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Colt Match Target springs

skychaser53
Lately I've had several no fires. I thought maybe it was bad ammo. But.. I've been shooting this MT since 1972. Do I need a new firing pin spring?lol Where would I ever find springs for an old Colt?

A lot of times the slide doesn't stay back after the last shell. Is the slide catch operated by a spring or is it the magazine spring that pushes it up?

thanks
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • nmyers
    Not sure of your problem. Does the firing pin make a good indent on the primer? Are you using commercial ammo with hard primers? Have you completely disassembled & cleaned the bolt/bolt carrier?

    Brownell's has every spring you could ever want for an AR. The age of your gun is not a problem, as springs are pretty much unchanged over the years.

    If the slide doesn't stay back after the last round, check for a dirty or corroded bolt latch.

    Neal
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  • Pearyw
    Are you talking about a Colt Match Target Woodsman 22 rimfire? You can buy a new recoil spring with a firing pen spring from Wolff Springs for $7.89. Look at www.gunsprings.com.
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  • skychaser53
    OOPS !! Yes I'm talking about the MT 22 caliber rimfire.

    Thx Peary I'll give Gunsprings a look and thx nmyers for the help. that will tell me where to look when I need AR springs..


    Still need a little help on the slide not staying back.[:)]
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  • Hawk Carse
    The slide stop is engaged by the magazine follower button.
    A new magazine spring might fix it, but if you have been shooting at high volume since 1972, the slide stop or the notch in the slide might be worn rounded off.
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  • skychaser53
    quote:Originally posted by Hawk Carse
    The slide stop is engaged by the magazine follower button.
    A new magazine spring might fix it, but if you have been shooting at high volume since 1972, the slide stop or the notch in the slide might be worn rounded off.


    I thought the button might push it, wasn't sure. I'll be ordering a new mag spring too. Is it OK to carefully Dremel the edge to make it square again ?
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  • Hawk Carse
    I wouldn't.
    I am NRA Mechanically Inept and I would take it to my gunsmith.
    If he agreed that the lever or the notch was rounded off, he would probably use a small fine file to square it or them up. A Dremel is just too powerful for delicate work like that unless you are a real master with it.
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  • perry shooter
    Hello the rear of the grip frame was changed in mid production from pistols that should only be shot with STANDARD VELOCITY later pistols are ok with High Velocity. look at the fingernail size pattern on this grip strap is it straight lines or is it a checkered patterned ?

    EDIT Sorry [:I]I did not read that your pistol was a third model in your Post [:I] my original post only applies to PRE WW II pistols.
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  • skychaser53
    quote:Originally posted by Hawk Carse
    I wouldn't.
    I am NRA Mechanically Inept and I would take it to my gunsmith.
    If he agreed that the lever or the notch was rounded off, he would probably use a small fine file to square it or them up. A Dremel is just too powerful for delicate work like that unless you are a real master with it.


    Thx Hawke, the bottom of the slide has a tiny bit of rounding that just goes 1/4 of the way across. I think maybe a new mag spring might fix it. I'm going to order a firing pin and spring also. I'll let the gunsmith decide if he needs to file it a touch.

    quote:Originally posted by perry shooter
    Hello the rear of the grip frame was changed in mid production from pistols that should only be shot with STANDARD VELOCITY later pistols are ok with High Velocity. look at the fingernail size pattern on this grip strap is it straight lines or is it a checkered patterned ?


    Perry Shooter, my grip is like this one at auction, 3rd series?
    http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=132044012
    Is that what you mean the straight lines on both sides of the grip ?
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  • Hawk Carse
    No, the change perry shooter talks about was made many years earlier in the pre- WW II first generation Woodsman. You (and I) are ok with highspeed in our third model guns.
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  • JudgeColt
    The misfires MAY be due to a batch of ammunition that is extra hard to ignite. I suspect the same ammunition also may be too weak to send the slide back far enough to engage the slide stop reliably. If this has just occurred lately, that seems the most likely cause, assuming the gun is clean.

    IF the cause of the slide not locking back is a rounded slide stop notch, do NOT use a rotary tool to re-cut the slide stop notch. Get a 3/16- to 1/4-inch punch and use some very fine sandpaper to slightly round the edges of the punch tip. Then carefully peen the displaced metal around the slide stop notch in the slide back down. That should restore the sharp shoulder to the slide stop notch, and, if done carefully, will be nearly invisible. Touch with cold blue if necessary. (This technique works fine with "buggered" screws as well.)

    If the gun has been shot a lot and the firing pin has never been removed for cleaning, it could be that there is "gunk" in the firing pin channel that is "cushioning" the firing pin so it hits the cartridge rim with reduced force. While "weak" springs are a possibility, I doubt that is the cause. I suspect the areas mentioned.
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