Pistol in Brushed Chrome?

Question

I have decided to buy a Walther P22 Pistol. Is the barrel in Brushed Chrome OK? Is Brush Chrome some type of Stainless Steel or its some type of plating? Does it ever rust? Is it better than Stainless Steel? Is it costlier than Stainless Steel?

Thanks in advance.

Regards.

Answer 1

What you describe as brushed chrome is probably brushed nickel or brushed stainless steel.

Chrome plating has been used on cheap pistols but it has a tendency to flake.

Answer 2

Hi.  To the best of my knowledge the Walther P-22 is not available in stainless steel, brushed or otherwise.  Stainless steel is not a finish but a metal.  The P-22 is carbon steel (at least the important parts like the barrel) with a Polymer frame.  The P-22's barrel is finished in standard gun blue and the slide is available in:  Blue finish; brushed nickel finish or some kind of shiny black baked finish.  

I opted to purchase my Walther P-22 in brushed nickel finish because I believe this is the nicest color combo for the little gun.  The baked-enamel (I'm not sure its 'enamel') finish is probably the most durable followed by the brushed nickel.  However, if I do buy a second P-22 which I may because I've learned that it is an extremely utilitarian little pistol I'll buy one in blue steel with the 5" barrel.  Mine came with the 3" barrel and factory laser sight.  I know I can just order the 5" barrel for mine but I'd rather keep mine as is and these little pistols are not expensive so another one might not be a bad idea.  I'll be moving from the city to the country by next year (Lord willing) and these .22s are real handy for plinking and dispatching small vermin like snakes.

You're getting a really nice little pistol regardless of what finish you finally decide on.

Good luck.

H

  

Answer 3

Chrome (chromium) is its own element on the periodic table, it is not a steel alloy.  It is a plating- used as a finish to protect the steel from rust, just like the bumper of a car.  Chromium itself will NOT rust.  On cars the chrome plating is very thin- eventually the steel below rusts and comes up thru the chrome.

I don't know why it would be better than stainless.  The advantage of chromium is its high reflectivity/slickness and non-rusting/non-tarnishing finish.  

So why brush chrome?  Why not nickel or stainless with a brushed finish?

Answer 4

Stainless steel alloys are softer than the regular assortment of steel alloys used in firearms. I bet you will find that the chromed steel barrel is about 15-20% lighter than the same barrel would be, if made out of stainless steel.

Answer 5

Chrome is a plating like a car bumper

It can rust if not taken care of like a car bumper

Stainless will  be better because there is no plating that can possible be chipped or worn and it can be polished t look almost like chrome

Answer 6

This is a matter of personal preference.  As the others noted Chrome is a plating process, where steel is dipped in a nickel, then chrome bath and plated via electrolosis.  On the other hand a stainless firearm describes the metal that the firearm is made from.  Stainless steel is an alloy of steel and a percentage of chromium which "resists" oxidation.  Please note that if you abuse a stainless firearm it can still pit via little black specks.  A lot of people think that stainless steel means that it cannot rust, which is not entirely true.  Different alloys of stainless polish differently, so if you intend to polish it, check with a professional polisher to see how well it will work.  If you are looking for a shinier finish I would go with a nickel chromed piece.  As you can see a lot of this is personal preference.  Best of luck!