Is this normal?
- Thread starter AZ_Mark
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Normal, even for a new one.
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Same here but I am not concerned about the gun being used.
I can't be 100% sure the "hood" had no signs when I handled the gun in the shop but I think I would have noticed.
I've noticed the signs only a couple days later and only after initial deep cleanup.
My theory is that the wear on "hood" is normal and appears after a few slide rackings.
Also, it seems like the factory lube contains special pigmentation to mitigate cosmetic imperfections because after the initial cleanup the "hood" was not the only place that suddenly revealed minor signs of "pre-sale/factory handling".
I can't be 100% sure the "hood" had no signs when I handled the gun in the shop but I think I would have noticed.
I've noticed the signs only a couple days later and only after initial deep cleanup.
My theory is that the wear on "hood" is normal and appears after a few slide rackings.
Also, it seems like the factory lube contains special pigmentation to mitigate cosmetic imperfections because after the initial cleanup the "hood" was not the only place that suddenly revealed minor signs of "pre-sale/factory handling".
uncleted327
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Remember they have been fired, some more than others, before they ever leave the factory. And they are not polished up afterwards.
Did your gun come directly from the distributor or did it come out of the display case or off of Gunshow table?
I have several M&P's. The ones I purchased directly from a wholesale distributor did not have the hood scuffed up. The ones that I purchased from a retail gun department display case were a bit scuffed up. The barrel hoods on the ones that came directly from a wholesaler got scuffed up in pretty short period of time from me racking the slide and dry firing the gun. I keep a little bit of grease where the slide and barrel contact each other but I really think it doesn't make a difference as far as finish wear goes.
Hood scuffing is a normal sign of wear, but it is made worse initially by the slide having a sharp, machined edge rubbing against the barrel hood.
That sharp edge is one of those surfaces that will slowly "soften" with cycling, actually reducing the rate of wear to almost nothing. The greatest wear will occur in the first few hundred slide cycles, especially firing but also hand cycling. Reliability is actually enhanced when that surface has less friction, and the gun will both feel and be smoother to cycle. Lock up will not be adversely effected.
I am a heretic. Before I shoot a new gun that I have thoroughly checked for mechanical reliability, I soften all the sharp edges that will eventually be rounded off anyway. This increases reliability and decreases initial wear.
I use 800 grit wet/dry sand paper, sometimes wrapped around an appropriately shaped object to get at corners and radiuses, on all metal mating surfaces. Slide rails, slide grooves, the center rear slide "bar" that rides over the next round in the mag, barrel and slide lock up surfaces, etc.
I bought a new ParaOrdnance .45 years ago before I started "melting" these surfaces. I fired one round and the second jammed going into the chamber so hard neither I nor the shop I bought it from could move the slide. The shop sent it back to Para with the round stuck in the chamber.
When the factory returned the gun they explained that the barrel hood locking lugs had cut into the slide cut outs in front of the chamber. They chamfered all the sharp mating edges and the gun ran fine after that. Lesson learned.
CNC machining leaves sharp edges. Custom gun makers always soften these edges (except on certain fire control parts, like a sear), but OEM factory will not take the extra time ($$$) to do this. The gun will function fine without such work, but it is part of a natural break-in process you can accelerate if you choose.
That sharp edge is one of those surfaces that will slowly "soften" with cycling, actually reducing the rate of wear to almost nothing. The greatest wear will occur in the first few hundred slide cycles, especially firing but also hand cycling. Reliability is actually enhanced when that surface has less friction, and the gun will both feel and be smoother to cycle. Lock up will not be adversely effected.
I am a heretic. Before I shoot a new gun that I have thoroughly checked for mechanical reliability, I soften all the sharp edges that will eventually be rounded off anyway. This increases reliability and decreases initial wear.
I use 800 grit wet/dry sand paper, sometimes wrapped around an appropriately shaped object to get at corners and radiuses, on all metal mating surfaces. Slide rails, slide grooves, the center rear slide "bar" that rides over the next round in the mag, barrel and slide lock up surfaces, etc.
I bought a new ParaOrdnance .45 years ago before I started "melting" these surfaces. I fired one round and the second jammed going into the chamber so hard neither I nor the shop I bought it from could move the slide. The shop sent it back to Para with the round stuck in the chamber.
When the factory returned the gun they explained that the barrel hood locking lugs had cut into the slide cut outs in front of the chamber. They chamfered all the sharp mating edges and the gun ran fine after that. Lesson learned.
CNC machining leaves sharp edges. Custom gun makers always soften these edges (except on certain fire control parts, like a sear), but OEM factory will not take the extra time ($$$) to do this. The gun will function fine without such work, but it is part of a natural break-in process you can accelerate if you choose.
Welcome to the Forum!
Below is a photo of the barrel from my 1.0 M&P 40 compact. It has over 13,000 rounds through it and it still works perfectly. The wear on my barrel isn't too bad, all things considered. So keep yours properly lubed, enjoy shooting the heck out of it, and your concern about those minor break-in scuffs on your barrel hood will soon be a thing of the past.
Below is a photo of the barrel from my 1.0 M&P 40 compact. It has over 13,000 rounds through it and it still works perfectly. The wear on my barrel isn't too bad, all things considered. So keep yours properly lubed, enjoy shooting the heck out of it, and your concern about those minor break-in scuffs on your barrel hood will soon be a thing of the past.
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