Striker pin spring installation

[Allen]

I have a new Wolff striker spring coming but have never removed the striker pin before. I think I've seen some instructions in all my reading but can't remember where or how to get there.

Is there any one in particular that would be the easiest/simpliest to follow? Somehow it seems I remember this can be a little tricky to do and I've only had the gun dismantled for cleaning twice so far.

Appreciate any suggestions.

[Booker T]

Hey Allen, here you go. Many suggest pointing the rear of the slide into a gallon size ziplock bag to catch any of the parts that want to fly out, and they do want to fly out, until you get the hang of it.

How To "Detail Strip" the Kahr's Upper! (http://www.kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=197)

Glock Talk - View Single Post - Detail Stripping the Kahr's Upper (http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13604349&postcount=52)

Using a small jewelers screw driver, angle it to push only on the very right side of that hole in the back plate. That is usually the toughest part, until you have done it once or twice to get the feel of it. Good luck

[KoolBreeze]

The below thread has links to how to videos.

http://www.kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=11735&highlight=detail+strip

[Allen]

Hey Allen, here you go. Many suggest pointing the rear of the slide into a gallon size ziplock bag to catch any of the parts that want to fly out, and they do want to fly out, until you get the hang of it.

How To "Detail Strip" the Kahr's Upper! (http://www.kahrtalk.com/showthread.php?t=197)

Glock Talk - View Single Post - Detail Stripping the Kahr's Upper (http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/showpost.php?p=13604349&postcount=52)

Using a small jewelers screw driver, angle it to push only on the very right side of that hole in the back plate. That is usually the toughest part, until you have done it once or twice to get the feel of it. Good luck

Booker, you hit the nail right on the head for the thing which always causes me headaches, something flies out of ''where did that item come from and where do I put it back in and which end goes in first''.

I'm glad you guys will be handy when I start putting it back together, assuming I have the guts to take it apart to begin with. Good thing the spring didn't cost much in case I back out of the job completely.

P.S.
Now that I've read the "Detail Stripping" I'm really apprehensive about removing that back plate. Course most things do come apart, it's the going back together that usually causes all the problems.

Thanks for all the help.

[jimsea]

First time=20 minutes.

Second and subsequent times=minute and half. :D

[KoolBreeze]

Booker, you hit the nail right on the head for the thing which always causes me headaches, something flies out of ''where did that item come from and where do I put it back in and which end goes in first''.

I'm glad you guys will be handy when I start putting it back together, assuming I have the guts to take it apart to begin with. Good thing the spring didn't cost much in case I back out of the job completely.

It's not that difficult, don't sweat it. I detailed stripped mine yesterday afternoon, had it all clean and laid out on the table, when the wife's cat decided to hop up onto the table right in the middle of all of the parts! My instinctive action was to swat the cat; wrong move! Cat went sailing, parts went flying. Took me a few minutes to find all the parts. Like others have said, the most difficult part is getting the cover off without everything flying everywhere.

[ripley16]

Like others have said, the most difficult part is getting the cover off without everything flying everywhere.

If you use a ripley retractor coathanger tool, you don't have to worry about parts flying away. It will hold everything in place while you remove the back plate and then you can slowly ease the striker parts out the rear, covering the channel hole with your thumb.

http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i186/ripley16/Kahrtool001.jpg

[wyntrout]

Cover the rear pin with your thumb to keep it from flying, too, and watch for your extractor falling out. A piece of tape can keep that in place.

When you take the slide apart, it's a good chance to make sure your striker channel is clean. A good light and Q-tips can help after you blow the debris out with Non-chlorinated Brake Cleaner. Leave the channel dry.

The striker block is part of the extractor train with a cutout on the outside. The extractor spring holds it in place and there's a tiny spring underneath the striker block.

Your coat hanger clamp doesn't have to be fuzzy like Ripley's.:D

Wynn:)

[jocko]

First time=20 minutes.

Second and subsequent times=minute and half. :D

reminds me of my first date:Amflag2: We both got better.

[KoolBreeze]

reminds me of my first date:Amflag2: We both got better.

Haha. Better as in longer or shorter? :D

[KoolBreeze]

If you use a ripley retractor coathanger tool, you don't have to worry about parts flying away. It will hold everything in place while you remove the back plate and then you can slowly ease the striker parts out the rear, covering the channel hole with your thumb.


Yeah I have been meaning to make one of those but haven't got around to it yet. I just cover it with my thumb.

[CJB]

reminds me of my first date:Amflag2: We both got better.

