BDA 380 takedown woes: Solved!

[beatledog7]

This is odd, and frustrating.

Fired my BDA today, put some Tula steel case ammo through it and did have one FTF on the last round of the first mag. Second mag did not duplicate the problem.

Now I'm trying to take down the gun, and the slide is locking about a half inch forward of the in-battery position. I'm following the procedure in the manual, and I've done this many times before, but this time it's no go.

I get to the point of releasing the slide lock and bringing the slide forward and off the frame, and every time it catches solidly on something after coming forward 1/2 an inch past battery. It's as if the slide lock lever isn't fully disengaging the slide lock or something, and the barrel is not disengaging.

Any ideas?

 

[AJChenMPH]

I'll ask the obvious question: you remembered to drop the mag?

 

[beatledog7]

Yes, but experimentation proves the problem is unaffected by the mag being in or out. Exactly the same. The mag was already out when I started the process.

 

[AJChenMPH]

I'll pull my BDA out of the safe and take a look when I get a chance...might be a bit...

 

[beatledog7]

Solved!

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=430041

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=4047104#post4047104

I located these older threads on the very similar Beretta 84 and was able to get the slide off by just working the thing a few times against it's own spring, as rc suggested. I could tell I was making progress as it was coming forward a bit more each time. Finally I was able to rather forcefully slide it off.

Behold, the same peening that tfunster discovered! It wasn't much, but was enough to capture the guide rod head. I couldn't even slide it back through. I was easily able to gently remove some peened material from the slide just as the older thread's OP tfunster did, then I polished the fixed area, and the guide rod now passes smoothly through the U-notch as designed.

So thanks RC and tfunster for your excellent guidance, and thanks to all who were thinking on the problem!