M&P 9 Shield EZ slide problem

[larry8]

I just bought a new M&P 9 Shield EZ and like I do on all the guns that I buy, I disassemble, clean, oil and reassemble. I have done this on several hundred guns of various makes so this is not something new to me. After oiling it up, I put the slide on the frame and I hear a "click" then the slide won't go on all the way and it won't come off either. I can move the slide to the rear but it hits something about 1/2" before going on all the way. Going forward it stops about 5/8" from the frame front and will not come off. So, It's stuck there and I cant get it off. Anyone else have this problem and what can I do to get the slide off?
I Emailed S&W and they said it is a common problem with this model and to wiggle the slide back & forth while pushing it forward. This does nothing as it's still stuck there.
I guess I'll have to send it back.

 

[Erich]

Do you have a gunny friend with a similar amount of experience who might hands-on with it for you? I find it's pretty common that when one guy hits a wall, a fresh set of hand and eyes can do wonders.

Best of luck with it, regardless. I've never heard of anything like what you describe, so it seems likely that it's either a simple fix you're not snapping to for whatever reason or it's a nightmare that will need major mothership intervention. But . . . Occam's Razor - see if you can have someone else figure it out before you go to all the trouble.

 

[Saudade]

Make sure you're not depressing the grip safety.

 

[LVSteve]

Is the hammer released or cocked? The favorite thing with the EZ design is for the recoil spring assembly to be in the wrong position. It has to be oriented in a particular way.

 

[larry8]

I cannot remove the slide to gain access to anything in the frame or under the slide, thats the problem. I have done the disassembly, clean, oil and reassembly on at least 100 guns and never had this problem. I requested the return doc. from S&W. And when they send it back I'll post what they say on how they got it off.

 

[Execpro]

It probably won’t help you now, but read and re-read the owners manual.
The EZ DOES NOT disassemble or reassemble like any other pistol you probably have ever owned due to the grip safety.
I have owned over 35 pistols in 56 years of just about every make and model and NOTHING works like the EZ model.
There have been a number of post on this forum dealing with your issue.
You might try Google, they have videos on just about every gun issue you can think of.
I have a 9mmEZ and love it, but I had slide issues similar to yours but it was over two years ago and I don’t remember how I resolved it.
It is VERY frustrating, but once you get the hang of it becomes second nature.
Sorry I can’t be of more help.

I just Googled “9mm slide won’t come off” and on that video, he showed the same problem you are having and how to fix it.
Good luck!

 

[larry8]

I tried Google and saw 3 videos on a similar problem. However I tried all their ways to remove the slide but none worked. There was even one that the guy was beating the slide with a good size hammer, but I didn't try that. Well, I got the shipping label from S&W and sent it back. So I have to waite till they get back to me.

 

[Pisgah]

You are activating the grip safety in the process of removing the slide. You have to be a bit of a hand-contortionist, but disassembly without touching the grip safety is possible -- and absolutely required for success.

Surprised S&W did not point this out, as this factor is noted in the manual...