Help with SA parkerized finish

[tsoiky]

Guys how's the Springfield parkerized finish holding up? It is my second trip to the range, total 100 rounds. When I came home and checked the gun, there are scratched on the slide. I have no idea how this happened?

Is touching up with cold blue a good idea?

Also what do you do to protect the finish?


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[Bsandoc40]

Working guns will always get scratches. Creates character to your gun. Only way to not get scratches is to make it a safe queen but why do that to a 1911..

[Marquand]

I'm the proud owner of a 90's vintage parkerized Springfield Armory 1911A1 and the finish has held up well considering the amount of rounds and rough handling I've put it through.

Cold bluing touch up on an parkerized slide? If the dings really bother you that much, go for it...it's your pistol. Personally, I'd consider that akin to using high gloss lipstick to touch up scratches on a Humvee. Parkerized finishes are put on firearms intended for hard use and the 1911 platform has seen more hard use than any handgun in the 20th Century. If you wanted a beauty queen then a parkerized Springfield probably wasn't the way to go in the first place.

I'd choose to consider those dings badges of honor on a solid American classic and spend your hard earned money shooting it instead of touching up a finish intended for hard use.

[apbrian112]

Guys how's the Springfield parkerized finish holding up? It is my second trip to the range, total 100 rounds. When I came home and checked the gun, there are scratched on the slide. I have no idea how this happened?

Is touching up with cold blue a good idea?

Also what do you do to protect the finish?


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The marks on your pistol look normal for a gun that isn't relegated to a life as a safe queen. A couple of nicks here and there shouldn't bother you...

That being said, I purchased a XD-40 Tactical several years ago where the slide would rust regardless of how I took care of it (early XD with known finish problems). I called SA and they took care of the problem right away with no questions asked. Seriously some of the best CS from any manufacturer no matter how big or small.

Honestly, I would only send it back/call them, if I thought that it was a manufacturing error/problem.

Main question is: How does it shoot? How do you like it so far?

[drunktank]

Same "scratches" on my like new mil-spec. It's normal if you actually shoot the gun. You're in for a world of hurt if you want to touch-up or refinish your pistol every time there's a mark. Cold blue won't leave a perfect color match. Much akin to splotching on touch up paint with a brush on your vehicle. The sooner you realize that it's a tool and treat it as such, the sooner you will be content with it.

[tsoiky]

The SA mil spec shot great. I guess the gun still under the break in period and I will try different ammo for next range.

1st range time:
50 rounds. One stove pipe and one brass struck at the chamber. Had light primer strike. I thought it was related to ammo. I was using Russian herter's.

2nd range time:
Cleaned the pistol especially the firing pin. 50 rounds of herter's. No FTE. Just light primer strike and scratched the slide . May be the Russian has hard primer so I will try different ammo next time.

Here was the result shooting at 10 yards. Well couple flyers which was shooter's error


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[sfbay]

My Springfield loaded is the same with an easily scratched finish...


just add some extra oil and move on.

[Snoopy47]

All my 1911's get those when they were new.

They eventually come out with cleaning, and get all mixed in with enough shooting.

Or you could shoot nickle plated cases.

[GunDog]

Apply some oil to the Parkerized finish and chances are that what you perceive to be a "scratch" will disappear.

[9mmepiphany]

You can't touch up a parkerized finish with cold blue. Parkerization (phosphate) is a coating as opposed to a chemical process (bluing).

The best thing to maintain a phosphate finish is to just oil it. Phosphate is designed to hold oil and it will become darker and develop a sheen