# Normal wear for a new gun?



## jblandrum

I just purchased a Sig Sauer P226 Navy a few days ago.
After reading through the manual I put around 30 rounds through it
to get myself familiarized with it (after a brief inspection). 

after taking it apart to inspect it again after firing the rounds (and to clean it) I noticed some wear on the barrel and just inside of the slide (which slides along the end of the barrel). The black coating is starting to wear off already. There are no tangible scratches or anything but it seems odd to me that the finish would be wearing off after only 30 shots.

this mainly occurs right at the end of the barrel a few repeating marks of the same shape on the top and the bottom just a little ways back.

Is this normal or should I be calling Sig to have this looked at?
The wear corresponds on the inside of the slide right at the muzzle where it's much more silver (where the black coat has worn off) the bottom portion is rubbed off closer and the top rubbing occurs just a bit further back in the barrel.

Thanks ahead of time and sorry if this question is totally ridiculous.


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## Shipwreck

No - this is normal. All semi autos get that wear - usually in the same spot, bth on the top and the bottom of the barrel.

This occurs from the slide and the barrel rubbing together, as the slide goes back and forth.

ALL semi autos get this to some degree. 

I am probably the biggest "don't get the gun scratched" guy here - I go out of my way to not scratch up my guns. And, my carry gun is hard chromed, so it won't get holster wear.

However - this is 1 part of wear that you cannot avoid unless U don't shoot it.

U will also get wear on the top of the barrel block (the part of the barrel you see when the slide is closed).

That's life...


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## jblandrum

Thanks very much, takes a load off my mind.
The internet can make being a newb so much less painful


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## Ram Rod

Yep---it's normal and you can't avoid it.


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## benzuncle

Congrats on your new Sig. Nice, ain't it? As previously alluded to, there's nothing you can do about that barrel wear aside from making your Sig a "Safe Queen"; Sigs weren't really designed for that. I recently had the privilege of shooting a well-worn, rusty levered Sig P229 chambered in .357 Sig. It had seen a lot of use but shot just great. The owner was still in love with it, rust, scratches, worn finish and all. One last thing about most Sig Sauers: you won't have to expend 500 to 1000 rounds of costly ammo to "break it in".


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## Mike Barham

Yup, the other guys are on the money. It's perfectly normal. I am sort of the opposite of *Shipwreck*, and don't give a damn what my defense guns look like. They're here to take care of me, not vice versa. I think a well-worn pistol is the mark of a serious shooter who practices a lot.


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## Shipwreck

Well - this free FNP will me my first time that I'm just not gonna care about the finish - I'm gonna let whatever happens, happens, and not worry about protecting it more with an aftermarket finish.


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## IntegraGSR

Shipwreck said:


> Well - this free FNP will me my first time that I'm just not gonna care about the finish - I'm gonna let whatever happens, happens, and not worry about protecting it more with an aftermarket finish.


"FREE FNP"?? How does one go about getting a free FN? :smt033


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## Shipwreck

IntegraGSR said:


> "FREE FNP"?? How does one go about getting a free FN? :smt033


One would have to be the admin of an FN Forum for a minimum of 19 months, and have FN sponsor you, in order to get one :mrgreen::mrgreen::mrgreen:

But now we're gettin' off topic...


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## falshman70

The wear on the barrrel is commonly referred to by aficionados as "Sig smilies."


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## Gudda

What does that mean ?


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## Easy_CZ

Sigs are notorious for wear on the top of the barrel that is seen in the ejection port. It is perfectly normal wear for a Sig. Glocks, S&Ws, Rugers, etc., don't wear like that.


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## Easy_CZ

Gudda said:


> What does that mean ?


What does what mean?


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## chessail77

Wear is normal and so are smileys on the Sig barrels......JJ


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## FNISHR

Shipwreck told it to you straight. Congrats on the P226; it's one of the best pistols anywhere, at any price.


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## berettatoter

Hey, congrats on the new Sig! Just as said before, this is normal wear. I have a few pistols that have this.


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## Todd

FNISHR said:


> Shipwreck told it to you straight. *Congrats on the P226;* it's one of the best pistols anywhere, at any price.





berettatoter said:


> *Hey, congrats on the new Sig*! Just as said before, this is normal wear. I have a few pistols that have this.


Original post date: 6/28/*2008

*I'm guessing that "new" Sig has a bit more wear on it now. :anim_lol:


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## Younguy

Thanks for the question from 4 years ago. I was wondering the same thing about my, I think it's about 10 years old 'used to be a safe queen' 92FS. My first almost new gun. Seeing the same kind of wear on the barrel right where it goes through the slide I was concerned, as you were, that something was rubbing wrong and I would at the least have to re-blue it and at most take it to a gunsmith. On my initial trip to the range I had stove pipes and FTE's because I had not cleaned it first. Newb mistake, didn't even think about that. (I now clean after every range trip, part of the enjoyment for me.) Second time to the range it fed flawless and I put more rounds through it than it had since it's birth. Now starting up between 200 and 600 rounds I notice those rub marks showed up. 

With this information I am not going to worry about them for now but rather offer them as proof of practice. 

My question is, can I expect them to go all the way to shiny metal and if that happens should I worry then? The slide and barrel won't rust will they? This hobby only got started for me 5 months ago so I'm still learning. Today's metals are different than my old blue .22lr squirrel gun.


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