glock 19 polished barrel

[ESain]

i was thinking about polishing the barrel on my glock 19 ive watched a couple videos online and some say to soak them in vinegar some say dont. some say to use a dremel tool some say dont

so my question to you guys is, is it even worth it? Should i soak my barrel in vinegar? Do i use a dremel?

[DPris]

No, it's not worth it.
Why would you?
Denis

[ESain]

one of my friends done it and he said it makes the action a lot smoother. i also like the chrome look and dont really want to spend the money on a new barrel

[BearBrimstone]

This isn't to say you shouldn't do it if you want to, but wouldn't polishing it increase the likelihood of rust?

[ESain]

yeah, it seems like it probably would i also seen that it diminishes the value. so ill probably just spend the money on a stainless steel barrel.

[TailGator]

I think you made a good choice. Not to flog the subject, but for folks who might come along later to read this:

I have not heard of a polished barrel improving function, and I have a hard time imagining how it would make a significant difference. I am willing to be educated, but unless someone can make a good case otherwise, I consider it a cosmetic procedure.

More importantly, I am not real comfortable with the vinegar soak. Vinegar is an acid, with a pH of 2.4 being commonly given. Seven is neutral and the pH scale is logarithmic, so a liquid with a pH of 6 has ten times the available hydrogen ions as one with a pH of 7, and one with a pH of 5 ten times that of 6, and so on. The point is that a pH of 2.4 is significantly acidic, and by soaking a barrel in it you expose the inside of the barrel to that acid as well as the outside that you seek to polish. I personally wouldn't. Maybe some of the gunsmiths here will tell us its OK and I will learn something, but as of this writing it isn't something I would do based on my understanding of basic chemistry.

[lee n. field]

one of my friends done it and he said it makes the action a lot smoother. i also like the chrome look and dont really want to spend the money on a new barrel

I'm thinking you may very well end up buying a new barrel, anyway.

Put me in the "no" camp.

[Walt Sherrill]

About the only reason to polish the barrel is if you think it looks better that way.

Over the years, whenever I've read about the finish on the barrels and slide of a numbere of different guns, and I've found the following:

Glock treats the slide and barrel of their guns with a process they call Tennifer. They trademarked the name. It's a hot salt nitrading process. When you polish that stuff black off, you're just removing a black oxide treatment that is mostly a cosmetic coating (and not a finish). Tennifer isn't visible -- it's the process that causes the metal's surface to be thinly hardened. Unless you get really carried while poliishing and start to take a lot of metal off, polishing the black coating off the barrel is unlikely to have much effect on the metal's rust resistance or the gun's function.

SIG's Nitron is their version of an almost identical process, as is the Melonite treatment used by S&W. Most gun makers use a similar process. They are all surface hardening treatments which has a secondary benefit of helping reduce corrosion a bit. When it's done to a stainless barrel or slide, the higher rust resistance of stainless steel is further enhanced.

Carburization is another hardening treatment use by other gunmakers (like CZ), and it also is not affected by polishing (unless you over-do it.)

[camsdaddy]

Ive never had issue with the standard coating. The only reason I could see to change would be cosmetic. As stated for resale I think it would be a negative. However if its something you like and want to do I think you should. That's what its all about.

[Skans]

polishing the barrel on my glock 19

Just buy an extra barrel, like a stainless storm-lake barrel, and polish it. Since it's already stainless, no problem with possible rusting. Note, stainless will show scratches as you shoot it some, but I suppose you can polish those out if it bother you.

[DPris]

Polishing the barrel won't make the gun run any smoother.

Glock did away with Tenifer in 2010, replaced with a similar process.
Denis

[Walt Sherrill]

Just buy an extra barrel, like a stainless storm-lake barrel, and polish it. Since it's already stainless, no problem with possible rusting. Note, stainless will show scratches as you shoot it some, but I suppose you can polish those out if it bother you.

Stainless steel is not rust proof -- but is more rust resistant than carbon steels. Tennifer (or similarly hardened) metals are also more rust resistant than untreated carbon steels.

The chemical components of the Tennifer process was changed for guns made in the U.S., as there were some environmental concerns during production. The name Tennifer is a trademark owned by Glock, and while the formula was changed I think the replacement process might still be called Tennifer. In any event, it's still a similar process. From the Glock site:

Nitrite Treatment All GLOCK metal parts are treated with a Nitration finishing process that optimizes the molecular structure of those surfaces. This progressive technology delivers a high degree of surface hardness, maximum durability, and exceptional corrosion resistance, that provides many years of trouble-free service under the harshest environmental conditions.

Since nearly all ammo now available is non-corrosive, rust-resistant barrels aren't as important as once was the case -- as it was the powder (not environmental issues) that caused dangerous rust if the barrel wasn't cleaned regularly after use. Environmental issues (such as humidity, sweat) can still cause rust, but that sort of rust seldom affects semi-auto barrels.

If the owner wants a shiney barrel, he or she can probably polish the Glock barrel, as polishing off the darker finish won't remove the Tennifer treatment or the replacement Nitrited finish. The hardening processes used with all of these treatments (Melonite, Tennifer, etc.) changes the metal's surface but doesn't really have much to do with how it looks when you get the gun.

As suggested in the message cited above, buying an aftermarket barrel makes sense, particularly if you reload and want to use LEAD bullets (which is generally to be avoided with factory barrels).

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