S&W M&P rust problem

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I have shot a few M&P's lately and I am considering buying one. One question I have is does anybody have any issues with the slide starting to show some rust in any areas?

A PD I know did a glock for smith exchange and I have personally seen one, and have heard stories of others that have begun to rust on the slide. On the one I did see the rust was near the rear site.

Granted, many PD guns are not wll taken care of, and if it was just one gun you could say it was operator error, or oils/detergent from that particular person but this does not seem to be the case, and it didn't happen to his Glock.

Are PD exchange guns lesser quality than full retail because of the numbers exchanged and the deals given to the PD?
 
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I have shot a few M&P's lately and I am considering buying one. One question I have is does anybody have any issues with the slide starting to show some rust in any areas?

A PD I know did a glock for smith exchange and I have personally seen one, and have heard stories of others that have begun to rust on the slide. On the one I did see the rust was near the rear site.

Granted, many PD guns are not wll taken care of, and if it was just one gun you could say it was operator error, or oils/detergent from that particular person but this does not seem to be the case, and it didn't happen to his Glock.

Are PD exchange guns lesser quality than full retail because of the numbers exchanged and the deals given to the PD?

There was a thread a week or so ago regarding PD trade-ins. If you search for "trade in" in General Discussion, you'll probably find it. The consensus, IIRC, was that PD trade-ins weren't worth it.


Also, steel rusts. Even 'stainless'. Keep it lightly oiled, and pencil erasers work wonders for getting rid of surface rust.
 
I haven't had any problems with my full size M&P. My compact came with a little rust in the scallops near the back of the slide. A little cleaning and regular oiling has kept that at bay.

That being said I do think that S&W had some problems with a batch of slides. A friend of mine has a 9 Pro and has had some serious issues with rust on the slide.
 
If you buy it and it rusts S&W will make it right. They are in the process of sending me a new grip screw for my J frame for the very same reason.
 
That being said I do think that S&W had some problems with a batch of slides. A friend of mine has a 9 Pro and has had some serious issues with rust on the slide.

That would be me. My Pro is a competition only gun and has serious rust issues on the slide. My 9c, which I've carried almost every day for 2.5 years and clean every 3-6 MONTHS has not a spec of rust on it. Now that the competition season is wound down, I'm going to send it back to Smith.
 
That would be me. My Pro is a competition only gun and has serious rust issues on the slide. My 9c, which I've carried almost every day for 2.5 years and clean every 3-6 MONTHS has not a spec of rust on it. Now that the competition season is wound down, I'm going to send it back to Smith.

Did smith replace the slide?
 
i have a m&p 40 and somehow the right side of the slde stop broke off. called S&W, replaced it, no problem, they stand by their products. as for the rust, i havent had any problems with it. i usually clean it after i shoot
 
Curious here too.

Some people can wear a gun all day and its bone dry. Others, not so much.

I personally dont sweat alot and carry IWB... No rust problems whatsover...

My thoughts:
1. What type of CLP? All-in-one?
2. Does the person sweat a lot? i.e do you look like you just ran 4 miles while standing still?
3. Weather conditions?
 
My agency had an M&40 that the slide was rusting from the inside out. S&W replaced the entire slide no questions asked. S&W also explained that if the slide is not prepped correctly before the melonite is applied they can rust. The other 55 have been flawless.
 
My thoughts:
1. What type of CLP? All-in-one?
2. Does the person sweat a lot? i.e do you look like you just ran 4 miles while standing still?
3. Weather conditions?

Im not sure about the clp. The gun sits in a duty holster and that is the extent of it's exposure. He dries it and oils it as needed. Sweat? Who know. Same as always, but like I said it never happened to his glock, or his baretta, or colt. Only this M&P. Seems like a quality control issue, but at least they stand behind it. Just wish they didn't have to.
 
If you buy it and it rusts S&W will make it right. They are in the process of sending me a new grip screw for my J frame for the very same reason.

I have a 340PD and the grip screw rusts like a #%, do they have a solution (not the same screw)?
 
I have had my M&P 40c sense they came out in mass and even in a crappy safe with no dehumidifier have had no problems. I also carry it about every day so it has seen its fair share of handling. As well as several thousand rounds.
 
