“Slicking Up” the Smith & Wess Third Generation Pistols

The Smith & Wesson pistols known as the Third Generation pistols are among the most common semi-automatic pistols in use in America by both police forces and civilian shooters. Indeed, quite a few law-enforcement professionals in my circle of friends carry these pistols for personal defense.

In this report, I’ll address the problems commonly encountered with these pistols along with the usual methods of repair, but I’ll concentrate on "smoothing and improving." I must state first, however, that the information contained herein may not apply to the earlier Smith & Wesson pistols. The "First Generation" pistols, which had two-digit model numbers, began with the Model 39. This pistol was introduced in 1948, and was basically an Americanized P38.

There were several variations on this pistol, and issues with this pistol include a feed-ramp configuration that’s problematic for anything but ball ammo. The Model 59 that followed was the first truly "American" pistol that combined a double-action trigger and high-capacity magazine. The "Second Generation" Smith & Wesson pistols, which had three-digit model numbers (such as the 469) saw some improvement, but these also need to be treated in a separate article.

The Third Generation pistols, like the 5906, have a four-digit model number. But, to help confuse the issue, there are "Value Line" Third Generation pistols with three-digit model numbers, such as the 910, 411, 457 and so on. The Third Generation pistols area natural progression in engineering and were created as a direct answer to the popularity of European service pistols.

Trigger action, accuracy, and reliability were improved, allowing Smith & Wesson to remain competitive in the law-enforcement market; and after other service pistols were introduced with a firing-pin block or drop safety, S&W quickly followed suit. The Third Generation pistols I’m mainly concerned with here are the double-action/first-shot pistols. There are literally dozens of Smith & Wesson models, including double-actiononly variations, single-action models, and decocker-only versions of this basic pistol.

Certain procedures I’ll discuss in this report will not apply to these pistols. For the sake of clarity, let’s assume that the procedures under discussion here will apply to double-action/first-shot Smith & Wesson Third Generation pistols in 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP caliber’ in other words, the commonly issued service pistols. Getting back to the "Value Line" Smith & Wesson pistols: These are not as nicely finished as the top-of the-line S&Ws and they lack an ambidextrous safety.

The slides are not as rounded, but are left square to cut machining costs. Otherwise, parts are generally interchangeable with the more expensive pistols. This is fortu-

nate, as we’ll see when discussing replacement parts. What Modifications and Why? The first thing we should discuss is why an owner might want to modify one of these pistol, and what it’s possible and practical to do to them. Repairing normal wear is one thing, but improving a pistol is quite another. The fact is that these pistols are pretty smooth in most cases, but with a little work can be as smooth as the SIG, which, in my opinion, sets the standard among handguns.

As one of my customers remarked recently when I returned his tuned-up S&W 6906: "It is like having a stainlesssteel SIG, but with a safety." Some things can be improved while others are best left alone. For example, the S&W’s factory trigger can benefit from some smoothing, but the trigger reset is faster than the SIG. This has come to be appreciated by many competition shooters, so it’s best to do nothing that affects trigger reset.

Likewise, these pistols usually digest all types of quality ammunition, but for a competitor using lead bullets you may simply want to perform a routine polish. To illustrate what might be done to "slick up" the Third-Gen S&W, let’s go through the disassembly of a typical pistol, and examine the parts one at a time. Takedown and Inspection The example I’m using here is the Model 411 in .40 S&W caliber.

This is a Value Line pistol, so don’t let the three-digit model number confuse you; this is not a Second Generation pistol like the 469. The Model 411 is just a cheaper version of the Third Generation pistols like the 5906. First, let’s take a look at the grips. I give you fair warning that if the owner wishes to add a pair of custom grips to the package, there are several grips styles, so pay close attention to the exact model number and butt design.

My example sports grips held by screws, but usually the grips are secured to the frame with a pin. Screws are screwed out; the pin is pressed from right to left. Once the grips are off, be certain that the frame will accommodate both the pinned-on grips and those that use a screw to hold the grips together. Now rack the slide to the rear and remove the magazine if you haven’t done so already.

The slide must be released and the position of the slide adjusted to allow the slide stop to lineup with a notch in the slide. Unlike some pistols, the forward section of the slide stop is the part that’s lined up for disassembly’s omething that confused many 1911 fans. The slide stop is moved to the left and out of the frame to separate the slide and frame. Many Third Generation pistols are very tight in the slide stop. A bit of help with a rubber eraser or synthetic bushing wrench helps.

