Ok, now I'm feeling like a real idiot. Received my new barrel today and started reassembling gun. I got the slide partially on the gun and now it's frozen in place (please see pic).
Did I do something insanely stupid? It won't move in either direction, there is a little play (very little) but seems locked.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Ben

Attached Images

IMG00012-5906.jpg (84.7 KB, 169 views)

Hi Benny,

Assuming you're familiar with the three levers at the rear of the frame, my thought would be you have the magazine in the gun.

Best,

Heekma

I noticed the little levers at the top of the frame, pushed them down to rack the slide. No, no mag in the gun.
Feel like I'm missing something stupid though.
Ben

Slide lock lever in place?
Remove and try again.
Only thing I can see...

Pull your takedown lever out, then pull your slide off and start over align the slide cut to the takedown lever hole on the frame before inserting your takedown lever back onto the frame.
586L-Frame

That's what I was trying upcountry, no it doesn't want to come out. Not wanting to use the "persuader" but I will if I need to. Maybe a gentle tap?

You can tap the slide lever out from the other side with a punch, shouldn't take much. The lever is the last thing you install.

I would not tap the slide release lever out in the position that it is in in the picture, it could damage the lever or the slide. The cutout in the slide needs to be at the lever shaft in order to come out. I believe your problem is the recoil spring guide rod is not seated on the barrel or in the frame. This could cause a bind where the head of the guide rod is wedged between the barrel and the dust cover of the frame. Try to take a needle nose pliers and pull the guide rod toward front sight end of the slide...work with the guide rod until you can move the slide to the proper location to remove the slide release lever or remove the slide completely.

Thank you dandor, 100% on and she came right apart. The bad news is it looks like the new barrel I got does not in fact fit the 5906. Great. the back end of the barrel looks like it fits on a small "shelf" and the clearance looks to be off by a very small fraction.
I may stand corrected on my earlier post, I have included pics of the issue in the follow up post. If this is merely an issue of filing down the little edges in the frame I have no problem doing that, I just want to see if someone else has run into this problem before.

Sense a For Sale ad in your future. Sorry for hear of your unfortunate predicament.

Ok, taking a deep breath .... the 3906 barrel does seem to fit here and going along with what several sources said. I'm having a bit of an internal clearance issue.

I'm not sure if this is an easy gunsmith fix or something inherently wrong. I'm going to try and imbed some photos to show what I'm talking about.

It seems the base of the barrel is not clearing the little "platform" on top of where the guide spring sits in the frame. The clearance problem is about 1/16th of an inch, that just seems like a lot to me. It's only this area which I have arrows pointing to in this next picture.



The base of the barrel that is not clearing these areas is here.



When I put the barrel right on top of these without the slide you can see the gap here.



And if I push the barrel all the way back to where it should normally seat fully installed, there is no gap between the top edge of the frame and the edge of the barrel that rests on it. (obviously I'm just holding it there without the slide on)



This is as far back as the slide will go on the gun because of this problem.



Pistolsmiths are not very available around here so I'm wondering if anyone has run into this before or has any other suggestions.

Do you have the recoil spring assembly properly seated on the small radial undercut in the barrel lug? It doesn't look like it to me from your pictures.

I was when I was trying, the picture doesn't reflect that well. I thought it may be a problem seating the spring at first but the assembly is right in the radial notch.
Without the spring and looking from the ejection port you can see where the lug is not clearing that lip on the frame. Sorry, I could get a clear pic of that. The camera on my phone sucks.

Benny, I was looking on Midway's site at the Model 3906 barrels and they only list one (which is suppose to fit the 5906). Then I looked at the Model 5906 and there are two listed one with a wide hood and the other with a narrow hood. Don't know if it is different in the area that you are in question about. If you have the old barrel compare it to the new one.