I remember my first date.... she was 14, I was 17. We had to walk to the movie theater, which was nice actually. In the middle of the movie "Lets do it again" with Cosby and Portier, she jumped up outta the blue, shouted out (so everyone could hear it) "YOU WANT ME TO WHAT?"... and after a moment of deafening silence produced two quarters. Then she threw them down at me, and said equally loud "WELL YOU CAN TAKE BACK YOUR FIFTY CENTS!", and stormed off. I remained seated, due to the nauseating feeling, and not being able to feel my feet at that point. She came back a few minutes later, laughing, with popcorn.

Such it was.

We've been best of buds ever since... damn near 40 years. Never married 'er, only dated two years, but ... friendship that last like that dont grow on trees.

Back to the thread... grow another hand.... and or use a small (padded) vice to make the job easier for the fumblethumbed.

[Allen]

Ha Ha, that third hand is what I'm been wondering how to come up with. Thought about having the wife help hold the slide but then had another thought that beat that one all to heck and decided I'd better not. I have a small vice, what would be a good product to pad it with? The link furnished showed using the slide pin to hold back the striker spring while removing the rear plate, so was wondering which worked best, that pin or the clothes hanger?

I don't intend to tear the slide down any further than just enough to get the striker spring replaced. Don't want to press my luck any further than necessary.

Don't have any pets so that will help.

[KoolBreeze]

I use the slide stop, as shown in the video, but it doesn't prevent the spring from putting pressure on the back plate (making the back plate somewhat harder to remove) and it doesn't prevent the spring from flying out when you remove the back plate. Therefore the clothes hanger gadget would be better, as it would do both.

Honestly, once you have the striker spring out your are 80% done disassembling the slide. There is nothing too removing the other parts and you may as well disassemble it for cleaning. Once you have the striker out everything else will almost fall out. Just be careful not to lose the little spring underneath the striker block. In the video he doesn't remove it from the striker block, but mine just falls out all on it's on, as does the extractor.

[muggsy]

After forty years of marriage the wife and I still do it twice and I like the one in the spring the best.

[ripley16]

After forty years of marriage the wife and I still do it twice and I like the one in the spring the best.

I tried that once but afterwards the neighbors complained about the taste of the spring water. ;)

[Allen]

Well fellows, with all your help, and the Ripley clothes hanger tool I attacked replacing the striker spring this evening. The suggestion to tape the extractor and also the pin after removing the back plate worked like a charm. Certainly eliminated two items to not have to worry about falling out (and I hate things that fall out of some place I didn't see and what order it should go back in).
I didn't have a jeweler's screw driver for depressing the pin in order to remove the back plate but I had a very small punch I could grind two flat sides on it just like a screw driver.
Job really wasn't as tricky as the first time I removed the slide.
Thanks for all the pictures and suggestions from this great Forum. Now all I have to do is wonder what will happen the next time I fire it.

[wyntrout]

After you get it back together, use a pencil, dowel, or whatever that fits into the barrel pointed up and fire the UNLOADED pistol to see if the striker pin moves the whatever. It could vary from the pencil hopping and staying in the barrel or bounce it off the ceiling, but the pin should hit and move the pencil.

DISCLAIMER: I'm not responsible for holes shot in the ceiling!

Wynn:)

[Allen]

Hey Wynn, excellent suggestion on the pencil or dowel. I was wondering if I'd have to wait for the next trip to the range or maybe fire a couple of rounds into the full trash can in the closed garage and hope none of the neighbors call the police.

I had to laugh when you bold printed "unloaded gun" wondering if someone would actually fire a live round with something in the barrel. I just had a new roof installed a couple of years ago so I sure wouldn't want any unnecessary holes in it.

[Allen]

Tried the pencil in the barrel pointed toward the ceiling and the striker did pop the pencil out on the floor, didn't quite reach the ceiling though.

For the first round loaded into the chamber I usually either lock the slide back, drop a round into the barrel, then trip the slide lock. Or I lock the slide back, install the magazine, then trip the slide lock to load the first round. Just wondering if anyone has ever had any automatic pistol fire that round when the slide slams shut on it. I'm always very careful where the gun is pointed when loading that first round into the barrel but maybe this accidental firing would never happen.

[wyntrout]

People do all kinds of crazy things. I just don't trust anyone... not even myself.

I tested the G19 after a very light cleaning. It dang near stuck the plastic rod in the ceiling. The Glock striker pin is kind of arrow-like... not a rounded-head pin, but makes similar marks as the Kahr... the smearing on the primer strike.

The pin for the back plate can be semi-circular... just one flat side. It just has to be thin enough to fit past the cutout on the back plate. Once you get the plate moved a bit to cover the pin, you can try to straighten it a bit to come off. Watch out for the pin, it can launch! It's another one of those operations where a third hand would help.:D

Wynn:)