Never use a toothpick...

[Trebor Snave]

...when a nail is required!

While switching out grip frames on my Blackhawk, in haste I grabbed a toothpick to hold the mainspring compressed. Didn't even think about it.

About 90 seconds later it let go. Found the spring, but the seat vanished into the depths of the shop. Maybe I'll find it someday.

I needed to make a Midway order anyway, I guess.

 

[CanonLyles]

D'oh!

 

[Ale-8(1)]

You'll find the seat right after the replacement arrives.

BTDT

 

[Yosemite Sam]

Yep, launched a magazine baseplate a couple of months ago, and if you ever saw my garage you'd understand why I gave up looking immediately, and just called the vendor for a replacement. It was free!

2 months later I'm gathering up ammo for a range visit and pull out one of my old ammo boxes. There sitting right on top, in the depression for the handle, is my mag baseplate.

Vendors are usually pretty good about this stuff. They're rather have a happy customer instead of you sitting around gunless and bummed out over a $5 part.

Unless of course you're S&W, who charges you $12 for a part, sends you the wrong one, then makes you pay again to get them to send you the right one... Which is on backorder... Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

-- Sam

 

[luvmyruger]

Yep, launched a magazine baseplate a couple of months ago, and if you ever saw my garage you'd understand why I gave up looking immediately, and just called the vendor for a replacement. It was free!

2 months later I'm gathering up ammo for a range visit and pull out one of my old ammo boxes. There sitting right on top, in the depression for the handle, is my mag baseplate.

Vendors are usually pretty good about this stuff. They're rather have a happy customer instead of you sitting around bummed out about a $5 part.

Unless of course you're S&W, who charges you $12 for a part, sends you the wrong one, then makes you pay again to get them to send you the right one... Which is on backorder... Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

-- Sam

I understand the lost part issue..... :lol:
But I have called s&w several times to order a small part and each time they just take my address and mail it to me for free. for most companies, its easier to mail a part that costs a couple dollars to keep a customer happy who may buy a $800 item next month.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

^ That's what I would have thought, too. Unfortunately, this recent experience is just further proof to me that Walther made a (bad) deal with the devil when they signed up S&W as their exclusive US distributor. It was a Walther part I wanted, and their support of Walther has been abysmal.

-- Sam

 

[the fatman]

You'll find the seat right after the replacement arrives.

BTDT

:shock: Yep that sounds about right. :wink:

 

[rugerguy]

If you can 'recall" in which direction the parts (assembly) was laying, you can usually come up with a close proximity, as well as where did you find which parts, when it did "come apart"..........yes, this does work 8)

 

[Yosemite Sam]

The best defense is to have a cat handy. When the part lands, the cat runs over to investigate the sound. Found a 1911 recoil spring that way once...

-- Sam

 

[Alex-tx]

Some day, I will clean out the shop vac and go over my entire toy room, behind every nook and cranny I can find and, then see what is in the shop vac.

I think there is a pretty high probability that I can build a Smith model 10 out of all the parts that have dissapeared throughout the years.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Some day, I will clean out the shop vac and go over my entire toy room, behind every nook and cranny I can find and, then see what is in the shop vac.

I think there is a pretty high probability that I can build a Smith model 10 out of all the parts that have dissapeared throughout the years.

I would be afraid to do that because I might be sending a primer or two through the vacuum. :shock:

...Jimbo

 

[tookalisten]

I just found a seat in my backyard; I wondered where it came from. :lol:

 

[Trebor Snave]

If you can 'recall" in which direction the parts (assembly) was laying, you can usually come up with a close proximity, as well as where did you find which parts, when it did "come apart"..........yes, this does work 8)

Well, the spring went past me to the left and the seat went past me on the right. I heard the seat hit the wall behind me and drop, but I was more interested in finding the spring.

Someday I'll clean that corner of the shop, and then I'll have an extra!

 

[Slanteyedshootist]

Parts fall in the same black hole that tools fall into. Then, at some time they pop out of the hole. That's why I have so many duplicate tools. Maybe I should raise the garage floor so I can see better.

 

[mraywi]

The best defense is to have a cat handy. When the part lands, the cat runs over to investigate the sound. Found a 1911 recoil spring that way once...

-- Sam

My first Kimber 1911,lost recoil spring in garage before I ever took it to range to shoot. And yes I found it before getting by Midway to pickup new spring on order.

 

[Yosemite Sam]

Parts fall in the same black hole that tools fall into. Then, at some time they pop out of the hole. That's why I have so many duplicate tools. Maybe I should raise the garage floor so I can see better.

Saw a "Strange Brew" cartoon recently, with a couple of aliens walking around on an alien world, with all this stuff lying around. ...

Edited to add:

-- Sam

 

[psyclone66]

I launched an extractor plunger head and spring out of an M-14 bolt once. After an exhaustive ground search I found it a couple hours later on top of the flourescent light fixture. :lol:

 

[gobe]

I'll bet we've all got a few stories to tell like this one. I've got an 'extra' magazine spring for my Kahr PM9 that ended up in that 'black hole' for over a year.

Somebody on this Forum suggested taking spring-loaded stuff apart inside a strong, clear, plastic bag. Excellent idea! It works.

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

For many years our shop was a Remington warranty station, and the boss was good buddies w/ all the local Remington reps.

So, whenever they were running some kind of seminar, the reps loved asking my boss questions, knowing he'd usually describe what they were trying to get across better than they might, though sometimes he did "have a way" about answering questions.

One time the rep asked him, "How long have you been a gunsmith at the bench?"

Boss answered, "About 10 years."

Rep replied, "But I thought you'd been in business about 20 years?"

Boss came back, "Yeah, but you asked how long I've been at the bench. The other 10 years were on the floor looking for parts!"

The place just erupted in laughter!

Rick C

 

[gunslinger_h]

I keep a box of hair pins for that use, and they have served me well for a long time. Hank.

 

[MikeSS]

Some day, I will clean out the shop vac and go over my entire toy room, behind every nook and cranny I can find and, then see what is in the shop vac.

I think there is a pretty high probability that I can build a Smith model 10 out of all the parts that have dissapeared throughout the years.

I would be afraid to do that because I might be sending a primer or two through the vacuum. :shock:

...Jimbo

That's why man invented stockings/pantyhose.
So dummies like us could put them over the suction end of a vacuum & hopefully find those small parts we lose. :lol:
No need to have the parts go into the canister......it does work.