Barrel and Slide rubbing and scratching? Is that normal? LCP

I picked up my first Ruger LCP II today at a local shop. Once I got it home and took a closer look I noticed that on the top left side and center of the exposed barrel (Where the bullets eject) it is already scraped and showing metal. If I pull the slide back slowly it looks like the left side of the barrel sort of rubs the upper part of the slide as the action moves back and forth.

Is this common? I know this sometimes happens after many rounds, but this gun is brand new out of the box and never shot. I'm a newer gun owner so I don't know what is common and what is not.

I also noticed the firing pin retainer looks a little crooked and is slightly slanted.

Here is a picture in case my explanation is not accurate, but a picture is worth a thousands words right?

Any help appreciated.

It's normal to see wear in that area. I wouldn't worry unless it gets to the point where it's causing functional issues. You can find lots of threads about it with various guns.

As for the pin, I am not familiar with it enough to give you advice with that.

From the pic., it looks like the scratches are on top of the barrel just above the chamber and are visible when the slide forward.
I see ware marks like this on my other semi autos. My LCPs are like that.
I would not be concerned unless there is a issue such as slide not going fully forward when chambering a round.

Pretty normal to have wear in this area. Scraping the blue off(to show white bare metal) is perfectly normal. As you use the pistol you will find other surfaces like the barrel to wear in. Try to put light coat of grease( I do mean light) on contact points and it will improve the function of the pistol and reduce wear. Oil like Break Free CLP is good too, but it migrates over time(2-7days) and dries out in 30+. So just oil it prior to shooting. Sometimes I use a pipe cleaner to run a film of oil on the rails and other wear points too. This avoids too much oil. Also keep the bolt face(area around the extractor bone dry to minimize firing residue and function problems.

All the Rugers I have owned beat the snot out of that area. Usually the slide is rough were it rides over.

Very normal for the OP as-described.
I returned an LCP to Ruger and one LC9 - they both came back with the barrel and exterior of the chamber area polished brightly. No more scratches ! I like the look, and kept it.

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Sounds like it is normal, so if that's the case there is no reason to be concerned. The true test will be how it performs at the range. I'm planning on testing it out soon and will definitely be hanging around the forums.

FGuns said:

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Sounds like it is normal, so if that's the case there is no reason to be concerned. The true test will be how it performs at the range. I'm planning on testing it out soon and will definitely be hanging around the forums.

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Welcome to the forums. Lots of good info.

It's normal. I avoid it by using some 320 wet/dry sandpaper, and lightly sand the bluing off , leaving a machined finish. I don't care for a high polish on this area, also a fine ScotchBrite pad will give the same finish.

Ion Bond DLC is the only finish (dark), I have found , when applied to barrels, will not show the wear the OP described.

I have been thinking of having all the metal parts in my II hard chromed.