Metal shavings in new to me 5904

T

Txrevolvernerd

Member
Joined
May 19, 2025
Messages
15
Reaction score
19
What’s going on guys, I’m new to the forum. Lately I have gotten very interested in S&W revolvers and3rd gen guns, and just purchased a 5904, as well as a 5906 that’s on the way now from auction. The 5904 came in a few days ago and I broke it down to clean it and found tons of what appears to be tiny IMG_6683.jpegaluminum shavings from the slide rails in the gun. I cleaned it well and shot ~150 rounds of 115 thru it at the range this weekend (zero malfs btw) and am re-cleaning and have noticed quite a bit more shiny silver flakes on my q-tips. I have a new recoil and hammer spring on the way but I’m a little concerned with this wear pattern regardless, my Beretta doesnt shave aluminum at all. Outwardly the gun looks great for 30 y/o. Any advice is welcome, I love the guns and am finding a wealth of info on this forum, thanks.IMG_6682.jpeg
 
Register to hide this ad
Rails definitely have existing wear. I coated the rails fairly liberally with Rem-oil before I went to the range, but I may have to step up to a grease, that is what Lubriplate product you are describing correct?
 
Yes. It’s a white grease, best applied with a small paint brush. A little goes a long way! Apply to both slide and frame, work the slide back n forth a few times. Wipe off the excess.
 
Good deal, I will have to get some gun grease ordered. I used to have a tube of twb25 but idk where it got stashed. Thanks for the info.
 
Lubriplate makes a specific gun oil now, which works well. Made sure you clean the rail channels before lubricating. Definitely replace the recoil spring, the trigger spring is okay to replace, but not vital.

Also, clean and lubricate the lugs on the barrel and the matching groves on the frame. Also be sure to lubricate the top of the frame rails as that's where the wear is.

Chances are that the previous owner didn't consult US for best practices for reducing wear.
 
Yeah hopefully it’s not on its original recoil spring and they at least did some upkeep over the years. It’s a pretty clean gun and shot great so I’d like to give her a makeover and keep her shooting for years to come.
 
Where did you find the shavings? That would help diagnose the problem. o do a good look with light at inside of frame lugs where barrel slides down on recoil. If you suspect the recoil spring, suggest you hold off firing until you have replaced spring and are sure lugs inside frame are not damaged.
 
The shavings all seemed to come out of the slide rails/frame rail. I had sprayed the whole stripped gun down with birchwood Casey to deep clean and ran a q-tip inside the slide rail and it was coming out black(extremely dirty on arrival) with tiny flecks of silver. Did the same clean after shooting and got more of the same debris. The front rails on the dust cover have quite a bit of wear as shown in the picture, but the main frame rails in the rear look good. I’m definitely not going to be shooting her again till my new spring comes in from Midway. Just worries me to see gouges like that and then the tiny flecks with it.
 
I use a small amount of white lithium grease on slide rails, but I'm old and there may be better products today. I'm guessing the previous owner used oil, maybe not much of it, and did not properly maintain that pistol. Be sure to replace the recoil spring, it might be completely worn out. Either use a S&W recoil spring or a Wolff 14 pound recoil spring.
 
Personally I would like to see a picture or pictures of the slide and frame rails on the pistol in a disassembled condition with no lubrication on them. I would also like to see a picture of the barrel locking lugs without any lubrication on them. The only picture provided doesn't show much at all.

I have owned a lot of different make semi-auto pistols and I have never seen one that needed grease on the slide rails to eliminate any galling from taking place between the frame and slide. Grease can become a band-aid that hides the problem you are encountering and it also traps debris making things worse. How does the slide feel when assembled to the frame without the barrel and recoil rod and spring using only oil? Does it feel like it is dragging when you work the slide by itself? Does the frame and slide fit seem sloppy when you put them together sans the barrel and recoil spring assembly? I only use Lucas Gun oil these days on my slide rails these days as it is long lasting and fairly heavy for an oil.

If there is a problem with slide to frame fit it would be best to fix it rather than just cover it up with grease. If nothing else clean the pistol really well and take it to a known good gunsmith and ask him to look at the slide and frame rails and see if he notices a problem area. It could be a little stoning is in order to repair what is taking place versus using grease to cover it up. I would like to see a pic of the metal shavings you are seeing too.

Rick H.
 
When I get off work and back to the house I will pop the slide off and get some good close pics of the lugs and rails. Also I’ll see if I can scare up a few more of the shavings out of them too with a qtip. Based on what I’ve read here on the forum it could have gotten gouged over the years if the recoil spring got worn out and not replaced, hopefully not damaged too bad it can’t be fixed tho. I will say I looked it over closely for cracks and it’s not cracked anywhere I can see.
 
