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First post - Question on recoil spring for old .32 Pocket Auto

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#1 ·
A friend of my wife's in her 70's (not my wife - the friend) is the daughter of one of the first TN State Troopers. She was given his Pocket Auto, s/n 103xxx.

Except for some surface rust on the left side, it is in excellent condition - bore is superb. She does not have the strength to pull the slide back to charge it. Tried it myself and it is a bear ! Am used to Walther PPs and the amount of pull needed for them.

Have field stripped the thing and feel like the problem may be that the recoil spring is out of hardware store somewhere - intend to order a new one just to confirm.

Question is: Has anyone else experienced this hard pull in a ca. 1911 Pocket Auto and aware of a change in recoil springs from one of that age to a current mfgd. spring.

Thanks.
 
#3 ·
Good question.
I presume you have a 1903 model M .32 pocket hammerless.
The thing should not be a struggle to rack. Sometime along the way,
Colt saw fit to smooth out the disconnector recess. In older ones the small hollowed out areas were
sort of 'squarish' and had an abrupt profile. I have a couple like that.
The ones with that setup do not rack as easily as one with the smooth disconnector slot/recess.
It should, however, not be so sticky that it gives the operator trouble running it.
A new recoil spring might be needed anyway, but you might consult a pistolsmith about taking down the
aft (& forward, for that matter) edge and margin of the d/c recess and see if that helps.
If you get a chance, get a look inside one of each era and you will see what I'm talkin' about.
Somebody on here can tell you exactly which ones have the improved 'ramp' profile and which ones are just a square hole.
I have never heard of or seen a complete or whole 1903 that didn't or couldn't be made to run right unless something was broken.
They are magnificent, tough little things, and they shoot like crazy.
 
#5 ·
Thanks to all of you. I will at least order a new spring and try that - also fire the thing as-is to see if the spring strength gives it trouble ejecting.

If this were my own I wouldn't hesitate taking it to a gunsmith for some of the internal mods. suggested but I think having it in the condition her daddy had it means more to her than having it for practical shooting (she already has a snub-nose S&W for that). Thanks again to you all.
 
#6 ·
The .32 Pocket Hammerless we have had an issue, hard to retract, ejection problems,etc, and as we also have a .380 I was able to compare things. The spring in the .32 was a bit longer than the .380 and kind of bent up. So I ordered a replacement from Wolff Gun Springs and that was the remedy.
 
#7 ·
In my opinion, the recoil spring is relatively stout compared to most modern pistols. And the gun is also on small side, which can lead one to pinch the slide instead of gripping it to retract it. The slide serrations and some edges can be sharp to soft hands. Plus, the finish on a blued gun can be slick which can aid in it getting away from you when retracting the slide. All that said, in my experience it is a wonderful, reliable gun that is a joy to shoot!
 
#8 ·
Operating the slide shouldn't be any more difficult than operating the slide on a Walther PP (if you are saying it's tougher than that).

If you haven't already, I'd suggest assembling it without the recoil spring in place just to be sure there are no significant friction points -- you will feel the friction of the hammer being depressed more and riding on the inside of the slide when you operate the slide without the spring. That should be the most resistance you feel without the spring installed.

You didn't mention if there are any significant bends or twists in the spring -- people commonly install the recoil spring's guide-rod backward (the wide end goes into the frame), or even "force" things when assembling properly, and kink the spring. As noted already, that could create extra tension as the slide is operated.

If you've ordered a Wolff replacement spring, that should solve the problem if the current spring isn't a proper one.
 
#9 ·
Thanks. I will reassemble without the spring to check for the things you mention. When it was disassembled it didn't seem like anything was installed backward. I don't have a 1911 - closest thing I have is a wartime Star B and have goofed on getting that one back together. I did notice that the spring in it was narrower on one end (wouldn't fit over guide rod) than the other.

Wolff has the new spring en route. Thanks to you all again.
 
#10 ·
Thanks. I will reassemble without the spring to check for the things you mention. When it was disassembled it didn't seem like anything was installed backward. I don't have a 1911 - closest thing I have is a wartime Star B and have goofed on getting that one back together. I did notice that the spring in it was narrower on one end (wouldn't fit over guide rod) than the other.

Wolff has the new spring en route. Thanks to you all again.
That is normal with the original springs. That narrower end is the one you slide onto the guide rod; it will stay in place once you work it on. That end ("tight" end of the spring with the wide portion of the guide-rod) goes into the frame. The more "open" end goes into the slide.
 
#12 ·
Ah ha! It was on backward to begin with and had the original spring. Are new mfged. springs made like that?

Just played with it - working the slide on the frame minus barrel etc. Felt like a lot of resistance getting it over the sear. That in addition to spring may have been the trouble.
 
#13 ·
Ah ha ! It was in backward all along. Don't immediately see why that would make a difference but... Are new springs made as that too or just equal I.D. one end to the other.

I played with running the slide minus barrel on the frame. It seems to hang over the sear and I wonder if that was not part of the problem too. (Keep in mind that I am more used to Walthers than anything else.)
 
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