Allow the slide to move forward off of the frame. The captive recoil spring and guide is removed from the bottom of the barrel with slight pressure. The barrel is moved down and out the bottom of the slide. You’re now ready to strip the slide. The extractor pin can be driven from the top of the slide. Once it’s out, the extractor and extractor spring are removed. For best performance, I routinely replace the factory extractor spring with a heavy-duty W. C. Wolff unit.

This is especially desirable for a competition piece or a pistol used with +P defense loads. Now with the slide removed from the frame, lay the slide on the bench right side forward. The firing-pin plunger (drop safety) is visible and so is the safety detent. The detent is in a slightly different location on some slides, but for all practical purposes works the same in all Third-Gen pistols. Since the plunger holds the firing pin in place, it must be depressed to move the firing pin forward.

Placing the slide in a padded vise helps in stripping the slide. The plunger and firing pin are pressed at the same time. Careful study of a schematic helps at this point. The safety retainer is drifted right to left. The retainer is held in place by a clip. These are small parts, so you might want to work over a tray or in a plastic

Far Before taking the piece down, be sure to familiarize yourself with the mainspring hammer strut, drawbar, hammer, and disconnect. bag in case they fall out. I often have someone aid me in this procedure. They do not have to be skilled; but short of growing a third hand, a second person helps a lot. Alternately, you can turn the slide over and, using magnifying glasses, locate the detent either at the right rear or more toward the front of the slide, depending upon the exact pistol.

You may be able to insert a small and thin shim (or a toothpick even) between the detent and the slide to hold the detent down. Once the firing pin is out, check the firing pin channel. For some reason, I have often found brass shavings in the firing-pin channel of departmentissued 5906 pistols. Perhaps the frequent use of +P+ ammunition has something to do with it. Brass shavings could result in a stuck firing pin. Whatever the case, always check the firing pin channel.

The Smith & Wesson safety is often smooth enough, but if the user carries the pistol with the safety on, it could stand a bit of smoothing. The safety can be polished on the high contact areas, being careful to avoid changing the angles. While the safety and firing pin are out, I would set aside the factory firing-pin spring and replace it with a W. C. Wolff unit. I feel much better if the piece has premium gun springs installed, especially when the pistol is destined for use with hot loads.

Now let’s move to the frame. On the left hand side of the frame is a slide plate. It’s not like the traditional revolver sideplate or a plate allowing access to the action, but rather a plate that features along pin or spindle that holds the hammer assembly. Don’t attempt to pry this rather thin plate off the frame. The plate is removed by drifting the pin from the right to the left. The hammer assembly is now free, as is the firing-pin safety lever and firing-pin retainer spacer.

These can be carefully removed with needle-nose pliers or tweezers. Watch out for the stirrup and stirrup pin. You’ll want to memorize or photograph the position of the sear, sear pin, and sear spring. The sear spring is a flat spring and a relatively small piece. Watch the foot of the sear and the relation of these parts to the drawbar. The sear pin is driven out left to right, as are all the other pins. The sear-spring retainer comes out as well.

The Smith & Wesson is a pistol that demands small punches and small tools as well as magnifying eyeglasses for smooth work. Now, move to the rear of the frame. The disconnect must be moved off the tap it rides in the drawbar. The disconnect can be moved in either direction as long as it comes free. A bit of movement and wiggling helps. At this point, we should talk a little about the disconnect. Some were manufactured of a synthetic material. The appearance is that of a self-lubricating plastic.

Many owners and gunsmiths are unhappy with this setup, and have replaced the Value Line pistol’s disconnect with a steel replacement. The Model 4006s steel disconnect fits the 411. To be honest, I’ve never observed a problem with these synthetic units, but I don’t feel comfortable with this part in a competition or personaldefense pistol. The trigger pin is driven from right to left. The trigger comes loose by pressing it on both sides and rocking it up and down and sideways.

The drawbar, drawbar spring, and plunger are drawn out the rear of the pistol. The pistol is now taken down as far as necessary for our purposes. Now for the Fun Part Early Third Generation pistols didn’t always cycle properly with +P and +P+ loads. This is usually solved by the installation of the W. C. Wolff gunsprings. The heavy-duty extractor spring is also a good idea. The are several things that can be done to improve the Smith & Wesson’s action.

The trigger motion is not straight to the rear, but rather travels in an arc in the double-action mode. Making the trigger smoother makes its pivoting motion less of a problem (continued on page 16)