# Beretta M9 Slide hitting hammer pin when trying to reasemble



## jjdaso48 (Mar 25, 2018)

I've always had revolvers growing up. Decided to get an M9 Beretta and give it a whirl. Shot it for the first time today and enjoyed it. Disassembled it for cleaning and when I went to reassemble it, I am finding the flat head of the hammer pin stops the slide from moving all the way back to the lock position. I've watched videos and read posts on disassembling and reassembling which seems pretty straight forward. Any help from you Beretta veterans would be appreciated.


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## denner12 (Oct 14, 2017)

Are you reassembling the pistol with the grips on? I don't see how the hammer pin would be blocking the slide to the rearward/locking position if fully seated. The hammer pin head rides within a rail on the bottom left side of the slide. Also, Make sure the firing pin block lever is down so that you can move the slide over it for reassembly. I could see this being an issue for those new to Beretta's?


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## jjdaso48 (Mar 25, 2018)

Hey denner12, thanks for the reply. Grips are on. Taking a couple pictures I noticed a scratch on the side of the slide. Looks like the pin head was on the outside. The pictures show the pin all the way in, with no channel or groove for the slide to pass between.


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## denner12 (Oct 14, 2017)

Looks very normal to me. Actually the channel for the Hammer pin head is on the left "underside" of the slide.

It should slide right "over" the hammer pin head with very minimal resistance until the hammer pin head(lack of a better term) is in it's channel. 

Try cocking the hammer back then putting on the slide to see if the resistance you are experiencing is just the tension of the hammer and it's spring.

This design feature is what made the 92 "S" into the "FS" or M9 to prevent the slide from moving rearward and hitting the operator in the face.

If you are still having issues take the pistol back to where you bought it or have a competent gunsmith check it out.

I believe you just need to apply a little more force to overcome the hammer spring, and also being it's a brand new pistol with the fresh coating, but if you're not sure, I would do the two former suggestions. BTW, very good taste. The FS/ M9 pistols are well known to have a smooth as glass slide to frame function.


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## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

Make sure the recoil spring assembly is fully seated into the half-moon-shaped locking block notch, and centered left-to-right, and it STAYS that way during reassembly, or the flat end of the RSA will "catch" as the slide is slid onto the frame. It will catch at just about the spot that the slide passes over the head of the hammer pin, so it might look/feel like that is the problem, when in fact it is the RSA off-center or partially out of the notch, striking the frame abutment during reassembly.

It's a very common problem to slightly bump the RSA (usualy sideways) when aligning the slide onto the frame, getting it slightly out of the locking block notch, and unless the slide is removed and the RSA position "fixed", the slide won't go onto the frame.

Another variation on this problem is forcing the slide into position against the RSA spring pressure, and after the slide is locked into place, the user notices the end of the RSA sticking out the front of the slide about an inch. In that case, the RSA hit the frame abutment, but the user forced the slide into place anyway, partially compressing the recoil spring against the abutment. Fixing this one is easier; grab the front end of the RSA rod and twist, and the rear end should slip off the abutment and snap into place.


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## denner12 (Oct 14, 2017)

Yep, I think DJ is on it. Just need to make sure your recoil rod is centered and properly seated on the locking block. When I reassemble I flip up the take down lever as soon as the rear of the slide is flush with the back of the frame as opposed to locking the slide all the way back. Just me.

Now that you mention it, I hope the OP has the locking block in the flat/down position before installing the recoil spring rod assembly?

http://stevespages.com/pdf/beretta_92fs.pdf


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## jjdaso48 (Mar 25, 2018)

Hey guys thanks for trying to help me out. I've tried the slide without the barrel and still stops at hammer pin head. There isn't a channel under the slide for the head of the hammer pin to slide in. I've posted a couple more pics (one of the bottom of the slide and the other where the head hits the back of the slide. I took it to the gun shop where it was purchased today. 2 guys had the grips off and couldn't figure it out. I asked if they had an M9 to look at. They said they will be getting their shipment in tomorrow and to come back by.












My thoughts are it didn't get machined correctly, but I've been wrong a time or two in my life. ~Sigh~
Thanks again for all your help


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## jjdaso48 (Mar 25, 2018)

Hey denner12,

I took a pic of the bottom of my slide and I'm not seeing a channel for the head of the hammer pin to slide in. I've also grabbed a picture of an M9 slide bottom. I can see the channel for the pin in it. Any thoughts for me please?














Thanks


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## denner12 (Oct 14, 2017)

JJ, very interesting, albeit my Beretta is a 1993G model and I don't immediately have another 92FS to compare it to, but indeed my pistol slide has a cut out for the hammer pin head, unlike your slide? So much so you can see daylight through the bottom? The red dot is right above on the outside of the slide where you see the daylight.

I really didn't think the slide would be different on my 1993 model compared to later M9's. Very, very interesting, you may be right?


