Just picked up a police trade-in 5906. So glad I found your series. It is the polar opposite of most videos on TH-cam; well lit, well mic'd and full of useful info. Will try this after the initial range trip. Thank you!!
I watched all eight of your great videos. I don't live in the Atlanta area so I asked Ryan at Bite Me Firearms if he could Blubelly2 my S&W 5906. He watched your videos - thought they were great! - and told me he can do it. Ryan said he had some stones but didn't have your thin custom stones. He was grateful you showed an optional way with the t-square blade edge and fine wet sandpaper. The finished work on my pistol was great! Ryan said he wished he had your thin stone for the inside rails in the slide but your tip worked well. Thanks again from both of us for taking the time to present your expert work with these finely crafted videos.
Thanks for the great videos, very well done! I've watched all 8 videos on the Gen 3 S&W's (4 disassembly/assembly and 4 gunsmithing) and was impressed with your knowledge and communication skills. I have both a 5906 and a 6904 and plan on applying the gunsmithing procedures to both. I carried the 5906 as my department issued weapon for 6 years and after having turned it in when I left the force over 15 years ago, I had the opportunity to pick one up last year in nearly new condition. Like seeing an old friend again after many years apart! Thanks again!
Superb work on your videos. Your knowledge "and" camera work were superb! My S&W "645" got a little polish job, with wonderful results. Smooth before, but "wow" now!! Working over the throat of the barrel really smoothed up the feed process too. Thank you for this series, your hard work and knowledge! Cord
Sir, I just finished watching all four videos. May I say this was excellent in content and audio. After watching the first three videos I was confident to go ahead and try this and replace all the springs as you mentioned. Wolf sells a full pack for 14.99. Everything seems great until video four. You accelerated so fast on the most important part of reassembly. Please don't do that again. It's worth all of our time to watch you reassemble part by part. So for everyone that didn't comprehend that assembly of the frame, here's your only hope. 1)On the bottom of the screen there is a icon shaped like a washer next to "cc". Click on that icon and where the word "Normal"(speed) is, click it and click again on the 0.25 . This will slow the video way down so we can see the installation a little better. As I stated sir, your video is excellent. By far the best I have ever seen.Thank you so much for your patients and sharing your knowledge. I'm now a thankful subscriber. Respectfully submitted Dave Zip
+Dave Zip Dave, thanks for the kind comments about the videos. I am glad they are being put to use by so many people. About the "accelerated" video on this series, I did that time lapse on this video series because I needed to save time. Besides, I already showed a complete teardown in real time during my first four videos that are titled "3rd generation disassembly/teardown". Hopefully you can check those out for good detailed video on how to tear one down completely. Thanks again, BB
+Dave Zip He has another video reassembling slowly and explaining each process. I saw that before the high speed one. I agree with everything you said but look through his videos again.
THANK YOU for the AWESOME Series! I have been a BIG 3rd Gen SW Fan and in the last month I have been able to get a TSW4566 West Virginia Public Safety Commission pistol and a 4506-1 both pistols are in AWESOME Shame with very little wear inside for being Police Trade ins and 4506-1 looks like it could pass from brand new if it wasn't for a little scuff mark on the Grips and the serration of the grip area. I started my Smith Wesson journey about 5 years ago when the TSW4006 CHP pistol first came out and I was able to get one that was about 93% outside and 99% inside with scuffed up SW Rubber Grips by Hogue then I was finally able to get my an Early Version of the 645 with the Black front sight insert that was in 97%+ when I got it and that one came with with Pachmayr grips but I though the pistol looked better with Hogue Cocobolo Checkered grips. Your video is going to help me put the Wolff Springs Refurb Kit because I think replacing all the spring would probably be a good thing because I would like to add the 4566 and 4506 into my Concealed Carry Rotation and 22 dollars to replace all the springs in a pistol back to factory original condition is cheap insurance. I really like your input on how to hit all the issue spots in the 3rd Gen Pistols. Now that I have the 45s that I wanted the next search is going to be for the 10mm 1006 and 1066 I just wish that Smith had made a TSW1066 for LEO Agency like they did with the 4566 with the Milled out Rail on the Frame instead of the bolt-on rail. The other two pistols that I am looking for are the Lew Horton 40 Comp and the 40 Tactical with the 5 inch barrel but those will probably be harder to get than the WVPSC pistol of which only 83 were made in 2013.
