Doing something Dumb

[JimmyZip]

Getting my pistola ready for Sunday, I was cleaning and reassembling. Spring, firing pin, firing pin stop, slip. ZING!!! Out the shop window into the neighbors back yard! (At 12:00 midnight too!) Do I have a back up? OF COURSE NOT! Can we say double dumb?

ARGH!!!!!

I pm'd the CZar to find out where to get a replacement, but I wanted to shoot Sunday. I guess I will be spending extra time with the family this weekend!

From now on I will keep it pointed toward my assembly pad, and keep a couple of extras to boot.

Bummer!

JZ

[GentlemanJim]

Hmm

Well if you have any luck finding your lost parts...A couple 1911 firing pins are in low earth orbit over here as well

Jim

[Alan550]

That's when a giant magnet comes in handy..............unless you've got a ti pin!

Alan~^~

[larry cazes]

That's a bummer. I can beat that one, though. Many years back when I was just starting to shoot I got my first 1911 and was tearing it down to clean it after shooting and I launched the spring plug straight up and into the overhead flourescent fixture over my bench. Broke two lights!

[Duane Thomas]

From now on I will keep it pointed toward my assembly pad, and keep a couple of extras to boot.

Or just close the window.

[Nik Habicht]

Or, do the assembly in one of those big 4 gallon ziploc bags....

Instant containment --- then you can feel smarter than the folks who reassemble guns without one.... :P

[Duane Thomas]

Honestly, when I have to reassemble a gun where there's going to be considerable spring pressure applied, and the potential for things to slip and go flying, I go into the bathroom, remove the bath mat from the room, close the door, put the lid down on the toilet, then have at it. There are no windows, no carpet for things to hide in, and it's a small room, not really very much space in which anything that goes flying could actually wind up - not only can you literally not lose the part, if it does pop loose it's very easy to find.

[jasmap]

Honestly, when I have to reassemble a gun where there's going to be considerable spring pressure applied, and the potential for things to slip and go flying, I go into the bathroom, remove the bath mat from the room, close the door, put the lid down on the toilet, then have at it. There are no windows, no carpet for things to hide in, and it's a small room, not really very much space in which anything that goes flying could actually wind up - not only can you literally not lose the part, if it does pop loose it's very easy to find.

But if you left the toilet seat up and a spring or pin went flying then you'd be in deep $h!t.

[Duane Thomas]

Yep. Putting the lid down on the toilet seat - DEFINITELY an important step in the process.

[BSeevers]

Closing the window might not be a good enough idea on the range. We had a guy reassembling his 1911 on his truck seat, slipped FP stop and cracked window.