Can't speak for M&P but my XD had major rust problems. Sent it back twice before it stopped. Springfield told me to not leave it in the case or in the open but to leave it in a Ziplock bag with plenty of oil in the bag [rolleyes]
 
Granted, many PD guns are not wll taken care of, and if it was just one gun you could say it was operator error, or oils/detergent from that particular person but this does not seem to be the case, and it didn't happen to his Glock.

To be fair, Glocks are the most rust resistant handguns in production.

Can't speak for M&P but my XD had major rust problems. Sent it back twice before it stopped. Springfield told me to not leave it in the case or in the open but to leave it in a Ziplock bag with plenty of oil in the bag [rolleyes]

What finish was that with?
 
Stainless

Just to be clear, we're talking about the glossy finish silver stainless slide, not the black finish, right? Where was the rust on it? Do you have more details? Was it just with one gun that wasn't finished correctly, or has it been an ongoing issue? I was thinking of getting one of those.
 
I find this thread fascinating. I have carried several SS S&Ws for many years with no corrosion problems at all. For many years I carried a Model 60 in a IWB holster. Perspiration literally rotted out the stitching in the original holster, but left no marks on the revolver. I thought SS was literally corrosion proof, maybe the finish is the culprit.
 
Just to be clear, we're talking about the glossy finish silver stainless slide, not the black finish, right? Where was the rust on it? Do you have more details? Was it just with one gun that wasn't finished correctly, or has it been an ongoing issue? I was thinking of getting one of those.

Yes it was the two tone version. The rust was from tip to tail on it. When I called SA they informed me that it was happening to a lot of those slides and they are in the process to rectify the problem. This happened about 4 years ago. Not sure how the XDm is though.

ETA: I never carried this gun either so sweat wasn't the problem.
 
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When I first read this post I thought you were all crazy. Today I take my M&P 9L out of my pistol case and the slide, rear sight and take down lever has rust on it. I usually keep all of my guns in my safe but... I guess I'll be contacting S&W first thing Monday morning.
 
My compact came with a little rust in the scallops near the back of the slide. A little cleaning and regular oiling has kept that at bay.

had the same issue with my full size. once i started oiling it regularly, the rusting stopped
 
Keep in mind that some stainless steel types contain iron and thus will rust, notoriously 400 series stainless. I have seen this happen on 'stainless' knives, too. I was told that they use a high carbon stainless to get it to hold an edge. My M&P slide, take down lever, and rear sight also have trace rust on them. If Smith is claiming that something in the coating process that is the issue, they should be making good on the deal. I'm going to continue to use mine until it is an issue.
 
When I first read this post I thought you were all crazy. Today I take my M&P 9L out of my pistol case and the slide, rear sight and take down lever has rust on it. I usually keep all of my guns in my safe but... I guess I'll be contacting S&W first thing Monday morning.

Discovered rust on gun on 12/11 (see above)
Contacted S&W on 12/13
Received mailing materials on 12/15
Sent out to S&W (Springfield, MA) on 12/17
S&W receives gun on 12/20
All rusted parts replaced in addition to other parts that apparently needed to be replaced. They also included a new magazine!
Here is how the gun made it back to me:


Jan 5, 2011 8:38 AM WEST BOYLSTON, MA/At local FedEx facility
Jan 4, 2011 7:16 PM EAST BOSTON, MA/At dest sort facility
Jan 4, 2011 3:44 PM MEMPHIS, TN/Departed FedEx location
Jan 4, 2011 5:20 PM WEST BOYLSTON, MA/Hold at FedEx location request received
Jan 4, 2011 1:57 AM MEMPHIS, TN/In transit
Jan 3, 2011 11:37 PM MEMPHIS, TN/Arrived at FedEx location
Jan 3, 2011 5:25 PM WINDSOR LOCKS, CT/Left FedEx origin facility
Jan 3, 2011 3:59 PM WINDSOR LOCKS, CT/Picked up
Jan 3, 2011 11:45 AM /Shipment information sent to FedEx

I must say that I am impressed with the service I received from Smith and Wesson. I am, however, a little jealous that my gun has traveled the country more than I have over the past couple of years;)
 
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