@Bluebelly2 I wanted to say Thanks for Making these Videos! I just purchased a 5906 that I was unfamiliar with n your Video helped to take apart n Clean it. Would it be ok to polish the Rails n everything u did on a 5906? Also would u like to sell a few if those stones so I could polish my Gun? Thanks
I enjoy your videos man, very knowledgeable. I have a question, I picked up a 3rd gen S&W shorty. 40 and noticed it has 2 springs on the slide a smaller one and a wider one where the maller one sits. Is that a manufacturer thing?
Thank you for these videos, sir. I recently bought a 4006 that was basically NIB. One of the first things I noticed was that the hammer's striking face was akin to a nail file.. and you could feel it in the first half-inch of racking the slide. So, I ended up disassembling the firearm to sand, polish and blue that face. While it was apart I quick jumped on TH-cam to see what other parts would be good to polish, and you, here, have the best, most complete, well thought out series on TH-cam. bravo!
First I'd really like to thank you for putting the time and effort into making these videos. They were a pleasure to watch as they were not only beneficial in terms of maintenance, but important to gain an understanding of the Gunsmithing operations. Personally I've owned a 5906 for more than 27 years and have never had any difficulties with my gun. I believe it's considerably more reliable than most of the guns in its class, but admit that I was hesitant to fully disassemble it until now. My only question, or concern, was in regards to the firing pin. I'm wondering why you didn't find it necessary to remove, clean and replace the pin after polishing the adjacent areas. Isn't there a possibility that the polishing operations could get grit into the mechanism? I realize it's been awhile since you made these videos, but I hope you wouldn't mind taking a moment to further discuss this. Thanks again for making what I believe is the most comprehensive, if not the clearest set of educational videos available on these S&W 3rd Gen. guns. I hope you'll consider making others like these in the future!
S PARKS, Hello and thank you for the kind comments about the videos. I am happy they are still being referenced after three years. I have not viewed the videos in quite some time so I am not sure which video you are referring to about the firing pin not being removed after the polishing. Yes it would be wise to completely disassemble the gun after polishing to be sure that there is no grit left behind. No reason to chance it. Thanks, BB
Thanks for the advice. I believe your 3rd gunsmithing segment addressed the ramp as well as the "front" the firing mechanism. I suspect there's more to removing the pin than meets the eye, and absent having a qualified gunsmith such as you to back me up I'll likely pass on that step! Lol You did inspire me to undertake the other operations which I'm sure will improve my 5906's performance. I hope you decide to continue your series, perhaps with a S&W Shield or the like? Anyway, thanks again for taking the time, it's appreciated.
I believe you have not seen my other four videos that have to do with disassembling and reassembling the slide. In those videos you should find the segment that deals with removing the firing pin. It is actually very easy to do. I made 8 videos in all. Four that deal with disassembly/reassembly and four more that deal with gunsmithing the 3rd gens. I know the videos are slow moving but you will find everything you need to know in these videos to do a complete teardown. Thanks, BB
I have a model 410. The single action trigger has a "click" in it after the take up. It only does it from rest. Doesn't do it from a reset. Was curious if you've ever heard of this and maybe knew the cause. I've watched all your videos. I'm planning on taking the 410 down soon. Thanks!
I know this video is 6 years old as I type this, but I wondered about how much the gunsmithing job you did in this 4-video set would probably cost for a retail customer. I just heard at the end how much, about $150. A bargain to me. I'll take my 5906 to a good local gunsmith and let him have at it.150-200 I would consider an investment in smooth shooting.
very well done video! I've been looking for a long time for a video on how to take apart the upper receiver because I really want to take a look at my firing pin on my 915 model. do you have an email you can be reached at?
I may be idiot for not respecting the 5906 it was so heavy. Glock 17 $350 night sights 3 mags just show my peace officer mandate card. Glock model 22 40 Smith and Wesson see how confusing those words and numbers in front of newbies lol
Well done sir!!!!... Great lighting, angles, focus,.... Very nice production, not to mention your skill with the weapon. Thankyou. Your time is much appreciated....
