XD-45 Finish: Wear

[SecondAmend]

I recently picked up an XD-45 and put 150 round through it. Upon cleaning and closer inspection, I noticed that some of the internal finishes are showing some of the shiny metal underneath the finish.

The top of the receiver is also wearing. It is minimal but enough to notice up close. I heard that with this type of wear is common with pistols sharing this kind of action.

Long term reliability is certainly important to me, but I'm a bit disappointed in the quality of this firearm's finish, which doesn't seem on par with Glocks. My Glock 17 has over 2,500 rounds (yes, it's only a few months old) through it, and you'd think I just bought it the other day due to its immaculate finish.

Anyone else have similar thoughts?

 

[dmftoy1]

Might help if you posted some pictures? If I'm reading it the way that I think you mean it then you're concerned that some of the 'black' has worn off where the slide rides on the metal inserts in the polymer frame (not visible)?

Regards,
Dave

 

[cpirtle]

Just based on what you're saying (not seeing pictures), I'm inclined to say that what you are seeing is normal with all semi-auto's.

The finish is going to wear from any contact points.

Two reasons that should not matter much are that :

[1] The Mellonite SA is now having applied to the XD's is not only a coating, it treats the steel. Once the finish is gone the steel should still be protected.

[2] Points of contact should be lubricated with your oil/grease of choice anyway, so even if the finish is no longer protecting you should not see rust.

Enjoy your XD - I have 3 of them and they have all been flawless.

 

[SecondAmend]

I'll post some "macro" shots tomorrow. Stay tuned.

 

[gudel]

Do you have any rusts? I've seen pics of XD rusting in arfcom.

 

[SecondAmend]

No signs of rust.

 

[Taurus44]

Almost all of the XD rust issues were with the older, pre-Melonite XDs. Melonite is a surface treatment of the metal. It really has nothing to do with the black color you see (the finish) on your gun.

And, for the record, SA's Melonite is the exact same process as Glock's Tenifer. Even if all the black finish wears off your gun, the Melonited surface of the metal is still there and still resistant to rust.

I just bought my fifth XD (two pre-Melonite, three Melonite) last week. I've run about 15,000 rounds through them collectively and have yet to see any failures, or even my first spot of rust.

 

[SecondAmend]

Regarding rust or failures, point taken. I just tend to be a stickler about a new gun that shows wear marks after only 150 rounds.


Here are a few pics, as promised.




And some eye bling...

 

[Ala Dan]

I see nothing that warrants worrying a'bout~!

 

[xd45gaper]

those are normal wear spots on the XD, my XD the Premelonite type looks exactly the same. I duracoated my slide though i didnt do the inside parts but some people do.

 

[SecondAmend]

How did you Duracoat your slide?

 

[cpirtle]

Duracoat is not going to be as durable as the current Melonite coating. Melonite and Tennifer are arguably the best coatings on the market right now.

I could see putting another coating on the old finish that came on the XD's.

Short of Stainless (obviously not a finish), Tin and maybe DLC I have never seen a finish that would not show wear on contact points after 300 rounds or less.

 

[Taurus44]

This thread started because of marking on the barrel hood and rails?!? Heh. That's not even broken in yet!

That is very normal "wear" for a semiauto handgun. I thought you meant the slide itself was already showing wear... My Melonited XD-9 Tactical has been drawn from a kydex holster THOUSANDS of times and still shows only minimal "finish wear".

Just shoot the thing... Don't worry about the finish.

 

[SecondAmend]

The point was that if that's how it looks after ONLY 150 rounds, I wonder what it's going to look like after 5,000. It seems premature, compared to my Glock which, though still new, has probably 2,500 rounds through it and doesn't have anywhere near as much wear as the XD-45. Again, I know it's not a big deal, I was just wondering if this points to a finish that reflects the lower price (compared to G21, for example).

Regardless, it's a keeper and one that's pretty darn accurate. Gonna blast 200-400 more rounds through it this week.

 

[Rokman]

That's kinda how mine looks. Just lube it up and shoot the mess out of it.

 

[CWL]

That wear charachteristic just shows that your XD fits tighter than your Glock. This is a sign of better tolerances, this is a good thing.

 

[Lonestar49]

Nothing to worry about..

...

As mentioned, 150 rounds, and it's not even broke in yet.. but what I see is normal, but..

Spray those shiny parts with EEZOX, let stand for 5 mins, then swipe, once, and let stay. Your shiny parts will not grow.

Spray the entire gun, inside of slide, as well, use lightly, a little goes a looooong way.

It's all on the directions on the spray can..


LS

 

[Nil]

I don't see a problem at all.

 

[Kurt_D]

Reguarding the barrel: that wear is 100% normal for all handguns with this type of locking system. HKs and Sigs show the same wear. Your Glock may show less due to tolerance stacking; if I remember right, my buddy's 22 had the same wear pattern.

Reguarding the Locking block/frame rail: again 100% normal on every handgun with steel or aluminium frame rails. Once again you may not notice it with your Glock because the rails are polymer with stainless inserts, just like a HK USP. The Melonite treatment is under the black oxide finish so rust shouldn't be a problem.

The good news: I've noticed with both my XDs (one XD45, one XD40 sub pre-melonite) after break-in, the wear doesn't seem to increase much.

 

[mballai]

I don't see anything worth worrying about. You need to make a concerted effort to wear out your gun.

Seriously. An XD is strictly a utility firearm, it's all about shooting. Forget the bling thing. XDs are made in great volume and your gun will never have any collector value. Shoot it.

My Glock 19 has developed a nice soft worn edge look on the slide from regular carry and holstering. I couldn't be happier. My shooting speaks for itself after more than a decade, but I don't want my gear to brand me as some newbie.

 

[coelacanth]

yup - my XD 4" service model looked exactly like that

after 100 rounds downrange. It looks exactly the same now that it has about 3000 rounds downrange. A little honest wear but nothing more. A wipedown with CLP afterwards and we're good to go. Besides, Clint Eastwood would have trouble looking like a bada$$ without those squinty lines at the corners of his eyes, right?

 

[xd45gaper]

just take a sharpie and pant those spots black again! problem solved! haha
j.k

dura coat sells kits on there website, i purchased a kit in colt black i think it was around 60$ took the gun apart, taped the sights degreased it with break cleaner, and went to town, and after it set up i placed it in the oven for like an hour at a low temp to set the finish, only part i really f'ed up was when i was moving it to the oven i got a thumb print on the back side of the slide (not really noticable) that is now baked in there and i have no idea how to get it off besides sanding that part back down and reapplying a coat of duracoat,

if you have a melonite slide i wouldnt worry about going to the duracoat route . unless you just want to change the color of your slide

 

[lee n. field]

I've got an XD product catalog from Springfield that shows an XD with that mark on the barrel.