Slide to frame ... protect contact points with a little Lucas Red-N-Tacky gun grease .
Grease was suggested to me by a Tech.
A Little Dab'll do ya ... has oil beat
Seven Ways to Sunday !
Gary
 
I am content to follow the advice shared by Fastbolt and BMCM regarding lubrication of the rails to reduce wear on alloy frames paired with carbon or stainless steel slides. Also, their advice regarding the lubrication of the barrel lugs and matching grooves on the the alloy frame.

If the gun is being run dry, that's going to be an issue as they are designed to be run with just enough lubrication on the rails and lugs to reduce wear on what are no irreplaceable frames.

Rick H. said:
Personally I would like to see a picture or pictures of the slide and frame rails on the pistol in a disassembled condition with no lubrication on them. I would also like to see a picture of the barrel locking lugs without any lubrication on them. The only picture provided doesn't show much at all.

I have owned a lot of different make semi-auto pistols and I have never seen one that needed grease on the slide rails to eliminate any galling from taking place between the frame and slide. Grease can become a band-aid that hides the problem you are encountering and it also traps debris making things worse. How does the slide feel when assembled to the frame without the barrel and recoil rod and spring using only oil? Does it feel like it is dragging when you work the slide by itself? Does the frame and slide fit seem sloppy when you put them together sans the barrel and recoil spring assembly? I only use Lucas Gun oil these days on my slide rails these days as it is long lasting and fairly heavy for an oil.

If there is a problem with slide to frame fit it would be best to fix it rather than just cover it up with grease. If nothing else clean the pistol really well and take it to a known good gunsmith and ask him to look at the slide and frame rails and see if he notices a problem area. It could be a little stoning is in order to repair what is taking place versus using grease to cover it up. I would like to see a pic of the metal shavings you are seeing too.

Rick H.
Click to expand...
 
As stated by others. Alloy frame & steel slide create a unique issue that requires a different maintenance routine. I witnessed an early demise of an alloy framed Colt Combat Commander due to this very thing. I religiously apply Gun grease to my 5903 rails. Stainless and Alloy are very dissimilar and galling is a real world potential issue
 
There are much better products out there since the development of RemOil. That is from the company that produces Thunderbolt 22's if that means anything. When you start with grease, check the grease itself for retaining flecks of metal. I like the idea if changing the guide rod if it is aluminum. I use Break Free Performance Synthetic Gun Oil on my Tisas Stingray that is aluminum and steel. I see no flecks. I got needle bottles off of Ebay and just put a drop here and there, but do the rails and slots well, but not sloppy wet.

If I were going to grease, I use Ponsness- Warren STOS in wear points on my fine shotguns, and a centerless grinding grease that is VERY tacky on my hinge pins. I think something like that is too heavy for a semi auto. I have even thought about STP applied with a toothpick on rails. It is designed for heat and friction. Maybe even chain saw bar oil
 
Last edited:
"The company that produces Thunderbolt 22."

I had several boxes of that, but it turned my 10/22 into a straight pull bolt action and made me think my Walther P22 had a plugged barrel. Which is did, but it was really lead fouling.

I put those aside until there was another ammunition panic and then sold them for a small profit.

As I said, I use Lubriplate gun lube, although I have also used Lubriplate 105 assembly grease.
 
Last edited:
Txrevolvernerd said:
The shavings all seemed to come out of the slide rails/frame rail. I had sprayed the whole stripped gun down with birchwood Casey to deep clean and ran a q-tip inside the slide rail and it was coming out black(extremely dirty on arrival) with tiny flecks of silver. Did the same clean after shooting and got more of the same debris. The front rails on the dust cover have quite a bit of wear as shown in the picture, but the main frame rails in the rear look good. I’m definitely not going to be shooting her again till my new spring comes in from Midway. Just worries me to see gouges like that and then the tiny flecks with it.
Click to expand...
Yeah, losing material at that rate is very alarming. It might not take much more of that before the slides are badly worn.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
New Life For An Old Model 52-2
Replies
6
Views
1K
Dr.Bill
D
B
New to me 952-1
Replies
8
Views
666
jag22
J
glshuck
New to me nickel 19 no dash, and some questions for the experts
2
Replies
36
Views
2K
Gun Relics
Gun Relics
J
Opinions on this new 686+ 3-5-7?
Replies
13
Views
1K
JT686
J
N
New to me 1917 Brazilian
Replies
9
Views
585
Nframe_is_no1
N

Latest posts

Back
Top