RESPONSE TO 1775usmarine, The semi circles on the bottom of your slide are most likely "machine marks" from when it was manufactured. I have seen many slides over the years and have noted seeing what you are describing. They should not pose a problem with reliability but they may contribute to a roughness when you pull the slide back. If so then you can smooth out the bottom of the slide with a sharpening stone or a wood block with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around it. As to polishing the whole gun, just be ready for more work than first meets the eye. The flat parts of the slide and frame are easy enough to polish but when it comes to the irregularly shaped parts you will find it to be quite a undertaking to polish those. I would just glass bead blast the gun to restore it back to what it looked like when new.
I ended up doing some googling of 3rd gens that were polished and decided the work you said and the way it looks to keep it stock. I was only able to get up to 320 grit last week had to order and wait for items,but did notice a lot of roughness and friction when pulling the slide back before starting this project. Finished everything today. Went back and used 600 where I left off at and decided to add 1000 grit before final polishing. The difference is night and day. No more grinding or sounding like a cement mixer going on and everything did polish up to that mirror shine. Another question. On the slide would you recommend polishing those rails like you did on the frame? Seems to me it would make the slide to frame contact ride more smooth.
1775usmarine Yes I would polish the slide rails also if it is not too much trouble. You just do not want to get too aggressive and remove too much metal and cause the frame-to-slide fit to become sloppy or loose which will degrade accuracy. Hope this helps.
I do appreciate all your help. Went to the range this morning shooting in 17 degree weather and found my accuracy has improved quite drastically at the 25. Its gone from a consistent 51% to 62%. I tend to shoot low and to the right.
mikeyeyes7, Thanks for the reply. It is good to know that people are getting some use out of them. Yes you can do every thing that you see in these videos to a 5906 or any other steel frame S&W 3rd generation pistol that they make. I am sorry but I cannot spare any of these stones. You can have them made by contacting a "sharpening stone" company. Try a internet search in Arkansas and you will find a few companies that will make custom "Arkansas sharpening stones" in the proper dimensions.
Great video brother! Is there any chance that you could give me the dimensions of your stones, along with there grit and location to purchase them? My gun is the S&W 39-2 and I stick primarily with 9mm.! I would greatly appreciate it? Thanks in advance, and thanks for the excellent videos once again! One more thing? Is there a way for me to tell the generation of my 39-2 by looking at the gun???
As I had posted on your previous videos in this series; great job! It is so refreshing to not only have someone that knows what they are doing behind a gun, but a camera too. You may seriously want to consider doing this professionally.
I agree. While I'm not afraid to DIY things with engines and computers, I don't feel comfortable taking apart my beloved s&w 6904 and would pay to have it worked over like this.
I think next time I see one of these For sale I will pick it up. About a year ago Seen A few beat up ones in The 250 to 300 range.. Add a gun show should have grabbed one.... Best video bar none..
I just pick up a 5906 9mm You do such a great job explaining function and technic. This is better than most video's from the so called pro's at American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI). So thanks for all the time you invested in this and your not charging 25-40 dollars for the info. Very helpful!!!
Excellent series of videos! Thank you for putting this together. I have a Chiefs Special (CS9) and this was very helpful for me. I was wondering if you could recommend where I could buy additional magazines for this gun. It came with one 7 round magazine and I can't find additional mags anywhere. I tried Brownells and several other vendors but I can't find CS9 magazines anywhere. They don't even list them. Do you know of other Smith models where the magazines will work for the CS9? Is the 908 the same? Thanks!
Very well made videos. Thanks for the heads-up about not polishing aluminum frame rails. But my 3913 will benefit alot from the other polishing methods in the videos. Thanks!
My 4506-1 is my pride and joy. Looks like a good winter project. Two questions. First on the bottom of my slide it looks as though someone someone beat semi circles on it what could be the issue with that? and What are your thoughts on polishing the whole frame and slide ? I would like to clean her up a bit. Found your videos on the Smith and Wesson forum.
absolutely love your video series. I own a couple 3rd Gen 10mm. Polished up a 1006 using your videos. Extremely helpful. Would love to see how to take apart the 1026/Sig decocker so I can polish it like the 1006.
Thank you thank you thank you! Your assembly/disassembly vids were great and I was able to change all my springs and get everything cleaned up. I am going to polish all of this using your instructions next. One question, do you have a website to order those stones? I am really interested in the ones that can work in the rails.
Thanks for these videos. I know its older but I just got a 5906 and so far am loving the gun. I always polish the feed ramp on my guns after having a few that had problems. It is so easy to do a few things and make them a ton better. I really like the 5906 and plan to use it to teach some friends how to shoot. The extra weight of the gun over a lighter gun should help a lot. Seems like a great gun.
