5906 Stuck Slide Stop

I hate to make this my first thread other than my introduction, but I have a problem I've never encountered before and could use your help.

I recently picked up a 5906 and the slide stop will not slide out so that I can remove the slide. I tried holding the slide back a bit to ease pressure and it won't budge.

I had a friend ease the slide pressure a bit while I tried to drive it out with a brass punch and hammer and it still didn't move.

I know these guns were tightly machined, but this doesn't make any sense.

I'm at a loss, can anyone help me out?

Thank you.

creeksidewilly said:

I tried holding the slide back a bit to ease pressure and it won't budge.

Click to expand...

Better be holding the slide back more than a "bit"...


The slide stop can be stubborn at times though, moreso if the arm has been poorly maintained. Hold the slide rearward like in the picture and with your other hand and some kind of non marring implement like a plastic pen cap or pointy stick, poke the cross-pin to the left from the right hand side to get it started. Once you get it started you ought to be able to pick it out on the left side. Note... You need to decock the hammer to the at rest position to run the slide off the frame.

Cheers
Bill

After the slide is pulled back to the position shown in BMCM's pic, mine have always been loose enough to press out of the right side with finger, then grab the left side and pull it out.

Manual - http://www.marxcollector.com/S_W/S&W_centerfire_pistol.pdf

I had a hard time with mine at first ,use a very small dab of grease when reassemble . I hold the slide back with left hand over top and thumb inside finger guard.

I pull the slide back
Put a little pressure on the slide stop
Then tap the muzzle on the bench
Moves the barrel and slide stop comes out easy..

On those VERY rare occasions that the slide stop requires persuasion, I press on it with the flat surface of a wood chop stick. I always lube it before reassembly.

Thank you gentlemen. Stay tuned.

My Model 6946 slide stop has always been a bear to remove, especially when the pistol is dirty. I recently did a field strip inspection of a Model 669 that I was considering for purchase, it was a dirty pistol and that slide stop needed a punch for removal. Never had such an issue with my Model 645, 439, or the 39-2 or pilot version 4506 that I had many years ago. Probably not a problem with the original Model 59's either, but with the wider, reinforced receiver and that rather small dimple around the slide stop pin hole, it just seems really hard to apply sufficient pressure to push out the stop.

Still no joy, but it will come out.

How to Field Strip a Recalcitrant Slide Stop

Okay, let's see . . .

I start off by contorting one of my hands (I can't remember which) so that the other can push, then pull the slide stop until it comes loose and out.

However, if that doesn't work, next comes a tongue depressor if a No-Dash 39. Whereupon the flat side is placed beneath the 39's right side (which herein is NOT the opposite of "the wrong side" (although there is one) and in a manner that will impact the Slide Stop's extended, visible portion. The group is then placed at a table-top's edge so that the depressor is at about a three-inch overhang whereupon a C-clamp is brought to bear (bare? Heck, I don't know) upon the group and table top. At such point, a couple or three fingers of one hand (your choice) contacts and pushes in downward manner the ice cream sti . . . uh, no, this has nothing to do with ice cream . . . pushes the tongue depressor downward until felt is the potential energy of the ice cream . . . um, no (!) . . . tongue depressor whereupon one quickly removes the hand (your choice). Should the slap of the ice cream . . . the stick fail to dislodge the slide stop . . .

Choose yourself one hammer from whatever variety you have on hand. I have a smallish brass hammer that has a half brass head on one side and what looks like a large marshmallow on the other. You then strike the extended portion of the 39 No-Dash slide stop And before you strike . . . no, never mind, it's for the next one . . . use the marshmallow side to strike the extended slide stop. I guarantee you the marshmallow side won't get squashed. But if that doesn't work . . .

If you haven't bought one then find yourself a table sledge hammer. They run about 3.5 lb. Surely I need not explain a lot about what to do here, so just go for it . . .

And if that shouldn't get you to your gold , , , er, "goal" then get you a chop saw. I darn well guarantee it'll work, as does the below demonstrate.

And there you have it. as one can see, the slide stop is out.

And as have previous contributors said, lubricate the slide stop next time you reassemble it.



And there you have it. Hope this helps!

Later.

You MUST align the slide/frame, as illustrated in BMCM's post/pic, to create clearance for the raised portion of the slide stop lever when pressing it out the left side of the frame.

In this pic notice the raised steel ledge on the top surface of the lever body inside the yellow ring. This raised steel area of the slide stop's body can only clear the inside of the slide if the slide is properly positioned.



