View Full Version : M&P 9c rust issues
Hey guys-
Seriously thinking about buying a new 9c to try out. In my research it seems the m&p's were plauged by rust issues.
Bottom line-has S&W resolved this issue in current run pistols yet or is this still something to be concerned about?
Some folks were saying that the melonite over stainless is not that great vs. Tennifer over the carbon steel glock uses.
So what's the deal here???
Thanks in advance!
Drew
Alpha Sierra
12-23-09, 16:38
Melonite is a not a coating. It is a heat treatment process that is virtually identical to Tenifer.
Rust is a non-issue. Who is your source for all the mis-information?
Thanks for the reply.
I am well aware that melonite, like tennifer is a metal treatment and not a trad coating seen by the eye.
If you google "m&p rust" you will get a fair number of hits across the various gun forums.
Apparently it was something that s&w knew about and was replacing slides on a certain batch of pistols.
Its all news to me! Just trying to research prior to buying. I am not looking for problems if they can be avoided.
Thanks again for the reply!
-drew
There were several reports and pictures of rusted M&P slides, takedown levers and mags over on mp-pistol.com. I can't remember what the issue was or if it was ever made public but I do know that S&W was correcting the issue with the owners.
Overall that wouldn't prevent me from getting another M&P.
RogerinTPA
12-23-09, 19:34
Never had an issue with my M&P9c, which is my daily carry here in FL, or any of my other M&P's for that matter. I do wipe them down (and the Mags) with a cleaning rag that is pretty much oil soaked, or a silicone rag, when I'm done at the range though.
militarymoron
12-23-09, 19:44
i had an issue with rust on the M&P. the slide on my full size M&P 9mm kept rusting (small spots), and i live in a dry part of the country. i maintained/stored it the same as my other handguns, and none of them had rust problems, so it was an isolated problem with that particular gun. i sent it back to S&W (along with issues with a tight chamber) and they replaced the slide and barrel. that fixed both problems. S&W has very good customer service.
I carry my M&P9c daily and I have had no rust problems. Just thought I would put my 2 cents in.
All three of my M&P's rust.
1X full size
2X compacts
The slides rust, the takedown levers and slide releases also rust. Cover it with oil and its not an issue, its all surface rust, no serious pitting.
Seems hit or miss. Wonder if there is any correlation regarding rust and a certain date of manuf?
How can the stainless steel slide rust? :confused:
Stan_TheGunNut
12-23-09, 20:42
How can the stainless steel slide rust? :confused:
Stainless steel can most certainly rust....it's just generally more resistant to it.
On topic, I have not had any rust problems with mine.
Have owned 4 M&Ps to date, currently have 3, and NONE have exhibited any rust. And I have lots of outdoor exposure with mine, in the Pacific NW where it can be damp 8 months out of the year.
I recall reading a year or two ago on the M&P forums that early on in the M&P series, there was a problem with the melonite process they used and a number of those pistols had rust problems. But now, I believe that no more M&P's are having rust problems than you would see with any other line of pistols, and let's face it, even Glocks rust if not cared for.
I would not let worries over rust prevent you from trying an M&P.
John_Wayne777
12-23-09, 21:49
Hey guys-
Seriously thinking about buying a new 9c to try out. In my research it seems the m&p's were plauged by rust issues.
Bottom line-has S&W resolved this issue in current run pistols yet or is this still something to be concerned about?
Some folks were saying that the melonite over stainless is not that great vs. Tennifer over the carbon steel glock uses.
So what's the deal here???
Thanks in advance!
Drew
I believe the deal was that a small number of M&P's had problems in the meloniting process. AFAIK S&W was quick to resolve any rust issues that cropped up.
Any mass produced product will occasionally run into issues...especially firearms that are sent out to a third party (IIRC...I don't think S&W melonites in house. I could be wrong about that) for finishing. I've seen Glocks with rust issues too.
Generally speaking M&P's aren't really very vulnerable to rust. As an example, when the hurricane came through in August of 2008 I was shooting my M&P .45. It was exposed to torrential rain for most of the first day and was put away wet in a case that got soaking wet...with no rust.
I have a co-worker who had rust develope on both his .40 full size and compact. He sent both back to Smith and they replaced both slides.
But, they rusted again. He then sent both slides to Robar and had them Roguarded. I haven't checked back with him since they came back.
They are both carried daily on duty here in the Chicagoland area...
