[kraigster414]

And I already like the feel better than any of the Glocks I've owned. Of course the proof will be tomorrow when I hit the range.

Field stripped the baby, cleaned, oiled and lubed the rails and other critical parts, sure enough screwed up the Hogue grip trying to make room for the grip safety (I bought a Pachmayr just in case but I like the Hogue better). OD green frame and looking very nice.

But damn if I can't get more than ten rounds in those high capacity magazines!!! What's the secret here? Let 'em sit with 10 rounds for a few days to see if the springs compress a little? Geez, I thought new Glock mags were tough!

By the way, no visible signs of rust on the slide. Just to be on the safe side, I applied Birchwood Casey Sheath rust preventive and Blue Wonder Armadillo wax to the slide's exterior. I hate rust!! The minute I see a spec, the slide is going out for refinishing.

Don's rod and Wolff 24# spring are on their way.

Postscript - 2 hours later... I was able to get 11 rounds in two of the new mags and 12 in the third - the latter has WW SilverTips in it - I wonder if that made a difference. The other two mags have Win WallyWorld White Box.

 

[ampleworks]

Pickup one of those promag or glock loaders, with enough arm and some spring stretching you can make those 13s instead of 12...run ya about $3 from cabelas or $5-6 from a retail store

Ammo does really have much to do with it as they're all 40cal cases, they can't vary enough to keep you from fitting the 12th in and still fit into the barrel, just need some to let them set a little while with as many as you can fit

 

[Delija]

By the way, no visible signs of rust on the slide. Just to be on the safe side, I applied Birchwood Casey Sheath rust preventive and Blue Wonder Armadillo wax to the slide's exterior. I hate rust!! The minute I see a spec, the slide is going out for refinishing.

I am really beginning to think this rust issue is a myth.

My gun has been exposed to salt water directly (got splashed..i wiped it off with a wet salt water drenched t-shirt...all I had on a small boat) and salt air for hours at a time. I have never seen a bit of rust. I do clean the gun after each use, and I do oil the slide and wipe it off with a silicone cloth. But even so, there have been times when I could not clean it for a couple of days after shooting it.

Maybe I just got lucky and my slide got blessed in Croatia with some kind of magic power. But I sort of doubt it.

Peace,
D.

 

[kraigster414]

By the way, no visible signs of rust on the slide. Just to be on the safe side, I applied Birchwood Casey Sheath rust preventive and Blue Wonder Armadillo wax to the slide's exterior. I hate rust!! The minute I see a spec, the slide is going out for refinishing.

I am really beginning to think this rust issue is a myth.

My gun has been exposed to salt water directly (got splashed..i wiped it off with a wet salt water drenched t-shirt...all I had on a small boat) and salt air for hours at a time. I have never seen a bit of rust. I do clean the gun after each use, and I do oil the slide and wipe it off with a silicone cloth. But even so, there have been times when I could not clean it for a couple of days after shooting it.

Maybe I just got lucky and my slide got blessed in Croatia with some kind of magic power. But I sort of doubt it.

Peace,
D.

I am starting to have my doubts too whether this whole rust thing is over-blown but of course in my case, it's too soon to tell. All I can say is that I checked the date of manufacturer on my gun and it was 1/xx/04. Don't know where it's been over the last year or under what conditions but there is no evidence of rust.

 

[xdron40]

Delija, like you I'm kind of wondering too. Up here on the Space Coast we've got a very salty, humid atmosphere. But, I too clean mine after each use. I do use Blue Wonder Armadillo, so maybe that has something to do with it. But two months so far, no sign of rust. Wish I could say the same for some other metal products around here.

 

[gsh341]

I was having a hell of a time getting my 12th rd in the mags I have untill I noticed the bottom plate on the mag bending a bit. I filed off about 1/16" from the spring follower and no problem at all now.

 

[Son of Norway]

Mmmmm....fresh virgin XD.... :twisted:

 

[bigwilly11189]

how did you find your manufacturing date of your XD???

 

[NiK]

Re: rust.

I'll be honest with you. I've shot my XD 4 times in as many months, about 1000 rounds total, and haven't cleaned it or wiped it down. Not a drop of CLP or anything on the slide. I'm in humid Georgia.

Not even a hint of rust.

 

[kraigster414]

how did you find your manufacturing date of your XD???

On the envelope with the spent "DNA" casing is the date of test fire so I assume that correlates to the manufacture date.

 

[Brickboy240]

You'll love it...I love mine.

Yeah, I have not found the rust to be an issue either. Living in hot horribly humid Houston, you'd think I'd see rust, but the holster wear is my biggest problem. No rust at all, but after a few times in the holster, it has more wear than a parkerized 1911 I have holstered in leather for about 8 years!

