new Wingmaster slide block - dirty looking?

[tom]

Is it usual that the slide block is really "dirty" out of the box. When I disassembled my new wingmaster the first time, I noticed the slide block was covered in dark/black spots, almost as if it had been dunked in oil or been used quite a bit.

[Synchronizor]

Did it clean off? I would expect the gun to be oiled at the factory to keep it from rusting during transportation, storage, and/or its time in a gun shop.

[tom]

I should have snapped these pics _before_ I cleaned them, but you can see some of the strangeness:

The first one is with flash where you can see this copper color streak going trough the slide:



The second is from the front side, where I did apparently not get all of the gunk of. The whole part was pretty much covered in that black colored residue out of the box:



EDIT: For some comparison, here's a product image from midway with 870 slide block. They also seem rough, so guess it's fine they look like this out of the box.

[Synchronizor]

There's a reason that part is called the slide assembly. The upper block and the lower plate are manufactured separately and then brazed together to reduce costs. That brazing compound is the different color you're seeing at the joint. Unless that joint is cracked, or the upper block off-center or skewed, it won't cause any problems.

I also wouldn't worry about any factory oil still on it. Clean it off if it bugs you, but all it will do is help protect the metal. It doesn't look nearly thick enough to alter fit or function, and anything on a contact surface will just wear off on its own, anyway.

[tom]

Thanks for the in depth explanation. Guess it just threw me off that all the other parts looked pristine, while this one looked like it's been trough a lot.