Nitrodox finish on alloy vs. Bkackened stainless

[kscott]

I'm just curious why the change on the SR9c. Strictly cost? I also wonder whether it will be as durable as the blackened stainless? My full size SR9 has the blackened SS slide and I'm very happy with it. I'm just trying to decide which way to go on the SR9c. Is it the same finish just on a different metal or something new altogether? I emailed Ruger about it but got a less than satisfying answer from them.

 

[jhearne]

I'm just curious why the change on the SR9c. Strictly cost? I also wonder whether it will be as durable as the blackened stainless? My full size SR9 has the blackened SS slide and I'm very happy with it. I'm just trying to decide which way to go on the SR9c. Is it the same finish just on a different metal or something new altogether? I emailed Ruger about it but got a less than satisfying answer from them.

Care to share their reply??

As for the finish, if it's the same treatment on the steel and just alloy versus stainless, then the surface hardness should be a respectable, but thoroughly durable finish....as it's still just protecting the surface from wear. But I'd think an Alloy that's been finished properly would be a viable option for a slide versus a Stainless slide with the same treatment. Either slide finish on the SR9c doesn't bother me.

We send steel off for heat treat and surface finishes on a regular basis. Everything from Cold Rolled 1018 steel to Tool Steel, and in our case we get them Nitrided. I don't know what our products hardness finishes at, but it's still machinable once you get past the finish though, it is pretty tough stuff.

Josh

 

[kscott]

I asked them basically the same as I have posted previously...

Response:
Depending on the difference of the material as to the finish. Ruger will still do its best to offer the same high quality of finish on all of its firearms.

If you need further information, please visit our website at www.ruger.com or contact us at:



Honestly, I couldn't even make much sense of it. :roll: but maybe you can.

BTW thanks for the insight Josh.

 

[jhearne]

I asked them basically the same as I have posted previously...

Response:
Depending on the difference of the material as to the finish. Ruger will still do its best to offer the same high quality of finish on all of its firearms.

If you need further information, please visit our website at www.ruger.com or contact us at:



Honestly, I couldn't even make much sense of it. :roll: but maybe you can.

BTW thanks for the insight Josh.

Eh, that's just a beat around the bush answer meaning, yeah we're not offering the stainless blackened on the SR9c, it's a little inferior on paper, but in real use it should hold up just fine. I haven't seen a blued P90 slide break due to metal stress personally or any blued P series slide, they aren't stainless either.

It's really just a cost thing, save them some money, save us a few bucks as well.

Where I work the part we Nitride most is a Clevis pin assembly that has the tapered pin, 2 tapered bushings and 2 machined washers bolted from the ends. They are tapped both ends in 3/4-16 thread and we sometimes get in Zinc coated bolts that have bad threads, but can still work. Just need some extra oomph. We have a pin that wasn't Nitrided, we use it as a hammer. One tap is enough to get the bolt in a handful of turns. Compare the face of it to one Nitrided pin that was dropped from my 6'1" frame chest high and the concrete floor suffers worse damage.

If I remember I'll get some pics on my cell and post them tomorrow afternoon.

Josh

 

[kscott]

Sounds good thanks.

I guess I'm also wondering about corrosion resistance of the Nitrodox on alloy as opposed to the blackened stainless as far as sweat, holster wear, etc. Any ideas on that?

 

[jhearne]

Sounds good thanks.

I guess I'm also wondering about corrosion resistance of the Nitrodox on alloy as opposed to the blackened stainless as far as sweat, holster wear, etc. Any ideas on that?

Again, if it's anything like the coating on our parts here at work, you have nothing to worry about. We have a set of Machined Bolts that we had Nitrided, they don't sell often, so they've been sitting on a shelf for longer than the 3 years I've been here. No rust, no corrosion, just some dust that you wipe off with a shop rag every so often.

Nothing to worry about IMO, the whole slide will be treated, covering every exposed surface. It doesn't add metal, but hardens the top couple thousandths of an inch.

Josh

 

[jhearne]

Here's the pics...

"The Hammer" heh.

Un-Nitrided pin after a fall. Very noticeable deformation.

Nitrided after same fall. Noticeable, but very superficial, never mind the brown streaks, not rust, just a heavy oil from shipment back to us.

The bolts I mentioned that have been sitting for years. Been sitting dry, no oil, in Texas humidity.

Bear in mind that these drops were on their edge, the weakest point of the parts. I'd say that the Nitrided part holds up better (on edges) by about a good 60-75% in comparison to damage shown from similar drops.

Josh

 

[kscott]

Josh, great pics, thanks for that. I somehow missed them when you posted them, but just stumbled on them now.