Excellent video I have owned a 3954 da only pistol that I regularly carry although I keep it well maintained the polishing is something I intend on doing after watching your videos and acquiring the knowledge to do so. Thank you
Thanks for a great set of videos. I bought a used model, double action from my police department when they switched out. I never really liked the trigger pull but until I saw your videos I was sure I couldn’t do anything about it other than pay someone and I was too cheap. I spent some time after finding your video and gathered the tools and dug in. It took a while but what a great improvement. The videos were great step by step. I should have watched the entire series though since I didn’t realized there were some differences with my double action model. Great job!
Thank you for making these videos. I am a big fan of the 3rd gen S&W's. I own 6 now but I plan to add more. Great job on these videos. I will be doing some work on my 3rd gens very soon.
Thank you so much! I am now able to deep clean my pistol, and after the gunsmithing videos my gun is much smoother. I learned so much. Thanks for taking the time to post these videos.
If I wanted to polish the gun's surface to give it a Bright Nickel appearance-What grit Sandpaper should I start with? Or can I get a Bright finish with just Dremel and Polishing Compound? ALSO: Is there no way to get a sub 3 Pound Single Action Trigger like in a 1911A1, even with Professional Gunsmithing? …..RVM45
RVM451, To achieve a truly high polish on one of these S&W stainless guns will take an incredible amount of labor if you are to duplicate the "bright nickel" look but you can come pretty close by starting out wet sanding with 320 grit and working your way up to 1000 grit. After that you can start to use a polishing compound and buffing wheel of some type. If you use a dremel type tool you may find yourself taking out divots on the surface that will really show up after you are done. This is because of the small diameter buffing wheel that the dremel uses. The best and fastest way to polish is to use a 6 or 8 inch buffing wheel attached to a bench grinder. Again, to get this gun to be truly shiny like a nickel gun will take a incredible amount of time. On the subject of the 3 pound trigger pull, I do not think it is possible or safe on these guns because of the geometric relationship of the sear to the trigger. The clockwork on these guns is built for durability and reliability and taking the mating surfaces down to make a sub 3 pound trigger pull would clearly compromise the stability of the sear/trigger engagement. Hope this helps and I would love to see your polishing results.
Thank you so much. This series is exactly what I needed. I have a 908. Does the safety/decocker remove similarly? Do you recommend changing out the plastic guide rod or the plastic mag release? I am a rank novice so any suggestions on the peculiarities of this pistol are greatly appreciated.
John, I have yet to work on a 908 or any others from that series but I am pretty sure that the safety/decocker removes the same as the regular 3rd gen guns. The plastic guide rod and mag release should be durable enough for a very long service life. I have seen a couple of plastic guide rods with 5000 to 6000 rounds on them and they did not show enough wear to be a concern.
Thanks kindly. I'll just follow your instructions and clean this little gun up. The sights are also plastic and I'm not quite sure what to do with them.
blubelly2 kool, thanks! I have the 4513TSW I have done quite a bit to. Not 100% done. Scanning the vids you have was fun. My entire slide has a matte chrome type finish now. I wanted it to be easier to clean but didn't want "bling"
![[TH] FS vs BME - VCT Ascension Pacific - Lower Bracket Final](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/wnygqsR2Fig/mqdefault.jpg)
Just picked up a police trade-in 5906. So glad I found your series. It is the polar opposite of most videos on TH-cam; well lit, well mic'd and full of useful info. Will try this after the initial range trip. Thank you!!
I watched all eight of your great videos. I don't live in the Atlanta area so I asked Ryan at Bite Me Firearms if he could Blubelly2 my S&W 5906. He watched your videos - thought they were great! - and told me he can do it. Ryan said he had some stones but didn't have your thin custom stones. He was grateful you showed an optional way with the t-square blade edge and fine wet sandpaper. The finished work on my pistol was great! Ryan said he wished he had your thin stone for the inside rails in the slide but your tip worked well. Thanks again from both of us for taking the time to present your expert work with these finely crafted videos.
