Which is The Better Finish ??

[Angel Eyes]

Glock's Tennifer or Springfield's XD Melonite ??

Which do you prefer or think is better ?

[Angel Eyes]

Im a fan of Colt's blueing too but it's irrelevant from my question.

[rockcreek]

I think they are both equally tough, but the Springfield won't rust if you manage to wear the finish off.

[solidgun]

You can read all about it here:
http://www.finishing.com/324/69.shtml


Saved as a reference while back.

[Angel Eyes]

Although the same in substance, it seems Glocks version is a bit more durable according to the above debate.
Very interesting stuff I must say ! I had no idea they used cyannide salts ? That's some nasty stuff ! When I was trucking, there were guys who refused to haul it !!

[shooter115]

I can say first hand the finnish on my XDmC .40 has been tough as nails. I thought I'd scratched the hell out of it the 2nd day I owned it. I was carrying it in the factory XD holster. Had my "never leave home without" it Buck Rush pocket knife clipped in my front right pants pocket. Combine that with a 3 hr road trip where the front top of the slide was rubbing on the butt of the knife. Later that night when I noticed it, it was really chewed up. First thought was " well, it didn't take long to break that one in dumbass". But after a few months the scars had somehow almost all but vanished. I don't know how or what it is, but it works good

[Cuda66]

You rarely hear about Glocks rusting...not saying it never happens, but is rather unusual when it does.

However, over on the XD forums, there's a whole subforum devoted to the issue of XD's rusting. Supposedly, the newer XD's are better than the older ones.

The treatment may be the same, but...there may be a difference in how it's being done.

[grousemaster]

Didn't Xd essentially copy the Glock finish process? The term "melonite" is just another name for "tenifer". They copied the treatment......

[grousemaster]

I think they are both equally tough, but the Springfield won't rust if you manage to wear the finish off.

and the Glock will? The tenifer treatment is not the black finish, the metal treatment applied to the bare metal and is a few microns thick I believe. I have a friend who has an XD9 that's only a few years old and the finish is basically worn off. I know several others that have rust on their XD's. Now, if XD figured out a way to duplicate Glocks metal treatment that's great, but it's definitely not better than Glocks. It's more of a "we have that finish to!"

The funny part is that they released their "extreme duty" weapons with a weak blue finish.....that proved to be garbage. Looks like they did something about it by copying Glock.

[Ramoel]

Springfield started using Melonite with the introduction of the XD-45. Prior to that they used an ordinary bluing that wasn't very rust resistant. After the success of the XD-45 they began phasing in the Melonite on all the XD's and today they are all using that finish.

[Thunderjohn]

It'll be interesting to see how the new U.S. finish holds up for Glocks.
I've had some pretty well used Glocks and XD's with no rust issues.
But the M&P black stainless finish is still nicer looking.

[Angel Eyes]

I have heard from gunshop owners themselves about issues with the stainless XD's suprisingly, but the melonite XD's with proper care no problems with rust.
Sure any gun you leave in a holster all the time or never clean and oil will rust on you. Many folks who buy Glocks and XD's think that you don't have to service the pistol because of the finish. It just doesn't work that way ! Some folks did it when they started making guns in stainless thinking "Oh good less Maintenance", to only find their guns rusting. All firearms no matter what material or finish should be cared for properly.

[rtk]

I have owned both and would say that Tennifer on a Glock is by far the best. I shot a stage in an IDPA match and had my gun riding up and down on the side of a steel fence post for a number of rounds and was amazed that there wasn't so much as a scratch on the gun after I was done.