Well, it turned out not to be so bad, but it could have been pretty awful.
Yesterday, I was field stripping my Colt 1908 vest pocket .25 acp pistol, and I managed to let the mainspring guide rod, which was under tension, launch itself across the room, where it disappeared among a mass of shelves, boxes, small cabinets and general junk. The guide rod is very small, but a key part of the firing pin assembly.
I plan on trying to find the piece today or tomorrow, but I think it's unlikely that I'm going to turn it up. I began looking for the part online, and was having trouble locating anybody who had one in stock, when I stumbled across Numrich Gun Parts. My heroes! They have the part (I ordered two, to be on the safe side), and went ahead and ordered a new recoil spring, too . I also ordered some new grips for my Colt .25 Automatic (successor to the Colt, Jr, and not to be confused with the 1908); they're black replacement grips, and will, in my opinion, look better than the gaudy Jay Scott grips that came with the pistol when I bought it a few years ago. The right grip cracked a few days ago and fell into two pieces when I was out at the range, and although I was able to glue the two pieces back together, I figured I'd go ahead and replace them (as I say, they're fairly gaudy things: plastic laminated onto wood, and made to look like stag grips).
Btw, I think it was friend and commenter Veeshir who first mentioned Numrich here a couple of years ago; I believe you said you lived near their warehouse at one time, didn't you V?
Yes I did. It's in West Hurley, near Woodstock. Great place.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe NY allows them to exist. You can no longer go in and browse the awesomeness though, online only.
They used to have a billboard with a flame-throwing cannon in front on Rt 28, just south of the road that leads to Numrich.
It would light up every 30 seconds or so. I loved it. I would take the bus to my grandmother's in Phoenicia and it would pause at a gas station in view of the billboard. I'd stop reading to watch it.
Back when NY wasn't anti-gun.
Well, they saved my bacon, for sure. Next time I need a part, that's going to be my first stop. I already set up an account online.
DeleteI have a Colt 1908. It was my grandfather's, he bought it in 1927 after graduation from Northwestern before moving to Seattle. I guess even then it was advisable to pack heat when going Out West. I also still have the original box and instruction book, the box has the address label of the Chicago gun shop it was purchased from.
ReplyDeleteNumrich is a very good source for gun parts, I've used them before myself.
ReplyDeleteHaving lost a few parts myself (from guns and other items), I keep a telescoping magnetic pick up tool handy. They are handy for plucking ferrous items from hard-to-reach places.
They are also useful to minimize bending over ... ... I ain't as flexible as I once was, alas.
You can get from most hardware store, not to mention on line from Harbor Freight or Amazon. And they're not very expensive, either.