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New P229, Normal Rail Wear?

11K views 11 replies 8 participants last post by  Caliber.666 
#1 ·
Hey all, I'm brand new to this forum and brand new to SIG pistols (formerly a Glock owner exclusively).



I just picked up a brand new P229 a few weeks ago and took it to the range for a session today. I was aware of some of the issues regarding slide wear on the aluminum rails before I bought the pistol. However, the wear after only 200 rounds seems excessive, even compared to the pictures that others have posted on this forum and others.



As of note: The wear is relatively smooth and doesn't appear to dig into the frame itself, only though the finish. I looked for burrs on the slide itself and couldn't find any even after looking for a long period of time.

The wear hasn't affected the function thus far and the gun has been flawless and accurate. I called SIG to ask about it and I thoroughly described the wear on the gun. They told me that this was completely normal wear.



Here's a pic of the wear. This is only one side, the wear on the other side of the pistol is almost identical.



EDIT: I added a couple more pics. I had already greased up the gun again after cleaning it so its a bit harder to see the wear. Note that you can see wear on the bottom side of the rear rails in the third pic as well. The wear is only on the bottom of the rails. The parts that look like wear on the sides and top of the rails on the second and third pics are just reflections from the flash.





















Also of note: I have closely looked at the frame rails and have noticed a couple things. The rails themselves are not the same dimensions through their whole length. The rails widen at two points along the length of the rail which is exactly where the wear appears to be located (which would make sense, since the slide would catch on the points of the rails as they widen).



Thoughts? Thanks for reading.
 
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#3 ·
Something to watch.



The most wear usually takes place early and then settles down. Keep that area lubed well with grease and keep an eye on it. If the wear stays smooth, I would call it normal. If it is rough, then I would have more concern.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for your help guys. I plan to take it out for another range trip tomorrow and throw a few hundred more rounds through it then. Hopefully by that point the wear will be stable and should not get much worse. I'll let you guys know and give you some pics if it does get any worse. Thanks again!
 
#5 ·
I'd keep it lubed up & not worry about it unless it removes chunks off of your rails, It shouldn't though, you should be all set. my frame had small chunks missing due to a defective barrel but all set now.
 
#7 ·
Here is an example of some wear that developed in about 6-700 rounds on my 226 Elite. The wear has since stabilized and has not changed much over the lst 1000 or so rounds. I keep an eye on it and make sure it is well greased with TW-25b.









Note: I have wiped the grease away from the wear area. The 'white' area forward of the take down lever is grease that has not been wiped off the rails.
 
#8 ·
Here is an example of some wear that developed in about 6-700 rounds on my 226 Elite. The wear has since stabilized and has not changed much over the lst 1000 or so rounds. I keep an eye on it and make sure it is well greased with TW-25b.



Note: I have wiped the grease away from the wear area. The 'white' area forward of the take down lever is grease that has not been wiped off the rails.


Thanks for posting! That makes me feel a lot better about it now. I was concerned that the wear on the rails might decrease the life of the pistol or its reliability. As long as that is not the case, a little cosmetic wear doesn't bother me.
 
#10 ·
To the original poster: that wear on the underside of the rails just ahead of the trigger guard is being caused by the tops of the slide rails at the front of the slide. It seems to me that it could have used a little more polisshing at the factory.



I have a P229R and after about 100 rounds or so it started to develope rub marks in those areas. Fortunately, I knew this was a known issue and kept a careful eye on those spots. My spots were very small, but you could feel them if your rubbed your fingernail over the spot.



I fixed the issue byusing a Dremel Polishing wheel. Like this: Dremel Polishing Wheel.



Take the slide off and degrease it. Then take the polising wheel, by itself, and insert it in the slide rail grooves from the rear. It fits perfectly in the groove. Work it back and forth by hand. Pay special attention to the front of the rails, becasue that's where the problem lies. By doing this, you will polish the tops of the slide rails to a gleam.



I have not only stopped the progression of the marks on my frame, they have actually smoothed out and I can not long feel them with my finger nail. I've put several hundred more rounds through my gun since i've done this.
 
#12 ·
Maybe some glitter stickers from the first pic might help things out here? LOL
 
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