QR Code Etched Under Grips of Smith Performance Center Pistol

[galvweld]

Was thoroughly cleaning a Smith and Wesson Performance Center 686. Upon removing Hogue factory grips discovered a tattoo. I can feel the etching which looks like a QR Code. Talked to my son and he informed me it's not exactly new. Mentioned it to my wife and she said your fears are confirmed, "They can track you." Of course she got a big laugh, at my expense. Am I way behind on current trends? Who would use or benefit from this benchmark? Are other companies utilizing something other than serial numbers?

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[Nosferatu]

Scan it.

 

[Knobgoblin]

Yeah!
Scan it. Go on , do it.

 

[TTSX]

It'll link you to a trendy food truck menu in a "beer garden"

 

[Bam]

Inventory tracking during the manufacturing process, several use it.

Anyone worried about being tracked should be more worried about those clearly visible letters and numbers on the side of the frame.

 

[ODG_Chad]

Anyone worried about being tracked should be more worried about those clearly visible letters and numbers on the side of the frame.

I believe you're supposed to Dremel those numbers off as soon as you get home with your new firearm.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Was thoroughly cleaning a Smith and Wesson Performance Center 686. Upon removing Hogue factory grips discovered a tattoo. I can feel the etching which looks like a QR Code. Talked to my son and he informed me it's not exactly new. Mentioned it to my wife and she said your fears are confirmed, "They can track you." Of course she got a big laugh, at my expense. Am I way behind on current trends? Who would use or benefit from this benchmark? Are other companies utilizing something other than serial numbers?

View attachment 1872618

I thought a QR code was just a fancier bar-code. That looks like an electronic tracking chip.

 

[Certaindeaf]

It looks like an NFC chip..

What is the difference between QR codes and NFC chips?

Wakdev : Creator of innovative solutions for web, mobile and NFC

www.wakdev.com

 

[po18guy]

Perfect and incapable of error...

 

[Nutty4Guns]

Perfect and incapable of error...

View attachment 1872652

Open the pod bay doors Hal!

 

[quneur]

Its embedded in the metal frame.

Note: its not a conspiracy theory if its true.

 

[po18guy]

Open the pod bay doors Hal!

"I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that...Dave, this conversation can serve no purpose anymore.
Goodbye...."

 

[ARFrog]

Perfect and incapable of error...

View attachment 1872652

• "Look Dave, I can see you're really upset about this. I honestly think you ought to sit down calmly, take a stress pill, and think things over."

 

[Flopsweat]

 

[bradsteen]

Have you called the manufacturer and asked about it?

Edit:

Put away the tinfoil, it's used to track inventory during the production process. Having a human type out a serial number is time consuming and has a high potential for error. With firearms being tightly regulated and the ATF's willingness to go after FFLs for the slightest mistake, the risk to manufacturers is significant. They mitigate that risk by using these codes - the human (or machine) scans the code as the item enters each phase of the manufacturing process. This gives manufacturers the ability to quickly forecast production rates with real-time data, track quality control issues, and a variety of other things.

 

[Flopsweat]

Have you called the manufacturer and asked about it?

Edit:

Put away the tinfoil, it's used to track inventory during the production process. Having a human type out a serial number is time consuming and has a high potential for error. With firearms being tightly regulated and the ATF's willingness to go after FFLs for the slightest mistake, the risk to manufacturers is significant. They mitigate that risk by using these codes - the human (or machine) scans the code as the item enters each phase of the manufacturing process. This gives manufacturers the ability to quickly forecast production rates with real-time data, track quality control issues, and a variety of other things.

Who are you fooling? It links with the microchips they plant in your head when you're sleeping.

 

[Stomper]

It looks like an NFC chip..

What is the difference between QR codes and NFC chips?

Wakdev : Creator of innovative solutions for web, mobile and NFC

www.wakdev.com

I sense the nerd within you….

 

[Duneblaster]

 

[lucusloc]

It looks like an NFC chip..

What is the difference between QR codes and NFC chips?

Wakdev : Creator of innovative solutions for web, mobile and NFC

www.wakdev.com

No, it's a laser etched QR code, probably on an anodized background (probably also created by a laser). If there is a chip under there it would be a separate thing from the laser etched code, and that looks like a solid piece of metal so my guess is no radio tracker chip.

Echoing everything else said here, this is for inventory tracking during the manufacturing process. Lots of places use it now, not just for guns. It is way easier for robots to read a QR code than human readable characters. You can find these codes embedded in all kinds of gadgets. I have seen them molded into plastic injections, laser etched into metal and glass and plastered all over everything else using stickers or ink.

If you scan them you usually just get a bunch of characters that pass for a unique id (either a part number or a serial number for an individual part). The code usually contains no other context, but my curiosity has found some codes that list the part name as well as some random number. Maybe that is to make warranty services easier?

If you are curious there are apps out there for your phone camera that can read almost any of the many versions of QR codes out there. My camera will not read that one on account of it being grainy and partially obstructed, but I am going to bet it is probably some variation of that guns serial number. I would be curious to know if that guess is correct.

 

[Certaindeaf]

No, it's a laser etched QR code, probably on an anodized background (probably also created by a laser). If there is a chip under there it would be a separate thing from the laser etched code, and that looks like a solid piece of metal so my guess is no radio tracker chip.

Echoing everything else said here, this is for inventory tracking during the manufacturing process. Lots of places use it now, not just for guns. It is way easier for robots to read a QR code than human readable characters. You can find these codes embedded in all kinds of gadgets. I have seen them molded into plastic injections, laser etched into metal and glass and plastered all over everything else using stickers or ink.

If you scan them you usually just get a bunch of characters that pass for a unique id (either a part number or a serial number for an individual part). The code usually contains no other context, but my curiosity has found some codes that list the part name as well as some random number. Maybe that is to make warranty services easier?

If you are curious there are apps out there for your phone camera that can read almost any of the many versions of QR codes out there. My camera will not read that one on account of it being grainy and partially obstructed, but I am going to bet it is probably some variation of that guns serial number. I would be curious to know if that guess is correct.

lol. It literally looks exactly like a chip.