I believe the takedown lever goes in after the slide is back. There;s a video on you tube. good luck

That's the thing, I don't have the old one thus I need one. ha.
Going back over my notes S/W part # 200150000 fits the 3903/3904/5906 that I checked. This one I bought was old/new stock did not have a tag so I am kind of going on the guys word.
When I called S/W they did say the barrels they were now selling needed some filing work to fit the old 5906, I'm now wondering if this is one of those. If the bottom guide edges of the lug were filed 1/16th it would slide right in. I just don't want to go to that extreme if I can try and resell this one and buy one that actually fits. It's the 1/16 that seems excessive to have to shave off and if I did that couldn't resell this one.
Guess it's a judgment call at this point. Just skittish about monekying around with a firearm. If no one else know I guess I need to track down a Smith.

Hard to tell from your picture, but it does not appear that the barrel is all the way up in slide. The barrel lug/chamber area should be running parallel with the bottom of the slide, it seems to be running downhill somewhat. Check the barrel hood fit into the breechface of the slide, the barrel should lock up into the slide before you ever put it on the gun. If the hood is too wide it won't allow the the barrel to raise up into battery and clear the area you're concerned about.

benny,

Perhaps you have a barrel thet needs to be "fitted", as opposed to a "drop-in" barrel. Not unusual in the 1911 world, but as far as the 39/59 series, I am, alas, ignorant.

Brownells should have a screen-shot exploded diagram that may proove helpful.

Buena Suerta,
Mike

I'll try and get some cleaner pics tomorrow handgunner. The fit in the slide seems good to me and just moving the barrel through it the movement looks tight. When I put it all together the slide appears tight and everything is flush, I know the pics are fuzzy.

I'm back to the "fitted" thought. Going to call S/W tomorrow and see what they say, maybe this is the work needed on the newer barrels they were talking about. It just seems weird they wouldn't bang some out to spec on such a widely sold older model.

a full 16th is a lot of fitting - I'm guessing it's the wrong bbl.
if you know someone that has an 06 and is handy at their own take-downs ask them to pull the bbl so you can compare. if their's is a drop-in then you'll know the replacement you have isn't the right part

I agree. The barrel should be a drop-in fit. Taking off a 1/16th of an inch is a major indication you have the wrong barrel.

Best,

Heekma

Ok, handgunner here are the pics of the barrel and how it's fitting in the slide. Still fuzzy but the best I can do tonight. Anyone see a major issue?

OK, it looks like your barrel hood is the right width, but it still does not seem to be going completely into battery. At the top front of your ejection port there is a undercut ring, the barrel should cover it when it is all the way up. It could be that your hood is slightly too long not allowing the lugs to fully engage the underside of the slide. Get some clay, gum, starburst or whatever and put a little on the underside of the slide and see how well the barrel is engaging the locking lugs. If it isn't then a little off the back of the hood should allow it to go up into them.

I think I see what you are talking about. Forgive my ignorance to a lot of the tech terms. I see the rink on the upper inside of the slide, and I see the notch in the barrel. I'm guessing that should fit together ... and seeing the depth of those two, that's about where I am off. From the gap in the last pic I posted you can see the top of the hood does seem a bit long. I didn't know if this was a S/W thing or not. The gap between the barrel lug and back side of the port leaves enough room to easily see into. Normal??

Working it out in my head taking a bit off the end of the lug should bring the barrel so that the notch in the top of the slide fits in the groove in the barrel and make it rise up further in the slide? About 1/16th" ?

Don't get crazy, take off just enough so it comes on up into the locking lugs and ejection port. May only need a few thousandths to get it done, easier to take off than to put it back on.

benny

In your second set of pictures you show how far the slide will go before it stops. I have had the same problem in the past putting my 5906 together after I had taken it apart. And I would have to go to youtube to watch a video. In the beginning watching the video I would miss the fact that I did not have the hammer down. In your second set of pictures the hammer is up. Try putting the hammer down, then slide everything on. Hope this helps. Every time I reassemble my 5906 the first thing on my mental list is the hammer down?

Thanks for all your input! Found a local pistolsmith today and it is the correct barrel for the 5906, it just needs some smithing for a proper fit. I'll post again after I get it back in a few weeks and take it to the range for the first time.
Glad to find a great community online of knowledgeable gun owners. You guys rock!