Not to worry, when I get some free cash, I am going to have the slide hard chromed and that holster wear issue will be a thing of the past!

-Brickboy240

 

[ken_mays]

I am really beginning to think this rust issue is a myth.

How many photos are you going to have to see?

 

[Delija]

I am really beginning to think this rust issue is a myth.

How many photos are you going to have to see?

Yes, I have seen photos of XDs with rust spots. So obviously my use of the term "myth" was inaccurate.

Perhaps SA has changed their process of finishing. I don't know the date of manufacture of my gun.....I bought it used, and only got the gun and one magazine...no box, no test fired casing (like Kraigster mentioned above).

All I know is that the conditions I have subjected the pistol to seem pretty extreme. Salt water...even salt air seems to pit everything in a hurry. Plus the relentless humidity of South Florida. I can't imagine a more rust friendly environment.

I remember when cars had chrome bumpers and we'd go to the beach the bumpers would be pitted after a few hours in the parking lot if they were not waxed. And even then, you needed to hose off the cars with fresh water ASAP.

I have used a polymer car "wax" on the slide of the gun. I suppose that may have helped, but I had also had the gun out on the ocean before I thought to do that. I did always wipe a little gun oil on the slide and wipe it off with a silicone cloth with each cleaning. But that never seemed like any special care for a gun. So I really do wonder why I hear (and yes...have seen photos) of XDs being so rust prone.

If you look on the Glock forums, you would be convinced by the Glock die hards that an XD would crumble into a pile of red dust if were exposed to salt air (or even desert air according to some).

I read the comments here, and it appears that others also have no rust problems. And yes, I have also read about some real rust problems. And I also read posts in which people talk about sending their XDs for re-finishing before they even have a chance to rust...Preventative maintenance is usually a smart thing. But I am curious if some are paying to prevent an occurrence they may not need to.


The serial number on my gun is US 998024. I wonder if the guns with rust have lower (older?) numbers?

Maybe it would be interesting to compare serial numbers (assuming their is a correlation between them and date of manufacture) and see if there is any range of serial numbers that are more (or less) prone to the rusting problems.

Maybe a "poll" thread would be a better idea. But I am not sure how to set that up (Overkill, where are you?)..LOL

Peace,
D.

 

[ken_mays]

The SNs on my two Tacticals are 4090xx and 4072xx. They have both rusted in the past. My service model is older than both of them, and it rusted when my range bag got rained on once.

The only times I get rust is when I have handled the metal (whether it's oiled or not) and let the gun sit in a humid environment (i.e., outdoors) for at least 8 hours without re-oiling.

The photo below was taken after a range session -- I had left the gun in my garage overnight.

As usual, the rust wiped off and the gun looks brand new again.

 

[Delija]

As usual, the rust wiped off and the gun looks brand new again.

Interesting....looks like the finished got "weathered". It has not happened to my XD.

Yet I don't know that I would call this "rust". If you can just wipe it off, that would seem to me that the "bruniel" or whatever the stuff is called just reacts with moisture and sets up some kind of residue. At least that's what it looks like in the picture.

If this is what people mean as "rust"...then I guess my "rust-less" XD has indeed rusted. It certainly has become discolored when coated with salt water. But I never considered it "rust" because it did just wipe off. I thought all I was seeing was dried on salt (which looked somewhat like the picture posted above).

To me, rust is when the metal oxidizes and "scars" the finish. Discoloration that wipes off in no way scars the metal.

I guess it's semantics. But to me..."rust" is not something that just wipes off. It is something that actually decays the metal.

Having applied the polymer car "wax" about a month ago, I have gotten no discoloration at all. It is like shrink wrapping the gun with a microscopically thin layer of plastic. It's thick enough however to give the gun a "feel". Sort of "rubbery" I guess is the best way to describe it.

I suppose the gun specific products like Armadillo probably accomplish the same thing.....just a different approach.

Peace,
D.

 

[retired]

Delija, you said maybe SA has changed their finishing process. Correct me if I'm wrong and I'm not nitpicking, but I thought the gun was made in Croatia and the SA name was put on it as they are the distributor for it. So they don't actually have anything to do with the manufacturing of the weapon. True, False? :?

 

[Delija]

Delija, you said maybe SA has changed their finishing process. Correct me if I'm wrong and I'm not nitpicking, but I thought the gun was made in Croatia and the SA name was put on it as they are the distributor for it. So they don't actually have anything to do with the manufacturing of the weapon. True, False? :?

You are right. I meant the manufacturer, which would be the factory in Croatia. Not SA.....unless they are applying the finish at SA to guns assembled in Croatia, which is NOT the case as far as I know.

Peace,
D.