I have a question regarding the Takedown Safety Lever. When I attempt to disassemble one of my P320 pistols the Takedown Safety Lever will not stay in the retracted position (underneath and behind the Slide Catch Lever housing) and blocks removal of the Takedown Lever.

My disassembly process:

1. Clear weapon/safety check completed
2. Remove Magazine
3. Move slide rearward and lock with Slide Catch
4. Rotate Takedown Lever clockwise to 7 o'clock position (which retracts the Takedown Safety Lever)
5. Turn Takedown Lever Counter-clockwise to align bevel on Takedown Lever with bevel on the muzzle end of the Takedown Safety Lever.
6. Pull Takedown Lever from right side of Grip Frame and FCU
7. Attempt to remove Take Down Lever, but the Takedown Safety Lever has now moved forward from its retracted position and blocks removal of the Takedown Lever.

My QUESTION:

Is the Slide Catch Lever Spring supposed to hold the Takedown Safety Lever in its retracted position, and not interfere with the removal of the Takedown Lever?

Remove the slide after you rotate the takedown lever to the 7 o'clock position, then remove the takedown lever by rotating and simultaneously pulling out to the left.

4sigman,

Thanks for your reply.

However, in my situation the Takedown Lever cannot be removed because the Takedown Safety Lever is blocking removal. I have to find the "fix" to keep the Takedown Safety Lever in the retracted position so it cannot interfere with removal of the Takedown Lever.

There is usually a good amount of resistance to this. You need to rotate the TDSL and pull it out to the left quite firmly. There is a camming surface on the body of the take down lever that will push the TDSL back as it reaches points of resistance.

4sigman,

Yes Sir, that is how the Takedown Lever is designed to work with the Takedown Safety Lever.

My Takedown Lever is blocked by the forward portion of the Takedown Safety Lever because it does not retract far enough rearward to not interfere with removal of the Takedown Lever.

I am able to place a punch inside the Takedown Safety Lever and Grip Frame to retract the Takedown Safety Lever enough to remove the Takedown Lever. However, this is not a normal procedure and should not be required.

I am still seeking someone knowledgeable for the inner working and functions of the FCU, who can explain why my Takedown Safety Lever does not remain in its retracted position as designed for disassembly.

Thanks again for your reply.

Perhaps this guy might be helpful. N/M, mistaken identity.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 4sigman,

A couple of things...first, I'm not understanding why you're doing step 5. When I disassemble a P320, I do your step 4 (rotate the takedown lever to the 7:00 position), then I go straight to your step 6 (push the lever out of the frame)...no counter-clockwise rotation required. I hook my thumb behind the portion of the takedown lever that extends into the trigger guard opening, and push it out. Sometimes it takes a bit of wiggling to get the right-side lug to clear, but no significant rotation required.

That said, even after my takedown lever is removed, my takedown safety lever remains retracted, so it sounds like there may be an issue either with your process or your gun.

When you rotate the takedown lever, the cammed engagement surface forces the takedown safety lever to retract to the point that the small nub directly forward of the trigger guard is pushed behind the crossmember for the ambidextrous slide catch lever. The takedown safety lever should then be held in its retracted position by this nub...even after the takedown lever is removed...UNLESS the slide catch lever is raised, at which point the cross-member will rise above that nub allowing the takedown safety lever to spring forward, and the nub will now reside in it's forward position inside the cutout in the crossmember.

Sorry...I'm not sure I have all the technical terms correct for all of the components, so here are some pics to illustrate:

Here is the takedown safety lever in its retracted position, with the nub resting against the crossmember of the slide catch. This is the position that it should be in after the takedown lever is rotated to the 7:00 position, and it should remain here after the takedown lever is removed unless the slide catch lever is raised:




And here it is in in forward position inside the cutout in the slide catch crossmember. This is where the takedown safety lever lives during normal operation, after the slide catch lever has been raised to lock the slide back for re-assembly, and the released:



To troubleshoot, I'd observe the engagement of these two parts. Once you rotate the takedown safety lever to 7:00 and remove the slide, it should look like picture 1. If it doesn't, either the nub on the takedown safety lever is out of spec, your takedown lever isn't camming the takedown safety lever back far enough to engage the slide stop crossmember, or the slide stop isn't all the way down and is failing to engage the nub.

I'd check all of you pins and make sure they're fully seated, and also check under your slide-stop to ensure there's not crud or gunk built up under there keeping it from going fully into it's down position. Also check the slide stop spring (little coil spring and plunger out between the front leg of the slide catch and the frame) to make sure it's in place and providing the necessary return pressure on the slide stop.

92fstech,

Thank you for your reply.

I replaced the Slide Catch Post/Spring and fixed my issue. As I learned (self-taught) the Slide Catch Spring performs two functions. Holds down the Slide Catch Assembly, and keeps tension on the Takedown Safety Lever during the disassembly process.

My pistol will now disassemble with ease. Frustration relieved!

Thanks again for your response with detailed information and pictures, as they were most helpful.

Awesome! I'm glad it was a simple and hopefully inexpensive fix. Thanks for checking back in with the resolution!