Surgical instruments having improved wear resistance, and methods of making the same

A surgical instrument, comprising:

• an end effector, at least a portion of the end effector being made of an austenitic stainless steel having a composition comprising, in weight percent:
• about 0.15% maximum carbon,
• about 4% to about 8.5% manganese,
• about 15% to about 21% chromium,
• about 4% to about 10% nickel,
• about 2.5% to about 4.5% silicon,
• about 0.05% to about 0.25% nitrogen, and
• balance iron.

A method of making a surgical apparatus, comprising:

• forming a cannula tube including a curved longitudinal axis along at least a portion of its length;
• burnishing the inner surface of the cannula tube with a material having a hardness greater than the metal of the cannula tube;
• and
• providing a surgical instrument configured to be inserted within the curved cannula tube, wherein a threshold galling stress between a portion of the end effector and the inner surface of the curved cannula is at least 10,000 pounds per square inch;
• wherein, after the burnishing, the inner surface of the curved cannula tube exhibits a galling resistance that is greater than the outer surface of the curved cannula tube.