Weird discoloration in the brand new XD barrel - Rust?!?!?!

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I got a brand new Springfield XD-9 the other day and was very happy with the choice until i noticed wierd discoloration inside the barrel. Basically, it has yellowish/brownish stripes along the smaller diameter of the rifling. Itlooks like rust to me, but i have hard time believeing that a brand new gun from a very respectful and reliable store would have such problem.Could thatbecopper resedue from copper-jacketed test fire bullet?Any other ideas? I attacheda picture - they are not perfect but best i could do with a regular camera.

I tried torun aoil-soaked patch through the barrel couple of times and i didn't change anything, but it came out pretty dirty. There is some wear on the outside of the barrel right where the slide touches as it travels back and some wear on the bottom of recoil spring rod. Both are verymild and seem like something that may come up after couple of test fires. Other than that, gun looks absolutely immaculate. Serial number on the barrel matches the rest of the gun too. Any ideas??? I was thinking of bringing it back to the store, but maybe i am just paranoid - i'd really appreciate any input from you guys! Thank you!

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One more picture of the same

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And the last one

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From what I can tell from the pictures it does seem to look like rust. And I hate to break it to ya, but a lot of dealers will not take returns or even trade a firearm for liability reasons. You most likely will have to go through Springfield which shouldn't be too hard, I hear they have pretty great customer service.

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Run a clp soaked bronze brush through it a few times, and then run a clp soaked patch. Then run a dry patch through it to see if it clears it up. It might be dried up oil from leaving the factory.

The wear on the barrel and slide are normal. It's just a side effect of each surface rubbing on each other.

Springfield has an awesome warranty if you need to make a claim. They'll even pay for shipping both ways if it is a warranty issue (they'll reimburse you your shipping costs to them).

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run a few (I'd more than likely send a thousand ...HAHA!!) rounds through it, and it'll be okay

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Considering that SA factory reps have recommended cleaning XDs in Simple Green and water, drying and oiling, I'm thinking that rust is not a big issue. On the other hand, and maybe it is just the pic or a change in manufacturing, my XD and others I have looked at had near mirror finishs inside the barrels when new.

I would take it out and put at least 200 rds through it to break it in and then clean the barrel with CPL, Hoppes or your preferred cleaner with at least the nylon brush that comes with the XD or, as eyesopened suggested, with a brass brush, run lightly oiled patch clothes through (preferably with a cleaning jag) until they come out clean and then a run a dry one through once to remove any excess oil and see how it looks. If it still looks rusty-like after that I would email SA via their website about warranty.

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Thanks for all your advices - you made me feel a lot less worried!

I didn't have a special copper cleaner, so here is what i did for now:

1) Ran several patches soaked in Hoppes#9 solvent through the barrel

2) Scrubbed it with a brass brush and then with a nylon brush dipped in the same solvent for couple of minutes

3) Ran several more patches with solvent

3) Ran a bore snake back and forthfor a minute

4) And several more patches again

I repeated the above procedure 3 times and then oiled the bore with Hoppes oil.

The result was pretty good - 90% of this brownish stripes are gone and barrel looks steel gray. There is a tiny bit more of these stuff left right on the edge of each rifling groove, but so little that i wouldn't notice it if i wasnt looking super carefully with a bore light. Several patches in the beginning came out black, which turned into green after 5 minutes, which makes me thing it was copper resedue. There was some brownish rust looking dripping too, but only when i was using the brass brush which makes me thing it was the brush itself. Any ideas? Do you think it could have been rust or it sounds for sure like copper?

Also, what color the clean barrel should be - steel gray or black like finish outside?

And the last question - how could i get so much copper resedue on a brand new gun i never fired - could it be from the factory test firing?

Thank you!

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any ideas anyone?

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Were you shooting corrosive ammo?

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i wasn't shooting anything - it was on a brand new gun. It was test fired at the factory (they use PPU ammo) but i dont know how many rounds they do per gun. I would assume one and it seems strange to have so much resedue on it. Store i got it from is very respectable and i doubt they would shoot guns themselves and then sell them, but maybe i am wrong

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Looks like brass residue to me. Ammonia solution should help dissolve the copper, if it's obstinate. Gun manufacturers typically test fire guns at least once for quality control before they ship them out, and they don't clean them afterward. I would assume that's all this is.

-ljp

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Chaingun81 wrote:

Also, what color the clean barrel should be - steel gray or black like finish outside?

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My somewhat dirty barrel is still shiny and probably more nickel/stainless looking in color. When clean it is near mirror shiny.

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I have same in both barrels of my 2 XD's, but doesn't seem to effect anything nor get worst looking. Both fire just fine.

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It is most likely copper fouling. If it were rust, the outside of the barrel would typically be worn much more by the slide, and rust would turn much darker when oil penetrated it.

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XD40coyote wrote:

I have same in both barrels of my 2 XD's, but doesn't seem to effect anything nor get worst looking. Both fire just fine.

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My XD-40 SC has the same thing and someone else I know that has the XD-45 Service also has the same markings and asked me about them. It doesn't seem to be a problem and is not getting worse. I would guess either normal wear for the XD or copper fouling. I have never tried to clean with a copper solvent, just Hoppes 9.

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Guys,

Thank you so much for all your input and good advices - i really appreciate it! Now i am prettycertain that it is copper resedue and it is not a problem. I also contacted Springfield Armory customer service (which by the way is really really great) and that is the replies i got:

"...This problem is one that would require inspection to determine the cause and course of action to correct it. There will always be some sort of fouling and discoloration inside the barrel after firing. Unless you see pitting, then it is not a problem you will need to worry about as long as you keep it clean. You can use a copper solvent like Hoppe’s number “9” to remove this residue (as you have mentioned). You can use an ammonia based cleaner to remove stains as well. Honestly, there is no harm that can come from a little bit of residue in the barrel. It is not likely you will ever be able to get it to perfect, brand new cleanliness. When clean, the interior barrel should be silver/gray in color. It only takes a few rounds to see this kind of residue.

Wherever there is metal on metal contact, you will see wear. This is an unavoidable issue with any firearm. It will not harm the pistol in anyway, as long as you keep the pistol lubricated properly.

The stainless steel that we use has a fairly high carbon content which makes the steel very hard, yet may sometimes allow corrosion. I am certain that we can fix the problem for you here...."



"...If you ever see any kind of pitting from normal use, definitely send it back to us. There are normally at least 10 rounds of ammunition fired through every XD. This is something that you should certainly not have to worry about. Your new XD will be just fine..."

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Pointman wrote:

I'd be more concerned with the wear on the guide rod.

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Why is that? The only wear on the guide rod is on theinsideend of it, right on the round surface which presses against the barrel locking mechanism - doesnt seem like anything abnormal to me...

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