Is this NEW xdm .45 compact i just bought USED?

[JTP89]

Hey everybody,

I have been around firearms my entire life but just purchased one to finally call my own. I went with the Springfield xdm .45 compact. When i got home and field stripped it I noticed some rings around the outside of the barrel. I know this is a common occurrence after being fired but is it normal for marks of this magnitude to be on a "new" firearm? Any feedback would be great. Thanks!

(Had trouble uploading the photos. Here is the link. There are two pictures.)

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/24/xdml.jpg/

[WDW]

No, it is not used. Just about every single gun that leaves the factory looks like that. A gun is a tool, look forward to many more marks on it in the future:o

[G60]

I've never seen a "new" gun with a barrel in that condition.

[orionz06]

I've never seen a "new" gun with a barrel in that condition.

Agree.

[jmjames]

I've never seen a "new" gun with a barrel in that condition.

My XD 40 had much less wear/markings on the barrel when I sold it, and it was definitely used when I sold it... in fact, the folks at the gun shop I sold it through thought I had only run a box or two through it because there was so little wear. Remember, those XD/XDM barrels have a melonite treatment, it's pretty tough stuff.

J.Ja

[derekb]

Are there other wear points to check? Something that would offer some indication as to whether this is from use, and not something during the manufacturing process?

[jmjames]

Are there other wear points to check? Something that would offer some indication as to whether this is from use, and not something during the manufacturing process?

Just the usual place that you'd expect, like the points where the slide contacts the barrel, slide-to-frame contact points, etc. Those surfaces all get the melonite treatment, so any really visible wear there is a sign of heavy use.

J.Ja

[Tamara]

I have seen some guns linger in showcases for years and pick up a fair amount of "shop wear", but I have never seen anything like that. If that gun's new, I'll eat my hat.

Got a pic of the breechface?

[WDW]

The question here is, is that "finish" wear or is there actually material worn off the barrel?

[Tamara]

The question here is, is that "finish" wear or is there actually material worn off the barrel?

Immaterial.

That amount of finish wear is not normal for a gun that has only been handled in a showcase, even if it's been handled in that showcase for years.

Regardless of its mechanical effect on the operation of the gun, the question here is "Should somebody be charged an NIB price for a gun that is manifestly not NIB?"

[G60]

To add, that doesn't look like wear from normal use, it looks like someone damaged the coating trying to muscle the barrel through the slide. My bet is someone had trouble field stripping the thing and got a little too heavy-handed.

[WDW]

Immaterial.

That amount of finish wear is not normal for a gun that has only been handled in a showcase, even if it's been handled in that showcase for years.

Regardless of its mechanical effect on the operation of the gun, the question here is "Should somebody be charged an NIB price for a gun that is manifestly not NIB?"

The real question here is, "Should someone be charged a NIB price for an XD?" Just kidding. I hate to be blunt, and it happens to the best of us from time to time, and I have done it too, but you should always fully inspect a firearm visually before you hand over the $$$. The OP should have noticed that at the counter and opted not to purchase that particular gun. I say now, since you have it and it's paid for, if it runs well keep it, if not sell it. My P226 had a ton of finish wear at that same point after only a few hundred rounds. 4,000+ later it is still going strong. The wear doesn't bother me a bit. If it actually is functional wear, the manufacturer should be contacted & the warranty honored. If it is cosmetic, who cares?

[Tamara]

I hate to be blunt, and it happens to the best of us from time to time, and I have done it too, but you should always fully inspect a firearm visually before you hand over the $$$.
This is why many shops won't allow a field-stripping on a new gun; because some tire-kicker can't get the thing back together without scuffing the hell out of it.

My P226 had a ton of finish wear at that same point after only a few hundred rounds. 4,000+ later it is still going strong. The wear doesn't bother me a bit. If it actually is functional wear, the manufacturer should be contacted & the warranty honored. If it is cosmetic, who cares?
Please. I have custom 1911s that cost like a used car that look like they've been run over by said car and it doesn't bother me a whit. Don't come at me with the "I'm too cool to care about finish wear (http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?2817-1911-picture-thread&p=45608&viewfull=1#post45608)" line... :p

[WDW]

This is why many shops won't allow a field-stripping on a new gun; because some tire-kicker can't get the thing back together without scuffing the hell out of it.

Please. I have custom 1911s that cost like a used car that look like they've been run over by said car and it doesn't bother me a whit. Don't come at me with the "I'm too cool to care about finish wear (http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?2817-1911-picture-thread&p=45608&viewfull=1#post45608)" line... :p

Racking a slide and looking at a barrel isn't field stripping and I don't care the slightest bit about finish wear. I really don't. I am not too cool or whatever. My $1,100 Custom Shop P220 has scratches out the wazoo from use and I could really care less.JMO. Scratches bug the hell out of some people and that's fine. I just don't see why it matters if it does not affect function at all.

