The granite trick does not help?
I did apply some and while it did alleviate some the lock stick is still really bad compared to my Gen 4 with TI which is absolutely buttery smooth with nothing done to the knife at all.
Got my Gen 5 XM-18 with the sheepsfoot blade about two weeks ago. Zero lock stick and the stop pin fits super tight in both pieces of titanium. I didn't bother trying to remove it from the lock side when I opened up the knife for cleaning and adding a full copper hardware set. I would send it back regardless of the wait. That's a lot of money to spend on a knife that you'll never truly be satisfied with.
I'll give the knife a chance to "wear in", but you're absolutely right, when there's issues that bug you like that, you are totally right, you'll never be satisfied so I will ship it back if the issue persists during the next couple of weeks of using it.
I hate hearing this. While we have seen a rattle in the stop pin before it has been very rare. Like you said it is a very easy fix but I hate you got one. The lockstick being bad sucks. Is the pivot tight enough? Hopefully your dealer will treat you right and have one to replace it for you so you do not have to wait for it to go back and forth.
I've tried adjusting the pivot in every way imaginable but the problem is when I get it to a point where the lock stick is acceptable (it's still there but tolerable) then the blade centering gets way off and that bugs me just as much.
This knife is so new that my retailer here in Europe does not have any more in stock, I was the first guy to get one through them.
I don't fault my retailer in any way, they've provided the best costumer service you can reasonably ask for.
I've heard that anti-oxidant might be helpful here, so I've ordered some and will try applying it. I'll open and close the knife for a couple of weeks and if the issue persists I will ship it back.
But like you, it's just a terrible feeling to get that sort of first impression. I've been extremely satisfied and happy with my other Gen 4 knives so it was shocking to see this kind of lack of quality control.
I'll report back if the issue goes away or if I'm forced to ship it back regardless of how long it's going to take.
Thanks for your input though.