PDA

View Full Version : Milled markings on M&P's


mnoe82
06-02-10, 23:37
I've had 3 M&P's. A full size 40, Compact 9, and a 9 Pro and all of them have had a unique combination of these milled out "dots" on the inside of the slide.

Pro
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w135/clevelandairsoft/DSC01633-1.jpg

Compact
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w135/clevelandairsoft/DSC01634.jpg

I was at a gun store today and two Compact 9's both had the same milled dots, but in different locations than mine and different from each other. I asked the guy at the counter (I know :rolleyes:) and he said it's probably where the CNC made its contact with the slide during production. I don't know if that makes sense though, seeing as how they would use the same program thousands of times to replicate all the slides (of the same caliber and barrel length) exactly. Plus, why would S&W take the time to unnecessarily mill something into their slides that would seemingly serve no aesthetic or useful purpose? Add to that the fact that the dots were different on two guns delivered to the same gun store from the same distributor at the same time.

I thought maybe they were there to balance the weight of the gun, but that doesn't make sense to me because 1. the amount of metal being removed can't be more than a few grams and 2. It's different from gun to gun.

Anybody know the answer???
R.Miksits
06-03-10, 00:35
My highly uneducated guess would possibly be a date stamp? I know it doesn't make since but it seems plausible to me. Due to 2 guns having the same markings and the rest different.
it appears there are two lines which the dots follow. With more samples id like to know which side carries more dots.

possible a CNC machine marker too. If they use more than one CNC machine to make slides.

Batch marks? some type of a mark to identify where that gun was made.

To me it makes since to have a way to tell were a gun was made, and to have identity marks. these are probably them.
Seems logical to me. however I'm probably wrong.
Assy Mcgee
06-03-10, 00:48
those are either alien communications-similar to crop circles, or cnc machine reference marks.
DocGKR
06-03-10, 01:46
R.Miksits is the winner!
Alien
06-03-10, 03:26
I was wondering about these the other day myself. Interesting.
mnoe82
06-03-10, 08:01
R.Miksits is the winner!

So which is it? Date stamp, CNC Marker, or Batch markings?
C4IGrant
06-03-10, 09:59
So which is it? Date stamp, CNC Marker, or Batch markings?

It tells them which machine it came off.

I have been to the S&W factory and watched them mark the slides.


C4
mnoe82
06-03-10, 15:13
The mystery is solved. Thanks everybody.
R.Miksits
06-03-10, 16:09
Holy crap, I was right. :D

Thats a first :D

R.Miksits
Beat Trash
06-03-10, 17:07
Holy crap, I was right. :D

Thats a first :D

R.Miksits

Then you should run out and buy a lottery ticket!
Spiffums
06-03-10, 17:18
Mark Of The Beast........................... comes from the agreement with Clinton.



:eek: :D
DrMark
06-03-10, 19:10
Then it's not so that the slides can be used to play dominoes?

;)
ritepath
06-03-10, 21:15
My 9c has two on the right and one on the left FWIW.
Powder_Burn
06-04-10, 08:16
...and thus a new pursuit was born for M&P enthusiasts. "Which C&C did your gun come from? Mine's from the best one - #4. Avoid guns from #6 and #10 - they will explode in your hand and give you a disease!" :cool:
mnoe82
06-04-10, 08:51
...and thus a new pursuit was born for M&P enthusiasts. "Which C&C did your gun come from? Mine's from the best one - #4. Avoid guns from #6 and #10 - they will explode in your hand and give you a disease!" :cool:

Umm CLEARLY CNC #3 and #4 are the best machines in the factory.