SSV Frankengun Project

guzzitaco

guzzitaco

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Hi guys,

This is the first project that I post. I have done a couple others, but this is the first one where I wanted to do all the work. My skills are basic and compared to others in this forum I'm a novice, so please be patient. I will try to highlight the many mistakes I made in my process, so others can learn from them (without having to go through them).

I would like start by thanking all the forum members that helped me with all my questions, in special Bill (BMCM) who has answered many question and provided with invaluable insight.

I've been always intrigued by the SSV (short slide variants). Having a M6906 and a M5906 TSW, I wanted something that was in the middle and with a steel frame. Something like a 5967 but more affordable and that would feel ok to shoot a lot and carry around. Now that I have been at home for 40+ days (my business is closed) I have time to finish the project...

There are several threads of SSV frankenguns in this forum, but the project that I used an inspiration was this:
The 4566TSWSSV project

So, I started to look for a frame and found one in the big auction site. After shipping and transfer the total was $152. This was in Sep 2019. Here are some pics of the frame I got:










more to come...
 
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Frame mods

Frame mods:
I suspect the frame was a police trade-in. It had a lot of dings and scratches all over. The first thing I did was to carefully start addressing the major dings, to prepare the project for the bead blasting

I also did some small mods to the frame. I shortened and recounted the beavertail to resemble the one of my M6906. I did this because it fits my hand better and since I would be using a bobbed hammer it made sense. I carefully removed material using files and took my time. I am sorry I didn't document this better with pics, but I had an issue with my phone and all my backup was lost.




(pic with the slide of my M6906)

I also melted some sharp edges around the trigger guard area and did some discrete beveling to the front of the dust frame.


I tried to square the frame by carefully sanding the sides using the flat surface of a granite block, here I made a HUGE mistake. By obsessing with having a perfectly squared frame, I removed to much material and started to erase the serial number…. luckily I caught it on time and the damage was minimal.


(pay attention to the lower part of the C, R, 0 and 2)

more to come...
 
Slide and parts kit

Parts kit:

I got the slide and parts from a store that "sells every gun part" online. They run a balck Friday special, so I got for $140 including shipping.



The slide was in ok condition, but very dirty. The whole kit was filthy…











The plan was to "re-blue" the slide using a rust bluing method, like mark express bluing #2…that changed later…



I gave all the parts a good "bath" in the ultrasonic cleaner. After that I took everything apart, oil it, and assemble the whole pistol to check for functionality.



more to come...
 
plastic guide rod

The guide rod that came with the kit was plastic, and was in poor condition.



I started a thread asking for help to find it: Looking for a 6906 guide rod

Many members of you helped with ideas and options. Jsbethel located a supplier on ebay that had some M5906 guide rods at a good price. it was longer, so it needed to be cut and refinished.



BMCM explained how to properly cut it.



I marked it with a sharpie and cut it with a dremel about 1/8" longer. Then I finished the bevel using a drill press and a file to give the bevel to the point. Polished with 800 and 1000 sandpaper.



moe to come...
 
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I wish I had the skills to do what some of you all can do. Im just happy I can follow directions and aseemble functioning frankenguns. Would be nice to take my 2nd/3rd gen SSV franken a little further.
 
Rear sight

Rear Sight

For the rear sight, I found a compact LPA on EBay (model LPA TPU91SW30). I think it is the same model that some Shorty40's used to come with. I paid $20 for it including shipping. Listed as brand new, no packaging though.



I like sights that are black on the back (no 3 dot system for me), so I erased the dots using paint remover (I used citristrip, took 2 minutes).



The LPA sight have lot of extra material, so fitting takes time. I used a small file and some stones to remove the material.

During the installation, I made two mistakes.

First, I got home from work late, the package had arrived, so I was eager to install them, but I was tired and I had a couple of beers during dinner. Not in the best mental condition to do the work.

Second, probably a consequence of the first mistake, but despite the fact of using a brass punch, I manage to ding the rear sight. The next day after I was rested and in a better mood, I fixed the ding by filing it and retouch it with some cold blue. It is almost perfect…











I must learn to take my time.

More to come…
 
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Excellent work guzzitaco! Looks like this project is coming along beautifully.

I read somewhere that Japanese swordsmiths would bathe and put on fresh clothing in order to put themselves into the correct state of mind before working on a sword. I keep this general idea in mind before starting on any project, being sure that I am not fatigued, stressed out, or overly-caffeinated. I try not to rush anything, spread the work out over a few sessions, and of course try not to get frustrated when things go awry.

