There is no accounting for taste
A 1911 made entirely of nickel??????? Huh, how so?
You lost me at all nickel gun, video games, Brothers in Arms series, Hells Highway and especially the poster showing a Soft Air gun
Might I ask a tentative question: what is your experience with guns - and do you own any?
I really mean no offence what so ever and I realize, that just because I like subdued guns, there are those who like a mirror finish.
Thats fine - its your money and your (future) gun.
BUT (and there is a but - isnt there always):
Nickel plating is a thing of the past (app a hundred years ago +/- some wanted protection against the elements, some just liked the finish). Back then nickel was what there was. But eventually a nickel plating on a working gun will flake.
Nickel plating is still available, but most have moved past that.
If you are serious about a gun with a 'white' or mirror finish, might I suggest you go one of two routes:
You can go with hard chrome (henceforth HC) which not only will reduce wear on friction parts, but which also is incredibly hard wearing though its only the tiniest fraction of an inch thick layer.
You can get a mirror finish gun with a polished HC....or rather its the parts that are polished.
It will look like a nickel plated gun with all of the advantages (protects the gun, long lasting, wont flake like nickel) and NONE of the disadvantages of the archaic nickel plating, which will eventually flake.
Then there is polished stainless steel - you can get a nice mirror finish with polished SS as well.
I know a couple of the top tier custom gunsmiths/gunmakers in the US and Ive seen some higly polished guns from their hands, when a customer asked for the mirror finish, that you also mention.
I must reluctantly admit, that they are very special looking and in a class of their own.
They look ....pretty, but I dont do pretty, so they are not for me. As with the majority of people, Im not at liberty to just go buy all the guns, so I have to choose between prettyfied guns and working guns. I choose strictly working guns and in competition shooting for example IPSC (not that I compete in that discipline these days) or any other competition that Ive shot, shooting a mirror finish would not work for me and I never would buy one - working gun or not.
What would you use a mirror finish gun for - just fondle it while your video game loads or give it regular workouts on the range and/or carry it?
Now, personally I dont do SS and I dont do polished, so Im a bit biased, but before you go with a shiny surface, please consider the following; a polished gun will reflect sun light like there is no tomorrow, which for obvious reasons is not a good thing. It might be a nuisance on the range plinking - at worst life threatening.
Secondly with HS, you better be prepared to like it for a looooooooooong time, because HC WILL stick on there there.
The metal practically soaks it up and dont even think about removing it.
In conclusion; for a long lasting finish of a gun for practical use, go check out a gun in HC with a brushed finish i.e. non-polished.
They have a very nice long lasting finish and actually can look very good indeed with a satin almost silken surface.
Ive seen,handled and shot HC finished 1911s for years and seen some real workhorses with no noticable wear.
A properly applied HC finish is beautful to behold and extremely practical to boot.
That finish I can wholeheartedly recommend.
Below are two pics of a HC high mirror finish 1911 followed by a polished SS 1911 to illustrate my point.
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