Bought New AR, Barrel has Deep Scratches in the Finish

[Mr.Davis]

There's not much worse than scrimping and saving for a big purchase, then getting it and being disappointed. Unfortunately, that's the experience I had with my first rifle purchase ever - a Smith & Wesson M&P-15 MOE.

Here are pictures of multiple scratches and what I would describe as a thin finish on the barrel. (Sorry for the awful pictures - wife unit hijacked the point and shoot)




I personally consider this to be damage that's unacceptable on a new item - as you can see from the pictures, the scratches penetrate the finish and reveal the silvery steel underneath. Even the caliber stamp on the barrel suffers the same issue - the edges of the characters show silver.

My question is: Is this typical of a new rifle? I realize that once it gets used it's going to get beat up a bit, but I want them to be my noob marks, not ham-fisted handling at the factory

I have contacted S&W and they're sending me a mailing label to send the whole rifle back. Unfortunately, I'd planned my first range trip this weekend and S&W is telling me it might be early January before I get the rifle back because they shut down over Christmas. :banghead:

More pictures:


Oh, and since I know you'll ask, here's the whole rifle. As you can see, saving for this purchase has reduced me to eating gruel and crackers for dinner

 

[sumpnz]

Sounds like S&W is taking care of you, if not quite as quickly as you'd like. That is not typical of a new rifle, at least not any that I've seen. Probably someone at the factory or shipping agent did that and either didn't notice or hoped you wouldn't. If that happens more than once in a blue moon S&W will figure out who the problem person is and fix it.

 

[Mr.Davis]

Thanks for responding. The guy on the phone at S&W was pretty surly, but I'll take that over an incomprehensible accent any day. Their phone tree was a bit difficult too (there's not really an option I could find for customer service).

I've heard S&W is good at handling stuff like this, so hopefully they'll turn it around quick. I guess I'll enjoy my Springfield XD9 in the meantime, but it's going to be like being a kid waiting for Christmas...literally.

 

[Almond27]

It looks like as if it might have been cut by a razor blade perhaps unpacking it.

 

[Mr.Davis]

It does look that way, but I doubt that's what happened. It ships in a hard plastic case, and there are at least three big scrapes like that, each on a different side of the barrel. My guess is that it got thrown in a pile at some point (probably before it was assembled) and the barrel got scraped up. Of course, that doesn't explain the thin finish...but maybe that made it more vulnerable. Who knows.

 

[knights_armorer]

honestly, i wouldnt send it back. i suppose i can understand since its your first ever.

if it were mine, and it was just a scratch of the parkerizing, i would get a birchwood casey bluing pen. oddly, they dont work well at all on really nice blued surfaces when touching up nicks and scrapes, but they are awesome on touching up any steel surface thats parked.

if you were to try one i bet you would decide against denying yourself that rifle for another 4-6 weeks.

you just dab it on, let it dry, and wipe it off with a damp cloth. if the scratches are just in the park, you probably will not be able to find them when your done. its not an ink or a die, it causes a chemical reaction and blackens the steel. we use them around the shop all the time.

the guy was probably abrasive because in the industry, they are looked at as more utilitarian than yours seems to you at this point, which is perfectly normal, being your first one and all.

 

[Mr.Davis]

knights_armorer,

Thanks for the insight. I tend to be kind of anal about things like this - I will probably chill over time, but like you said, it's my first.

My concern is really with durability - will scratches like that make the gun more vulnerable to rusting?

 

[Al Thompson]

Mr. D., once you blacken the scratches, not really unless you drag your rifle around in rain storms.

Frankly, I agree with KA in post #6. One of the best things about military style rifles is durability. The finish is scratched, but true freedom from such worries is but a can of Krylon Fusion away. Give her good magazines, decent ammo and keep the innards wet (Slip 2000 here) and your new S&W will convert money to ammo and ammo to noise for a long time.

PS - if you hang out at the loading dock of grocery stores, you can dumpster dive for spoiled produce like the rest of us. Beats gruel.

 

[TexasRifleman]

You have some good advice here.

But, it's parkerized. Look at it wrong and it will do that.

This is a military style rifle, the finish is designed to stop corrosion. Looks are not part of the equation at all other than being flat to minimize reflection off the metal.

I would really think that you'd mark it up that bad on the first range trip. But, I tend to treat these things as pure utility items. Those Casey pens work great for this. Even if you send the rifle back, buy one of those Casey bluing pens. You will need it

 

[Balrog]

How did you acquire the gun?
Were you able to inspect it before you took possession?
How do you know this didn't happen in the gun shop?

 

[atlanticfire]

I have to agree with Texas. A military rifle it is just that, a utility. But if this is your first rifle I guess that I can see where your coming from.

 

[Mr.Davis]

Balrog,

I bought it from a dealer on the 'net. To my knowledge, they're internet-only and this gun wouldn't have been out and about being manhandled in a showroom.

Thanks to everybody who took the time to post. Based on the feedback here, I'm going to pick up a Casey bluing pen and try it on a small section of the scratches. If I'm happy with the results, I'll take it to the range Sunday and report back

 

[tju1973]

I respect your desire to have your first rifle pristeen...but you do have a working rifle designed for war (or based off a rifle designed for war)-- I carried an M16A2 in the Fleet, and it had almost no parkerizing left, had two big chunks taken off the pistol grip from where I fell down a boulder at MWTC in N Cal, and the stock was beat to heck...

