The Unofficial P64 Resource Forum

That was me cussing earlier today.

I changed out the firing pin spring and it was a chore!

Of course, disassembly was a breeze, it was holding that danged detent/spring for the safety while you manipulate the safety lever. You need a third hand to pry the safety assembly straight when it starts to cock sideways. ARRRRRRGH!!! I'm not kidding when I tell you that it probably took me an hour to get that part back together.

The second hardest was getting the ejector and it's associated spring and detent-like part together. I'm sure there must be a technique that I just don't know about. I did follow the .pdf Weasel linked to me.

I swapped out the hammer, and recoil springs from stock to 20 lbs and the firing pin one to whatever Wolff sent with the recoil.

One question, are the two springs that I had trouble with (safety/fire selector and the ejector) the same spring?

kargo27 wrote:
One question, are the two springs that I had trouble with (safety/fire selector and the ejector) the same spring?

kargo27
the spring are the same spring , one might be longer than the other can't remember , if one is longer than the other the long one goes on the extractor

NORM

The hammer spring was breeze. The firing pin spring...not so much. I got reeeeaaal lucky with the detent spring and pin. They made a break for it as soon as I popped the safety out. Fortunately I was at my computer desk and they bounced off a box of ammo and stopped right in front of me. Whew.

Thanks Norm!

Foo Bird, I'm with you on that. Mine launched about 4 times today!

Good times, good times. I remember crawling around on all fours for hours looking for that spring before I wife found it laying in the sink. Luckily it didn't go down the drain. What a PITA.

stover wrote:Good times, good times. I remember crawling around on all fours for hours looking for that spring before I wife found it laying in the sink. Luckily it didn't go down the drain. What a PITA.

I had a small container of some Ed's Red solvent I mixed up and was cleaning some of the parts. I was looking all around my work table for the ejector spring thinking I'd lost it, but it ended up being in the Ed's Red bowl. I don't know how it got in there, maybe gremlins.

So far I've had no trouble disassembling mine. Maybe if the safety is yanked out, then the detent and spring can come out with increased force?? Every time I've taken my safety out, which has been 10+ times, it's always stayed put very well. Maybe I'm doing something different. I kind of wish I could make my own directions. Maybe this weekend I'll mess with it. Pretty much, I put the safety between SAFE and FIRE. This keeps the safety from having to be "forced" out upon initial displacement. So, with the safety in a neutral position, detent fully retracted, I push down the firing pin with a small punch (while holding slide and punch with my left hand) I use a common screwdriver in my right hand to gently pry it from it's position. From here, you just kind of go with the flow to finish removing it. It's real simple. fknipfer1 suggests using a pair of hemostats (forceps) to hold the firing pin. You may use a small piece of posterboard-like material to keep from scratching the firing pin with the jaws. (However, use at your own risk. If you somehow break the firing pin, you're pretty much screwed). Anyway, this is just how I do it. Other folks have different ways, but I can report that my detent and spring have not launched to kingdom come yet.

I use the hemostats , it takes me 10 min, to change the springs

if you brake a firing pin with this method, you got a bad firing to begin with


this is a PA-63 in the pix it works with the P-64 too






NORM

press somthing down on the firing pin, clip hemostats on the firing pin



turn safety up just a little then pull out


if you have a bad detent spring or detent you can make one form a plunger spring assembly from a colt 45 auto


i think this guy has the best prices on these parts
http://www.amherst-depot.com/gunparts.45.htm



NORM

What Norm posted above is probably about the best demonstration you're gonna find. That sequence of operations sums it up short and sweet.

That's great info, thanks for the tips, all!

I totally agree, I thought I was doing something wrong putting those parts together. I just printed out Norms neat trick with the hemostats. Thanks NORM, YOU MADE MY DAY.

nlvoldy40

Hey Norm, just finished cleaning and lubing my newest p-64,its a 1977. I've got another question on assmbly of the slide, I used your hemostat trick it worked great. Now do have any cool tricks for containing the safety detent spring and pin during assmbly. Its a pain in the butt.
Thanks again nlvoldy40

nlvoldy40
I use a dental pick puss it in ,push the safety in a little at a time till it pops in
NORM

You can also use a small straightedge, like a small common screwdriver, from the bottom side of the slide. Use it to retain the spring and detent in it's hole. As Norm said, push the safety into it's position until you bump against the screwdrive and simply remove it. The slide will pop right into its place. I use this method and it has worked well for me. The dental pick should work but you have a pin point trying to retain another pointed object (the detent), so I don't know how easily it could slip off. By using the screwdriver, you have a good surface area contacting the detent.