How do you break a barrel

[Green Frog]

Where is the "takedown lever" on a 639? I've seen takedown levers on Sig pistols.

I was referring to what is also called the "slide stop" which is also the part used to take down the pistol in the first step of field stripping. Which, incidentally, still won't come out!

Froggie

 

[ggibson511960]

For the barrel to be in the slide at that angle, its muzzle has to be jammed into the recoil spring pocket in the slide below the barrel bushing. The slide is in its forward position, so there's no other place for the barrel's muzzle to be. A pic of the muzzle would likely reveal that there is no RSA guide rod poking out the front of the slide. The slide stop must be in there, otherwise not much is keeping the slide and barrel from coming off forward. What a mess. Leave it to Bubba to find a way to jam a firearm the factory never thought about. You couldn't "break" the barrel at that angle with a hammer. Well, maybe Bubba could.

 

[WR Moore]

I haven't handled one of the older Smith autos in a long time, so I can't remember how the slide stop assembly and the barrel interact.

Many years ago a friend brought me his High Power wit a similar malfunction. What caused it was upon reassembly he had put the slide stop assembly in but not through the barrel link. Thus wen fired the barrel unlocked but the jammed to where it was very difficult to disassemble.

My point, maybe it isn't the barrel but the slide stop assembly which may be misaligned.

When, exactly, did the BHP get a barrel link? The barrel is raised/lowered by the ramp in the underlug acting on the cross piece in the frame.

 

[Steve912]

Can we get more pics of the pistol?!?!

 

[ACEd]

Can we get more pics of the pistol?!?!

Sorry only picts that were posted when it was for sale a few days back - I did not buy it. Believe most likely was assembled without guide rod as others have suggested.

 

[Fastbolt]

I haven't handled one of the older Smith autos in a long time, so I can't remember how the slide stop assembly and the barrel interact.
...

My point, maybe it isn't the barrel but the slide stop assembly which may be misaligned.

This reminded me of how it wasn't uncommon for some of our shooters using 3rd gen S&W's to have trouble removing the slidestop lever assembly for field-stripping.

Unless the notch above the top/front of the lever assembly is properly aligned with the slide's takedown notch, the lever won't be able to be pushed/pulled out of the frame. The reason is the way the top of the lever is machined. (It's machined that way to prevent the lever from "walking" during live-fire, BTW.)


This pic shows the raised steel "shelf" on the top of the slide stop lever's front end. I've circled it in yellow.



Unless the slide is retracted so the rear of the slide's notch is aligned with the rear of the frame's circular opening (above the front round part of the slide stop lever), the lever's raised steel shelf can't clear the slide's slide rail.

In other words, if the slide and frame aren't aligned properly, you're basically trying to pull steel through steel, which won't work. (Ditto trying to force steel through steel for reassembly.)

I grasp the rear of the slide and frame with my thumb and web of my right hand grasping down and around the frame's tang, and my fingers (same hand) reaching up and around the front of the rear sight, and then I tighten my grip, retracting the slide. (Yes, you have to hold it under the tension of the recoil spring.) Once the frame notch and the slide's slidestop clearance notches are aligned, the lever's raised shelf clears the slide's rail, and the lever can be pushed/pulled out to the left.

Installation is the reverse. However, the front of the barrel's camming surface has to be out of the way inside the frame so the lever's pin can be inserted all the way through. This means the barrel has to be moved slightly to the rear (behind the frame's pin holes).

This can be done by grasping and holding the frame/slide the same way (held retracted by thumb and fingers of one hand) so the frame and slide notches are aligned again, and either tipping the gun upward at an angle - so gravity works in your favor and drops the barrel rearward, out of the way of the lever's pin - or, holding the gun horizontal so you can use your finger to push the barrel (push against muzzle) slightly to the rear, which will also clear the barrel lug out of the way of the pin. Basically, you want to be able to see through the lever pin hole on both sides and not see the steel of the barrel in the way.

Easier to do than describe without pics.

Anyway, once I showed this trick to our shooters, they were able to both remove and reinstall the slide stop lever assembly without thinking they needed a hammer and punch to push the lever to the left for disassembly, or hammer on it to install it.

 

[Green Frog]

Well, to continue on Fastbolt's description, there is enough variation within parts that the "shelf" he circled in yellow (it appears like a collar to me) just doesn't have the clearance it needs when some slides are mated to some frames. I just spent several frustrating days trying to get the Franken-Smith 639 field stripped when that ring locked hard against the slide rail... I literally ended up removing it by brute force because of that interference. I was/am neither happy nor proud of this and will now look much more carefully at how I match up the parts I reassemble.
Special thanks to my e-friend JohnHL who digitally "held my hand" through the whole ordeal and has been a never ending source of help and encouragement as I literally trip over the learning curve on these 1-3 Gen semi-autos. Sometimes they're heavenly, but sometimes they suggest a place much lower and hotter!

Froggie