Thanks for the great videos, very well done! I've watched all 8 videos on the Gen 3 S&W's (4 disassembly/assembly and 4 gunsmithing) and was impressed with your knowledge and communication skills. I have both a 5906 and a 6904 and plan on applying the gunsmithing procedures to both. I carried the 5906 as my department issued weapon for 6 years and after having turned it in when I left the force over 15 years ago, I had the opportunity to pick one up last year in nearly new condition. Like seeing an old friend again after many years apart! Thanks again!
Superb work on your videos. Your knowledge "and" camera work were superb! My S&W "645" got a little polish job, with wonderful results. Smooth before, but "wow" now!! Working over the throat of the barrel really smoothed up the feed process too.
Thank you for this series, your hard work and knowledge!
Cord
Cord
Thanks for the kind comment. I am glad to hear you got good results.
Sir, I just finished watching all four videos. May I say this was excellent in content and audio. After watching the first three videos I was confident to go ahead and try this and replace all the springs as you mentioned. Wolf sells a full pack for 14.99. Everything seems great until video four. You accelerated so fast on the most important part of reassembly. Please don't do that again. It's worth all of our time to watch you reassemble part by part. So for everyone that didn't comprehend that assembly of the frame, here's your only hope. 1)On the bottom of the screen there is a icon shaped like a washer next to "cc". Click on that icon and where the word "Normal"(speed) is, click it and click again on the 0.25 . This will slow the video way down so we can see the installation a little better. As I stated sir, your video is excellent. By far the best I have ever seen.Thank you so much for your patients and sharing your knowledge. I'm now a thankful subscriber.
Respectfully submitted
Dave Zip
+Dave Zip
Dave, thanks for the kind comments about the videos. I am glad they are being put to use by so many people. About the "accelerated" video on this series, I did that time lapse on this video series because I needed to save time. Besides, I already showed a complete teardown in real time during my first four videos that are titled "3rd generation disassembly/teardown". Hopefully you can check those out for good detailed video on how to tear one down completely.
Thanks again,
BB
+Dave Zip He has another video reassembling slowly and explaining each process. I saw that before the high speed one. I agree with everything you said but look through his videos again.
THANK YOU for the AWESOME Series! I have been a BIG 3rd Gen SW Fan and in the last month I have been able to get a TSW4566 West Virginia Public Safety Commission pistol and a 4506-1 both pistols are in AWESOME Shame with very little wear inside for being Police Trade ins and 4506-1 looks like it could pass from brand new if it wasn't for a little scuff mark on the Grips and the serration of the grip area. I started my Smith Wesson journey about 5 years ago when the TSW4006 CHP pistol first came out and I was able to get one that was about 93% outside and 99% inside with scuffed up SW Rubber Grips by Hogue then I was finally able to get my an Early Version of the 645 with the Black front sight insert that was in 97%+ when I got it and that one came with with Pachmayr grips but I though the pistol looked better with Hogue Cocobolo Checkered grips. Your video is going to help me put the Wolff Springs Refurb Kit because I think replacing all the spring would probably be a good thing because I would like to add the 4566 and 4506 into my Concealed Carry Rotation and 22 dollars to replace all the springs in a pistol back to factory original condition is cheap insurance. I really like your input on how to hit all the issue spots in the 3rd Gen Pistols. Now that I have the 45s that I wanted the next search is going to be for the 10mm 1006 and 1066 I just wish that Smith had made a TSW1066 for LEO Agency like they did with the 4566 with the Milled out Rail on the Frame instead of the bolt-on rail. The other two pistols that I am looking for are the Lew Horton 40 Comp and the 40 Tactical with the 5 inch barrel but those will probably be harder to get than the WVPSC pistol of which only 83 were made in 2013.
Very nicely done. Gives me confidence to get going on my 1006 and 4506-1.
10 yrs later and this vid. still coming in clutch
Awesome video! It helped a lot. I cleaned up my late father's 5906 thanks to you. Love from Turkey.
Thank you very much just got into these. They are very good guns thank you
Bravo, liked and very much enjoyed. Great quality vid. A wealth of knowledge in this video series.
Great video, thanks.
RESPONSE TO John Kotch and Charles Guy:
Thank you very much for your comment! It is nice to know people are using these videos.
@Bluebelly2 I wanted to say Thanks for Making these Videos! I just purchased a 5906 that I was unfamiliar with n your Video helped to take apart n Clean it. Would it be ok to polish the Rails n everything u did on a 5906? Also would u like to sell a few if those stones so I could polish my Gun? Thanks
I enjoy your videos man, very knowledgeable. I have a question, I picked up a 3rd gen S&W shorty. 40 and noticed it has 2 springs on the slide a smaller one and a wider one where the maller one sits. Is that a manufacturer thing?
