Glock slide finish

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ChCx2744

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I just bought a brand NIB Glock today. I put it side by side next to one of the other Glocks I've owned for years and the slide finish on my new Glock looks and feels different from my other one. My older Glock's finish is a bit shiny and smooth, it has about 500+ rounds through it. The new one that I bought today has a weird luster that seems a bit rough and it's not shiny. Is this supposed to be some sort of temporary outer layer that gradually wears off as I shoot it, or is it something new that Glock has incorporated. By the way, both Glocks are 3rd generation, both my old and new one.
 
There was a run of Glocks with a slightly different finish. it's still Tennifer, but it looks different.

Not sure if they had a point. I heard some rumor that some Glocks are finished in the US now, but I have no proof. Deos yours say Austria or Smyrna GA on the frame?
 
The new finish is different. It's actually more like the original Glock finish. The Gen 3's are the weird ones to the "old folks."

Gen 1-2: rough "parkerized" greyish finish
Gen 3: Black "teflon frying pan" finish
Gen 4*: back to something resembling the original "park" finish.

All my Glocks are Gen 3, "made in Smyrna, GA," and have the slick black finish. It appears to be just as or more durable than the "parkerized" finish, but it's harder to get a grip. My friend has one with the new finish, and where it's worn off at the front corner of the slide, it looks like it's chipped all the way through; whereas on smooth Glocks, the finish wear is visible only as a color change.

They are also finishing the barrels with a very smooth grey finish, now. Previously, they were using a black finish. But the black on the barrel appears to wear off faster.

Personally, I prefer the slick black frying pan finish on the slide and the grey finish on the barrel. There are a few like that out there, when Glock was using up old stock of slides with new barrels.

*edit: actually, all current production guns have the new finish, including Gen3's.
 
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Mine says Smyrna, GA on the side of the frame, it's gotta be a "newer" gen 3 then. I do NOT like this dull finish, I like the shiny, black finish better. This dull crap is really pissing me off!!!!
 
That statement sort of begs the question...then why did you buy it?

Dave

I am also questioning the purchase myself, but first I'm going to put my feelings aside and civilly attempt to reason with Glock in the morning to see if I can arrange a swap out or re-finish; if not, I'm gonna have to live with it.
 
I am also questioning the purchase myself, but first I'm going to put my feelings aside and civilly attempt to reason with Glock in the morning to see if I can arrange a swap out or re-finish; if not, I'm gonna have to live with it.

You actually care what a Glock looks like? :scrutiny:

Warped molded frame, square box slide, plastic trigger. It's an ugly weapon no matter how you cut it. Besides, concealed is concealed anyway. Throw it down the driveway for that classic WWII look!
 
I purchased a Gen 3 Glock 19 RTF2 earlier this year and made the same observation. Mine however has a strange purpleish hue to it that seems to dry out easily even after oiling.
 
Glock changed their finish a little bit. It's still their Tenifer finish but they changed some aspects of it. if you keep the gun for a while then i'm sure the finish will smooth out to some degree. but they did change it from what it used to be
 
~Boomslang~ said:
I purchased a Gen 3 Glock 19 RTF2 earlier this year and made the same observation. Mine however has a strange purpleish hue to it that seems to dry out easily even after oiling.
Yeah I sprayed the hell out of mine with Rem Oil and tried to "buff" it in, but it dried up, as if I huffed my hot breath on it...Wierd
 
My 2011 Gen 3 with a grey finish. I think mines a little different than the standard Gen 3 finish.

IMAG0030-1.jpg
 
I got the same hot breath effect. I can best describe the color of the slide as like a ravens feathers. Black at some angles purple at others.
 
I noticed the same thing on my Gen 4 G26. It has more of the Matte finish, but I think the above member hit the nail on the head. The 3rd Gen Glocks were the only ones that had the shiny finish. I think I prefer that finish, but I haven't decided yet.

img_3614.jpg


Webb
 
I like the matte. But all in all it did not make or break my purchase...ha didn't even notice until I saw threads like this.
 
I bought a Gen 3 G19 a while back (in 2009) with the rough finish. If I would have noticed it in the dim light of the gun shop I would have got a different one. I prefer the smooth finish, it looks nicer IMO, wipes down easier, and is more holster wear resistant. This new finish started showing holster wear WAY sooner. A few treatments with some hoppes gun grease improved mine a bit. It does give more traction when racking the slide though.

I noticed the barrel hood has a funny "ramp" on the top of it also. It is also the first one I got with the new front sight design, which I like because it's thinner. I got a bit of an oddball G19.
 
The bevel on the barrel hood was done in 1995 to alleviate the Type 3 malfunctions the NYPD was having with their 19's.
 
Unfortunately, it looks like I'm going to have to keep it. Called GLOCK and they told me they wouldn't re-finish it. I then called the distributor who sold it to me and told me they won't let me swap it out because "walking out the door with it constitutes it being used." This is BS. And yes, this is a big deal to me because the more durable black finish is a signature GLOCK feature, one of the main reasons I bought a GLOCK, for that added strength of not being able to scratch or wear as easily. The aesthetics involved in whether or not I see wear marks on a GLOCK bothers me, a lot. The fact that I can't even return a brand new gun because of some dumb store policy makes the situation even worse.
 
i just purchased a new gen4 g23, and of course it has the new matte grey rough finish.

i have to agree with ChCx, it sux, but it's not a deal killer. it's obviously a cost cutting measure by glock and wears much faster than the gen3 shiny black one. not a smart move for a gun company that's renowned for it's durability.

it's slightly more grippy, but i prefer durability to that. still love the gun despite.


the early gen4's still had the shiny black gen3 finish, but the gen4 g23 is one of the latest gen4 models to be released and has only been made with the matte grey.

like i said, it's not a deal killer, just a disappointment. i'm still more than happy with my purchase, but i don't have a blind devotion to any one gun company that i overlook situations where they start cheaping out on production to save a couple pennies.


now the glossy grey barrel finish is more durable than the old black one. there were a few glocks made with this glossy grey finish on the slide for a short while, and it's the best slide finish glock has ever made by far, but they stopped it.
 
Just so it has been said here, the black you see isn't the Tennifer. The Tennifer is clear under the black, so if the black finish wears down to metal color, the gun still won't rust. I know that isn't really the discussion here, but just wanted to throw that out there.
 
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