I'm cleaning a model 4043 DAO for a friend, pretty dirty. I need to remove the firing pin/assembly. Can't figure out how to do it. Thanks for any suggestions.

Its a little involved but not terribly difficult at all. Google "S&W 3rd generation disassembly video", you'll have several to pick from that cover every detail of not only firing pin but complete dissembly and, most importantly, reassembly. I have found watching the video then watching again WHILE DOING makes the process very understandable and simple. You will be performing a very smart and worthwhile task. Good luck.

JFD, thanks for the tip. The video was indeed very helpful. After watching just a little, I realized this was almost a carbon copy of the design of the Walther PP/PPK guns. I have a WWII PP (courtesy of my father) liberated from the original Walther factory in Zella-Mehlis. I have disassembled that .32 many times. Thanks again, my friend will have a very clean 4043.

When installing the firing pin retainer into the DAO slide (instead of a manual safety assembly), you must make sure of a couple of things.

First, the round head plunger and its heavy spring must be in the firing pin retainer body (just like on the manual safety models).

Second, the flat cut on the firing pin retainer must face the rear of the slide.

Oh yeah, there's another difference between the DAO & TDA guns during reassembly ...

The disconnector must be installed in its spot before the drawbar is connected to the trigger.

In TDA guns the drawbar is installed and connected to the trigger (meaning trigger pin installed) before the disconnector is installed. In DAO guns the disconnector is slipped into its spot before the drawbar is installed and pinned to the trigger. (You'll discover why if you do it in the wrong order in a DAO gun. )

The drawbar plunger & spring, and the DAO trigger, are put into their positions in the normal manner, before the disconnector and then the drawbar are installed.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer