I'm looking at a S&W 6906 at a LGS. It appears to be in good shape but I noticed an issue with the Safety/Decock mechanism.

When the gun is cocked and the safety lever is depressed to decock the gun, I had to 'wiggle' the lever a bit to get the hammer to release.

I have a 39-2 with a similar, or maybe identical, safety/decock system and the hammer drops immediately when the safety is depressed.

I don't know if it's a minor 'tuning' issue that could easily be corrected or if the entire mechanism is just worn out and would need to be replaced. It looks like parts are available but the cost would quickly almost equal or surpass the price of the gun.

Thought I consult the experts here who may be familiar with the 6906 and possibly the same issue.

Thanks in advance for your input!!

It sounds like the release lever in the frame is sticking, bent, or worn, or the internals are gummed up. All of my work easily. Should be an easy fix, though.

Most likely wear and tear on the decocking lever (sear release lever) itself, causing the timing on the hammer fall to be "late". Could also be a buildup of crud inside the gun, in which case it would require a good cleaning to restore proper function.

Wear on the slide and frame rails can also contribute to improper timing of the lever. This wear causes the slide to ride "higher" on the frame rails, which in turn causes the lever and decocker interface to be improperly timed. (hammer falls late when the manual safety/decocking lever is engaged) You may be able to test this by checking for movement in the slide to frame fit, particularly at the rear when the slide is in battery. (closed)

Replacement levers are available, but they are not considered "drop in", and must be fit to function properly.

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Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

Hey, huskerbob!

Press down on the rear of the slide, behind the rear sight, and manipulate the the safety/decock lever again.

If it seems to work more reliably, it is what most folks call a "worn sear release lever".

However, it is not the sear release lever that is actually worn, but it IS the part to replace to fix the problem.

The "wear" is between the the aluminum frame rails and the steel slide rails, increasing the distance between the slide and frame mechanisms, as was correctly pointed out by armorer951.

Replacing the sear release lever is a relatively simple operation, except for the fact that it must be "fitted" by carefully filing the over length "foot" and trying it until the decock timing is correct.

It is a fairly common problem and a repair that S&W will do as it is safety related.

John

Any guess as to what S&W would charge for a repair like that? I don't want to get too deep in the gun in terms of expense.

Thanks!

That is "typically" a job they will perform for free.

John

Thanks to everyone who responded!!!

I think I'll wait for another one to come along. No sense buying a gun with problems that need to be corrected right out of the chute.

SOme will say blasphemy, but if you try a shot of WD40 into that part of the frame around the de-cocker lever, it might flush the gunk out. That is the only thing I would use WD40 on a firearm for = cutting gunk!

If it gets drained well, and followed up with a drop of real lube. I see no harm in that.

I'd gladly give that a try but I don't own the gun. It's at a LGS and imagine they aren't going to let me try it on their gun.

Still lots of 6906's out there and I agree there is not much reason to take on a potential project gun unless it's something you enjoy and get the gun very cheap. I would move on.

I thought the gun would have been a good buy at the $400 asking price. But the unknown issues could very quickly increase the cost dramatically.

If I knew for sure it was a simple fix, I'd probably jump but there's too many 'could be' or 'might be' to make me comfortable.

For $400 it is not a bad risk to take; 6906’s are getting more and more expensive plus scarce, so at that price you can not go wrong. Send it to BMCM or S&W Performance Center and they will make it right. My 6906 is one of my favorite firearms

I've sent an inquiry to S&W. If they tell me they can fix it a low or no cost, I'll go buy it.

PS: who is BMCM??

And, now that you asked on this Forum and got good answers, maybe the LGS will fix it for you?

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Come and take it!!

Doubtful. It's a Big Box Sporting Goods store, not a local shop that cares about it's customers.

I would grab it. It is a minor problem at most. I gave $500 Private party transfer, and got REALLY lucky to get a 98% pistol. Looking at the crazy prices for re-imports that are rode hard and put up wet, so to speak, $400 is a steal! Clean it up and grab a set of NOS grips for $25 it will be GTG.

Well...........I certainly hope you are right, because I just bought the gun. First a thorough cleaning of the 'innerds' and hope that solves the problem. If not, I'm counting on S&W to come to the rescue!

Hate to ask but............what are "NOS grips"??? "New Old Stock" perhaps???

YES, MIDWAY USA and Numrich have them. I'd only replaced if really beat up.

Grips on the gun are fine and the wear matches the gun. Just have to solve the de-cocker issue. Giving everything an overnight bath in Balistol. I'll clean it up, lube and reassemble tomorrow and then just hope it works properly. If not, I'll wait to hear back from S&W in a few days.

This is what it looks like after S&W did all the work as previously mentioned. Yours is a warranty work so S&W or BMCM should make it right

9D2CD075-1B70-478A-AA7F-966989381835.jpg

95A2E6F6-A583-465D-9383-F44CAF64520D.jpg

That's fantastic!!!

UPDATE:

After trading emails with S&W, I boxed up my 6906 and shipped the pistol back to them on March 9th.

On March 16th I received an email telling me they had received the gun and would examine it and identify the problem.

Today, April 15th, I received the gun back from Smith & Wesson along with a Repair Order stating they had replaced the Sear Release Lever under the terms of the warranty.

I received no bill for their services and Smith & Wesson paid the FedEx charges both ways!

Needless to say I am very pleased with the level of customer service I received! While I have not yet had and opportunity to fire the gun, I have no doubt it will perform as was intended.

Thank you Smith & Wesson!!!

I love it when get to say, "I told ya so!", and it's a GOOD thing!

John

Surprisingly - for this OFF (Official Old Fart) who is flat-out lucky to recall even his own birthday - my chimes were vibrating when I read HuskerBob's successful conclusion regarding the matter he opened in this Forum on 13 Feb.

Followed was the trail of this matter and, sure 'nuff, Armorer951 called this one herein on that same date, soon followed with pretty much the same take by JohnHL.

I'm proud, happy and darn well privileged to share Smith & Wesson Forum space with the likes of these two.

Thank You!

Later.

It's mutual.

John