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10mm XDM Elite Magpul OD Green Finish Chipping - normal?

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Lee S

Alpha
Purchased my 10mm EXM Elite with the Magpul OD Green finish on the slide this summer and after 100 rounds I noticed the finish on the slide was starting to chip on both sides of the rails - see pics. I contacted Springfield and was asked to send it in to have the slide refinished. Four weeks later I received the slide back and it looked great. Went to the range and shot 100 rounds through it and the chipping is starting again.
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So has anyone else with the Magpul OD Green finish on the slide had this issue? How about anyone with the black melonite finish - any chipping on your slide?

Slide was always lubed properly and I have a Canik Rival, Walther PDP & Hellcat Pro and none of these have the slide chipping issue so I don't think it's normal wear & tear.

Any information would be appreciated - Thanks
Lee
 
IF they (SA) didn't take it down the to the surface and recoat it properly it can do it again. Just like painting a house! Usually that part of the slide doesn't touch/make contact with the frame. Poly is softer than metal, so it's not normal.
 
I have a 9mm XD-M Elite OSP Tactical that has the slide coated in Cerakote FDE. I have taken photos of the slide side by side with my 1911A1 that is Parkerized, after shooting 200 rounds through them to show how Cerakote lasts compared to Parkerizing.

So in my case, I don't even have the cerakote wearing off the slide rails, while the Parkerizing is wearing off the slide rails with the same amount usage. It has no scratches, dings or chips.

I have also Cerakoted my own 80% frame 1911 builds, and as a beginner I sprayed it on thicker than recommended.

Cerakote's literature says that one of the ways the coat will fail is if it is applied thicker than recomended, as well, it has to be blasted and degreased.

On my DIY Cerakote jobs, the frames I did too thick, I gained some experience and I think I got it right on my slides. I have noticed the cerakote on the frames is wearing similiar to parkerizing. i.e. rather tough, but rub areas will start to rub off to leave a small rub mark.

So, no your pics do not look right, something was done wrong on that cerakote, probably worse than they sprayed it too thick, more likely it was not blasted correctly/completely or not degreased fully. And SA knows how to do Cerakote, my SA slide Cerakote is plenty tough and not showing marks, chips or wear, and like I compared above, is far tougher than my own DIY Cerakote job were I made beginner mistakes (yet DIY is still tough enough, Parkerizing would be showing the same wear I am getting on my DIY job).

BTW, Melonite is not a coating, its metal surface treatment, like bluing, but its a treatment that seeps below the surface and hardens the surface as well, so it is very tough. Arguably the toughest finish yet, although a lot of the many different PVD process seem tougher to me.
 
I sand blasted my metal properly before applying Cerakote, and I have yet to see any chipping or flaking off like you have there. So the bare metal exposed by the flakes doesn't look like the surface of my metal that was properly sandblasted. Cerakote calls it the "profile" of what the surface should be.

Your surface looks grainy or frosted, more like when you bead blast metal, when I sand blasted my surface with fine sharp media, it was very fine sharp rough surface, almost looked it was etched. That is why despite my DIY cerakote not standing up as well as professionally applied cerakote, it not pulling away from the surface anywhere, it was properly sand blasted and degreased prior to application, and my guess that is what is wrong with your Cerakote redo.
 
Appreciate the quick replies!

The rest of the slide looks great - the subdued OD Green finish is what I liked most about the gun.

The frame looks normal but I have noticed that the slide lock/release tangs look like they have some shiny wear points - see pic. I assume this is the only point where the slide could contact metal and the chips look like they line up in conjunction where the slides locks and towards the rear of the slide. So either the finish was applied improperly or the slide release tangs are adjusted improperly.

Guess I need to return it again to SA and hopefully it'll get fixed properly.
 

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Perhaps they messed up blasting that one part of the slide.

Tough decision, but if the rest of the slide looks fine, I have to consider the pain it is to ship it off and wait for it to be returned again, for some chips you can't notice.
 
I agree - I get a little anxious waiting for a gun to be returned but I also have other guns I can shoot. I have a different type of pain coming up in December with a knee replacement so I'll shoot the XDM till then and send it in for repairs while I'm recovering.

Thanks again everyone.
 
Not normal... Yes, it's a hassle to send it back, trust me my SA-35 was back and forth 3 times. But Springfield does stand by their products and they should make it right for you. Also, Greetings from Pennsylvania...
 
Any update on the gun since sending it back to SA for recoating?

I picked this up a few weeks ago and put 100 rounds, and I’m experiencing the same thing you are. Seems the slide stop is the culprit, causing to rub on the green finish.

I reached out to SA also and they said to send the slide in… but if your issue isn’t resolved either, I’m thinking there’s no need to send it in.

Would like to hear back about your experience since sending it a second time!

Thanks!
 
I have the XD-M Elite OSP Tactical 9mm Cerakoted in FDE. I have absolutely no issue with the finish and its laid down perfect. I often compare it side by side with my AO M1911A1 that is Parkerized, with the same age and useage to compare the finishes, and Cerakote is winning out over Parkerizing so far. Less wear, even in the high wear areas, like the rails.

I did my XD-M Elite OSP 10mm in MAGPUL OD Green Cerakote myself, using cheap tools. I'm confident I got the prep right, and this was only my fourth time Cerakoting a pistol. So for the most part it laid down perfect, I have two 1/2 sq in areas on the slide where the surface came out wavy, if you look close you can see the surface imperfections. Not sure if its my tools, the setup of my gun or simply my skill, either getting too much on or spraying at the wrong angle. It was by the serrations, where I angling the spray more to make sure it gets in the nooks and cranny's of the slide serrations.

But this is the 2nd complaint about the OD Green XD's having chipping/peeling issues. And this is usually caused by improper prep of the parts and surfaces before spraying. Either not blasted properly or a failure to degrease the part, spraying it on too thick will also reduce the toughness of Cerakote.

The FDE XD-M Elite, all the models come in that color, so clearly they have the entire production setup to Cerakote this model professionally. The OD Green XD-M is an exclusive variant of a black model, so I don't know how it is being produced and if the Cerakote Operation is different than the FDE model. But the results certainly seem to indicate it is.
 
Another option, find a local Cerakote Pro and get a quote to have him redo it. Granted, I totally understand if you do not want to pay for something Springfield should correct, but it would be quicker and easier for probably a better finish and not cost that much.
 
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