Thank you for these videos, sir. I recently bought a 4006 that was basically NIB. One of the first things I noticed was that the hammer's striking face was akin to a nail file.. and you could feel it in the first half-inch of racking the slide. So, I ended up disassembling the firearm to sand, polish and blue that face. While it was apart I quick jumped on TH-cam to see what other parts would be good to polish, and you, here, have the best, most complete, well thought out series on TH-cam.
bravo!
Awesome series Love the videos.. are the chief special 45 and the 4046 tactical taken apart the same way.? .thanks..
Hello, Yes they take down in the same way. There are some slight differences but nothing too difficult.
First I'd really like to thank you for putting the time and effort into making these videos. They were a pleasure to watch as they were not only beneficial in terms of maintenance, but important to gain an understanding of the Gunsmithing operations. Personally I've owned a 5906 for more than 27 years and have never had any difficulties with my gun. I believe it's considerably more reliable than most of the guns in its class, but admit that I was hesitant to fully disassemble it until now. My only question, or concern, was in regards to the firing pin. I'm wondering why you didn't find it necessary to remove, clean and replace the pin after polishing the adjacent areas. Isn't there a possibility that the polishing operations could get grit into the mechanism? I realize it's been awhile since you made these videos, but I hope you wouldn't mind taking a moment to further discuss this.
Thanks again for making what I believe is the most comprehensive, if not the clearest set of educational videos available on these S&W 3rd Gen. guns. I hope you'll consider making others like these in the future!
S PARKS,
Hello and thank you for the kind comments about the videos. I am happy they are still being referenced after three years. I have not viewed the videos in quite some time so I am not sure which video you are referring to about the firing pin not being removed after the polishing. Yes it would be wise to completely disassemble the gun after polishing to be sure that there is no grit left behind. No reason to chance it.
Thanks,
BB
Thanks for the advice. I believe your 3rd gunsmithing segment addressed the ramp as well as the "front" the firing mechanism. I suspect there's more to removing the pin than meets the eye, and absent having a qualified gunsmith such as you to back me up I'll likely pass on that step! Lol You did inspire me to undertake the other operations which I'm sure will improve my 5906's performance. I hope you decide to continue your series, perhaps with a S&W Shield or the like? Anyway, thanks again for taking the time, it's appreciated.
I believe you have not seen my other four videos that have to do with disassembling and reassembling the slide. In those videos you should find the segment that deals with removing the firing pin. It is actually very easy to do. I made 8 videos in all. Four that deal with disassembly/reassembly and four more that deal with gunsmithing the 3rd gens. I know the videos are slow moving but you will find everything you need to know in these videos to do a complete teardown.
Thanks,
BB
Thank you very much.
8:45 a lot of autoloaders will jam up if you try and slow-rack a round!
I have a model 410. The single action trigger has a "click" in it after the take up. It only does it from rest. Doesn't do it from a reset. Was curious if you've ever heard of this and maybe knew the cause. I've watched all your videos. I'm planning on taking the 410 down soon. Thanks!
I wanted to add that you can hear as well as feel the "click" in the trigger. Thanks again!
I know this video is 6 years old as I type this, but I wondered about how much the gunsmithing job you did in this 4-video set would probably cost for a retail customer.
I just heard at the end how much, about $150. A bargain to me. I'll take my 5906 to a good local gunsmith and let him have at it.150-200 I would consider an investment in smooth shooting.
very well done video! I've been looking for a long time for a video on how to take apart the upper receiver because I really want to take a look at my firing pin on my 915 model. do you have an email you can be reached at?
You can contact me through this TH-cam website by using the "messages" feature.
I may be idiot for not respecting the 5906 it was so heavy. Glock 17 $350 night sights 3 mags just show my peace officer mandate card. Glock model 22 40 Smith and Wesson see how confusing those words and numbers in front of newbies lol
Well done sir!!!!... Great lighting, angles, focus,.... Very nice production, not to mention your skill with the weapon. Thankyou. Your time is much appreciated....