I've had any number of guys & gals bring me their 3rd gen's at a cleaning station at our range, telling me their slide stops are "stuck" and they can't field-strip their pistols.

Granted, occasionally you may find a slide stop body (curved notch in pin) and/or guide rod plunder (head) that may have developed a noticeably burred spot on one or the other, and it makes moving the slide stop pin across the compressed guide rod plunger a bit more difficult. Normal machining marks on the pin bodies, inside the curved cut, are ... normal. I sometimes add a very slight dab or oil or grease at that spot.

However, in my experience the significant number of instances where someone was having trouble field-stripping their 3rd gen gun wasn't due to burrs, but to an improperly positioned slide notch not allowing clearance for the slide stop's raised ledge to clear the slide rail.

Even when I demonstrated how to hold the slide/frame in the proper relationship (using the same 1-handed grip shown by BMCM), and then had the issued user try it, very often the person would start with the right grip on the slide/frame (which is under tension from the recoil spring, remember) ... but then forget to keep the exact slide/frame alignment while transferring his/her attention to the other side of the gun, pushing on the right end of the slide stop pin ... and the slide/frame alignment would shift just enough to again put the slide in the way of the raised ledge of the slide stop body.

In other words, they were trying to shove steel through steel, and the steel-against-steel contact was always going to defeat their efforts. It doesn't take much "slippage" of the slide's position to lose the proper notch alignment over the top of the slide stop, and I sometimes had to repeatedly demonstrate how they had to keep the slide/frame alignment in the proper relationship while shifting their attention over to the other side of the gun and pushing against the other end of the slide stop body's pin. It's easy to lose the attention needed for one part of the task when shifting focus on another part of the task, especially when a recoil spring is constantly trying to push the slide forward.

Now, if the slide stop's raised ledge (or a part of the slide's rail on either side of the takedown notch) has been damaged by someone having beaten on or otherwise tried to force the steel ledge through the steel slide rail? Well, that's another sort of problem.

While I've never personally encountered a damaged guide rod plunger spring that wouldn't permit the plunger to be depressed, that's also something I check, looking for normal movement of the plunger in the old style "pinned/staked" guide rods. In the newer revision of the guide rod assemblies the plunger spring and plunger can be removed and replaced (spring snaps onto the plunger bases).

Experiencing difficulty in field-stripping a 3rd gen isn't a matter of "using a hammer" to beat on the right end of the assembly pin, and especially not a bigger hammer , but aligning (and holding) the slide over the frame to create the necessary clearance so the slide stop can be moved out the left side of the frame & slide.

Sure, every once in a while, in a very old and very dirty gun, I might need to use the flat end of a handy plastic stick pen to push against the right end of the pin (hand pressure only) to get it moving.

Just some thoughts.

In the dozen or so 3rd Gens I've owned over the past years, I've never had to resort to a hammer and punch to get the slide stop out.

Some have been very tight, others not nearly as much so.

The only "tool" I've ever needed was the blunt end of a gun cleaning brush. Just press it against the right side end and give a bit of a push.

OP, follow the sage advice from the members here and you should be able to get it out.

That's provided the previous efforts haven't caused some damage to the pin or the slide.

Here's a pretty good field stripping video from You Tube.

YouTube

Of all the 1-2-3rd Gens I've ever owned and dealt with, the TOUGHEST slide stop I've yet encountered was on a 3906. And I always use a non-marring plastic tool, a Bic pen (end or cap) seems to be a good tool.

Sevens said:

Of all the 1-2-3rd Gens I've ever owned and dealt with, the TOUGHEST slide stop I've yet encountered was on a 3906. And I always use a non-marring plastic tool, a Bic pen (end or cap) seems to be a good tool.

Click to expand...

I use a #2 pencil, eraser side towards the stop.

Sent from my LGMP260 using Tapatalk

I used end of plastic ink pen or smoothed end of broken plastic pick, now being more experienced use my thumbnail

I always used a 9mm cartridge, preferably hardball but not necessarily. Always worked for me and there's always one handy. I thought that's what everyone used.

My 5906 slide stop is a lot tougher to remove than the one on my Model 39, which practically falls out. On 5906, I pull the slide back & push on the slide stop (right side of pistol) with a wooden golf tee. Works every time. To reassemble, I've had better luck by turning the slide & receiver upside down when replacing the slide on the receiver.

Beings wood worker, I use a 1/4” wooden dowel.

Times up

Ok creeksidewilly, it's about time for an update. Did you get it apart ok or...? Inquiring minds want to know I do hope you didn't break anything

Cheers
Bill