P7's plum

**cruzans** · March 20th, 2011, 12:06 PM

Just curious on the "plum" slides on P7's. I first thought this was something done purposely and was "limited". Then I read somewhere that it was actually sort of a "defect" with too much of one chemical in the mix and the slides turned a plum color. Just curious if HK purposely made the plum slide, if it just happened and they let them go out thinking they were "different", or if some P7's left the factory normal and then turned plum ? Thanks.

**Rex Havoc** · March 20th, 2011, 08:41 PM

As I recall it was the process that they used to harden the slides, eventually they went sort of plum. It wasn't intentional and, again IIRC, they plum'd with age not right away.

I think it was only on some of the PSPs, I don't remember any M8's going plum but it's been a good couple years since I sold off my P7s.

**XTrooper** · March 21st, 2011, 11:19 AM

My NJSP-issued P7M8 and my personal P7M8, both circa 1982, had plum-colored slides. Nothing uncommon about it.

**RandomTask** · March 21st, 2011, 11:43 AM

IIRC, it was an unintended slow reaction between the finish and some component of the steel in some slides. Most hate the plum, some like it. I like it, but won't own a gun that has it if I intend to purposely resell it.

**JoeyBones** · March 21st, 2011, 12:53 PM

Another vote here for unintentional, and due to combination of the steel's composition (HARD!), the bluing compound used, and possibly age.

(Although I have noticed that P7's w/ factory re-blued slides, such as German trade-in P7's and P7M8's w/ the mill mark, seem to go plum immediately - So I am not sure how big a role age plays, but many that start out "black" do end up plum over time, it seems).

I think it's mostly due to the bluing not taking particularly well to the very hard steel they used. Just like extractors on HK USP's, Walther P-38's, and a couple of other (mostly smaller) parts on high quality German steel guns...

Regards,

Bones