RESPONSE TO 1775usmarine,
The semi circles on the bottom of your slide are most likely "machine marks" from when it was manufactured. I have seen many slides over the years and have noted seeing what you are describing. They should not pose a problem with reliability but they may contribute to a roughness when you pull the slide back. If so then you can smooth out the bottom of the slide with a sharpening stone or a wood block with 220 grit sandpaper wrapped around it.
As to polishing the whole gun, just be ready for more work than first meets the eye. The flat parts of the slide and frame are easy enough to polish but when it comes to the irregularly shaped parts you will find it to be quite a undertaking to polish those. I would just glass bead blast the gun to restore it back to what it looked like when new.
I ended up doing some googling of 3rd gens that were polished and decided the work you said and the way it looks to keep it stock.
I was only able to get up to 320 grit last week had to order and wait for items,but did notice a lot of roughness and friction when pulling the slide back before starting this project.
Finished everything today. Went back and used 600 where I left off at and decided to add 1000 grit before final polishing. The difference is night and day. No more grinding or sounding like a cement mixer going on and everything did polish up to that mirror shine.
Another question. On the slide would you recommend polishing those rails like you did on the frame? Seems to me it would make the slide to frame contact ride more smooth.
1775usmarine Yes I would polish the slide rails also if it is not too much trouble. You just do not want to get too aggressive and remove too much metal and cause the frame-to-slide fit to become sloppy or loose which will degrade accuracy.
Hope this helps.
I do appreciate all your help. Went to the range this morning shooting in 17 degree weather and found my accuracy has improved quite drastically at the 25. Its gone from a consistent 51% to 62%. I tend to shoot low and to the right.
mikeyeyes7,
Thanks for the reply. It is good to know that people are getting some use out of them. Yes you can do every thing that you see in these videos to a 5906 or any other steel frame S&W 3rd generation pistol that they make. I am sorry but I cannot spare any of these stones. You can have them made by contacting a "sharpening stone" company. Try a internet search in Arkansas and you will find a few companies that will make custom "Arkansas sharpening stones" in the proper dimensions.
Great video brother! Is there any chance that you could give me the dimensions of your stones, along with there grit and location to purchase them? My gun is the S&W 39-2 and I stick primarily with 9mm.! I would greatly appreciate it? Thanks in advance, and thanks for the excellent videos once again! One more thing? Is there a way for me to tell the generation of my 39-2 by looking at the gun???
As I had posted on your previous videos in this series; great job! It is so refreshing to not only have someone that knows what they are doing behind a gun, but a camera too. You may seriously want to consider doing this professionally.
I agree. While I'm not afraid to DIY things with engines and computers, I don't feel comfortable taking apart my beloved s&w 6904 and would pay to have it worked over like this.
I think next time I see one of these For sale I will pick it up. About a year ago Seen A few beat up ones in The 250 to 300 range.. Add a gun show should have grabbed one.... Best video bar none..
Great series.
Is there anything that can be done to reduce sa pretravel?
You are awesome! Thanks for showing us this.
One of two of the Best instructions I've seen yet
I just pick up a 5906 9mm You do such a great job explaining function and technic. This is better than most video's from the so called pro's at American Gunsmithing Institute (AGI). So thanks for all the time you invested in this and your not charging 25-40 dollars for the info. Very helpful!!!
Excellent series of videos! Thank you for putting this together. I have a Chiefs Special (CS9) and this was very helpful for me. I was wondering if you could recommend where I could buy additional magazines for this gun. It came with one 7 round magazine and I can't find additional mags anywhere. I tried Brownells and several other vendors but I can't find CS9 magazines anywhere. They don't even list them. Do you know of other Smith models where the magazines will work for the CS9? Is the 908 the same? Thanks!
Very well made videos. Thanks for the heads-up about not polishing aluminum frame rails. But my 3913 will benefit alot from the other polishing methods in the videos. Thanks!
My 4506-1 is my pride and joy. Looks like a good winter project. Two questions. First on the bottom of my slide it looks as though someone someone beat semi circles on it what could be the issue with that? and What are your thoughts on polishing the whole frame and slide ? I would like to clean her up a bit. Found your videos on the Smith and Wesson forum.
absolutely love your video series. I own a couple 3rd Gen 10mm. Polished up a 1006 using your videos. Extremely helpful. Would love to see how to take apart the 1026/Sig decocker so I can polish it like the 1006.
