text: can i hard chrome a stainless gun?   bound's hubby here:  emphatically, no!  for two reasons!  first, if you go to re-finish a firearm ... what people neglect to do is to machine down all of the surfaces that interact with each other, thereby reducing or destroying the part tolerances. any finish added to a firearm requires an equal reduction of the firearm's bearing surfaces. you do not just throw on a finish.  second ... many metals do not "take" a finish. stainless, as used by most frearms manufacturers, is really quite durable. its reflectiveness will be less than the reflective qualities of "hard chrome".   my recommendation is, if you want a firearm with a hard chrome finish, trade-in your stainless handgun and get what you really want.  good luck!