I still have a set of Trijicons on a 3913TSW that constantly remind me to take things easy. The rear sight is so dented from a hasty installation that I will likely just buy a new set when they die rather than sending them in for re-lamping. Too embarrassed to let anyone see them. :o
 
guzzitaco said:
For the rear sight, I found a compact LPA on EBay (model LPA TPUSW30).
The LPA sight have lot of extra material, so fitting takes time.
Click to expand...

The LPUs do require a lot of work to fit them.

The first time you fit one you start second guessing things after working on them a while.

The full LPA model# for yours is TPU91SW30, if anyone goes looking for one.

The last two digits are for the different blade types.

Keep us updated. :)

.

xlarge.jpg


.
 
Shaving the controls

Levers and controls

After the coronavirus quarantine started, I had a bit more time to spend in the project…

I wanted to reduce the profile of the ambi safe and of the slide stop.

So, I "shaved" one step of the right-hand side safety lever and one step of the slide stop. I did this using hand files (mainly one flat file). By shaving one step, all the controls on each side are about the same height, and slim the profile a bit (enough for my taste).



I took my time and there were no major complications. The hardest thing was to keep everything squared, so I took little material with every pass. It was time consuming. After the filing was done, I cleaned the marks using sad paper over a granite block… also, I spent some time dehorning the sharp edges after the filing was done !!!






For the magazine catch nut, I decided to go with the oversized one used for the 745. It works for me.

I coated all the controls with Brownells aluma-hyde and I baked them at 350 degrees for one hour (the smell is nasty). I've found that when I baked them I get better adhesion. I used aluma-hyde, because I have some left, it is easy to apply and easy to retouch.

more to come...
 
"Extractorgate"

Removing the extractor

I guess in every project you hit a bump in the road. This was it for me…

The removal of the extractor in the S&W 3rd gens is not an easy task. There are many threads about the subject in this forum.

Fastbolt and BMCM have written extensively about the subject. Here a couple of threads that you may want to check out:

CS9 extractor removal?

Unnecessarily pulling extractor - Just dont, this is why

I think I got in trouble because I didn't do enough research and that lead me to tackle the task in the wrong way. I watch a video on YouTube that show the extractor being driven out from the bottom to the top…this is WRONG…extractor should be driven out from top to bottom…I had removed the extractor from my M5906 TSW before, in the wrong way and it was an easy task. So, I guess I was over confident and under prepared. :(

I should have "loosen" the pin with penetrating oil (Kroil orPB Blaster) for a day or two before starting the job. I also used a pin that was too big (5/64) instead of having use a starter punch of 1/16. Consequently, I damaged to top of the pin deforming it (mushroom shape). I also dinged the slide badly around the extractor pin area.

After I realized I was deep in trouble I emailed BMCM and sent him the slide. I wanted to do all the work in this project, but it was time to stop being stubborn or get ready to buy another slide.

This is what I sent him...





He made a thread about the incident:
You should check it out…(if you haven't already...)

Another extractor removal gone bad

Here are a couple of pics of the slide he sent me back...





Yes, Bill is excellent at what he does...he is also fast (and a true gentleman).


Some of the things I learned:

First: don't mess with the extractor if you don't need to.

Second: if you MUST mess with the extractor, think about sending it to a qualified gunsmith or armorer.

Third: if you insist in doing yourself (because you want to learn or are a bit dysfunctional like me), soak the extractor pin in penetrating oil, buy a starter punch of 1/16, use the proper support for the slide. Make sure that you are in a "good state of mind" to start the task (like the Japanese sword-smith). Do your research before starting.

Be prepared to swallow your frustration if things go wrong...


So, far the extractor removal was the hardest thing in this build. I got stuck for 2 weeks.

I had an old M910 slide that I bought to harvest the one side safety for my M6906. I soaked the pin in oil for 3 days, I used my starter punch, and...everything work as it should...

I ended using the pin for the M910 in this build since I couldn't find a blue one...(Brownells and Midway sent me a stainless one 3 times...)

more to come...
 
That looks great. I have always wanted a SSV, frankengun or other.

What seller had the 5906 frames?
 
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frame seller info...

Craig19 said:
That looks great. I have always wanted a SSV, frankengun or other.

What seller had the 5906 frames?
Click to expand...

Hi,
seller was Weaponspro in Salem, Indiana. I don't know if they have others in stock... ([email protected])

Maybe, it would be better to buy a whole 5906 and sell the parts you don't need/want on eBay... I have seen some for $329

:)

PS: more to come...
 
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guzzitaco said:
Hi,
seller was Weaponspro in Salem, Indiana. I don't know if they have others in stock... ([email protected])

Maybe, it would be better to buy a whole 5906 and sell the parts you don't need/want on eBay... I have seen some for $329

:)

PS: more to come...
Click to expand...
Sounds familiar for where I got my frame. I believe there were 5 or 6 listings at the time when I won mine
 
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