M&P 9 not stamped "Stainless" on slide

[Houdini1953]

Not all stainless steel products are magnetic but also many of them are, as far as cooking stainless they are pretty much nonmagnetic but ballistic stainless as well as other do in fact have magnetic properties, my stainless M&P9 FS is magnetic!

 

[Titan]

It sure sounds like the 'magnet test' is pretty useless, since you apparently can't determine anything by using it.

 

[Ruger Nut]

It sure sounds like the 'magnet test' is pretty useless, since you apparently can't determine anything by using it.

You're correct.The stainless I work with is not magnetic.I just thought all stainless was magnetic.I guess you learn something new everyday.

 

[pyper22]

maybe it was made on a friday or morning morning, mine has it, 357/40 4.25 (stainless) , maybe some are carbon steel (4130 or 4140)

 

[RJR573]

Stainless slide

I just talked to a S&W customer service rep who said they are still all stainless, they just eliminated the stamping since all their literature says "all M&P's are melonite treated stainless".

Thats what I had figured but now we know for sure.

 

[Out West]

S&W loves to save money. This practice goes back for as long as the company has existed, as far as I can tell. Eliminating a superfluous roll mark is exactly the kind of thing the factory would do to speed production and reduce production cost. Even if it's only a few cents per gun, that adds up over time.

Drogon88 nailed it: why complicate production with a stamping that is basically unnecessary?

BTW, I have versions with and without the stamp. Doesn't make a bit of difference to me.

Out
West

 

[KEN L]

I'm surprised more of you aren't aware that stainless used in the manufacture of firearms contains a higher content of carbon steel, thus causing it to be magnetic. It is also why this type of stainless WILL rust. Other products which use "pure" stainless are not as susceptible to corrosion, but also tend to be a "softer" metal.

I was going to suggest, but it's already been answered, that Smith figured they didn't have to stamp the name of the material into it since most people could figure that out. It would be like stamping the word rubber on the side of a tire, or stamping the word wood into factory magnas or targets.

 

[smitty704]

Very interesting. My 45c has the stainless marking, but has a test fire date in early March of this year.

 

[markush]

I was going to suggest, but it's already been answered, that Smith figured they didn't have to stamp the name of the material into it since most people could figure that out. It would be like stamping the word rubber on the side of a tire, or stamping the word wood into factory magnas or targets.

Or like stamping a warning across the slide saying that the gun may fire if you pull the trigger? Oh wait! They still do that on pistols with the magazine disconnect!

Let me say also...how am I supposed to "figure out" that the steel underneath the melonite coating is stainless or carbon steel if they don't stamp it? And yes there is a difference.

 

[Phaseshift]

soooo even though ti doesn't have the stainless stamp the pro series is still stainless?

 

[RJR573]

Yes that is correct... All M&P's are stainless...

 

[crracer_712]

My 40c test fired in December isn't stamped with stainless, I personally prefer less writing on my pistols.

 

[geoff40]

For the record, my 9mm compact isn't rollmarked either. But a careful check on the S&W website indicates that the slides on all M&Ps are stainless. Like others, I actually prefer it without such a rollmark.

 

[bobkarno]

My latest M&P, a 40c I picked up last week, is NOT stamped stainless on the slide. I also noticed that the roll marks are not as deep.

 

[Houdini1953]

Congratulations you have just purchased a gun by Smith & Wesson in the M&P line that is less than 8 months old, I know because two of my newest purchases of M&P's also do not have this stamped but they are still stainless nonetheless!

 

[Silversmok3]

My own example, with a fired casing date of February 2012, does not have "stainless" stamped anywhere upon it.

Seeing as how the 9mm projectiles fired from it don't care about the roll-mark's absence, neither do I . In 50 years perhaps the S&W collectors yet to be born will make an issue of the matter.

 

[Dixiejack]

Randy, do you know for sure all M&P's are stainless or is that what S&W CS told you? My experience on several occasions with Smith's CS is they won't lie to you, but they will tell you the truth three different ways.

 

[jmhodder]

my M&P9 has a test fire date of 3.8.12 and doesn't contain the STAINLESS stamping.

 

[Left101]

mines pure gold

 

[markush]

04-12-2012, 04:08 PM

my M&P9 has a test fire date of 3.8.12 and doesn't contain the STAINLESS stamping.

Today, 12:54 AM

mines pure gold

LOL better late then never... Welcome to he party Left.