Does Rick Hinderer Carbidize His Lockface?

In this video I take down my Rick Hinderer XM-18 3.5" to see if the lock face is carbidized. Carbidizing is welding a thin layer of Tungsten Carbide on the surface of the Titanium lock face on the lock bar. As Titanium is a rather soft steel, when it meats the hardened steel of the tang it has a tendency to stick and to wear prematurely. Applying a layer of super hard carbides on the surface raises the hardness level to something more similar to the blade steel alleviating both these issues.