Made no difference in how it worked--

Me? I would keep it-- but I am the sort of guy who buys a new pickup and throws a chian in the bed so I don't worry about the first scratch I may get!

Looks like S&W is going to hook you up though...congrats on that at least!

 

[Balrog]

Why didnt you inspect it before you took possession?
This is the kind of thing that you can avoid if you buy the gun in person, but you should still inspect something before you fill out a 4473 and turn it into a used gun.

 

[knights_armorer]

he bought it on the net. he couldnt have handled it and checked it over before hand.

 

[c919]

Plus if he would have bought that rifle at his LGS (assuming they have one, which I doubt), he would have paid at least $1200 on a good day. I'd be willing to bet he didn't pay over a grand for it. Deals on M&P15's are a dime a dozen on the web right now.

 

[knights_armorer]

Mr. Davis,

here is the one you want.
http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=30785

as noted, it is not a paint, ink, or die. it is a chemical which upon application appears to be clear, with a slight yellowish tint. do not "draw" with the pen. just blot it on to the spots and scratches. dont worry about getting it on the parts that are not scratched, as it will just blend into those areas. when we use them, we just dab them on the scratches, let it dry for a few minutes, then wipe off with a slightly dampened cloth. if the area is not dark enough after the first application, just repeat it. you will like the results.

unfortunately, it does not work as well on anodized aluminum, but it will work wonders on barrel steel.

 

[Mr.Davis]

Knights_armorer,

Thanks a ton! I'll follow your directions.

c919,

Your'e exactly right. I would have preferred to buy it local, but even the almighty Buds (which is about 30 minutes away) couldn't touch the price I got ($899, no tax, and free shipping). Most other sellers were north of $1k.

But, that said, that's what happens when you buy over the net.

 

[Coronach]

Is this a safe queen or a range toy, or is it going to be a working gun?

Before we go any further, I have nothing against safe queens or range toys. I have a lovely S&W M19 with beautiful bluing that I would never want to scratch. I am hoping to get a nice walnut stock with some tigerstriping for my M1. I get the desire to keep pretty things pretty.

However, if you intend to train with this gun, that scratch is NOTHING. It will have a dozen more like it after your first carbine class. If it doesn't, you're not training right. I'm not saying you should abuse your weapon, but if you're moving and shooting and transitioning and taking cover, your weapon is going to get scratches.

Sure, I get the philosophical argument of "I paid for it so it should come to me pristine". I really do. On a safe queen or range toy, that's a valid point. But if this is a tool, one you intend to use and get dirty, it's no big deal. I've never seen a pretty looking shovel after a day of digging. If it still bothers you, go out and mortar the weapon once on the pavement. Or take cover too enthusiastically and scrape the side up against a brick wall. There you go, now you have bigger scuffs. Accept them. They're signs of honest work. Move on.

Mike

 

[Bovice]

lol, i was expecting to see some impressive marks. that's all you got?

It's completely up to you... but those kind of marks will no doubt reoccur in no time, unless you just let your rifle sit in the safe and you just look at it (no touching) from time to time. Like other people have said, that's just how these things are. But it's up to you, its your gun.

edit: TBH, when I first looked at the photos.... I didn't see anything out of the ordinary

 

[Quentin]

I have a S&W lower and noticed the finish is easily scratched. Of course that's annodized aluminum not park steel but may hint that Smith's finish is less durable than others. Beautiful finish though, at first. It bugged me for a while but now that I've got more dings on the rifle it bothers me less, especially since otherwise the AR works well.

 

[Al Thompson]

On a slightly different note, a "black" anything (rifle, handgun, shirt, hat) is a fairly visible target indicator. Painting said black thing makes it less of a target indicator.

 

[Balrog]

he bought it on the net. he couldnt have handled it and checked it over before hand.

You are supposed to inspect it before you fill out the 4473. If it does not meet your expectations, send it back to the original seller. Once you fill out a 4473, it is a used gun. I think he should have inspected it, and then called the outfit he bought it from, and talked with them about it.

Instead, he took possession, and is now using S&W's excellent customer service to try and fix a problem for free that may or may not have been their fault.

Plus if he would have bought that rifle at his LGS (assuming they have one, which I doubt), he would have paid at least $1200 on a good day.

He would not have a scratched up gun that he is unhappy with, either.

 

[Mr.Davis]

Point taken, Balrog, but I'm going to plead ignorance on this one. This is only my second gun, and my first bought over the internet and transferred to an FFL.

Also, folks, this is not going to be a "working gun". I will use it at the range, potentially for home defense, and I'll probably take some carbine classes at some point. That being the case, I'm going to try the bluing pen and see if that gives satisfactory results. I don't mind scrapes, but I didn't want to risk the durability of the gun due to the bare metal being exposed.

That said, (and remembering that I'm still very much a newbie at this whole firearms thing compared to you folks), what's the best way to protect that barrel against rust? Oil?

 

[lobo9er]

i bought an M&P 15 had feeding problems. sent it back to smith and wesson came back with new barrel lol worked half the time. so i sold it only AR15 I have owned, kinda spoiled the platform for me. I too was very excited about owning an AR15 only to have it crap out on me.