Probably not the original recoil pad, but I'm not sure. On the ones I have installed over the years, I made a very small slit in the pad with a razor blade, just above where the screw would be installed. The screw was then carefully inserted into the pad, after I applied some oil or vaseline. After the screw is pushed through the tiny slit in the pad, it's almost impossible to see the opening once the job is finished. Perhaps there's a "slit" there somewhere......but just very hard to see.

The other possibility is the pad was glued in place.

__________________
Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer