Barrell Finish Wear

[thejoe]

I just bought a used XD-40 service (hooray for me) with between 1-2k rounds through it. I have a buddy who bought one 3 years ago, loves it, but says the overall finish hasn't held up that well. The main concern I have is the blued barrell having wear patterns that show shiny metal. Given that the finish has worn off, it's now more prone to rusting which I want to avoid. The question is this: is this normal for 1-2k rounds? Secondly, is it a bad sign? Third: what can I do to refinish it without it looking really funky and "home-improved?" Thanks for your advice.

joe

[Old School]

No worries, your issue is normal. That is where the slide is rubbing the barrel duing ignition and to reduce the ware, add a little oil to those spots. Rust won't be an issue either.

[thejoe]

Well, it doesn't look as good as I'd like it to. What's the best way to remedy that?

joe

[chupacabrachus]

Have it refinished in hard-crome. Even that won't last forever though. Wear on the barrel hood is eminent and cannot be avoided unless you don't shoot the gun. Mine has never rusted in that area before. I also have a lot of finish worn off of the slide (which I DO NOT like) but that's the nature of pre-melonite XDs: terrible finish.

[KYDoc]

Originally Posted by thejoe

Well, it doesn't look as good as I'd like it to. What's the best way to remedy that?

joe

You'll have to refinish it and then put it in a frame on the wall and never shoot it again.

Shooting it will cause it to look like it's been shot.

If you really want one to look nice, buy a new one and shoot the old one!

[shipwreck]

U can prtect the slide if you are as anal retentaive as me. Hard chroming the slide will almost make it scratch proof - it won't mark unless you scratch it with another metal object. It's pretty much holster proof. I have 3 slides hard chromed.

I NEVER worry about the barrel, however. The design calls for part of the top and the bottom of the barrel to rub against the slide as it fires. This wears the barrel on ANY tilt barrel designed semi auto. U cannot stop it w/o NOT shooting it.

If U refinish the barrel, it will just happen again. And, depending on the tightness and tolerences, I have heard of hard chrome being peeled/stripped off a barrel as the gun functions. Another reason I never bothered with hard chroming a barrel.

U CAN refinish it however U want. But, it will just happen again. Since the barrel is inside the slide, and U can't see it without the action being open, just cover it with some CLP. U don't have to wipe that off.

[thejoe]

Just reread my last post and it sounds pretty ridiculous. I feel dumb for asking the question.

Ok. Final question. Should the top of the chamber wear too?

joe

[KYDoc]

Originally Posted by thejoe

Just reread my last post and it sounds pretty ridiculous. I feel dumb for asking the question.

Ok. Final question. Should the top of the chamber wear too?

joe

Yeah.. it rides along the metal on the underside of the top of the frame. Some have polished the chamber and barrel to lessen wear marks. It has a nice polished steel look if you like that sort of thing. If you do a search for "polished" or "polishing barrel" you'll find lots of pics posted on the site.

Here's one:

XD40 Before and after.

and another:

All polished up....

In addendum to my prior wise-ass comment, I will say that these do indeed eliminate the majority of the wear marks, and this may actually have been the answer you're looking for. Thank you for allowing me to "revise and extend" my prior post.

[laserguy]

Hard Chrome Source:

You guys may already know this, but Surgi-chrome in portland oregon does an excellent job of true hard chroming. It looks like satin stainless with a hardness of over RC65. That means it is harder than most highspeed steel cutting tools. It will not strip off over time either. It can and does enhance wear resistance on the rails and barrel bushing since it is so much harder than the base metal.

Surgichrome Inc
16569 SE 115th Ave
Clackamas, OR 97015-9010
(503) 657-4044




Great guys, they will do long guns as well. We have way too much water here in Oregon that can develop a "hunter's patina" on that favorite boltgun.

Thanks