I am not sure what to call this but I pulled out the firing pin looks ok not bent, But on the back side of where the primer sits there appears to be a wear groove that is oblonged I did the best i could with pics. I hope you can see it clearly. This gun is basically new fired 250 rounds with in the last 3 weeks and this is the wear it has. Do you think I need to call Smith and Wesson and have it sent in? Kind of concerned is this going to be a safety issue soon?

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Can't look at slide right now, but my cases look like that after firing, kind of tear dropped. FS 40. Will check tomm. 500 or so rounds through mine. Never an issue, eats it all.

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I have been really happy with it eating ammo no problem and spitting them out. I member at the club said to me looks like your firing pin might be bent .... I was like really... But the wear divot hole is what kind of worries me. I did check the pin looks fine.

I think that is normal from the factory but I'm sure that someone will confirm shortly.

Thanks guys and gals much appreciated.

Yep, google "m&p breech face" and look at the images.

What model is yours?

M&P 9 4.25 barrel
looking at some pics and finding some info from what other had posted in other sites looks like smith Milled it that way But I sure don't remember that indent or relief cut or what ever it might be.

This has been discussed before, the teardrop shape is normal.

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Thanks guys ...I will watch for any pitting issues.

Cleaned mine today, besides as I mentioned the case/primer marks are the same, My slide looks Identical to yours. No problems. Took out my firing pin also, all is good.

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I just checked my used 2 year old FS 40 & the firing pin hole looks the same. I've only had it for a couple of weeks & have't checked the brass closely but I'll bet it looks the same as yours.

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Face on the slide looks ok to me.. But i don't like the look of the fired cases. Primer marks should be round indented dimples. Your shows me that you gun is unlocking too soon. Primer could tear and leak causing pitting and wear on the slide case face. Weak recoil spring? I would try a 1 lb heavier recoil spring maybe a 2 lb just enough till you have a nice round clean pimple on that primer. George

That is normal. Just look at the brass from semi auto pistols at your local gun range and you will see 98% of the brass there has that same primer marking. Nothing to worry or be concerned about.

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98% of the brass look like this!! I been shooting for 40 years and rarely do I see it. I only had one pistol do this on my casings it was a T PT99 and I had it looked at.. Gunsmith said it was unlocking to early do to weak recoil spring.. He was right 2 lbs more made lock up perfect.. No more primer issus.. The gun is unlocking before the firing pin has a chance to return.. I seen perfect primers marks left on rounds even with older guns that don't incorporate a firing pin inertia spring.. None of my beach locking auto leave this mark. Guess lockup timing is not that important! G

Yes lockup time can affect accuracy! If primer is bad enough it could leak and cause pitting around the firing pin face.. Call S&W explain just what the primers look like and ask them to send you a recoil spring. Maybe you just got a weak one in your gun. As the barrel unlock too soon it drops and your firing pin is still engaged into the primer hence the line in the pimple.. George

Ok I will call smith tomorrow and see what they say. Not to sure if they are just going to take my word or if i'm going to have to send more pics off. I don't plan on sending in the gun, that I know.

Well I have been shooting 55 years if that has anything to do with it.
I was sure that was what I said. Yep. 98%.
I don't know what different brand of pistols they came out of either.
Much to to about nothing IMHO.
You can send it back to S&W and when you get it back it will do the same thing but that is up to you. These are mass produced self defense handguns and you may not get that wiping of the primers out of a custom match pistol.
Check your factory fired case and you will find it is the same as your pictures.

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team sidewinder, Seems a lot of M&P's have this issue... I see now that maybe it's built in or even it's a under built gun.. Colts don't do it. S&W gen 3's don't do it in fact most brands that i have seen, shot and used don't do it..My M&P .45 don't leave primers looking like that! Still it's a early unlock issue built into the gun or not! Stiffer recoil spring will help.. You don't want your slide to start to look like this do you? http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-w...ours-look.html

Look down a few posts and see the cases.. Worse than yours but never the less still the cause..G

I went and grabbed a couple of handfulls of brass from the box, all of them have the teardrop imprint around the firing pin dimple. So I opened up the original boxes and looked at the test cases, same pattern. I do think the primer dimple does look a little deep compared to the factory brass but that might be the cartridge used.

Attached Images

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	primer 9L.JPG (137.3 KB, 47 views)

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Yeah I was thinking that same was you were so i grabbed that fired test brass same impression. But just the same I will see if smith will send me a new recoil spring to see if it fixes it. I'm assuming it will not, but hay what do I know what is why i'm looking for answers.

If the primers are not leaking gasses.. I don't see that they are. I don't think I would worry to much about it.. I have been shooting for over 40 years but not with Glocks or M&P's and I only have one center fire M&P a FS .45 I have looked this up online and it does in fact seem that the M&P's do leave a dash line on the primer dimple.. As long as it's not cutting into the primer again I don't think you have to worry.. Now with Colt's and most 1911's this would be considered a timing issue with lock up.. We use to change out springs for the load we were shooting and adjust the springs heaver or lighter till the primers just had a dimple in them.. All my Colt's don't leave a mark, all my S&W gen 3's don't leave a mark and so many of the other guns that locked up also didn't leave a mark.. What can I say I'm only posting the facts as I know them but the only striker fired gun I have is the M&P .45.. if it was me I would find out the lbs on the org. spring you have in yours and get one 1 2 and 3 lbs heaver and see how the primer looks..Maybe the striker spring is very heavy and you will need to go lighter with a recoil spring.. Only trying it will tell.. Midway or Brownells should be a good source. Most of the people here post that this is normal for striker fired M&P guns.. I would go with what most of them are telling you.. I'm old school and never really got into Plastic ' polymer" guns.. Till a short time ago.. I'm still old school and like my all steel guns.. Just trying to warm up to the new guns. That's the reason for me getting a M&P.22 and a M&P.45. Ya I know the M&P.22 don't count as it has a hammer and it's a blowback rim fire gun.. G

Well I called smith and wesson and they said that all m&p 9s have a small notch/groove below the firing pin. It is there for a reason there for when you shoot your gun it will look like it tear drop shape in the cases he said. So I asked him about possible weak recoil springs and he asked me if I had any miss feeds for jams of any kind I said no. He said you will start getting them and you'll know you need a recoil spring. Usually they last in the 10,000 - 15,000 fired shots. This is all that smith is telling me. Now I have not had any issues far as the guns goes.