needed.

[@TheYankeeMarshal]

I can almost always tell a surface that was polished with a dremel. it leaves distinct patterns in the steel you can see at the right angle.

[@section8usmc53]

Who are you trying to kid Yankee? We all know the reason you really made this video is so you could continually talk about polishing, buffing, and rubbing your gun. Nice job. I like doing that kind of work too, where it's kind of mindless, and you can just kind of relax, zone out, and clear your mind. I'm really glad you did half of it for a before and after. That was a great idea instead of doing side by sides. Swing how much it would take to bring it to a shine in real time was good.Great job.

[@GarretGoodbarrel]

I just bought a used Smith and Wesson and I got a bit of polishing to do. Thanks for the video YM, soon my gun is gunna be perdy

[@leftoverhippie2397]

I sure do enjoy your channel. Funny guy and lots of good knowledge...I'm an old guy now but those " choking your chicken" cracks brings back some good memories.

[@reubenouanounou2587]

hey there, just a message from a viewer in England and I cant thank you enough, great video and everyone loves top gear! my dan wesson is really starting to shine out! thanks again!

[@kevent-fo4rl]

I am totally beyond belief as to what Mothers Mag and Aluminum polish has done to my stainless Smith and Wesoon 44 mag. I thought I had already done a beautiful polish job on my pistol. I can't thank you enough for your video. I no longer want to shoot it. I just want to look at it. I have 2 500 mags that are going to get the same treatment. THANK YOU!!!

[@nanroses2137]

That is one beautiful Colt. Thank you for the video.

[@strategicservices9906]

Unbelievable polish I got on the Taurus 85 . It was a matt finish now it looks great

[@AllanG1914]

Thank you. I had a gun smith scratch my slide when installing the Williams site on my Desert Eagle. This video helped out a lot!

[@TrulyUnfortunate]

I like the Mat Finish myself. As you said,when you polish it it becomes a fingerprint magnet. Plus I kinda like the industrial look of the Mat Finish.

[@super90girl]

Hi, thanks for your video. I have a snubby 357 in stainless, that had gotten scratched up, and then had dremel marks (rubber polishing bit) all over it from trying to get out the scratches. I happened to already have a container of that Mothers polish, so I followed your instructions yesterday, and now my revolver looks even better and brighter than new, it looks really awesome. :-)

[@danieltaylor2340]

3:52 best part of the whole video!! Made my day! Doublewide baby!

[@rbnrs1]

Just wanted to say thanks. I just ran out and bought the Mothers polish and man my S & W 640 looks great.

[@stratolestele7611]

I love it. I especially love ss finishes since you can buff out scratches and not freak out (like I would) with scratches or dings on chrome or nickel. Thanks!

[@stevemahalko1720]

Did my S&W SD 40 VE stainless slide and barrel... wow looks really good. Nice piece of info.

[@johnhope9319]

Simply using mothers on Rugers revolvers does not work the same as it does on Smith and Wesson for those of you thinking of doing this to your Rugers. The metal is different. Ruger uses casting metal vs forged. So with that there are deep marks and swirl marks on the Ruger metal that simply wont buff out by using mothers. Even using a high speed dremel and polish compound does not remove most of the blemishes in the metal. You almost always have to wet sand the Rugers to get a clean mirror finish. Trust me, ive polished almost all types of metal and the casting Ruger uses is a bitch to get to a mirror finish compared to other metals. Something to keep in mind for all you Ruger folks thinking of doing this. The runs and marks in the Ruger metal are so deep you have to use a 300-400 grit to start off then work your way up and finish with a 2000-2500 grit. It takes time, patience and can be frustrating, but take your time and wet sand and you can get the same finish you would on a smith.

[@Longhorn77Gunner]

Yup. Thanks. Good to know why. I've been polishing my Ruger GP100 for two years with Mother's and it's a good looking polished revolver with a lot of swirl marks....

[@NowRealNews]

John Hope you can actually use 2000 grit sand per to get most of those marks out... Hope that helps!

[@pmich4555]

John Hope what about Springfield?

[@LeideHuend]

John Hope Can confirm that! You will never get this high polished finish without wet sanding a ruger. Just polished the cylinder of my GP100 for about 5 hours and it's far away from a mirror glossy finish. But I like the now shinier look though.

[@MrZacfisher]

i had no idea thats why i liked stainless handguns so much

[@zdravkonovosel122]

I do the same on my shiny chrome blank 9mm/380RK replica of S&W .38 special...works amazing! Thanks for that educational video.

[@UnknownUzer]

This method worked like a charm !!

[@jimdent351]

Thanks for the great video. I have a T/C Hawken rifle that is more than 30 years old that looks brand new with the exception of the brass furnishings. Until I saw this video a couple of weeks ago, I didn’t know how to renew all the brass. Not knowing if Mother’s Mag polish would work on brass, I thought it would try it anyway. Guess what? It made the brass look new again. Thanks for the idea.

