M&P 9c w/ RMR build thread

[schottgunz]

PART 1

I will apologize ahead of time as all the pictures are taking with an Iphone!

I just finished a new build & wanted to share it with you guys/gals.

Most of the photos were taken with the help of my pops. A big thanks for him letting me use his machine as well!

The inspiration for this build is my M&P Performance Center Ported CORE model.

I picked up a used M&P 9c back in Sep for $433. Not the best deal but I didn't want to buy a new one because I knew most of the stock parts would be leaving this gun anyways.

I wasn't sure when this build was going to happen as the wife and I are building a new house right now and my toys aren't really a top priority. So in the down time I decided to make a solid model to build a print and machine the RMR.

SORRY MY PRINTER WAS RUNNING LOW ON INK

My wife surprised the heck out of me when she bought me the following parts for x-mas to get this build started in to high gear:

TLR-3
Apex Flat Faced Trigger Kit
Apex RAM
Dawson Precision Fiber Optic Front Sight (not installed in pic)
LF-Arms Extended Mag Release (not installed in pic)

Upon dis-assembly of the pistol revealed that this was one of the early designs with the small sear spring. Apex advises to upgrade to the newer version to avoid sear flutter. Which prompted me to head over to Brownells to order the updated sear block housing. Part # 940-000-958

Now it's my (very limited) understanding that only S&W could sell the sear housing blocks with safety's, but to the best of my knowledge this block has that feature. Also I thought I purchased this w/o the magazine disconnect! Now due to me never owning an M&P w/ a safety or a mag disconnect.... I've never seen what one of those blocks looked like. After a call to Brownell's and speaking to one of the gunsmith's there, I was left with no answers.

So next I called Apex to see if they could help tell me if indeed this block was made for an external safety switch. Which prompted me emailing them pictures of the sear housing block. A BIG THANK YOU FOR THE PROMPT EMAIL RESPONSES APEX, keep up the great customer service. They couldn't tell me if it was made for an external safety but they did tell me that it had the mag disconnect.

After LOTS of googling and searching forums, I found nothing on how to remove the safety mechanism going through the block. With the frame plug installed, I couldn't get the trigger bar to go under the safety mechanism w/o twisting safety mechanism with a small flathead. In which case the block wouldn't install into the frame because when you turn that safety deal, it cams outward! I also wanted this out so I could install the Apex RAM. WELL AFTER ABOUT 30-45 MINS OF BANGING MY HEAD I found that you can take a punch and knock it out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I felt like I had just invented electricity once this worked. Next I swapped out the other spring and lever off the old block to do away with the dumb mag disconnect.

I have since fired about 350 rounds with no issues after doing this mod. PERFORM THIS MOD AT YOUR OWN RISK & I ASSUME NO RESPONSIBLY IF YOU CHOOSE TO FOLLOW THIS DUMMY'S PATH

Next I bought an X-Grip
Crossfire Holster "Sleek Series"

This is the first holster I've purchased from Crossfire Holster's but I can assure you that I WILL BE A REPEAT CUSTOMER! Crossfire Holsters L.L.C.

I ordered this holster on Dec. 25th and recieved an email saying it was in the mail shipping to me on Jan 4th! I've never had a custom holster made that fast! Fit and Finish are excellent. I did modify the side that's against my body by heating up the kydex and rounding two of the corners at the top just a bit more. (this made a HUGE difference as I carry this appendix style)

Next came the milling of the slide. (the good stuff)

A nice before pic

First you gotta get your zero's! I'm using an edge finder here to get X & Y

Next I use a .500 carbide endmill to rough out the pocket leaving .008 on Z and .010 on the wall for a finish pass.

Who's that handsome guy in the photo! haha I'm kidding

Then I took and changed to a brand new .500 endmill to leave a nice finish. It doesn't look like it from the photo but there is better than a 63 finish on the pocket.

If you look closely, you can see the black coating left in the original rear sight dovetail. Man they left a crappy finish! I am within .0002 from their original slot.

