When I got my SD9VE I noticed some vertical scratches on the flat part of the barrel, seen when in battery. I thought they were normal, caused by movement during firing. Then it became clear that barrel movement during firing could not cause any such vertical scratches.

I sent a gentle note to S&W as follows:

I've had this gun for about a month and when I received it I noticed scratches on the flat part of the barrel which show when the slide is in firing position.

My first notion was that the scratches were caused by normal motion when the gun is fired, but when observing the barrel movement during slide movement it's clear that that part of the barrel does not touch anything at all, so I have to assume that the gun came from the factory that way. It was a special order through Bass Pro in Oklahoma, a CA gun not normally available here.

The gun is really beautiful and seems to function quite well.

Is there any way that I can remove the scratches?

A picture is attached. The scratches show up as dark in the flash picture but are actually bright in normal lighting.

SD9VE CA S/N HFT5025, test fired in June according to the casing package.

Thanks, and Merry Christmas,

==========

Here is the response and my follow up:

These marks are normal and happen from the gun cycling. If you try to polish these out they will just come back again as as soon as you start to cycle the pistol.

My follow up:

Remarkable. Horizontal movement causes vertical scratches.

When I cycle the slide I don't see anything that could cause that kind of scratch. Please explain.

Thanks,

Attached Images

SD9.jpg (57.7 KB, 425 views)

All three SD9VE's I've checked have scratches like those shown on your photo. I thought they added a little character to the gun - kind of like the wear at the end of the barrel of a gun that has spent many an hour in a leather holster.

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Jackdaddy63
SD9VE, Model 10-4

Vertical scratches on an area that never comes into contact with anything? Yes, I do appreciate wear and character that comes from actual use, but not factory artifacts on such a beautiful piece of hardware.

Anyhow, the scratches may have to be caused by something they do at the factory. One might guess that at the reported production rate of 300 per day, some automated handling could be the cause.

I have to go to the store tomorrow and might be able to see a new 9 and .40. I'll post a note after I have been there.

I look forward to seeing what you find at the store. I just looked at my SD9VE barrel and noticed the vertical scratches are only on the ejector side of the barrel, not on the left side of the barrel.

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Jackdaddy63
SD9VE, Model 10-4

Not sure what you mean by "not on the left side". My scratches are on the right side, the extractor side.

My yet to be fired SD9ve also has some very faint scratches in the same area but I had to look extremely close in bright light to see them. It has only been hand cycled to date waiting a trip to the range.

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GreyOwl

My SD9VE has a little wear were the barrel hood just meets the slide, but that seems normal. OP, did you look to see if there's any rough tooling marks on the underside of the slide, especially where it might contact the top of the barrel hood when it is cycled?

I just posted somewhere else, not a single SD_VE in stock at Bass OKC.

I have taken a careful look at the barrel movement as the slide moves and there is no way those scratches can be caused in the gun. They don't affect the performance of the gun, I just think new things should look new.

It's sort of like wanting to be the one who puts the first scratch on your new car.

(They were there when I got the gun, NIB, and I at first thought they related to use but clearly they are not.)

Attached Images

SD9.jpg (57.7 KB, 87 views)

Mine does not have them and it does not affect anything other than looks.
Ruger P-Series are known for this too.

Could be machining marks, no idea.

I say just shoot it. I mean it is a SD9VE, If it was a Vicker's Tactical $3000 1911 I'd be concerned.


If it goes bang everytime, and doesn't jam. You are good to go.

You could polish the heck out of it like some have done, but there isn't much of a point.

Chatter marks made as the slide and barrel move past each other as fired? (High spots on barrel), polish and fire,check to see if they return?

That part of the barrel does not touch any other part of the gun at any time. Has to be from factory.

BINGO We have a winner.

As he says (AS FIRED.)

I would like to see pics. of the gun that has no marks there.

It apparently wasn't fired much.

Put some grease on top where the marks are or use a marker and work the action. See what you get for marks.

The marker would show up better, I use this technique when sharpening broad heads.

S&W said to not polish since that is a textured finish, bead or shell blasted. I will, however, take before and after pictures to see whether that side of the barrel contacts anything else, in a vertical movement, while being racked.

O.K. here is the whole process.

First picture is the gun barrel after coating with a black sharpie. There is some shiny texture to the sharpie but that is just the way it is.

Second picture is the gun barrel after racking it a few times. I can't see that the sharpie touched anything during that process.

If you have an SD_VE please observe the movement of the exposed flat side of the barrel as you rack the slide. There is nothing that touches that area as the barrel moves down, and all subsequent motion is front-rear, not vertical. The scratches are clearly vertical, just as they were when I got the gun.

Third picture is after I cleaned the barrel with alcohol swab. There is a bit of color in the lower left part but that is just residue from the sharpie. I posted a very similar picture a couple of times to show the vertical scratches on the flat side of the barrel. The pattern of those scratches has not changed since I received the gun - it came that way.

[I started in the back yard in the sun but none of my cameras would focus in that glare. These pictures were taken with a low-end camera but they seem to be accurate.]

Attached Images

	BEFORE.jpg (94.3 KB, 121 views)
	AFTER.jpg (74.4 KB, 120 views)
	CLEANED.jpg (120.1 KB, 118 views)

I didn't look inside the slide but there are indeed shiny areas on the top side of the barrel. They are very narrow and run across the front edge of the top side of the barrel flat, and run back about 3/8" on both top edges, clearly rub marks.

Sorry I missed your question before now.

No problem. If it were mine, just for grins and giggles, I'd redo the Sharpie test at the range. Perhaps the faster and likely harsher cycling of the slide while being fired might reveal something.

