New DW Valor has significant peening on slide -- How normal is this?

[aqualungs]

Originally Posted by brownie

Stainless can be hardened appropriately to prevent this. If their slides are soft enough to allow peening, IMO, there's a problem with the steel maker or DW specs are too soft. I wouldn't accept anything but a new slide that was properly heat treated if mine looked like that for the money spent.

My colt s/s 1911's never had this problem. Obviously it's solveable.

Thanks brownie for all your input. I sent Keith this thread link also. Hopefully he reads through it. I'm having a hard time swallowing this pill, too. If this is normal why wouldn't they make to slide notches bigger or a different shape, or what you said a stronger slide. As you can see in Keith's earlier post he blatantly admits their slide is softer than the stop and it will peen. If they replace the slide that may irritate me too, considering the 600-700 rounds I spent $$ on breaking this puppy in.

I am expecting a "yes this is normal" reply to email and am trying to decide if this is acceptable.

[aqualungs]

Originally Posted by milkmanjoe

Hell, I don't have this problem with over forty Springfields. Even though, I am looking at the Dan Wesson Valkyrie.

Right, I'm somewhere between content and frustrated right now.. If this were another forum I would either be told this is wrong, and have them fix it, or I would be grilled for complaining.

[RKP]

Dang ... after reading this I had to pull out my just recently purchased CCO and take another real good look at it !! Have about 300 rds through it so far but no signs at all of this occurring ... do keep us posted.

[aqualungs]

Originally Posted by RKP

Dang ... after reading this I had to pull out my just recently purchased CCO and take another real good look at it !! Have about 300 rds through it so far but no signs at all of this occurring ... do keep us posted.

After 600-700 rounds, I didn't notice until this last range trip, but I may have not noticed if for not the metal shaving on the slide. (100 rounds or so this range trip). From what I gather from reading and what DW reps has stated to me and others on forums, is that only the stainless slides have this issue because they are not coated and are softer... why they would allow the metal to be softer for the SS to chip away metal on the slide is beyond me.

What others area saying and I agree in this aspsect.. this should not happen on a semi-custom $1600 pistol for sure. This is why I am having a hard time moving on, regardless if it is just cosmetic.

[RKP]

Originally Posted by aqualungs

...... This is why I am having a hard time moving on, regardless if it is just cosmetic.

By NO means trying to add fuel to the fire here, but, I CERTAINLY would NOT be happy if that were happening to my brand new pistol, cosmetic or not.

[milkmanjoe]

Originally Posted by aqualungs

Right, I'm somewhere between content and frustrated right now.. If this were another forum I would either be told this is wrong, and have them fix it, or I would be grilled for complaining.

Lemme put this is some sort of perspective....A few years ago I won a gunbroker auction on a 1991 made Springfield Champion. It was the Holy Grail....$508 for a gun that looked like it was damn near never fired. It wouldn't feed hollow points. Dave Waits, via pictures, confirmed my suspicions.....the frame was cut "wrong" from the day the gun was new. In reality it was cut for ball ammo, back in 1991. I contacted Springfield, they instantly emailed me a shipping label, and maybe a week later they called. Yes, the frame was cut too deep in the ramp. My options were to cut it deeper and add a fully ramped barrel or get a new frame. Both free of charge. I am not a fan of bull barrels, so I took the new frame. Within a few weeks of diagnosis I had a smooth running, tight, Springfield Champion back home. It eats everything. Springfield didn't tell me any sort of "it's normal", or talk about metal hardness...they fixed the problem for free, even the shipping. This is just one reason I own so many Springfield 1911's and rifles. Most of mine never needed attention, but any that did never cost me a penny and the service was fast.

[brownie]

I've got to agree with you Joe, DW should find a way to make this right, the OP isn't happy and that's not good CS if they do anything other than keep him happy [ no peaning ].

I'd be very leery of someone telling me that the coating is what makes the slide hard and without it it will peen. Like I mentioned, none of the Colt s/s guns suffered the same fate over tens of thousands of rounds over many years through them,

[pitor]

What a sexy old man you are Joe

[aqualungs]

It helps put things in perspective a bit! I’m not completely unhappy, but I bought a DW to get away from this kind mess, believing the quality control was better. Which I still think it is. Now I know nothing is perfect, but now this gun’s future is in a false sense of limbo because of my uncertainty.
I planned to have it hard chromed which will void the warranty on the finish, but now I am holding off on that and may wait until the warranty is up in 4 years. Last thing I want to do is spend $300 and then have them replace the slide, or deny replacing due to me refinishing it.
I am hoping Keith takes care of it, and also reads this thread. After all Cotep gravitates towards DW owners and that should be important to them. I don’t doubt they will make it right, but like you guys all said this should not be accepted as "normal wear”. I also shouldn’t have accept that I got one of the pistols with this problem and it’s normal to a certain degree.
Again I am leery of escalating this because déjà vu when my E-series had an issue where the slide took off all the anodizing on the frame rails. They ended up calling it normal after asking me to send it back to them 4x??. Every time I sent it to them it came back with more damage and to them it was my fault for sending it in.

[milkmanjoe]

Originally Posted by brownie

I've got to agree with you Joe, DW should find a way to make this right, the OP isn't happy and that's not good CS if they do anything other than keep him happy [ no peaning ].

I'd be very leery of someone telling me that the coating is what makes the slide hard and without it it will peen. Like I mentioned, none of the Colt s/s guns suffered the same fate over tens of thousands of rounds over many years through them,

Yup....near 2K for a pistol, DW needs to fix it no questions asked.

Originally Posted by pitor

What a sexy old man you are Joe

Lies, huh? Now you know why I rejected your marriage proposal...

Originally Posted by aqualungs

It helps put things in perspective a bit! I’m not completely unhappy, but I bought a DW to get away from this kind mess, believing the quality control was better. Which I still think it is. Now I know nothing is perfect, but now this gun’s future is in a false sense of limbo because of my uncertainty.
I planned to have it hard chromed which will void the warranty on the finish, but now I am holding off on that and may wait until the warranty is up in 4 years. Last thing I want to do is spend $300 and then have them replace the slide, or deny replacing due to me refinishing it.
I am hoping Keith takes care of it, and also reads this thread. After all Cotep gravitates towards DW owners and that should be important to them. I don’t doubt they will make it right, but like you guys all said this should not be accepted as "normal wear”. I also shouldn’t have accept that I got one of the pistols with this problem and it’s normal to a certain degree.
Again I am leery of escalating this because déjà vu when my E-series had an issue where the slide took off all the anodizing on the frame rails. They ended up calling it normal after asking me to send it back to them 4x??. Every time I sent it to them it came back with more damage and to them it was my fault for sending it in.

Wait a second....Dan Wesson has a four year warranty? That's it?