Next comes the centerdrill to start the 6-32 UNC holes.

 

[schottgunz]

PART 2

Next comes the .106 drill. I later came back and opened this up larger to get less than 75% thread engagement due to the HRc of the slide.

As you can see I made a simple hand sketch to mill out the pocket taking in to account the width of the endmill and where to drill the holes as my zero is centerline of the slide. As well as calculated about a .460 step over and wrote those down so I didn't have to keep eyeballing where the endmill was at.

Then throw a decent chamfer on the holes to help with deburring and to get the tap and screws started.

I didn't realize the slide was going to be as hard as it was. The day before I bought just an el cheapo US-22 $2.98 6-32 UNC tap. It turns out that this was a waste of $3 bucks because it didn't even begin to cut the threads. After years of machining I knew that this tap was going to snap if I tried to push it hard. Then comes the pain in the *** of trying to mill it out.

So I did the smart thing and stopped for the night. The next day I order a new one. Not wanting to skimp I went ahead and just bought the best. Anyone in the machinist community knows that Emuge taps are worth their STEEP price tag. This one was $31. Which if you think about it, thats 10 times the el cheapo.

After praying like a sailor in a hurricane that the tap don't snap, I as able to breath a huge sigh of relief once this step was finished. THIS WAS THE ONLY STRESSFUL STEP OF THE WHOLE BUILD

The first time the RMR got bolted up to the slide! YES IT FITS PERFECTLY!

Another view

A view looking down the slide with the stock front sight.

Now that the slide is finished, I unchucked it and took a India stone and just barely broke the edges to deburr it.

Time to install fiber optic from sight. Know with my eyes I've noticed that the Red fiber optic doesn't show up hardly at all through the RMR coating on the glass. I like the color green better anyway but just something I've noticed. What's been you guys experience?

Now before starting this project I was at a HUGE crossroads as to which path I wanted to take. You are looking at the lazy path in these photos and here's why.

1.) Easy: Mill slot, drill & tap holes
2.) Hard: Push slot forward in which case I have to mill ejector dow pin down, get slide tig welded up so I could machine dovetail for rear sight behind RMR (just like the CORE models), machine cover plate to cover striker safety plunger, figure out angle of dovetail (easy to do but still work), buy dovetail cutter, mill dovetail.....I maybe forgetting something but you get the ideal.

So my solution to this is to mill a vertical line down the centerline of RMR. (This is not my original ideal btw, and thank you to the original creator)

VERY VERY LIGHTLY chucking on the RMR & finding centerline

This is what that line looks like. So when you look through the sight it will look like a big i The sights are not correctly aligned in this photo but you get the ideal.

Next comes the refinishing of the slide to prevent rust

AND NOW FOR THE FINISHED PRODUCT

With full size mag & X-Grip

Being silly with Taran Tactical Extended Mag Base, which doesn't actually click/lock in due to the X-Grip, but still put a smile on my face.

I had to further modify the holster for the RMR. If you look you can see where I put a larger radii and pressed in the kydex as to not press so hard on my appendix area. It's not pretty but I'm not going for pretty, I'm going strictly for function.

Well guys I hope you enjoyed the build as much as I did.

Total machine time was about 6 hrs due to the "measure twice, cut once" method.

Now all's that's left is to go sight it in tomorrow in what I call "explosive therapy"

I will be ordering a custom front sight from Dawson that is .037 smaller than the stock .320 height that comes on the CORE models. This is due to the fact that I didn't make a .037 riser plate.

If you measure the height of the base that the RMR is installed on, it is .037 higher than the depth of a rear sight dovetail. I knew this going in to this project but wanted a good stock sight to see where my hits impact. I didn't want to mill it .037 higher because then that wouldn't put the same spring pressure on the striker spring possibly jeopardizing reliability. This is why I decided to go ahead and mill it down to the same depth as the rear sight dovetail depth. Biased on their formula I will build the correct one.

Until then shoot safe!

