Need help with a 6906

[reddoggm]

Well I,ll try to make this sweet and short
I did a full detail strip on my 6906 for a good cleaning a little polishing on the Drawbar / sear / the ejector mag safety lever and sear release lever and new springs all stock went back in (All went well with disassembly nothing broke or wore out) Put it all back together and now my slide will only go over the top of the levers but no further I can,t rack it back to get the slide stop in
Without the slide on it functions correctly off the trigger in double and single action all three levers feel normal under their little springs pressure and the slide goes over them seemingly normally the only thing I compared it to was my 3913 and it all looks right anyone got something that I,m missing here I have some pics attached and if more are needed I,ll take them

The weird thing that just happened when I was taking the pics was when I went to put the slide on (with no barrel) the darned thing slide right on the frame and racked when I took it off and tried to do it again I,m back to it hitting or stopping on something Note the Pic with the Slide on --That is the position it will stay in and if I push it a little it will look like it,s in battery I,m stumped Fellas any help would be appreciated
Thanks
DOGG!!!

 

[armorer951]

During re-assembly, the hammer will have to be in the uncocked position.

Also, on occasion, I have had the top front edge of the firing pin safety lever catch on the f.p. safety plunger as it tries to go past (under) the plunger during re-assembly. Make sure the plunger and lever are both moving up and down properly prior to reassy. of the frame and slide. Pressing down firmly on the top rear portion of the slide (at rear sight) as it passes over the levers will sometimes help the lever clear the f.p. safety block.

 

[reddoggm]

During re-assembly, the hammer will have to be in the uncocked position.

Also, on occasion, I have had the top front edge of the firing pin safety lever catch on the f.p. safety plunger as it tries to go past (under) the plunger during re-assembly. Make sure the plunger and lever are both moving up and down properly prior to reassy. of the frame and slide. Pressing down firmly on the top rear portion of the slide (at rear sight) as it passes over the levers will sometimes help the lever clear the f.p. safety block.

Hey armorer I did check both the plungers in the slide Both are moving real easily in and out I have not tried pushing down on the slide yet I did disassemble the whole shibang at the rear of the frame and the slide goes on with Drawbar and trigger then I put the levers and hammer back in and the slide goes on all the way then I put the disconnecter and sear back in and NOW I have the slide problem again I have a good double and single action trigger pull and release without the slide on so I guess I,ll give the pushing down on the slide a try and I,ll report back
DOGG!!!

 

[reddoggm]

armorer You the man I went back to the FP plunger and mag plunger and I did notice the mag plunger was a bit stiffer than the FP side so I took a drift and pushed them both in and out a bunch put the slide on with the downward pressure an felt a little resistance kinda bump and it went on guess I,m going to get to the slide cleaning next What You think I,m looking for a messy Mag safety plunger ?
BTW Thank You very Much Sir
DOGG!!!

 

[armorer951]

I doubt there is any issue with the safety plunger. You could check the integrity of the tip end of the s.p. lever, and look at the base of the safety plunger for damage. The lever should have a slightly rounded, smooth crown at the tip.....and the bottom of the plunger should be clean, and free from damage. If you look at the bottom of the plunger with a magnifier, it should have a very slight even bevel around it's circumference at the bottom.

When the slide to frame fit opens up in these guns (as they age and see more use), the geometry on the levers changes a bit. The slide rides slightly higher on the frame rails, and this can allow the tip of the plunger lever to bump or catch on the bottom edge of the plunger during re-assy. Holding down on the rear of the slide during re-assy helps lower the tip of the lever just slightly, enabling it to pass under the plunger without catching.

 

[reddoggm]

I doubt there is any issue with the safety plunger. You could check the integrity of the tip end of the s.p. lever, and look at the base of the safety plunger for damage. The lever should have a slightly rounded, smooth crown at the tip.....and the bottom of the plunger should be clean, and free from damage. If you look at the bottom of the plunger with a magnifier, it should have a very slight even bevel around it's circumference at the bottom.

When the slide to frame fit opens up in these guns (as they age and see more use), the geometry on the levers changes a bit. The slide rides slightly higher on the frame rails, and this can allow the tip of the plunger lever to bump or catch on the bottom edge of the plunger during re-assy. Holding down on the rear of the slide during re-assy helps lower the tip of the lever just slightly, enabling it to pass under the plunger without catching.

