I just picked up a Colt Woodsman for $90 at an auction. It looks like it's been through a ton of use over the years. However, I do have a problem with it.
When I initially brought it home, I took it apart to assess if it would be safe to fire. I looked it over, and aside from needing to put grips on, and aside from that and needing to buy a new pin that keeps the magazine catch and main-spring housing in the firearm, it seemed in okay shape. However, when I put that pin back in to finish assembly on the firearm, I heard a click. Since that didn't sound normal, I took the colt apart again, and found my issue. The Assembly Lock came out from the proper position (it's supposed to rest against the tip of the Recoil Guide Rod). Upon further analysis, there isn't anything keeping the assembly lock from being bumped out of position with a mild tap on the slide.
From pictures I found online, there looks to be a small piece of metal (maybe it was soldered in by colt) to keep the Assembly Lock in the proper position when kept in place by the Guide Rod and Recoil Spring. Does anyone know how i'd fix this outside of going to a gunsmith? It wasn't on a parts list or any of the diagrams I found online, so it must have been a permanent piece of the slide, and snapped off years back due to the age of the firearm.
This is a pre-war woodsman from 1937. Will post some pictures in a bit.
When I initially brought it home, I took it apart to assess if it would be safe to fire. I looked it over, and aside from needing to put grips on, and aside from that and needing to buy a new pin that keeps the magazine catch and main-spring housing in the firearm, it seemed in okay shape. However, when I put that pin back in to finish assembly on the firearm, I heard a click. Since that didn't sound normal, I took the colt apart again, and found my issue. The Assembly Lock came out from the proper position (it's supposed to rest against the tip of the Recoil Guide Rod). Upon further analysis, there isn't anything keeping the assembly lock from being bumped out of position with a mild tap on the slide.
From pictures I found online, there looks to be a small piece of metal (maybe it was soldered in by colt) to keep the Assembly Lock in the proper position when kept in place by the Guide Rod and Recoil Spring. Does anyone know how i'd fix this outside of going to a gunsmith? It wasn't on a parts list or any of the diagrams I found online, so it must have been a permanent piece of the slide, and snapped off years back due to the age of the firearm.
This is a pre-war woodsman from 1937. Will post some pictures in a bit.