 

[rlfrye]

That is a fine looking gun, I have thought about something like that for my 40C. But since I don't have the equipment to do it myself, I am leaning towards saving my pennies and getting a 5" C.O.R.E.

 

[schottgunz]

That is a fine looking gun, I have thought about something like that for my 40C. But since I don't have the equipment to do it myself, I am leaning towards saving my pennies and getting a 5" C.O.R.E.

The C.O.R.E.'s are awesome guns. I the first M&P I ever owned was a 40c. Unfortunately I had to sell it earlier last year to get that 9c.

I guess since I'm sort of a muscularity challenged guy (haha) my 4.25" CORE is borderline my limits on what is comfortable to carry. It would be a different story for me if I had an OWB holster carrying on the hip vs appendix.

If you don't have the equipment, you can always go to Bowie Tactical Concepts Home Page

Or
ATEi | (313) 388-8228 | American Tool & Engraving, Inc.

But like you said, that takes quite a bit of money and then there's that whole lead time deal where you out of a gun for a little bit.

 

[schottgunz]

If anyone has any suggestions on how to make this better or see something that I missed or did wrong. Please let me know.

 

[BlackTalonJHP]

Perhaps I missed it, but what did you use for the refinish?

 

[755]

WOW that's fantastic work thank you for sharing. Cant wait to see how it shoots.

 

[schottgunz]

Perhaps I missed it, but what did you use for the refinish?

Well.... I tried 2 different bluing dyes but neither of them would work. So until I can get it Cerakoted black, I just shot it with some Flat Black Rustoleum primer. (We will see how this holds up)

If someone could chime in and let me know why the bluing didn't work I'm all ears. It's not stainless or aluminum/non-ferrous. I stay that because its magnetic. Material was cleaned and preped according to instructions.

 

[BlackTalonJHP]

The blueing will not work because the slide is made out of either 410 or 416 stainless steel

 

[schottgunz]

The blueing will not work because the slide is made out of either 410 or 416 stainless steel

For some reason I thought stainless wasn't magnetic.

That would explain why my cutting speeds and feeds were in stainless territory. Although the chips coming off didn't resemble it.

 

[BlackTalonJHP]

Martensitic (like 410 series) and Ferritic stainless steels are magnetic, but Austenitic stainless are usually non magnetic.

 

[schottgunz]

Well I just got back from the range and all went well with sighting in the RMR. 2 clicks to the left was all it took to bring it in at about 10yds. Elevation was right on the money.

I was shooting about 1.5-2" right at 7 yds with the front sight and scribed line on the back of the RMR. I need to start dry firing with that configuration to become more confident. I guessed hold over, as far as elevation goes, and I was spot on. I'll slide the front sight over to compensate for the windage adjustment as this is the only adjustment I can make since the RMR is bolted in one place. It could have been my lack of experience shooting with this type sight configuration as well.

 

[twistedracer]

Nice project , congrats !!!

 

[avmech]

Nice work!

 

[JCase]

Wow
I'm impressed

 

[smithguy66]

Superb! I want to get that done to my 40c but I want to cerakote the slide bronze and put a 357 sig conversion barrel in it.

 

[Paul.M&P]

Hey Schottgunz, I'm thinking about putting a JPoint RMR on my M&P 40C. I really appreciate you posting all the details. That turned out really well on your 9C. Just curious, have you had any issues with the RMR coming loose? Did you use any Loctite?

 

[ricklee4570]

Great job, thanks for sharing!

 

[jstanfield103]

Enjoyed the process, Great job and thanks for taking the time to post it.

 

[schottgunz]

Hey Schottgunz, I'm thinking about putting a JPoint RMR on my M&P 40C. I really appreciate you posting all the details. That turned out really well on your 9C. Just curious, have you had any issues with the RMR coming loose? Did you use any Loctite?

Yes I do use Loctite on the screws. I've never had any issues with the screws coming loose and I'm +2000 rounds since this post based on my reloading records.