Alk8944
US Veteran
I'm thinking maybe drilling the case with a 1/16th drill bit to try and get the rim to rip off and maybe then the slide would move to field strip it. and like you said beating isn't working. Foxy
Instead simply push in on the tail of the extractor and it will disengage from the rim!
Since the slide is this far back the barrel has already been cammed down as far as it will go. Try using a nylon punch and drive down on the barrel hood to be sure the locking lugs are disengaged and then try to move the slide while holding the extractor in (disengaged).
Finally, and I hope this isn't the situation, possibly it is battering of the locking lugs! Have you noticed any burring of the locking lugs and their recesses in the slide when cleaning the gun? I was my departments armorer during a large part of the time we had Model 39s. The 39 and 59 use the same top end, so this applies to either model ( or series for that matter). Due to improper fitting of barrels to slides (Not S&Ws fault!!!, Prior armorer.) we had quite a few guns that experienced severe battering of the barrel and slide lugs. Typically the gun would lock up severely and suddenly while shooting it. Sometimes when it closed, sometimes when the slide came back when cycling. When this happened it took simple brute force to first drive the slide back so the slide stop could be removed, and then driving the slide and barrel forward off the frame. The barrel and slide could then be disassembled normally.
NOTE: Use a soft faced or dead-blow hammer, no brass, steel etc. or you will definitely destroy it.
Once the above damage occurred I would salvage the rear sight, safety and associated parts, and the extractor. The barrel and slide went back to S&W in exchange for new parts!
Another possible situation is shown in the attached pictures. This is not a S&W, it is a Tanfoglio .41 Action Express barrel. The function is identical to the S&W guns however, and when this happened the gun behaved just as our Model 39s did. And, please, no speculation as to what happened! I made the cases from .41 Magnum, loaded the ammunition which was well below what should have been a maximum! Charged cases inspected 100% for charge volume before seating bullets. There was virtually no damage to the gun and a new barrel fixed it and it has been shot considerably since this event. Nothing typical of a KB, just a soft "Pfft" sort of sound and the gun was locked tighter that a rat's butt. IT WAS NOT A SQUIB!!! I was chronographing the load and the previous rounds all registered. The one that did the damage did too, less than 500 FPS! This was not a high pressure event!
It will be interesting to see what you find when you get this apart.
I have more pictures if anyone wants to see them! Note the distinct bend in the second photo, this is what made it so hard to get the barrel and slide apart!
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