I was in Academy yesterday and, as usual, strolled by the gun counter just to window shop. I saw a G26 in the case with what looked almost like a brushed aluminum type slide, but it had a hint of color to it, similar to the background colors here on M4C.net.
Does anyone know what this slide material is, and if it’s available on their model 19? I asked the guy at the store and he told me what it was, but I can’t remember to save my life.
If it is a TALO gun, then it is the EXO finish. Otherwise it could be any aftermarket finish, but not factory.
I did some googling and it does look like the TALO Glock finish, but…why would Academy be selling one, brand new 
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IIRC
A distributor, Lipsey’s, I think, took new Glock’s and had the slide refinished with EXO. From what I understand, they turned out pretty nice.
BTW, Tenifer is the finish (nitriding or melonite…) on the slide not what the slide is made of.
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It’s hard to beat tefner for a great, all around finish. It is one of the most durable and corrosion resistant finishes in existance. More so that the ionbonded types such as melonite or nitron. The reason you don’t see other companies, particularly those in the US use tefner is because it is an extreme toxic manufacturing process. Glock wanted to build a facility in the US to perform the tefner process, but they were shot down by the EPA.
um…no
Tennifer/Melonite are trade names for the heat treat process on Glock/M&P’s. They use it to increase wear and corrosion properties of the slide and other components. It also just so happens to give a nice black color when complete.
Salt bath nitride QPQ is the process and it’s also called nitrocarburizing and Salt bath ferritic nitrocarburizing and has been around for some 70 years.
The name tennifer is what Glock gave the end finish but it’s still SBN QPQ.
The difference is the recipe.
Glock uses carbon steel + SBNQPQ = Tennifer
S&W uses stainless + SBNQPQ = Melonite
Therefore the end product is different.
It’s like baking pies.
use apples and it’s apple pie, peaches and it’s peach pie…but the process is the same, mix ingredients and bake.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitriding
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferritic_nitrocarburizing
When I re-finish Glock and M&P slides I do them in SBNQPQ or Nickle Boron.
The company I use have finished parts for S&W, LWRC, Trijicon and the new guys WMD with their NibX finish (link at top of page) http://www.wmdguns.com/ and many more.
Thanks for the info, Doug. I was just about to say something similar, that I’ve always believed it was the same process with different names essentially.
Do you know the name of the process used to get that exo finish? I’m almost considering trading in my FNX-9 to see what all the fuss is about with Glocks, since I’ve never owned one…but, it’d have to have that exo slide finish and be a good deal, and even then I don’t know if I could do it.
Also, I’ve read where some speculate that the exo finish may be even less prone to corrosion from things like salt water and sweat, and more wear-resistant than the tenifer/melonite finish types. Who knows though, most of that is from internet speculation, which is at least better than gun-shop-talk.
Good post, dougwg.
Thanks for the info on the difference between carbon steel and stainless finish.
Dave
not to mention there is a big difference between ionbond which is a Physical vapor deposition (PVD) and melonite/tenifer.
You have salt bath nitride QPQ treatments such as melonite, tenifer, etc.
And then you have PVD coatings: ionbond, nitron, etc.
Both are fantastic, but one changes the properties of the metal it is being applied to.
I went to Glockmeister the other day and saw some different Glocks as well. I believe that the guy told me they were NIBX or something Glocks. It’s a fairly new thing from what I understand.
I thought the EXO Glocks looked pretty nice but they sold out in my area pretty quickly.
I kind of lost interest when I read this thread. I don’t know how the barrel issue was ever resolved, but since the thread ended I’m guessing it worked out OK.
https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=80537&highlight=Glock+EXO
Dave
I read elsewhere that the slide remains tenifer treated, and has the exo finish over it (but bonded in, however that works, permanently so no flaking). If true, and if the issues in the above post are not actual ‘issues’ so to speak, sounds like the best of both worlds as far as that goes.
As I wrote above, I can also finish slides in Nickle Boron.
EXO is Nickle Boron.
NiBX is Nickle Boron.
FailZero is Nickle Boron.
WMD offers NiBX and has the slides and barrels done at the same place I do.
Tennifer/Melonite is more corrosion resistant then NiB(Nickle Boron).
But NiB over Tennifer/Melonite is even better.
Read above.
That’s what a warranty is for.
Doing hundreds of slides and barrels like they were for EXO there are bound to be 1 or 2 messed up.
I would just give them a call and have them fix it or replace it.
Doug,
If I had an EXO Slide I wanted finished in a Tenfer/Melonite finish…would this be possible?
yep, easy
Although you should also know that the NiB adds around .0008" per surface.
So when you strip off the Nib the fit between the barrel hood and the slide will be slightly looser.
I highly doubt you’ll notice any accuracy decrease though.
Just giving you a headsup.
…
They are refurbished Glocks that have the slide and the outside of the barrels coated in Nickle Boron and sold by WMD.
Doug,
Since you seem to have some knowledge on finishing, can you elaborate on the use of cyanide in the Glock finishing process? This process, being illegal in the US for environmental reasons, seems to be why Glock can’t manufacture in the US and is why the demand and wait time for pistols vary throughout the year.
Cory,
The process isn’t illegal at all, disposal of the hazardous waste generated and other related OSHA-type concerns make it uneconomical compared to other forms of Nitirding.
Plating and metal treatment wastes have to be disposed of as Hazardous waste. You can’t dump them in a storm drain or send them down the pipe to the Sewage Treatment Plant.
Correct. Maybe a poor choice of wording. What I was trying to point out was the EPA issues with the process. If Glock would figure out how to do it in the US, they would be more productive. All the pistols are already assembled in the US and correct me if I’m wrong, but everything but the slide and barrel is produced here too.