I have never had a gun nickel plated, but from the research I have done, everyone recommends electroless nickel as apposed to electro plating. They tell me the electro plating is brittle, and does not go on evenly, where the electroless nickel is superior. You can purchase the chemicals from Brownells to do your own electroless nickel and Brownell's will send you the complete instruction book for the process for the asking.