Disassembly/Reassembly of the Taurus 709 Slim

Despite undeniable statistical evidence from non-firearm industry studies, including Federal sources, all reporting a reduction in crime where concealed carry permits are issued there are still more than a dozen State governments refusing to accept the reality. Usually, as the States acqui esce so do the cities within them. At least they make a stab at it.

Only last summer, one such Midwestern metropolis had its gun-grabbing hands severely slapped by the Supreme Court when the latter judged a freshly-passed city ordinance against legal handgun ownership to be unconstitutional. The court’s vote was 5 to 4. I figure you can dope out for yourself who voted which way. Maybe you operate or are planning to operate in a State whose citizens presently enjoy the added peace of mind and privilege a permit to Carry a Concealed Weapon can provide. Maybe you don’t.

Either way, I suggest you prompt your browser to take you to usconcealedcarry.com/ ccw-laws/ and click on your home state. A page will come up on the screen offering a free PDF report on your State’s laws simply by typing in your name and E-mail address. After you’ve done that you’ll have instant download access to the PDF report. It promises "instant" but give it ten or fifteen minutes. You can read it off your computer or print it out as a ready reference.

The report will tell you and your customers where the concealed weapon can and cannot be carried, what to do and how to act if pulled over for a traffic stop while s 709 Slim Slightly newer versions are the 740 Slim in .40 S&Wand the 708 Slim in .380. carrying, other states where the permit is valid, the states where it isn’t, where in your home state you can legally defend yourself with deadly force, where you have to retreat plus all you need to know about applying for or renewing a concealed carry permit.

I think I can be reasonably safe in assuming the surge in gun sales for 2009 wasn’t only due to uncertain ties connected with anew President and Congress. A fair chunk has to attributed to the increasing issuance of CCW permits. Any individual receiving one likely bought a conceal able gun to go with it. No, I don’t have a bottom line figure on the number of permits awarded nationally and lack the time to track down a source in each state issuing permits that could provide a number.

However, if industry sales figures can be considered an indication the number of concealed carry handguns sold has to have exceeded over 200,000. I’d further surmise that half of those were pistols chambered for calibers larger than .22 and .25, both of which are generally considered too puny for personal defensive measures. On the other hand, the mere

Feeding and other problems can result if the heavy protective coating remains. If a 709 Slim has an enemy right out of the box it is the grease the South American assemblers seem to hold a deep affection. and sudden presentation of a gun by an intended victim has been known to bring a hostile act to a screeching halt regardless of caliber. Admittedly though, a larger bore diameter tends to bring on such successes much sooner.

This is undoubtedly a major reason why a short, 12 gauge pump loaded with #4 or #2 buck makes the best home defense weapon. You don’t have to aim it like a handgun. Just point that twenty-inch barrel in the general direction with a finger threateningly near the trigger. Besides that, the very act of racking the action produces a sound that causes instant fear in the gut of any bad actor. Or, in the event of a home invasion, a group of bad actors.

Since shotguns are obviously just a wee bit too obvious for concealed carry what factors should be considered by anyone purchasing a cc handgun? It should be light, unobtrusive while being carried and lacking humps, bumps or protrusions that might interfere with it being drawn quickly from its hiding place. It should be extremely reliable and have the accuracy to group well at the range at which most defensive shooting takes place, about seven yards. It should feel comfortable in the hand of its owner.

Lastly, it should look business-like if not downright deadly. In my opinion, that’s a good description of the Taurus 709 Slim. It fits like a glove, is chambered for 9mm, is a striker fired SA/ DA, weighs three ounces more than a pound with an empty magazine, wears a three-dot sight system, has an easily reversible magazine release, loaded chamber indicator, manual safety, a trigger safety, a fully adjustable rear sight and is equipped with the key-operated Taurus Security System®.

The 709 Slim is only 6.24-inches long and a piddling 1.04-inches wide. It’s time to get further into it. Field Stripping Joining the 709 Slim in the Taurus line up are the 740 and 708 Slim models. The 740 feeds on the .40 S&W, the 708 on the .380. Dimensionally and operationally all three are identical. All are produced in Brazil and it becomes quite apparent during the field stripping of a brand new, yet-to-be-fired 709 that final assembly workers have developed an affection for grease.

They must love the stuff because there is often a generous deposit of the slippery goo that must be cleared out before the pistol is fired. Ignoring this advice will at least result in misfires and. at worst. an increase in chamber pressure that could have catastrophic results. What do I mean by that? Have you ever had a handgun go to pieces after you pulled the trigger? If so, I sincerely hope you are among the very lucky ones still having all their fingers and features intact.

Take the magazine out, check the chamber for empty and put on some eye protection. What happens next is a two hand operation. Move to the slide to the rear about 1/8-inch and hold it there with four fingers of one hand. Push the disassembly latch down with the free hand’s thumb and index finger. Push the slide full forward before letting go of the disassembly latch. Remove the slide forward and off the grip frame.