I did see where your pistol had the marks upon delivery, but they are test fired at the factory. I guess it's also possible that any burr on the slide that might have caused the scratches has since been knocked off. If the marks don't seem to be getting worse, that may be the case.

It's likely marks that show proud from contact with machining marks in the slide. Holy cow some folks are picky.

This is my highest mileage gun.

20141222_132707_LLS by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr

Who cares! Just shoot it, man!

Even my nicest guns have such wear patterns. What's wrong with some folks?

Let me see whether I can convince you that the vertical scratches on my barrel came from the factory and are not caused by firing. If you feel differently just let me know and I will listen to any opinions you may have.

Please follow along with me, as I examine my new SD9VE.

With the gun fully assembled, see how far you can move the rear end of the barrel from left to right. Not much, it's held by the slide by interlocking tabs on the barrel.

Remove the slide/barrel, leaving the recoil spring in place. Look at the top or bottom of that assembly with a flashlight on the opposite side. Do you see clearance slots? I do, each just over .016". Try to close those gaps by moving the barrel sideways. I couldn't come close to closing them.

So, we know that in battery there is significant clearance between the barrel and slide.

Now, remove the recoil spring and barrel. Examine the inside flats of the slide. See any scratch or scrape marks? I didn't, just some very fine milling machine ridges, nothing that shows any scrapes. The original finish is still pristine.

Remove the barrel and engage it's hook with the takedown bar, pushing the barrel forward. Can you move it sideways? Yes, a bit, but not more than a few thousands of an inch. Clearly not enough to close the .016" gaps we found with the flashlight test when the slide was assembled.

Now slide the barrel rearward, just as it would move if still in a fully assembled gun. Let the linear cam on the barrel pull it down until it stops. How much can you move it from left to right? Even less than when it was engaged with the takedown bar/barrel stop. It's closely held by the metal sides of the blocker assembly in the frame.

This convinces me that the flat sides of the barrel cannot touch the flat interior section of the slide.

Now, one more thing - Carefully look up to the top inside surface of the slide. See anything? I did, some scrape marks which seem to show that the top of the barrel does indeed contact the slide. I also see wear marks on the top of the front edge of the barrel, just as described previously.

The only conclusion I can reach is that the vertical scratches on the right side flat of the barrel were there when the gun was assembled.

If anyone does goes through these same steps and finds a difference in their observations, please let me know.

Well I don't know where my head was but I thought I was looking at a pic. of the top of the gun.

The marks on your chamber almost have to be from the factory and as you said, I can't see how it could be from firing the gun.

The barrel assembly does not move the way the marks are showing especially that far back or that high on the chamber area.

Thanks. It's simply a cosmetic issue but I would like to put my own scratches on it.

S&W has offered to take the gun in for an exam and I counter-offered to first send in pictures.

I wouldn't send it in unless you want to be without your gun for ?

You can have somebody bead blast that side to match the rest of the gun also.

If you send it in and they put another barrel on it who knows how it will shoot also, especially if it shoots good for you now.

Just something to think about.

I have heard about the delay on their end. That's why I have some faint hope that they will just send me a barrel for exchange.

Yes, very unlikely but if there is even a slight chance I want to avoid their 6 week turn-around time. They are unlikely to want to expedite work on these low cost guns.

I posted here earlier about scratches on my barrel, the flat side that is exposed when the slide is closed.

I sent pictures to S&W and they just sent a return label. (They first said the scratches were caused by use of the gun, but my pictures apparently convinced them otherwise.)

They apparently now agree that those scratches could not have been caused by use of the gun and I suppose they will either refinish or replace the barrel.

Thus, I will be able to put the first scratch on this beautiful gun. Just one more range trip (with wife) next week, then FedEx.

I just sent mine in for some repairs two weeks ago yesterday. They received it the following Monday. They finished and gave it to FedEx today. I'll have it on Tuesday. That will make it 15 days from the time they received it to the time I had it back in my hands. They did a thorough disassemble/cleaning and replaced the striker assembly. I don't think it'll take 6 weeks for a replacement barrel (unless they're out of parts).

I can tolerate, but won't like, two weeks. I think it may depend on who gets the task. The first person said the scratches were caused by using the gun. The second person responded but didn't follow up. The third person sent the shipping label.

I thought perhaps they would agree to a simple barrel exchange but I couldn't make that happen.

Anyhow, I plan some range time for my wife early next week before it goes to S&W.

OP,

I understand your frustration about possibly having an out of spec, defective, or poorly manufactured product. Trust me, I've often felt like I'm "that guy" when it comes buying something that winds up being out of whack. I've had two new cars that had to go back for warranty work the very next day after purchasing.

However, this thread has been running for 3 1/2 weeks regarding a problem you knew about a month before that. S&W has offered to check it out for you, and now you actually have a shipping label in hand, but yet you still delay in sending it in.

I can't help at this point but wonder about what you're actually trying to achieve. With all due respect, stop stressing over this and just sent it to S&W. Life is too short after all

Even racking the gun could put scratches on the barrel and I'm sure racking a gun is part of the QA process. You never racked the gun? There is a cure for OCD it's whiskey and strippers. Get a life!

My SW40VE Allied has the EXACT same vertical "marks" on the exact same area of the top rear portion of the Chamber/barrel. It was NIB in 2008 and came that way too. Never gave it a thought. I carry it as a duty gun for a part-time L.E. Gig. As the girl in the movie Frost would say; "let it go, let it go."

I believe you are referring to a relief area milled into the slide which some folks have reported.

Ahhhh....No. I am specifically referring to "the exact same area" as the OP guy. You know "barrel/chamber area" nothing referenced the slide in my post.

They twice asked me to send the gun in after looking at my pictures, so it's there now. My note suggested just returning it if those imperfections were typical. If not, then to refinish or replace the barrel.