Thank you thank you thank you! Your assembly/disassembly vids were great and I was able to change all my springs and get everything cleaned up. I am going to polish all of this using your instructions next.
One question, do you have a website to order those stones? I am really interested in the ones that can work in the rails.
Thanks for these videos. I know its older but I just got a 5906 and so far am loving the gun. I always polish the feed ramp on my guns after having a few that had problems. It is so easy to do a few things and make them a ton better. I really like the 5906 and plan to use it to teach some friends how to shoot. The extra weight of the gun over a lighter gun should help a lot. Seems like a great gun.
Excellent video I have owned a 3954 da only pistol that I regularly carry although I keep it well maintained the polishing is something I intend on doing after watching your videos and acquiring the knowledge to do so. Thank you
Thanks for a great set of videos. I bought a used model, double action from my police department when they switched out. I never really liked the trigger pull but until I saw your videos I was sure I couldn’t do anything about it other than pay someone and I was too cheap. I spent some time after finding your video and gathered the tools and dug in. It took a while but what a great improvement. The videos were great step by step. I should have watched the entire series though since I didn’t realized there were some differences with my double action model.
Great job!
Great videos, followed it on a 645 with great results. Well done, and well presented.
Thank you for making these videos. I am a big fan of the 3rd gen S&W's. I own 6 now but I plan to add more. Great job on these videos. I will be doing some work on my 3rd gens very soon.
Just finished this on my 3914. Nice and smooth. Thanks again for this valuable resource.
Thank you for taking the time to make these videos. Your expertise is much appreciated!
Thank you so much! I am now able to deep clean my pistol, and after the gunsmithing videos my gun is much smoother. I learned so much. Thanks for taking the time to post these videos.
Great series of videos. Unless you've done this dozens of times, it's a great reference and review.
Fantastic master of the 3rd generation Smiths. I use these videos often !
Enjoyed the series and learned alot. Good job!
Wow a 6926. I just bought one, pretty rare pistols.
If I wanted to polish the gun's surface to give it a Bright Nickel appearance-What grit Sandpaper should I start with? Or can I get a Bright finish with just Dremel and Polishing Compound?
ALSO:
Is there no way to get a sub 3 Pound Single Action Trigger like in a 1911A1, even with Professional Gunsmithing?
…..RVM45
RVM451,
To achieve a truly high polish on one of these S&W stainless guns will take an incredible amount of labor if you are to duplicate the "bright nickel" look but you can come pretty close by starting out wet sanding with 320 grit and working your way up to 1000 grit. After that you can start to use a polishing compound and buffing wheel of some type. If you use a dremel type tool you may find yourself taking out divots on the surface that will really show up after you are done. This is because of the small diameter buffing wheel that the dremel uses. The best and fastest way to polish is to use a 6 or 8 inch buffing wheel attached to a bench grinder. Again, to get this gun to be truly shiny like a nickel gun will take a incredible amount of time.
On the subject of the 3 pound trigger pull, I do not think it is possible or safe on these guns because of the geometric relationship of the sear to the trigger. The clockwork on these guns is built for durability and reliability and taking the mating surfaces down to make a sub 3 pound trigger pull would clearly compromise the stability of the sear/trigger engagement.
Hope this helps and I would love to see your polishing results.
Excellent series, thank you.
Thank you so much. This series is exactly what I needed. I have a 908. Does the safety/decocker remove similarly? Do you recommend changing out the plastic guide rod or the plastic mag release? I am a rank novice so any suggestions on the peculiarities of this pistol are greatly appreciated.
John,
I have yet to work on a 908 or any others from that series but I am pretty sure that the safety/decocker removes the same as the regular 3rd gen guns. The plastic guide rod and mag release should be durable enough for a very long service life. I have seen a couple of plastic guide rods with 5000 to 6000 rounds on them and they did not show enough wear to be a concern.
Thanks kindly. I'll just follow your instructions and clean this little gun up. The sights are also plastic and I'm not quite sure what to do with them.
Did I miss a hammer change? One of the videos shows a different hammer.
DJFireUSA,
The last gun in this video is a completely different gun than the one at the beginning. The audio track explains why.
blubelly2 kool, thanks! I have the 4513TSW I have done quite a bit to. Not 100% done. Scanning the vids you have was fun. My entire slide has a matte chrome type finish now. I wanted it to be easier to clean but didn't want "bling"