I just purchased a M&P 9l which appears to have been manufactured within the last 30 days - I found two small spots on the slide which appear to lack finish. The spots are small enough where I missed them upon a quick initial inspection....I'll just keep the gun well lubed and send it back at the first sign of rust.
Thanks for all the feedback guys!
Drew, I seriously looked at getting a M&P9c back when I owned a full sized M&P and in the end I decided against it. Of course that was 18-24 months ago so things might have changed since then. But when I was looking for a something smaller to carry for "summer carry" I was trying to decide between the M&P9c and the G26 and in the end I went with the G26 for the following reasons:
1. There wasn't a ton of IWB holster options (I'm sure they're much better now).
2. The M&P9c is larger and wider than the G26 but not quite as big as a G19.
3. There were a lot of reports of people having issues feeding JHP rounds.
To S&W's credit they were taking care of the JHP feeding issues and their customer service was (and still is) outstanding correcting any issues people were having. But in the end I went with the G26 because I knew what I was getting and it was slightly smaller. However, rust was the last thing I would have been concerned about. Mostly because I saw S&W replacing parts that were rusting.
All that said I still keep my eye on the M&P9c for a future CCW. I'm not sure when I'll pick one up but I know that eventually I will.
This M-Ef'er better not rust. I just bought a MP9c based on the koolaid I drank on this site! I have had my Glock 17 for closer to 20 years than 15, and I was thinking mid sized Glock... but the M&P line has been pounded into my head from right here on M4C! If it rusts, I'm gonna be jacked, then I'm going to buy a Glock, and never buy any pistol again that is not a Glock. Damn it. I was actually thinking of getting rid of my 1993'ish Gen 2 Glock 17 and getting a M&P9 full size to replace it. After hearing this, I'm not sure. With a Glock, cleaning and oiling is something you do once in a great while only because you feel bad because you never give any love back to the thing.
I fear no rust, dirt, corrosion of any kind with my Glock. If Glock was able to do that 20 years ago, everyone else should hang thier heads in shame for not being able to equal the "G" finish's durability and corossion resistance.
This M-Ef'er better not rust. I just bought a MP9c based on the koolaid I drank on this site! I have had my Glock 17 for closer to 20 years than 15, and I was thinking mid sized Glock... but the M&P line has been pounded into my head from right here on M4C! If it rusts, I'm gonna be jacked, then I'm going to buy a Glock, and never buy any pistol again that is not a Glock. Damn it. I was actually thinking of getting rid of my 1993'ish Gen 2 Glock 17 and getting a M&P9 full size to replace it. After hearing this, I'm not sure. With a Glock, cleaning and oiling is something you do once in a great while only because you feel bad because you never give any love back to the thing.
I fear no rust, dirt, corrosion of any kind with my Glock. If Glock was able to do that 20 years ago, everyone else should hang thier heads in shame for not being able to equal the "G" finish's durability and corossion resistance.
Chill dude, chill. I wouldn't worry about it. Even if it does S&W will take care of you. My first question to you is does it function with FMJ and JHP? If so then press on and enjoy it. I can't say how widespread the rust issue was with the M&Ps but S&W took care of the issues as they cropped up. The nice thing about the M&Ps is neither the barrels or the slides are serialized so they can replace them and not mismatch numbers!
Larry-
Hopefully you will be good to go with your new 9c. I too never really thought about going away from my Glocks till I got on this site! Keep us up to date if you will regarding any issues you may have with the finish. Hopefully there will be none...
M4arc-
I'm with you regarding your last post. I think I am going to stick with my 19's and 26's for now and keep an eye on things re the m&p pistols. My 26 vanishes in my Sparks VM2, its just gone. I never had a lick of problem with it until late, and I blame that on 1 thing. My grip seems to magically gone to shite overnight for some reason. Its like I was just kinda holding on to it, vs gripping it tight and applying side pressure to the grips.
I also think I jumped ahead of my actual skill level in my mind. I guess I have been watching to much steel plate shooting with the pros and commercials with Todd Jarrett in them when he pumps 17 rounds into his target in about 3 seconds where I could cover his group with my friggin hand! Trying to shoot too fast, with a crappy grip leads to bad things. Time for me to get back to the basics at the range and work back up to the modest (at best) shooter that I am.
That m&p has a lot of things going for it though, hopefully they work out any kinks if there actually are any.
Thanks~
Man if they offered that in the 9c I would think about it pretty hard. I prefer compact frames. I am not a big guy ~5'7" 175 lbs, full sized frames never fit me well...
