Question about XD finish

[w3lk]

What exactly is the finish on a Springfield XD .40?
Is it blueing (sp?) or something different?
My XD was bought used, and has a couple very minor scratches on its finish, exposing bare metal. They aren't horrible, and I'm monitoring it for rust, which hasn't happened so far.
I'm wondering, because when I went to buy the pistol, I really wanted the bi-tone black and nickel, but all they had was straight black. If it's blueing on the slide, and it can safely be removed all together, then I can no only have the "bi-tone" finish I wanted, but can also no longer worry about the finish being damaged with the scratches.

If it's not safe to strip it, or it's not a blued finish, then I wont worry about it, and just eventually have it finished in the silver later when I can afford to send it in. OR I just wont worry about it and have fun! :P

[KayL]

Check out CustomCreationz' website at his profile. I know this is in Do It Yourself, but he might be able to fix it for you and make it even better.

http://www.migunowners.org/forum/member.php?u=3441

[Joeywhat]

The current XD finish is Melonite. There is some debate as to whether the bi-tones also have this treatment.

It should also be noted that the earlier models did not have the melonite treatment and were prone to rust. Another note is that Melonite isn't a finish per se, but a treatment on the metal. The black coating you see isn't the melonite.

Todd at CC can do a variety of finishes. Personally, unless you want a polished slide, I would have it refinished. Cerakote looks very good, IMO.

[Imshootin]

No, you can't remove the finish on it and have the bi-tone slide you wanted. The bi-tone slide's are made of stainless steel. The black ones are carbon steel. If you want the bi-tone look you could always send the slide out and have it hard chromed. It's one of the more durable finishes. If you're just concerned about rust, I bought one of the earlier XD's with the older finish, had it for about 3 1/2 years and had no problems with it. It never developed any kind of rust on it and still looked great when I sold it. If you want to cover scratches, I recommend this cold blue. It leaves the scratches black instead of a blue color so it blends really well. Also, put a drop of oil on each of the slide surfaces and rub it into the finish. I oil my finishes any time I clean my guns and I've never had a gun rust.
http://www.brownells.com/aspx/ns/store/ProductDetail.aspx?p=1112&title=FORMULA%2044/40~%20INSTANT%20GUN%20BLUE

[Super Trucker]

If the XD slide does get rust, call Springfield and they will refinish it for free.

I can suggest the NP3 finish from Robar if you want to make it a silver finish. The NP3 is excellent, but expensive (about $150.00) and takes a while to get it done (9 months last I heard). You do get what you pay for with this finish though.
http://www.robarguns.com/np3.htm

[w3lk]

Well, I'm not too concerned about rust. It is an older model, before they started coming with the "XD Gear" but like I said, no signs of rust thus far. It's more of an aesthetic preference over the all black. I really like the way the gun looks in bi-tone, and I already have 2 others that are black, so having something different would be nice.
That being said, since removing the finish wont produce what I want, I may not do it at all, and just leave the gun as is. However I will check out the people listed above and see what I can't come up with. Thanks a ton for the suggestions! :D
Keep em shootin'! :mg:
**EDIT** Even though the gun was sold to me used, without any papers, Springfield will still refinish it for free? I know their warranty is non-transferable...

[ZYA_LTR]

As far as i knew, Springfield warranties the gun, not the owner. I spoke to one of there CS reps regarding my M1A, and the gentelman explained that to me, that they stand behind there product, not the person who owns it. You should be good to go, as long as you are cool with them when you call.

[warlockmatized]

SNIP: As far as i knew, Springfield warranties the gun, not the owner.

You are correct. They are a great bunch of people to deal with.

[w3lk]

Wow, that's great to know. I thought I read on their site it's the original buyer, but that's awesome to know.
Now I am happy! :phew:

[Joeywhat]

Most warranties (and other legal documentation) will be written to help out the manufacturer. That way if someone is trying to rip them off, they can go by the wording on the written warranty.

But they don't have to do what the written warranty says...so if they decide to honor your warranty repair even though your the second owner...they can.

It's pretty much so someone can't go buy some beater gun for real cheap then send it back for warranty repairs.