but for the most part, no force should be used. Never pry; always wear safety glasses as compressed springs can be dangerous. Never take a gun down outdoors, over tall grass, or indoors over a shag carpet. Read the instructions through, at least once, before you begin.
I assume a certain basic intelligence in the reader, and will not start each set of takedown directions with the repeated advice that the gun must be entirely unloaded. Before you start the takedown of any gun make a thorough visual check to be sure it’s empty. Check all chambers in a revolver, and the magazine and chamber in an automatic pistol to be sure they are empty. In this area, any mistakes could be very hazardous to your health, so be certain.
An important addition to the back of this book is a comprehensive index and cross-reference list, linking all of the pistols covered here to guns of similar or identical pattern. When these are included in the count, the instructions in this book can be used for the takedown and reassembly of 346 some pistols.
Small mechanical variations are noted on the data page for each pistol, in cases that would cause no takedown or reassembly difficulty. If the difference involves a more complicated procedure, then a separate sequence of photos and instructions is included.
An excellent companion to this book are the GUN DIGEST® BOOK OF EXPLODED GUN DRAWINGS, available from Krause Publications. This hefty book clearly shows parts relationships as well as factory part numbers for nearly 1,000 modern and collector’s handguns and long guns.
J.B. Wood
Raintree House
Corydon, Kentucky
September, 2007
A Note on Reassembly
Most of the pistols covered in this book can be reassembled by simply reversing the order of disassembly, carefully replacing the parts in the same manner they were removed. In a few instances, special instructions are required, and these are listed with each gun under “Reassembly Tips.” In certain cases, reassembly photos are also provided.
If there are no special instructions or photos with a particular gun, you may assume that it can just be reassembled in reverse order. During disassembly, note the relationship of all parts and springs, and lay them out on the workbench in the order they were removed. By following this procedure you should have no difficulty.
TOOLS
Countless firearms, old and new, bear the marks, burrs and gouges that are the result of using the wrong tools for taking them apart. In the interest of preventing this sort of thing, I am including here a group of tools that are the best types for the disassembly of automatic pistols. Except for the few shop-made tools for special purposes, all of those shown here are available from one of these three sources.
Brownells, Inc. 200 South Front Street Montezuma, IA 50171
B-Square Company 8909 Forum Way Ft. Worth, TX 76140
Midway USA 5875 West Van Horn Tavern Road Columbia, MO 65203
Williams Gun Sight Company 7389 Lapeer Road Davison, MI 48423
General Instructions:
Screwdrivers: Always be sure the blade of the screwdriver exactly fits the slot in the screw head, both in thickness and in width. If you don’t have one that fits, grind or file the top until it does. You may ruin a few screwdrivers but better them than the screws on a fine rifle.
Slave pins: There are several references in this book to slave pins, and some non-gunsmith readers may not be familiar with the term. A slave pin is simply a short length of rod stock (in some cases, a section of a nail will do) which is used to keep two parts, or a part and a spring, together during reassembly. The slave pin must be very slightly smaller in diameter than the hole in the part, so it will push out easily as the original pin is driven in to retain the part. When making the slave pin, its length should be slightly less than the width of the part in which it is being used, and the ends of the pin should be rounded or beveled.
Sights: Nearly all dovetail-mounted sights are drifted out toward the right, using a nylon, aluminum, or brass drift punch.
1. The tiniest of these fine German instrument screwdrivers from Brownells is too small for most gun work, but you’ll see the rest of them used frequently throughout the book. There are many tight places where these will come in handy.
2. When a larger screwdriver is needed, this set from Brownells covers a wide range of blade sizes and also has Phillips- and Allen-type inserts. The tips are held in place by a strong magnet, yet are easily changed. These tips are very hard. With enough force you might manage to break one, but they’ll never bend.
3. You should have at least one good pair of bent sharp-nosed pliers. These, from Brownells, have a box joint and smooth inner faces to help prevent marring.
4. For heavier gripping, these Bernard parallel-jaw pliers from Brownells have smooth-faced jaw-pieces of unhardened steel to prevent marring of parts.
5. For situations where a non-marring rap is needed, this hammer from Brownells is ideal. It is shown with nylon faces on the head, but other faces of plastic and brass are also available. All are easily replaceable.
6. For drifting out pins, these small all-metal hammers from B-Square are the best I’ve seen. Two sizes (weights) are available and they’re well worth the modest cost.
7. For situations where reach and accessibility are beyond the capabilities of sharp-nosed pliers, a pair of large sharp-nosed forceps (tweezers) will be invaluable.
8. This universal Colt tool from Brownells will also work on some other autos of similar design, and even has features for some revolver work. Its main function, of course, is for the removal of a tight barrel brushing on Colt autos.
9. One of the most-used tools in my shop is this nylon tipped drift punch, shown with an optional brass