[@DatGuyWitDaThing]

Didn't think anyone would notice. I can't help myself. Keep up the awesome vids!

[@DonSean]

I just so happen to polish a barrel of mine today with Mothers, I did it by hand as well came out great. Your revolver will look like a million bucks after all is said and done. Thanks for the vids.

[@GunsHarleysUSA]

Damn I love Colts and that polishing job looks sweet on that pony, nicely done......

[@rterrelljones]

This video is nearly 10 years old, and I just ordered the same product for my 686+ 6". Can't believe it's still made. I first used Mother's polish in about '82 on a '70 Honda motorcycle. I was just a wee lad. No matter how much you polish, it just keeps getting shinier and deeper and more mirror-like. Seems there's no limit.

[@a1phamalestud]

I’m trying to get me a 686 6inch how does it treat you

[@PdxGxs]

Thanks for the tips. I just started polishing my S&W 629-1 and she is looking nice. I'm going to go for the shine you put on the Colt.

[@rettek808]

Will this process work if I wanted my matte stainless steel to have a mirror like finish?

[@Canadiangunman1717]

I took your advice and bought the same cleaner as you are useing to clean my stainless 1911 and HOLY smackers what a difference it made. I first used Never Dull and it worked great on my Nickel plated 1911 but not near as effective as Mothers is using it on my stainless, i can't believe all the tarnish coming off, that Never Dull didn't even penetrate. Great videos btw.

[@gbdecals6769]

That's not tarnish, it metal. From your gun. Mothers is abrasive.

[@Canadiangunman1717]

ok but still wow lookn great...

[@jaymeddaugh2044]

Thanks bud, you just answered every question I had coming to KZbin today! Awesome job!!

[@MrMrtremendo]

hmmmmm,,, well my mosin nagant's mauser M95 K31 are going to be shinning now... thanks to you ,,,great video..

[@blueeyesorlando1]

Can you answer a question, please. I have a Colt .45 satin nickel finish. Should I even consider polishing it? I am ( almost ) thinking it is too " soft" a finish to polish. It is close to 30 yrs. old. Thanks

[@TheYankeeMarshal]

Jewelry doesn't generally have large flat surfaces with visible grain. It isn't usually made from steel.

[@TheYankeeMarshal]

@MagRes50Cal glad you found it helpful. Don't rub your gun too much. You will go blind. :)

[@dahliaron]

I have been thinking of polishing my wifes 38 carry gun. I thought i would have to take it in for a nice shiney finish but after watching your videos on scratch removal and polishing i think I'm going to attempt it myself. Thanks for the videos and please keep them coming.

[@catholicguy1000]

Going to try this on my derringer

[@thespartanmk1]

I'll probably do this to polish my Mosin Nagant bolt. It could use some shine to it.

[@CM-hr8ou]

Thanks for this vid man! My gun is now the nickel plated sissy pistol I always knew it was!

[@erictalkington5674]

Damn dude. I have seen that gun before and I didn't think it was able to be polished. The ones I saw were almost a matte finish they had such a brushed finish on it. That looks great. Now I really can't wait to get my S&W 64 snub! I'm gonna really shine it up.

[@B16ONBOOST]

Dang! Very helpful video! I'll try this on a pistol. Thanks for uploading this, love the results on your revolver.

[@macbeasty]

IMPORTANT: Everyone thinking of polishing their gun please read this. Using mother's mag will remove a lot of the micro dirt and dust stuck in the crevices of the steel. However, eventually, the dirt will return and you will need to repolish the gun, possibly even within weeks. To fully polish a gun, you must remove those crevices where dirt gets trapped. You can only do this with 500-2000 grit sandpaper. Then once the surface is as smooth as glass, you can use mother's mag.

[@Roboticdoughbull3k]

Nah. I've done wheels, steels, slides and guide's muh dude and I'm saying it's totally doable as he's showing and your claim is bunk.

[@TheKroopView]

Thank you very much for making this video. Very helpful.

[@hd114ul7]

Thank you for assuring me that I must be normal! I thought I was the only one that sat in front of the tv polishing my pistol.

[@davidgarris5440]

You get the thumbs-up simply for the forearm comment had me rolling

[@DoubleDeltaHoundog]

Thanks Yankee I have been using your method and it works great

[@macbeasty]

15 minutes of rubbing?? How?? I was polishing my gun last night and I polished one side of one magazine to much less than a mirror shine in almost 2 hours.

[@feffe4036]

Tnx, ill do that.. DOnt think its any serious damage but always nice to have it crisp and mirror without any scratches.