You are correct sir the slide to frame fit is pretty sloppy when assembled I can pinch the muzzle end of the gun in my fingers and get it to close and open a gap between the dust cover and slide
It sure is a pain in the Butt to resemble this gun since I took it down for a deep clean which it needed badly but on further inspection the FP safety plunger IS the one that is binding ever so slightly so I will venture into disassembly / inspection there in the next day or 2 and see what is in there besides a lot of crud
Again Thank You Sir I,ll post back when I get the next step done
DOGG!!!

 

[armorer951]

If you break the slide down, make sure to do an inspection/cleaning of the firing pin, f.p. spring, and clean the f.p. channel thoroughly. (Leave the channel dry after cleaning) These guns (all semi-autos really) are notorious for crud in this area, which can result in all kinds of trouble, from misfires to degradation of the parts involved.

I'm not sure if you saw this recent thread or not.....it has some good info about maintenance for your 6906.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...70382-3913-getting-light-firing-pin-hits.html

 

[reddoggm]

If you break the slide down, make sure to do an inspection/cleaning of the firing pin, f.p. spring, and clean the f.p. channel thoroughly. (Leave the channel dry after cleaning) These guns (all semi-autos really) are notorious for crud in this area, which can result in all kinds of trouble, from misfires to degradation of the parts involved.

I'm not sure if you saw this recent thread or not.....it has some good info about maintenance for your 6906.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-...70382-3913-getting-light-firing-pin-hits.html

OK update on this project I took the slide completely apart - the front sight and man o man armorer You are right on the $$$ about the FP channel it was cruded up but good also behind the extractor and both the FP safety and ejector/mag plungers were packed with lots of crud so I cleaned everything thoroughly and reasembled just the plungers and rear sight to get a good look in the decocker hole to see where my slide is bumping going back on and what I found was the FP safety lever doesn't seem to be going down all the way unless it gets a little help like pushing it down with a drift right over the top of where it rides the sideplate pin (Hmmm) could the hole on the lever have an excessive diameter ? I,m still stumped here With the decocker removed I can stick a brass drift through the right side hole and when the slide is over the ejector and sear release levers and about half way on the FP safety lever I can push down on it over the pin and the slide goes right on as it should Any Ideas ?
As always Thanks for all Your help
DOGG!!!

 

[armorer951]

You could replace the f.p. safety lever to see if that solves, or helps the problem. It is a drop in. I would suspect wear on both the lever and the slide/frame are contributing to the problem.

Numrich has them in stock. I can send you one if you can't find one.

(note: the following is an unsolicited opinion or suggestion based on 40+ years of experience)

I noticed in your OP that it appears you have indiscriminantly "polished" the levers and other parts in the gun. I'm not sure where this idea came from, but it's not a good practice. It is your gun, but suggest you confine your maintenance to disassembly (field stripping) and cleaning to removal of crud and light lubrication on moving parts. Some internal parts are fitted during the assembly process....however, additional polishing these levers and other internal parts is not only unnecessary and time consuming, the practice can cause damage to the parts and consequently, have a negative impact on both the operation of the gun (may induce malfunctions) and the service life of the parts. (since replacement parts for these guns are getting harder and harder to find, there is really no point in causing unnecessary wear on them) IMHO

 

[reddoggm]

You could replace the f.p. safety lever to see if that solves, or helps the problem. It is a drop in. I would suspect wear on both the lever and the slide/frame are contributing to the problem.

Numrich has them in stock. I can send you one if you can't find one.

(note: the following is an unsolicited opinion or suggestion based on 40+ years of experience)

I noticed in your OP that it appears you have indiscriminantly "polished" the levers and other parts in the gun. I'm not sure where this idea came from, but it's not a good practice. It is your gun, but suggest you confine your maintenance to disassembly (field stripping) and cleaning to removal of crud and light lubrication on moving parts. Some internal parts are fitted during the assembly process....however, additional polishing these levers and other internal parts is not only unnecessary and time consuming, the practice can cause damage to the parts and consequently, have a negative impact on both the operation of the gun (may induce malfunctions) and the service life of the parts. (since replacement parts for these guns are getting harder and harder to find, there is really no point in causing unnecessary wear on them) IMHO

I do believe Ya hit the nail on the head I didn't have this problem until the polishing went In to the mix
I had a real gritty feeling pull on the trigger so I started with the Drawbar helped the gritty a bunch then I read on the web ( I know I know ) that polishing the friction points on the levers will smooth the slide action out well here I sit with a Pistol that has some smoother effects that screwed the pooch on the assembly so I will take heed to what your telling me and refrain from the polishing would You be interested in selling both the FP lever and the sear lever I know I can get them from Gunparts but I just don,t like their gouging on the shipping
Thank You for a valuable lesson learned
DOGG!!!