Saw this when I was doing some searches the other night...

https://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=92986

The consensus seems to be that the problem of cracked slide at the breechface are 1) rare and 2) the result of massive amounts of dry fire. However, I decided to look at my G26's and see what I could see.

I've attached a photo of the area in question.

Attachment 14130

As you look at them, the slide on the left is the oldest. It is an Hxx series gun with multiple thousand rounds through it, roughly 85% being 115gr WWB and the rest being a mix if 124gr and 147gr HST or Gold Dot - some +p but mostly standard pressure.

The slide in the middle is an Mxx serice with perhaps 50 rounds through it. The slide on the right is an Nxx serice with perhaps 100 rounds through it. Both have only had WWB through them.

As you can see, the slide on the left has a barely discernable disc pattern around the fireing pin hole, the slide in the middle is quite pronounced, and the slide on the right is almost not there.

The thing is, the slide with the greatest visible disc outline, which would seem to indicate the beginning of a problem, has had the fewest number of rounds through it. It's almost brand new. The other two slides range from equally new to well broken in but hardley excessive shooting.

None of them has ever been dry fired (outside of taking them apart for cleaning).

I'm not sure where I am going with this. I don't expect my slides to start falling apart. I guess I was wondering if what I see here is common on both new and used guns, is it normal, or is it something to watch.