Is this normal on a "new" gun?

[654Boomer]

Just took my USPc 9mm stainless home today. NICS had some issue with the serial number and took 48 hours to get released, so the dealer ended up giving me 4x free range passes for my trouble. Anyways...

1. I took some time after I got home to detail strip the gun and noticed the magazines have some slight wear from them being inserted/reinserted into the magwell (a polished strip about 1/4" across going from the mag retaining cutout to the top of the mag). Not any hard wear, but enough to notice.

2. Also, both of the magazines have "polishing" where rounds would normally sit against the magazine followers. Not the usual slight gouging that you get from normal use, but there's definite polishing. Further, one of the magazines has a "nick" in the top of the follower, as if a round was forced into it. Is this normal in a NEW gun? Or is this a tell-tale sign of being loaded?

3. My USPc has the red recoil assembly spring. The spring is covered in powdery chipped paint. I know that they're test-fired at the factory, but is this normal after a simple factory test-firing?

My reason for asking is because the dealer I bought this gun from was less than professional to say the least. They didn't even put my name on the gun when they shipped it to the FFL, nor did they return my FFL's phone calls to them to find out who the gun was being shipped to. My dealer wasn't able to find out whose gun it was (mine) until about an hour before I got to the store - 4 days after it had been received. That, combined with the fact that I asked the selling dealer for a case that was intact (they had several that were broken that they tried to sell me) and that the case that they sent me has a chip in the leading edge of case lip, makes me wonder if this was truly a "New In Box" gun or some demo that they abused. I have no issue wearing a gun out or with wear and tear - my issue is when I told something is "pristine" and then what I'm sent leads me to believe otherwise.

Thoughts?

I'd take photos except that I'm not at home right now and don't have access to a camera. Thanks!

Greetings Skyyr,

1. Very normal. I have seen this many times, and is the norm. The wear is dependent on how many people inserted/ejected the magazine, from the factory through distribution to the purchaser.

2. Again normal. I see it on more new weapons than not.

3. Red Recoil Spring . . . very normal. There are threads on HKPRO.com with further information, but basically, the 9mm x 19 weapons have red painted captive recoil spring assemblies; the red paint will wear/chip over time. The red color, as I am told, aids as a visual cue to ensure the correct one is inserted during assembly at the factory for the 9mm x 19 versions. I even see the red painted captive recoil spring assemblies on the 9mm x 19 P30 models.

However . . . a broken case is UNSAT. Deal with that as you see fit. You should not have to "eat the cost" for that.

Enjoy your weapon! Excellent choice by the way!

[H&K 4 LIFE]

Well if it is NIB, then it should come covered in tons of thick grease that HK uses to package the pistols. That's one clear indication it's new.

Now I haven't seen your pistol first hand, but in my experience wear on the leading edge of the magazine follower is usually associated with loading and firing the pistol. Do with that information what you will. I also suppose the magazines could be used while the pistol is brand new.

Myself, I would happily take the free range time that was given to you and go shoot the pistol. I really wouldn't worry about any of the minor stuff like magazine wear or a chipped case it it was a gun I planned on keeping and shooting for a long time. :)

[Skyyr]

Update:

I took the pistol home (was at a friend's overnight) and went to detail clean it this evening. There was a small amount of cosmoline/grease, but there was a large amount of carbon over the top of the rails. I thought applying some EWL or CLP would clean it off, but this stuff is on SOLID. As in baked on. I've never seen this just from HK's "test firing," and I've had two stainless USP 9F's.

See pics below. These pics were taken AFTER putting three applications of KG Carbon Remover on the slide. It was literally rough to the touch and still slightly is.

Is this normal as for a NIB gun? Again, I know H&K is supposed to "test fire" it at least twice, but I haven't seen carbon baked on like this on ANY new gun. It might not be much, but it's enough to discolor the slide and leave 3" long "streaks" on top of the rails.




Here's a close-up of the chipped off red paint I mentioned on the guide rod:


Again, all of this leads me to believe I was sold a gun that was fired for whatever reason beforehand.

What say you?

[gtmtnbiker98]

Somebody, somewhere, took it for a test drive.

[Skyyr]

Somebody, somewhere, took it for a test drive.

You positive? That's what I'm thinking as well. I have no qualms with buying a used gun if I know it's a used gun, but I purposely passed over about 10 "nicely used" USPc's so I could get a NIB USPc. I find this extremely frustrating to say the least.

[gtmtnbiker98]

Positive? No and you can't be either. If it isn't hurt, why fuss? It's a gun, you are going to shoot it anyway. I wouldn't worry about it and as long as it is what you wanted, stop obsessing and enjoy the pistol. Just my .02.

[F-Trooper05]

I agree with GtMtn. If you were going to dispute it, you shouldn't have taken it home from your FFL. Honestly, it doesn't look like anythings hurt, and after you take it to the range you'll forget all about it.

[Skyyr]

Positive? No and you can't be either. If it isn't hurt, why fuss? It's a gun, you are going to shoot it anyway. I wouldn't worry about it and as long as it is what you wanted, stop obsessing and enjoy the pistol. Just my .02.

The "fuss" is because I'm a pretty straightforward guy. When I buy a new gun, I'm paying for it because I want a NEW gun, not because I just happen to want a gun that happens to be new. I'm particular about my go-to guns and I want to know that no one's messed with them beforehand, jacked them up, etc. The fact that I waited for a decent amount of time for a NIB gun and then this shows up angers me. I'm an honest guy and I expect others to be the same.

By all accounts, the carbon buildup alone, as well as the fact that there was unburnt powder in the rails, says that someone shot this thing after it was received from the factory. I payed for it to be new. That is not new.

It's a matter of principle for me.

[Skyyr]

I agree with GtMtn. If you were going to dispute it, you shouldn't have taken it home from your FFL. Honestly, it doesn't look like anythings hurt, and after you take it to the range you'll forget all about it.

The problem is the only way to tell that it's been fired is through a detailed strip and cleaning, otherwise you can only pull off the slide and say "hmmmm" while at the gun shop. There's no way to tell unless you actually go to clean it off. There was cosmoline covering the areas shown in the photos so you couldn't tell what was what.

[TGS]

Step 1: Call and complain.

Step 2: Call HK and tell them about the dealer. If they had so many HK's in stock, then I would think they'd be an authorized stocking dealer instead of just getting an extra random HK from their distributor.

Step 3: Trash their name on any internet forum where they might be mentioned. Actually, make a post and trash their name on EVERY gun forum. Glocktalk, AR15, M4carbine.net, The High Road, The Firing Line, SIGForum, any local gun forum, all of them.

Step 4: Take the gun to the range, shoot it and enjoy it.