Strange Wear Inside Versa Max Receiver

[StealthyBlagga]

Today I noticed some unusual wear inside the receiver of my son's Versa Max Tactical - see photos below. I don't recall seeing this wear when I opened up the loading port (no, I didn't slip with the Dremel), so this has likely happened in the last 1000 rounds. In total I doubt the gun has more than 2000 rounds through it. The vast majority of ammo fired has been Federal WalMart bulk pack birdshot.

The wear appears to have broken through the anodizing because I can feel a slight depression there. I have two other VMs, one with way more mileage on it, and neither shows this kind of wear. Any ideas what could be causing it?

[Mad Doc]

The rim of the shell when loading doubles?

[busdriver]

Not sure what is causing it.

Both mine and the wife's have that same wear pattern.....

[StealthyBlagga]

My son is quad-loading with his right hand, buttstock over shoulder. I use the load-two method with my right hand, holding the gun the same way. Any reason why quads might cause this wear pattern?

[GunCat]

I suspect the worn area is where the rim of the shell (coming out of the mag tube) starts to make contact with the receiver wall due to the spring pressure of the shell latch. Color in the worn area (and around the area) with a Sharpie pie pen, cycling a few shell and see if the contact area becomes apparent.

The fact that the wear is more pronounced on this gun than the others probably has to do with any difference in anodized hardness / thickness between the guns. Shells with steel vs. brass rims might accelerate the wear. I have seen several higher volume guns (of assorted makes) exhibit this wear to the point that you could feel a depression in the receiver wall. Some of these got to the point that we would smooth out the wear gouges to eliminate any potential hang ups when cycling. For the most parts its mainly cosmetic, none of these guns' wear got to the point of weakening the receiver.

[swordfish]

I suspect the worn area is where the rim of the shell (coming out of the mag tube) starts to make contact with the receiver wall due to the spring pressure of the shell latch. Color in the worn area (and around the area) with a Sharpie pie pen, cycling a few shell and see if the contact area becomes apparent.

The fact that the wear is more pronounced on this gun than the others probably has to do with any difference in anodized hardness / thickness between the guns. Shells with steel vs. brass rims might accelerate the wear. I have seen several higher volume guns (of assorted makes) exhibit this wear to the point that you could feel a depression in the receiver wall. Some of these got to the point that we would smooth out the wear gouges to eliminate any potential hang ups when cycling. For the most parts its mainly cosmetic, none of these guns' wear got to the point of weakening the receiver.

^^ This