Originally Posted By WilsonCQB1911:
Hmm... I've got a burr on my slide that needed to be stoned off.  Should I be concerned or end it back to Sig?  It's a P228R.  I'm a lefty, so I wasn't riding the slide stop.  This happened within 900 rounds.

Originally Posted By max229:
I’ve had a handful of e-mails asking how to tell if a used Sig is still in good shape or not. After writing the same e-mail over and over for the last five years, I figured it was time to post my thoughts on what to look at when you’re going to purchase a used Sig Sauer pistol.

The first thing to look at is the frame rails. The rails will tell you everything that you need to know about how well the gun has been taken care of. The following is how the colors of the under side of the frame rails will change as your gun wears.

1. Dull Black – No wear, perfect finish.
2. Shiny Black – Slight wearing in of the pigment in the anodizing, this is normal after around 200 rounds.
3. Dark Gold/Orange – The pigment in the anodizing is starting to wear,this is perfectly normal and not a problem, the metal is stillprotected and your frame is still perfectly viable. Most guns reachthis phase between 2,000 and 4,000 rounds.
4. Bright Gold – The pigment in the anodizing is wearing in. Your frame isstill protected and your gun is still perfectly viable. Most guns reachthis phase and remain static from here on out as long as properlubrication is used.
5. Light Gold – The pigment in your anodizing is wearing through, your frame is still protected, but you should keep an eye on it.
6. Shiny Silver – This is where you need to start to worry. The pigment inthe anodizing is worn through, your frame is still protected, but youneed to monitor your frame rails very closely and make sure they remaingreased thoroughly for the rest of your gun’s life.
7. Dull Silver – You’re screwed. Your anodizing has worn completelythrough in the areas you see dull anodizing. From here on your frame isunprotected and it’s time to buy a new gun. It may still shoot andfunction perfectly, but your frame rails will continue to wear at amuch accelerated rate.

The next thing to look at is the disconnector tab on your trigger bar. That’s the part of the trigger bar that sits up highest in the frame. A factory new trigger bar will have a nice radius across the top, a heavily used one will have a flat worn into it. The best way to check and make sure it’s still functioning correctly is to pull the slide back by one-quarter of an inch and pull the trigger, if the hammer doesn’t try to fall you’re OK.

The next place to look at is the barrel. You will notice the “smileys” on the barrel on the muzzle end. If you run your finger down the barrel and feel a dip, you may want to have the gun looked at by a professional, the slide should not be abrading the barrel enough to remove any metal at all. The presence of a dip in the metal would indicate that your slide has a burr in it.

If you look at the front of the chamber section at the top of the barrel you will see a ledge that steps down just before the tube part of the barrel starts. The ledge there should be at a clear 90 degree angle, any rolling of that sharp corner would indicate a soft barrel or one which hasn’t been lubricated properly.

The slide should also be inspected. The slide lock lever detent on the slide should be looked at for burrs or any rounding on the rear or the notch. A burr sticking out can abrade your thumbs if you shoot a thumbs forward grip. A burr on the slide could indicate a slightly soft slide or that the previous shooter kept their thumb on the slide lock lever. A rounded off notch at the back would indicate an improper heat treat of the slide.

ETA: LINK
 

Originally Posted By ctdemolay0405:
so, by this thread, my pistol might be in serious trouble?

http://www.larawdesigns.com/KenGun.jpg

its silver up top of the frame rails by the hammer, not quite shiny, not quite dull.

also a lot of wear on the rails by the muzzle of the weapon

its been this way ever since the first few hundred rounds, and i liberally lube and clean it.

Originally Posted By scottrh2:
What would be the point of coating it only to have it wear off again?  Is clean and lube not good enough?

Moly Resin™ is a product trademark of John Norrell Inc. These finishes are specifically formulated from a phenolic resin base and molybdenum disulfide (a superior lubricant) with an exclusive blend of additives only available through Norrell Manufacturing. Our additives create a phenolic coating that is hard,durable, and extremely chemical and heat resistant.Our special low temperature catalyst will cause the Resin to harden and bond to the surface to form a barrier to acids, oils, paint removers, powder solvents, bore cleaners and other strong industrial solvents. The low curing temperature prevents possible heat damage to parts during the curing process. We select our phenolic base stocks from hundreds offered by Dow Corning and 3M. The combination of the most suitable base stock, our additives, and molybdenum creates a truly unique coating that represents state-of-the-art technology. No other thermally cured firearm finish available on the market today has the same characteristics and properties that Moly Resin™ offers the professional gunsmith or home hobbyist. Moly Resin™ is a coating developed for ordnance usage on equipment and weapons, providing excellent corrosion protection, abrasion resistance and lubricity to meet automatic weapon dry firing requirements after 60 days seawater immersion. Available ready to apply. No thinning or dilution is needed.

Moly Resin™ will adhere to all properly prepared metal surfaces including the following: aluminum, carbon steel, stainless steel, cast iron, titanium, copper and silver solder joints. Note: Blued, anodized, nickel and chrome plated surfaces may not allow the best adhesion and may need to be abrasive blasted to allow the best adhesion of the Resin. Parkerizing is an excellent metal prep for Moly Resin. For all metals, best overall results are achieved on freshly airblasted (with alumunum oxide) surfaces. Moly Resin™ is available in the following twelve standard colors but other colors may be special ordered.

A note about the difference between a typical paint and coatings like Moly Resin. A typical paint is a formulation of pigments and other ingredients diluted with a solvent. When the solvent evaporates, the pigments harden and that hard residue is what is referred to as paint. Unfortunately, paint is susceptable and damaged easily and removed by many, if not most chemical solvents, acids, gun cleaners, bore cleaners, etc. A coating like Moly Resin thermally cured or air cure coatings are actual a complex mix of phenolics, polymers, etc. that are highly reactive to each other but kept from reacting by a catalyst mixed into the coating formula. The catalyst is activated by heat at a certain temperature or by oxygen as in the Air Dry Moly product. Once the catalyst is activated, a chemical reaction occurs between the various chemical to form a totally new substance. The new substance formed becomes very hard and resistant to the original solvents used to dissolve the original phenolics and other base resins, etc. This is why Moly Resin is not considered to be a paint.

Originally Posted By smoketheresfire:


Yes, I believe a good shake is in order for any potential used pistol buy.  Bought one and didn't realize until I got it home that it was a rattler.  Oh, well.  Shoots good.

Originally Posted By goldtop:
Thanks for the tack.


I've got a P239 in 9mm that rattles like an empty spray paint can when you shake her, but she's a shooter.

Max, as usual, thanks for the good info.