Outlander Systems
12-24-09, 11:49
How can the stainless steel slide rust? :confused:
Dude, I had a Ruger P94 in stainless that sat in a safe for years. When I finally took it out, I shit you not, the thing was brown. It was all surface rust, but it took lots of steel wool and brushes to get it looking sellable.
I know that 400 series stainless will rust, but I would have not considered that S&W would be using it. Maybe the brittleness of a 300 series SS keeps them from using it? Who knows, and I guess it does not really matter.
You might be $ ahead to buy two PT.com pistols and Plain-Jane 9c and swap parts into the 9c from one of the PT.com pistols... This has crossed my mind.
Buckaroo
Or wait a little while longer and see how the aftermarket develops. In the last few days/weeks, there have been some promising looking developments posted about over on mp-pistol.com
I recall reading a year or two ago on the M&P forums that early on in the M&P series, there was a problem with the melonite process they used and a number of those pistols had rust problems.
I had a similar experience with a stainless 1911 I sent out for a melonite finish, came back looking like it had been left in a tidal pool for six months. The corrosion was so bad that the company ended up replacing the entire gun. My guess is melonite may be less forgiving of bad prep work before the metal is treated than other finishes. Oh yeah, Merry Christmas all!
FUBAR
http://homepage.mac.com/carver/images/badfin/DSC01247.jpg
Or wait a little while longer and see how the aftermarket develops. In the last few days/weeks, there have been some promising looking developments posted about over on mp-pistol.com
Are you talking about the Apex sears?
I haven't heard any reports about those but would be very interested in hearing some short and long term reports.
Those and the Speed Shooter Specialties titanium safety plunger. Neither has been around long enough for much feedback to get out, but they seem promising.
Those and the Speed Shooter Specialties titanium safety plunger. Neither has been around long enough for much feedback to get out, but they seem promising.
I've contacted Randy Lee from Apex to get his permission to start a thread about his Sears here on M4C. The certainly do look promising and more options for the M&P are only going to enhance the platform.
I don't know anything about the SSS safetly plunger but I saw were Apex is working on their own version as well!
I only know what I read over on the other board. Based on that, I'm impressed with the Apex sear, or at least their approach to developing it, and hopeful about their safety plunger too. The SSS part, I got the impression might be having some teething pains in terms of manufacturing quality. That information is completely second hand, though, so to be taken with a grain of salt.
I only know what I read over on the other board. Based on that, I'm impressed with the Apex sear, or at least their approach to developing it, and hopeful about their safety plunger too. The SSS part, I got the impression might be having some teething pains in terms of manufacturing quality. That information is completely second hand, though, so to be taken with a grain of salt.
I certainly mean no disrespect to SSS but when I hear of titanium parts I instantly think "race gun".
firecop019
12-24-09, 13:56
The only place we've seen rust so far on the duty pistols was beneath the rear sight. Even on the guns that were well taken care of, we ended up switching from Hoppes to Gunzilla and it hasn't came back since. I've purposely left mine alone after being out in the rain to see if it would pop back up and so far so good.
I certainly mean no disrespect to SSS but when I hear of titanium parts I instantly think "race gun".
Funny, I've been thinking one thing someone absolutely needs to make for the M&P is a tool steel or titanium striker to minimize striker breakage. Every time I pull the trigger on an empty chamber I cringe a little, hoping this won't be the one that breaks the striker.
Heavy Metal
12-24-09, 16:31
Titanium is an inferior material for a Striker than Steel.
Titanium is a compromise material between Steel and Aluminum. Closer to the weight of Al and the Strength of Steel but not better at any one characteristic. The only true advantage to Titanium is corrosion resistance and it tolerates heat better than Al.
I had a full size 9 that would constantly get light surface rust. I would clean it off with a clean rag and oil and it would come right back. It was all over the slide. I ended up having it bead blasted then cera coated. It's gone now. Even with the current G22 issues, I am just more comfortable with my Glocks.
decodeddiesel
12-24-09, 16:46
I have carried my M&P9C every day for 6 months now. The gun sits on the counter in my bathroom when I shower, and it has gotten drenched in sweat while being worn IWB while at work. I have had absolutely zero corrosion of any sorts, and I rarely (think once since I bought it) clean the pistol. I wouldn't worry about rust at all.
Also I use the SSS Titanium firing pin block. The main things it gives you is a rounded surface for the trigger bar to rub against which helps the smoothness of the trigger pull immensely. I think the Titanium is to reduce the mass. Not really a big deal with something so small, the contoured surface has a much greater effect.
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