[@MagRes50Cal]

thanks for the video. today i purchased the same polish you have along with the much more expensive mothers billet metal polish. i recently purchased a smith and wesson .500 with the 8 3/8 inch barrel as a substitute carry piece while my desert eagle is off getting reworked. the stock stainless finish looks boring. ill be spending a few days rubbing the new one down. this was helpful. :D

[@Ptydabutcher]

Great video! I did the same to my ruger GP100 this sunday and it's looking very good thanks!!!

[@anderwmarcell9503]

That is a nice job! About Dremmel polishing it can blur the edges of the barrel markings I have done it... Thanks for the tips

[@miniwinnie1]

nothing better like a colt d frame for concealed carry

[@otis6250]

yes good tips worked to get rust off my SS Charter357Bulldog thxs

[@HELLSFURYRISE]

In my deliverance voice- You got a purty gun there boi.

[@Scalettadom]

This looks amazing! I have a brushed Lone Wolf G21T slide that is begging for this treatment. I already ordered the Mother's mag!

[@georgeday7316]

Easiest way to polish is to use polishing compound on a buffing wheel that is mounted on a bench grinder.

[@leedeleonard1854]

Very informative thank you. I have two dremels and was thinking of doing it with them until you mention the shaft and scratching. thanks..LEE

[@TheYankeeMarshal]

Had a friend that said the same thing until he tried to trade in a Colt to a collector he had polished and the guy pointed out to him all the micro surface damage his dremel had done to the steel.

[@TheYankeeMarshal]

It really does work well.

[@alersjjoutdoors6526]

Really helpful video doing this soon to my 44 magnum 4” barrel

[@gjg5789]

Wow that looks great. Would this work on a cosmetically challenged AMT 1911? Can I buff out "idiot scratches?"

[@454pakr]

I can't stand a matte/brushed finish. It looks like cheap aluminum. I prefer satin or hi-gloss. There's nothing like a pimped-out Desert Eagle in hi-gloss stainless! It makes a statement, either classy or pimpish depending on your outlook. To me it's so pimpish that it's classy, and I love it!

[@bobzemek8302]

just got a stainless 45cal. 1911, thinking of buffing just the slide... thoughts?

[@454pakr]

@@bobzemek8302 Can only make it better, IMHO.

[@gdub454]

Meguiars All Metal Polish...flat out..is the absolute best polish for any kind of metal surface

[@UrbanTiger74]

DAMN! That's a nice shine bro!

[@wadopotato33]

Fair enough. Continue to do it your way. I will do it my way.

[@m.goodpickle9609]

Great video. I polished my new engraved Uberti Cattleman with Mother's, and in an hour or two, it looks like silver! (By the way, you don't need to cut a rag into pieces, just move to another spot, like your shoe-polishing rag.) Also, no need to take the handles off.

[@miguelramirez233]

do you need to add something to maintain it do you need to worry about oxidation or something like that

[@kobaltstaub287]

Stainless steel do not oxide, cleaning it after use will keep it shiny . An old towel and some TLC doesn't hurt either but not necessary

[@cwebb07]

I tried practicing polishing on a quarter and it wont seem to get that real high shine to it. Any suggestions on what i might be doing wrong?

[@twicerack]

Great video, helped me out alot. Thank you for taking the time to show us how to do it properly.

[@UnknownUzer]

What do you think would be the results if this was done on a bead blasted gun such as the flat stainless look of old police issue S&W 5906's?

[@ultrajd]

I have a reproduction of a Civil War era 1861 Springfield rifle musket that I really want to clean up. I use it a lot in historical reenactments time apart of and the stainless steel is starting to get a little dull. I asked around on how to polish it up not quite to a mirror finish but at least something it doesn't quite look so dull. & I have gotten a variety of responses everything from the mothers polishing compound like what do you use to various levels of high and low grit sandpaper to emery paper to steel wool. If you know of a way that I can take the barrel bands and barrel and give them just a nice pleasing shine I would be greatly appreciative. Also hopefully something that won't fade and all out fairly quickly. And just so you know I don't fire the Springfield very often so yeah.

[@mayonaze311]

If you were going to bead blast the entire gun, would it be a better to polish it first or bead blast starting with the factory finish?

[@RandalllFlagg]

That looks pretty sweet. I think I'll do the slide to my XDm .45 bitone this Sunday, and post a short, "Before and after," video Tuesday or Wednesday. I'm (Finally) on vacation, and have nothing better to do. Thanks for the upload.

[@FATicalBBD]

Great video. Just wanted to say thanks, my XD-9 barrel looks great now.

[@sirgalahad3574]

Instant thumbs up from the forearms comment :) .

[@chriscali9714]

Could you do a video of taking it back to the brushed finish maybe if you try it out and you hate it or just like the brushed look more

[@BrianCirillo]

God damn... That turned out better than I expected... Damn good work!