jbmi,
That notch is exctly what I was talking about and what I thought. I have only owned two other 94s, and that was a log time ago, so I am not that familiar with their structure. So the jaggedness of the notch made me concerned that it might be a problem. I see by your picture that my notch looks exactly the same.
I asked the gunsmith to look at it and tell me if it was safe to shoot. He said it was a stress fracture and needed a new barrel. Before he could replace it, the shop I changed gunsmiths and the second one said the same thing. I think he was just taking the word of the other one.
Thanks for the information it helps alot.