A couple of days ago I bought a like new model 70s and it looks to be same set up as yours. The disassembly lever on the right is in the take down position. It needs to be rotated clockwise to lock it. When locked mine shows a red dot. To do that I think the semi circular notch in the slide needs to be right above the lever. I had a devil of a time getting mine back together and I had to wiggle things around, but eventually it locked and all was well.

 

I think your mainspring is installed askew. Try a disassembly/reassembly.

 

Go to www.youtube.com and enter Beretta 70 series disassemble/assemble. It shows how.

 

Did you get this addressed yet?

I only ask because I had the same problem until I found the answer on another forum. The barrel is stuck to the frame and for some reason re-assembled wrong.
They said to pull the slide back and release it numerous times, up to 50. That will solidly hammer the barrel out without using tools at odd angles. Once out you may need to very carefully and minimally file any rough edges off the barrel lug that slides into the frame mount. DON'T GO TOO FAR because the barrel is supposed to fit tightly, just not so tight it can't be disassembled. Mine still needs me to tap/pop the barrel out by hand.

Good luck!!!! :bthumb:

 

USMC, your take-down lever is not in the correct position. The thumb spot should be toward the rear, and the top edge should be parallel to the slide. Not sure, but that might fix your problem.

 

Yes I figured out the problem. The barrel is a tight fit. I put the gun together with the hammer uncocked I placed the barrel on a piece of wood and gently hit the beaver tail with a wooden mallet. About the fourth hit I was able to get the slide locked on. I put about 200 rounds through it this past week with no hitches. The only malfunction was when my 11 year old daughter shot it and limp wristed it. Other then that it’s a slick little pistol and accurate for fixed sights.

 

My theory is that Century Arms, or whoever threaded the barrels, clamped the slides in order to perform the work, and in the process created this tight fit. If they're like that when new from factory, then I wouldn't alter it in any way, and instead, simply clean it with a Patchworm or pull-through, without removing the slide. The sample I received didn't seem to have been cleaned very often on the insides, hinting to me that the slide wasn't removed from the frame for cleaning. I noticed old grease residue, once I removed the slide, but the bore and all internals were impeccable, despite there being external wear. Unless I run into problems, I plan on using only pull-throughs on this one from now on. It's a blast to shoot. I'm glad I bought one. It's not as nice as the 87 Cheetah I was stupid enough to sell, but it's a nice little pistol.