[Le Français]

...I could really care less.

Are you sure that that's what you meant? Seems rather contradictory...

[Le Français]

Let's stay on topic.

In the future if anyone feels compelled to correct or question someone's grammar or use of language, please do so via PM.

Quite so; my apologies.

In my experience, that level of wear is never present on a new pistol. Some slight discoloration where the slide meets the barrel is not uncommon, but your XD takes it to the next level, methinks.

[Tamara]

Scratches bug the hell out of some people and that's fine. I just don't see why it matters if it does not affect function at all.

If it indicates that you've paid new prices for a used gun, it could be important.

I guess an analogy would be: Would you pay the same amount of money for a car with 20k on the clock as you would for a new one, if you knew that you were going to trade it in three years and therefore it would have no real material effect on the car's service life with you?

(Plus, it's also indicative of shady business practices on the part of the seller. I will reiterate that I have NEVER seen shopwear like that, not even on a USP Tactical that sat on a shelf for three years and got messed with by every counterstrike kiddie that came through the door and finally had to be sold at wholesale as "used but unfired"...)

[WDW]

Can you really compare the QC and quality of a USP to an XD? I'm not brand bashing. If the OP likes his XD and it works great, but as has been stated many times before, the XD has failed time after time in serious eval.and has zero major Mil/LE contracts except for the Croation Army or something(not known for stellar small arms development) and maybe one or two small departments where no real eval is actually done. All that I am saying is that a simple rack of the slide could have revealed this problem. And if the OP is not happy with the gun he should contact Springfield and have them fix/replace it. Ideally, should a new barrel have a shiny spot on it where it contacts the slide-NO of course not. The finish should be complete throughout the gun, but discussing whether or not the wear is normal is irrelevant now because it is there. Every once in a while a lemon slips through QC and onto the dealer shelf. There are steps in place to correct mistakes and the OP should take advantage of them sooner rather than later.

[Tamara]

Can you really compare the QC and quality of a USP to an XD? I'm not brand bashing.

Point, missed.

I'm not comparing the two guns.

I wouldn't buy an XD whether it was new, used, or brought up rusted off a U-boat wreck, BUT...

...if the OP paid for a new gun, it should have been a new gun, not a used gun palmed off as new, and there is no way that is a new gun. I don't care if it's a Hi-Point or an HK, a Lorcin or a Les Baer, it ain't new.

[WDW]

Point, missed.

I'm not comparing the two guns.

I wouldn't buy an XD whether it was new, used, or brought up rusted off a U-boat wreck, BUT...

...if the OP paid for a new gun, it should have been a new gun, not a used gun palmed off as new, and there is no way that is a new gun. I don't care if it's a Hi-Point or an HK, a Lorcin or a Les Baer, it ain't new.

We have no way of knowing if it is new or not. We saw a pic of a barrel. It could easily have come from the factory like that. And again, if it is used and he bought it, it's his fault. Again, he can talk to his lgs or Springfield and get this resolved. Guns have come to dealers in way worse shape than that. Go look at just about any new Sig classic P series. The inside of the slide will have a spot with no finish and the barrel will usually be shiny where it contacts the frame...it happens. Again, my P226, which was brand new, looked eerily similar to that xd & works just fine. The days of hand finished guns like the old Colts & S&W's are over.

[Tamara]

We have no way of knowing if it is new or not. We saw a pic of a barrel. It could easily have come from the factory like that.
I have unpacked and sold quite literally hundreds of factory-new XDs. I would be quite comfortable wagering a C-note that that barrel was not in a factory-new firearm.


And again, if it is used and he bought it, it's his fault.

What, like it's your fault if your car dealer spun the odometer backwards on your "new" car? This is some exotic new dimension to "victim-blaming" I've never before encountered. He was wearing a short skirt at the gun store, so he was asking for it? :confused:

[jmjames]

I have unpacked and sold quite literally hundreds of factory-new XDs. I would be quite comfortable wagering a C-note that that barrel was not in a factory-new firearm.

While I don't have Tam's experience dealing with XDs in bulk, I can say from personal experience that the finish on the barrels is *tough*. If that is a truly new gun (and I seriously doubt that it is), something is wrong with it.

Remember, the surface is a melonite coating, which means that it is NOT "baked on", "sprayed on", or some other surface-applied coating which can scrape off, it is a chemical reaction that alters the structure of the metal at the surface. Anything that happened to that barrel to expose the metal underneath has removed a substantial amount of material from the barrel. End of story. If that happened to a "new gun" then something is wrong... but I can't see how a "new gun" has that steel showing unless there was a serious mistake made at the factory.

J.Ja