Invert the slide and release the slide spring assembly from its position on the bottom of the barrel, then remove the barrel by pulling it to the front of the slide and upward. If you carry the field stripping slightly farther, as I did for this article, you

Remember you’re working with a polymer frame and it bruises far easier than a steel one. Be careful selecting your leverage point on it or span it with an overlapping flat piece of hard wood. Drift punches used in detailed disassembly should be limited to those with parallel sides. Tapered punches can easily enlarge pin holes in polymer materials. could add removal of the firing pin assembly to it. The "how to" on that is in the second paragraph of the section on detailed disassembly.

If the pistol is just out of the box, clean off and clean out as much of the grease I mentioned earlier as field stripping will allow. You may have to remove more during detailed disassembly. It depends on the romantic fervor of our grease loving friends among the South American assemblers. In all cases lightly lubricate the areas previously coated by grease with a good quality gun oil that has been applied to a lint free cloth.

In final reassembly the slide should be mounted to the frame, racked fully back and held there by the slide catch. Release the catch, ease the slide forward and cycle it by hand several times with the magazine out as a double check on the barrel/slide/frame relationship. Detailed Disassembly The 709 Slim is a well put together pistol, meaning there is little or zero play between its components unless a certain amount of freedom is required for proper operation. In simpler words, it’s tightly assembled.

Use punches that are ideally married to each pin you drift and remember that pins in the 709 Slim drift right to left unless otherwise noted. Work with the slide at first. Invert it, take a 1/16-inch punch and push the firing pin sleeve (#1.18) slightly toward the muzzle to disengage it from the slide cap (#1.21). The sleeve is of hard, but not brittle, plastic.

Don’t get carried away with your efforts to hold it in a forward position with a steel tool or you’ll make indents in the sleeve but you still have to hold it forward to keep it away from interfacing the sleeve. The cap is of a softer polymer. Do not use anything other than a plastic hammer, nylon drift or small, rawhide mallet to tap downward on the cap and get it started moving out of the slide. You may find removing the cap more than a little bothersome.

Once it’s on its way, though, a couple of more downward taps usually dis lodges it and the cap plate (#1.22). The plate is not to be separated from the cap. Once the cap is out. Withdraw the entire firing pin assembly (#1.15 on the schematic). There’s no need to take this assembly down further unless a broken or damaged component such as the spring (#1.17) requires replacement. To take out the extractor, pressing down on the firing pin block (#1.14) will give you a little more wiggle room to work.

You have to insert the flat blade of a screwdriver or screwdriver bit between the rear of the extractor and the frame. Tap the inserted blade forward, then tap the end of the extractor in the same direction. Just to be on the safe side, I mounted the slide, muzzle down, between my padded vise jaws and used a nylon drift on the extractor hook, thereby studi ously avoiding any contact between the hook itself and my tapping. Now remove the firing pin block and its safety spring (#1.13).

Back out the rear sight screw (#1.02) and slide out the sight (#1.04). Extract the key lock pin (#1.26) with tweezers or a very small set of long nose pliers. Remove the key lock (#1.23) using the Taurus Security Key (not shown in schematic.) You turn and simultaneously pull on the key lock until the slide block pin (#1.26) and spring (#1.28) come loose. After they have, extract the key lock ball (#1.25) and its spring (#1.24).

I found it easier to leave the slide vertically positioned in the vise for lifting out the extractor spring plunger (#1.12) with a dental pick. An alternate method is to remove the slide, tap its front end to jar the plunger and pick it out with tweezers. The spring (#1.13) may or may not accompany it, in which case tapping the rear of the slide can encourage it to start out enough for you to grasp it with the tweezers or move it out so you can prod the spring along with the dental pick and tweeze it afterwards.

Drift the loaded chamber indicator pin out (#1.07) right to left with a 1/16-inch punch then lift C

off the chamber indicator (#1.06) and its spring (#1.08). Unscrew #1.05 to remove the front sight (#1.03) and the slide is naked. Now, the frame. Drift the central support pin (#6.07) to the left with a 3/32-inch punch and the mechanism support pin (#6.08) with a 1/16-inch punch in the same direction. Insert a flat blade screwdriver under the central support (#4.06). Carefully pry it upward then lift it from the frame. The slide catch (#4.07) and catch spring (#4.08) will accompany it.

The same screwdriver can be inserted under the mechanism support (#5.01) to lever it upward before removal. In this case, depress the manual safety (#5.03) before lifting out the support to prevent loss of the safety spring ball (#5.05). The trigger/trigger bar assembly (#4.01 – 4.05) that comes out with the support should remain intact for the present. Don’t retire the screwdriver just yet.

You’ll need it to remove the manual safety (#5.03) before switching to tweezers to lift out the safety spring ball (#5.05) and spring (#5.04). Drift out the sear guide pin with your 1/16-inch punch then remove the sear spring (#5.07) and sear (#5.06). Depress the disassembly latch pin (#6.05), slide out the latch (#6.02) and remove the latch pin and its spring (#6.06). You may want to use the padded vise jaws to secure the trigger before going to work on the trigger bar assembly but it isn’t absolutely necessary.