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## denner12 (Oct 14, 2017)

Double post, my bad


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## denner12 (Oct 14, 2017)

View attachment 13873


JJ, as you can see my slide has a cutout that allows the hammer pin head to clear. Maybe a design change? I don't know at this point. Anybody out there have a newer M9 or FS?


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## denner12 (Oct 14, 2017)

jjdaso48 said:


> Hey denner12,
> 
> I took a pic of the bottom of my slide and I'm not seeing a channel for the head of the hammer pin to slide in. I've also grabbed a picture of an M9 slide bottom. I can see the channel for the pin in it. Any thoughts for me please?
> View attachment 13841
> ...


Maybe a machining issue, I don't know?


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## denner12 (Oct 14, 2017)

But then again, here's an M9 slide w/o the cutout like yours?


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## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

Seeing the new photos and re-reading all the posts, I withdraw my comment on the RSA. It sure seems like your pistol is missing the groove on the bottom of the slide, where the head of the hammer pin should be positioned during operation. 

My confusion is centered around the fact that the pistol had been assembled and fired already, and the problem didn't surface until the point of reassembly.

Without that groove in the slide for the head of the hammer pin, I wouldn't think it could be initially assembled at all (same problem you're having right now), and if it was forced back together, I would think that the extra friction caused by the hammer pin head dragging on the bottom of the slide would not allow the pistol to function properly. There should not be enough vertical "slack" in the slide, or tolerance stack between the hammer pin head and the slide, to allow movement (or even initial installation) with the hammer pin in place and no matching groove. That close interface is how the hammer pin head is designed to stop the slide if it breaks in half at the locking block cuts during firing -- the rear portion of the slide would move rearward until it reached the end of the groove machined into the slide, then it would bind/jam on the hammer pin head and come to a complete stop.

jjdaso48, three questions: 

Was the pistol new when you purchased it, or used? 
Have you replaced or "upgraded" any parts on the pistol? 
Is there a visible "flat spot" anywhere on the edge of the hammer pin (you may have to take off the grip panel to check the entire circumference)?

Something weird is going on here...


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## jjdaso48 (Mar 25, 2018)

Bought the pistol new about a month ago and haven't changed anything. When I noticed a scuff mark on the side of the slide, looking closer I noticed the top of the grip flaring out. Upon closer inspection, noticed the head of the hammer pin was on the outside of the slide rubbing against it.

Just came back from Turners. They had received their delivery today and already broke down an M9. Sure enough, it has a channel milled in it for the pin head to slide through.
They informed me to contact Beretta for an RMA number and ship it to Beretta. Kind of surprised something like that made it by quality control.


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## DJ Niner (Oct 3, 2006)

jjdaso48 said:


> Bought the pistol new about a month ago and haven't changed anything. When I noticed a scuff mark on the side of the slide, looking closer I noticed the top of the grip flaring out. Upon closer inspection, noticed the head of the hammer pin was on the outside of the slide rubbing against it.
> 
> Just came back from Turners. They had received their delivery today and already broke down an M9. Sure enough, it has a channel milled in it for the pin head to slide through.
> They informed me to contact Beretta for an RMA number and ship it to Beretta. Kind of surprised something like that made it by quality control.


 Ah, that explains how they got it assembled and firing. Very poor assembly QC, this should have been caught and returned to the proper department to be corrected before it left the factory. Make sure to include a note with the pistol saying how it was assembled when you first got it, or they might have the same confusion/concerns that I did.

Hope they get it corrected for you.

If Beretta doesn't offer a free shipping label, ask for one and insist on it (usually, they can provide a shipping label much cheaper than you can get it shipped). This appears to be a factory defect, so you should not have to pay for shipping. If you have to pay to ship it yourself, it may well cost you over $100 (last pistol I shipped to a factory for repair cost me $120). If you bought it from Turner's, I'm surprised they didn't offer to ship it for you. Most shops in my area would, under similar circumstances (it's obviously not something you did to the pistol; you can't "un-mill" a channel in the slide), as a dealer can send it through the US Postal Service at a far lower cost, where you legally cannot (you'll have to use UPS or FedEx, and ship it Second- or Next-Day Air, thus, the high cost).

Good luck, and keep us informed as to what happens.


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## denner12 (Oct 14, 2017)

jjdaso48 , I'm glad we finally sorted this out. Beretta just recently moved to Tennessee from socialist Maryland and may have some teething pains with the new Tennessee employees? I would bet the farm the Italian's wouldn't have missed it (Scommetterei che la fattoria degli italiani non lo avrebbe perso.) lol

Beretta is super state of the art in manufacturing(especially it's pistols). Basically super high tech robots that change their own drill presses and can even notify a foreman from the factory while the foreman is at home.

Beretta will take care of you I'm sure. Anyway, the pistol I posted above(1993G PS U.S. Made) has well over 12,000 rounds through it, shoots as if brand new(perhaps better) and has never had a hick-up due to the pistol, and is dead nuts accurate to boot. Let us know how you fare?

Beretta Manufacturing


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