XD9c finish concerns

[bronicadave]

I am thinking seriously about a compact XD 9mm. I like the way the gun feels in my hand, much better than Glock 26 even though it is a little larger. My concern is the finish. The ones I've handled at the store all show lots of finish wear just from handling (and probably mishandling) at the store. The corners are starting to get shiny and there are noticeable scratches. The salesman said the newer XDs have an improved finish which is much more durable, comparable to the Glock he said. If this is tru how can I be sure to get the newer improved finish? Is there a different stock number? Does the new finish look more glossy like the Glock?

[Mojoski]

It is my understanding that the 45 is the only one with the new finish. Is that correct guys?

That said, I have a XD-9 SC and love it. Never had a problem with the finish. I've put about 2K rounds through it..

[Skull Leader]

I heard the same thing, that the 45's have that finish and that the rest have the standard coating. I'm thinking about getting a better finish on it, i inquired SA and it's pricey.

[LTC-USA]

That is why I sent my slide to trippresearch.com. No finish problems now.

[Delija]

Originally Posted by Skull Leader

I heard the same thing, that the 45's have that finish and that the rest have the standard coating. I'm thinking about getting a better finish on it, i inquired SA and it's pricey.

I believe that's correct....the 45ACP guns have a new finish (the equivalent of the "Tennifer" finish on Glock pistols - "Tennifer" is just a Glock trademark name...the finish on the XD45 is the same thing with a different name - "Melonite") http://burlingtoneng.com/melonite.html.

It's also been reported here (I think by members who phoned SA) that the new Melonite finish will be used on the other caliber XDs. No one seems to know exactly when. But I would guess after the guns with the old finish are sold.

I own a 9mm XD Subcompact. I am not sure how many rounds are through it. I'd guess around 2K. The gun has had zero problems with rust (or anything else). I have shot the gun from a boat out on the ocean (only place I can shoot outdoors in South Florida) and it's gotten well drenched with sea water spray. Normal maintainance and the gun has never even pitted. I would imagine it would if I pressed my luck. But I don't want to find out so I rinse the gun with fresh water as soon as I can on the boat. And clean and oil it as soon as possible when I get off the boat.

The Melonite/Tenifer supposedly will withstand salt water for a pretty good amount of time.

I had been using a polymer based car wax (Glasse - the BEST!!! at least for cars) and that may have helped..it couldn't hurt. But I packed it away when I moved a few months ago and haven't seen it since, so regular Break Free CLP and Kell Lube M12, Pro Shot, and whatever else I have in my box of cleaning stuff seems to keep the gun looking new no matter what it's exposed to (always a LOT of humidity if nothing else).

The front corners on my XD are getting a bit shiny....I guess from holster wear. And I don't holster and re-holster the gun a lot. However from what I understand, with Tennifer and Melonite (and maybe with the "old" XD finish that I have), the wearing off of the black finish does not necessarily mean the gun is more prone to rust. The Tennifer is a process that treats the metal UNDER the black coating (or whatever color the gun is). So if that's accurate, I guess it's possible that the black could be completely worn off..the gun would look like it was unfinished, and still be protected from rust.

As far as re-finishing and the expense of it.....whatever Springfield charges, I would think there are independents that would do it for less money. I know, for example, that my Kel-Tec has a hard chrome finish on the slide and Kel-Tec sends the slides out and has them refinished on a sub-contracting basis. I forgot which company they use (www.ktog.org - the Kel-Tec owners forum) has all the info easily available...just a quick search should do the trick. Since the slide alone is not a firearm, shipping is not expensive and the hard chrome is also not expensive....quite inexpensive in fact. And hard-chrome is about as rust resistant as you can hope for in a carbon steel refinish.

Here's one of the guy's (link below) that does refinishing of a lot of Kel Tecs. No prices listed, and I forgot what they are, but a quick phone call should get the info (my KT is factory hard chromed so it hasn't been a concern for me, and so far so good with my XD Sub).
http://www.gunsmith.fuselier.com/

Good luck.

Peace,
D.