It might make the first time you work on the group somewhat less nerve wracking, however. Notice that the trigger bar and trigger safety pins have the same number (#4.02). They do because they are identical with one end slightly larger than the other. Both these pins are drifted out from right to left and reinstalled left to right. At this point, it’s time out for a close, magnified examination of how the trigger spring (#4.04) relates to the trigger (#4.01), trigger bar (#4.05) and trigger safety (#4.03).

What you see is the way things have to look after reassembly. Memorize the words that follow on this subject. Make a drawing, make notes, take a picture. Do whatever it takes to further assure the correct end result.

As a matter of good practice, always study how any spring is positioned in a gun before disengaging it and always keep track by the part number as it is removed and in what order. 1.28Slide Block Pin Spring 7.04Spring Plate Taurus709Slim 2 Barrel 7.05Bottom (Specifications subject to change 3 Recoil Spring Assembly without notice) 1.1 Slide 4.01Trigger 1.2 Rear Sight Screw 4.04Trigger Pin(2) 1.3 Front Sight 4.03Trigger Safety 1.4 Adjustable Rear Sight 4.04Trigger Spring 1.5 Front Sight Screw 4.05Trigger Bar 1.6 Loaded Chamber Indicator 4.06Central Support 1.7 Loaded Chamber Indicator Pin 4.07Slide Catch 1.8 Loaded Chamber Indicator Spring 4.08Slide Catch Spring 1.9 Extractor 5.01Mechanism Support 1.10Extractor Spring 5.02Ejector 1.11Extractor Spring Pin 5.03Manual Safety 1.12Extractor Spring Plunger 5.04Manual Safety Spring 1.13Firing Pin Safety Spring 5.05Manual Safety Ball 1.14Firing Pin Block 5.06Sear 1.15Firing Assembly 5.07Sear Spring 1.16Firing Pin Spring Bushing 5.08Sear Pin 1.17Firing Pin Spring 6.01Grip 1.18Firing Pin Sleeve 6.02Disassembly Latch 1.19Firing Pin Return Spring 6.03Magazine Release 1.20Firing Pin 6.04Magazine Release Spring 1.21Slide Cap 6.05Disassembly Latch Pin 1.22Slide Cap Plate 6.06Disassembly Latch Spring 1.23Key Lock 6.07Central Support Pin 1.24Key Lock Spring 6.08Mechanism Support Pin 1.25Key Lock Ball 7.01Magazine Body 1.26Key Lock Pin 7.02Follower 1.27Slide Block Pin 7.03Floor Plate

Once it has mostly cleared, lift it all the way out between your fingers. The trigger/trigger safety/trigger bar assembly can and should remain attached to it. The ejector is permanently secured and cannot be removed without specialized factory tooling. Time in. Start by partially pushing out the trigger pin. Right to left, remember? You need to move it enough so you can clear the trigger bar from the assembly.

Moving right along, start pushing out the trigger safety pin (the other #4.02) to free the trigger and trigger safety. There will be reassembly tips given very soon but you will need a slave pin to assist in reuniting the central support with the trigger bar and slide catch assemblies. Might as well make it now from drill rod. Its diameter is 0.097-inches, or a little less than the diameter of the central support pin. Its length is a little less than the width of the central support.

The pin should be slightly rounded at both ends and quite smooth all over. This pin holds this preassembly together prior to reinstalling the central support and mechanism support back in the frame. You’ll have seen how the central support is linked and connected with the trigger/trigger safety/trigger bar assembly when taking down the pistol.

Reassembly Tips 1: Insert and depress the disassembly latch pin and spring before sliding in the latch. 2: Position the sear and sear spring in the mechanism support, align them and install the sear pin guide. 3: Preassemble the manual safety with its spring and ball. Insert all in the mechanism support. Beware the escaping ball. Press and hold down the safety lever.

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If you do not wish to receive these offers, and/or information, please let us know by contacting us at: American Gunsmith Opt-Out Program Norwalk, CT 06854 Please include your current mailing label. 4: When reinstalling the central and mechanism supports in the frame, the safety ball will still want to take off so press and hold down the lever again during the reunion. 5: After the central and mechanism supports are linked together with the trigger/trigger safety/trigger bar assembly the central goes back in the frame first with the mechanism lowered in afterwards.

Remember what I just mentioned about the safety ball and don’t overlook reinstallation of both support pins once all related holes are aligned. The central support pin will drive out the slave pin you so carefully crafted from left to right. 6: Secure the trigger when rebuilding the mechanism support starting in the pin from the left. Preassemble the trigger and trigger spring. The spring should be resting on the trigger safety. Line up their respective holes with the pin then tap the pin in enough to spear them.

Insert the second pin through from the left. Position the trigger bar. Lift the hook end of the spring over the end of the trigger bar. Tap both pins through to be flush with the right side of the frame. 7: The slide is reassembled by reversing its take-down order. The firing pin sleeve will have to be pressed inward with a blunt tool or small wooden dowel to enable reinstallation of the slide cap, which in reinserted from the bottom of the slide. AG