Ok, it's not really broken. But I made the rookie mistake of disassembling it in the wrong sequence and now that it's back together, a) the trigger doesn't work, and b) I can't get it disassembled again. Has anyone dealt w/this issue? How did you resolve? If I need to take it to a gunsmith, I will do so. Any recommendations in the Alpharetta/Cumming area? Thanks
I've had this problem. The reason it did this (if you made the same mistake as me, which it sounds like you did) is that you didn't have the gun in the proper orientation while putting the pin back in that holds the bolt in the receiver. Notice in the instructions that you have to have the muzzle down and up at various points. It's truly a rube golberg device. It took me a while to get it apart, but I did get it apart. I believe jiggling the thing in various orientations, with magazine in and out, while playing with the bolt, was how I got the thing to finally wiggle open. That's not a really good answer, but I fiddled with it for maybe an hour before something gave way.
This sounds exactly like what I did. I remember getting ahead of myself and skipping steps. So after you got it apart again, were you able to resolve the trigger issue?
Take it back apart and re-assemble properly you should be just fine. It's hard to get apart when assembled incorrectly but it will come back apart just takes time and a lot of wiggling.
I have seen this also. If you can get the gun back apart you should be able to fix it. Just make sure you follow the reassembly procedure in the proper order. We had one of our rental guns at work that was reassembled in the wrong sequence and the trigger would not work, just as you described. We took it back apart and pulled out the instruction manual, got it back together and it works fine.
Yup, the trigger spring is not in the correct slot in the backstrap. YOU MUST place the weapon muzzle up at the degree shown in the instructions to get the thing back together. Once you do it, it is second nature. That first time is really a bummer though!
And it makes me feel like such a schmuck! I've never had a gun that I stripped & could not put back together, until this one...
After several months of using it as paper weight, I finally tried this again and successfully reassembled! Thanks for all the help and feedback. Of all the youtube videos I watched, this one was the most helpful: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fIYIWK0boo
The brainpower of mechanical designers is truly astounding. Add some hydraulics and electronics and you have an automatic transmission that is absolutely inscrutable.
http://www.guntalk-online.com/fsprocedures.htm Either print these out, or copy everything into word/google docs and save/print them. I take both my MKIIIs completely apart when I clean them and it's perfectly OK b/c of that website. I can do it without those instructions now, but it's only because of those instructions. I love these guns, but they can be a PITA to put back together!
reminds me of when i stripped my dads colt woodsman. i ended up taking it to a smith...and told dad to will it to my brother! total pita!
I think there is a very good chance that if you own a 22/45 and have taken it apart this has happened to you to one degree or another. Count me in as one who has done it.....more than once
Been there; done that. But I didn't wait 9 months to look for a youtube on it. . . I found that buzzkill vid too.