Well, historically, nickel plating was very popular. I think I read somewhere that anything up to 40% of the guns made in the last half of the 19th century were nickel plated. This was because of the environment they were in, (the US western migration, long periods with inadequate shelter, highly corrosive black powder) nickel plating tends to be more rust resistant than traditional bluing. Now, we have stainless steel, non-corrosive powders, and most people have a safe place to keep their guns out of the weather which has pretty much taken nickel plated firearms off the market.
One other thing, if you're going to be in combat, the last thing you want is a gun that's going to be nice and shiny, as it simply will draw attention to you if you're hiding.
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