Posted: 3/16/2008 5:05:52 PM EDT
| Ive heard and read alot about something called galling, is this that big of a problem. Right now I'm debating on getting a stainless Springfield pistol. Is this going to last as long as the parked steel. For added information I do treat my guns right but I do shoot them quite often. |
I have a SS Colt Combat Commander and I have had no galling that I am aware of. I do, however, keep it properly lubed. I suggest the same if you go for a stainless 1911 which I believe will wear better than parked regular carbon steel. The "Pros" say to use "anti-seize dry film lubricant to prevent galling and provide easy disassembly even after very high temperature exposure". 
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| I have experienced galling with my Springfield LOADED 9mm stainless when I first got it, and this was only because I cleaned all the oil off when I was cleaning it and did not add enough oil when I put it back together, couple drops of oil later and problem was solved. |
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Not in my (limited) experience. Galling can sometimes be spotted as material actually transferring from one mating part to another (a bit of the frame becomes a bit of the slide for example) I've only owned one SS gun and it was low quality stainless. It was an AMT Backup in .380, and galling was very evident in the slide rails (once I learned to keep it lubed, it was less of an issue). Now there's one firearm I'm NOT sorry I sold!
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Sorry for the pic camera phone pic This is a Colt Gold Cup National Match 10 years old shot maybe 50,000 rounds or so NO GALLING on this gun. http://i25.tinypic.com/vflhyw.jpg They fixed galling very soon after coming out with SS firearms . |
Based on my understanding of what galling actually is, it is not possible for two dissimilar metals to gall each other. One way to solve the problem of galling on SS guns is therefore to make the slide and the frame out of sufficiently different stainless alloys. |
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Stainless steel will always be more prone to galling than high carbon steel due to SS being softer. If you keep it lubed correctly there won't be a problem. I have several thousand rounds through my stainless SA Loaded with no signs of galling or other wear. I use a gun grease in warm weather and oil when it is very cold. I use this pistol for match shooting. Of course if you don't keep a carbon steel pistol lubed you will also have problems. It might not be galling but it won't be pretty either. As for disimilar metals having a reaction I believe what you are thinking of is a electrolitic reaction between 2 different metals, like steel and aluminum, when immersed in salt water. The steel in a ship's hull will cause a reaction with the props for example. I don't think this reaction occurs with dry metals or in fresh water. Jim |
Carbon steel cannot gall. I've been doing some research on galling - galling is a cold welding phenomenon which occurs with metals which naturally form protective oxide coatings. Carbon steel does not have any oxide coating. Examples of metals with natural protective coatings are stainless steel (chromium oxide) and aluminum (aluminum oxide). Friction can displace these thin coatings, which allows the bare underlying metals to come into contact, with these bits (or 'shards', as I have seen them referred to occassionally) of oxide moving around on the metal. This then can lead to galling, depending on factors such as metal type, temperature, stress conditions, etc., with severe galling = cold weld = seized mechanism. |
I thought it was just 2 soft metals rubbing against each other, but I have never really looked into it. I just grease the slide and lower, oil the pivot, grease the barrel where it goes through the bushing and shoot. Jim |