Ruger P89 Wear Question

[24-7 Dave]

Have a super reliable Ruger P89 (9mm) semi-auto pistol that shoots everything I've ever bought or loaded. I've put probably 2-3 thousand rounds through it, mostly 125 Gr LRN with light to medium charges for plinking. Recently noticed wear appearing where I've never seen any appreciable wear. I clean thoroghly after every use, and the only part I ever replaced is the main recoil spring when the old one started to mushroom and became hard to disassemble. Replaced with a factory spring. Please look at wear indicated by arrows and let me know if this is normal, or is there something I need to check/tighten/replace. Most wear is on either side of the slot in the frame where the barrel link travels, while there is also a noticeable wearing along the top surface where the flat underside of the barrel assemble rides.

Am I worrying too much?
Thanks!
Dave

 

[rcmodel]

Looks pretty good to me.

But it also looks like it doesn't know what oil or grease is because it has never seen any?

You do lube the moving parts, don't you?

rc

 

[24-7 Dave]

I've always used Breakfree for cleaning, and during final wipe-down put a little extra on the areas that make contact with the moving parts around the barrel and slide--but always careful to avoid too much oil (must be the military training and the first time my rifle got all jammed up with dust in the desert). When I noticed the wear beginning on the frame where it shouldn't make contact around the barrel link slot, I started putting a light coat of Shooter's Choice grease directly on those wear spots and contact surfaces of the slide and underside of the barrel assembly. It just didn't make sense to me that it's starting to make contact on both sides of the slot where the barrel link is supposed to travel, as if I'm getting too much side-to-side play.

 

[LeonCarr]

It looks perfectly fine...good photo also.

It will take much more than 3000 LRN handloads to wear a P89, more like 300,000. When the P-85, the P-89s predecessor, was being developed they fired 100 70,000 psi(twice the normal average pressure) proof loads through a prototype with no ill effects or dimensional changes. It is the AK-47 of 9mm handguns. The only gun that it takes a back seat to for durability is maybe a Glock. You are taking good care of yours. Now go to the range...you have 297,000 more rounds to go .

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[24-7 Dave]

Thank you for the feedback, and especially the background info on its predecessor's development and strength. I've always been a bit leery of autoloaders since my first 9, a TZ-75, cracked the slide beneath the recoil spring/guide rod using ordinary factory ammo, so when I started finding noticeable wear during the past couple months on my favorite, I felt sick. I'll increase the amount of grease on the wear points just a bit as a precaution and keep an eye on it. Again, thanks for putting my mind at ease.
Dave