Skip to main content
Help Center Community Shop

Colt Government 380, series 80

nitro99usa
Have thoroughly cleaned and lubricated this firearm, and even with good factory ammo, the hammer will not cock when fired. Operating manually, it will do so. Have shot numerous times thinking maybe not broke in good, to no avail. Will discharge spent round, and reload itself, but hammer will not cock. I am needing expert help on this strange problem.
0

Comments

7 comments

Date Votes
  • CS8161
    Could be a defective sear?? I am not an expert or a gunsmith, but that would be my guess.
    0
  • nitro99usa
    Operating manually, the hammer will cock. If the sear was defective, would it effect manual operation as well as automatic, or not necessarily?
    0
  • rufe-snow
    Colt quit making the Government Model 380's in 1997, according to my reference. As the pistol is used with a unknown round count? And not knowing what some previous owner did or did not do to the trigger mechanism? Don't fool around with it, take it to a knowledgeable Gun Smith.

    No way we can really help you in this matter. The pistol needs a hand-on with some body to disassemble it and check the hammer sear linkage, as the previous poster noted.
    0
  • nitro99usa
    I do appreciate your help, thank you both for taking the time to help me!
    0
  • partisan
    I have owned one of these since the early 1980's. Sounds like you have a simple problem for a GUNSMITH. These little .380's have sky rocketed in price, so spending a little with a gunsmith would be worth it!
    0
  • dcs shooters
    It could be a disconnector sticking or a weak sear spring. Both of these could cause your problem when firing the gun, by not letting the sear return fast enough.
    Like said the best thing to do is have a gunsmith that is familier with the gun check it out.
    0
  • Spartacus
    you can pretty much narrow it down to the hammer itself (damaged notch), the sear spring, the sear itself or the disconector.
    are you comfortable taking the gun apart? not just a field strip. strip down to bare frame.
    if so, assuming you can get the parts (numrich?), it's pretty straightfoward replacing the parts, and while youre at it check the mainspring and give everything some lubrication.
    stone the sear and hammer to reduce that 8 pound pull and you'll have a nice little shooter.
    just my 2c
    0

Please sign in to leave a comment.

Recent Activity