Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Do the "made in USA" Glocks rust?

The Austrian Glock finish was pretty good - took a lot to get a slide to rust. My old G19 was my daily IWB-carry for years and it didn't have a problem with my sweat.

Also, the Tenifer finish was the main reason you could put 200,000 rounds through one. The old finish was a big selling point to me.

Now I'm hearing that the new Glocks have a different finish and that finish isn't very good. What is the truth?

It is always a challenge to track down these internet rumors. There are usually some truth to them though - some truth.

I would think with the competition from S&W and Springfield Armory that Glock would be very concerned about their image. The extreme durability of the Glock was a major selling point for me. No way I would buy a Glock if the only plus was a weight advantage. Especially since S&W's Customer service is the best bar none.

Tennifer is a metal treatment that was used by Glock in their "made in Austria" pistols that IMO, is the best metal treatment for firearms, period. They would employ a phosphate or other surface finish over the Tennifer, but if the surface coating wore away, the Tennifer was bonded into the metal and protected the metal against corrosion, while increasing it's surface hardness.

The EPA does not allow Tennifer to be applied in the USA. As a result, Glock uses another metal treatment on made in USA pistols that is similar to Tennifer, but is NOT Tennifer.

Explain something to this ole� country boy;

If we have two Glock slides � one with the Tenifer treatment, and one with the Melonite treatment � and we cover both of those slide treatments with an applied finish like CERAKOTE, how does one slide rust or corrode any differently than the other?

Well I'll give a moderately informed opinion First, cerakote does not wear anywhere near as well as Tenifer - makes sense as cerakote is just a tough paint. So cerakote will chip/wear off. Second: in theory Melonite and Tenifer are very similar, but in practice folks are seeing rust spots - something that shouldn't happen with those finishes.

1. Crimson Tide never said US made guns rust. He said that Gen 4's rust.
2. Tenifer is NOT the black finish on the gun. You can't see the Tenifer treatment. It is underneath the black finish.

Nice to know the USA version is a watered-down version of a Glock.



We are so [bleep].

I bought my Glocks 20 years ago, and they are still going strong.

Better keep 'em covered. I heard from a reliable source that sunlight will break down the Tenifer.

Fresh air is bad for 'em too. I keep mine vacuum packed.

Mine have lost some of the black from holster wear, no rust at all.

Absolutely correct on both points.

The question again is: "Do the made-in-usa (which is some gen 3 and all gen 4) Glocks rust?". Everybody knows the durability of the old Glocks, the question is about the new.

So should everybody pay a premium for Glocks with Austria stamped on the slide?

I wouldn't fret it. Most USA-made firearms do pretty well unless really neglected.

It's not like we are all in SEAL Team 6......

Other than rumor and worry, has anyone actually witnessed an rust or durability issues with the USA 9mms? The fact that Glock was willing to take a VERY proven product and screw it up by over springing it just because the .40S&W got the treatment does make me worry a little that they didn't keep their eyes on the ball.

I'd rather have a Gen2 just because I prefer the appearance and don't care for finger grooves. The added tenifer and Austria mojo is just icing.

I've heard/read somewhere that the new "tenifer like" finish Glock is using is about same/same as the melonite finish used by S&W. BUT apparently the treatment works better on carbon steel parts than stainless steel parts which some have speculated is why M&Ps can show rust while the USA Glocks don't. But just because I read that on the web doesn't make any of it fact. I have witnessed rust on M&P slides first hand however.

Where do you get that all Gen4's are US made?

Well, read the slide. If it doesn't say Austria, then it wasn't made in Austria. And who knows, maybe the low-volume ones are still made in Austria. (45 GAP, 357sig, etc.)

Glock moved production to the US a couple years ago.

You have NO idea what you are talking about. The great majority of new Glocks sold in the US are still made in Austria. I log in new Glocks every day at work. Very few are US made.

So where did the old G19 go?

DLA,

As best I can tell, there really isn�t any meaningful difference between Melonite & Tennifer. Take a look at your windshield wipers; if they�re black, they�re finished in Melonite. How well are those holding up? And consider that your car gets exposed to the elements MUCH more than your gun ever will.

I think you�re making an issue where there is none. What are the chances that you�re going to abuse your gun more than your windshield wipers? Do you carry your gun for more than 6 months without ever visually inspecting it?

It's still being used and abused. I don't reload for 9mm yet so it doesn't see much activity.