Browning 1910/1955 field strip problems - I jammed it good!

billshears · Sep 1, 2020

I got this a few weeks ago and wanted to do a good cleaning before shooting.

Instead of looking up takedown directions, I bulldozed ahead.

I locked it back, twisted the barrel and let the slide forward. I pulled the trigger at some point. Now it is tightly locked in its current position. The only things I can get to move are the safety, grip safety, trigger, and firing pin. I can't even get the magazine release to work.

I've made a mess of things. Any suggestions before I sheepishly go to a gunsmith?

Kurusu · Sep 1, 2020

billshears said:
I got this a few weeks ago and wanted to do a good cleaning before shooting.

Instead of looking up takedown directions, I bulldozed ahead.

I locked it back, twisted the barrel and let the slide forward. I pulled the trigger at some point. Now it is tightly locked in its current position. The only things I can get to move are the safety, grip safety, trigger, and firing pin. I can't even get the magazine release to work.

I've made a mess of things. Any suggestions before I sheepishly go to a gunsmith?

Remove the bayonnet barrel bushing. It was the first thing you should have done to begin with.

Edit. Forget what I wrote. Just take it to a gunsmith. A good one.

billshears · Sep 1, 2020

That thing won't twist now. I'm an idiot.

H Richard · Sep 1, 2020

A piece of garden hose, 3/4" ID and about 4-6" long to press against the barrel bushing will give you connection to remove the bushing. Only about a 1/4 turn.

Rpg · Sep 1, 2020

I've shown up at my gunsmith's house after hours with a grocery bag full of gun parts, the results of one of my misguided efforts to disassemble a gun that's new to me, more than once.

The standard fee for him to finish disassembling it and reassembling it begins at a six pack of beer, although on one occasion I'd made such a hash of things that I brought a fifth of single malt scotch.

He sure can fix whatever I've wrecked in much less time than it took me to trash it.

billshears · Sep 1, 2020

I'll try the garden hose idea.

RPG, I wish I had a gunsmith friend to pop over. I'd up the offering and bring ammo as a thank you. I'm that desperate!

old tanker · Sep 1, 2020

Kurusu said:
Remove the bayonnet barrel bushing. It was the first thing you should have done to begin with.

Edit. Forget what I wrote. Just take it to a gunsmith. A good one.

It's not a 1922...and a I agree, a good gunsmith. I have a theory, but I am having a hard time visualizing how the striker has to be positioned where it won't let the slide move back. How is it missing the hole in the slide?

Aggie1906 · Sep 1, 2020

1910/1955

Yep, I fussed with mine so much I think I figured out the garden hose trick on my own. Claiming that anyway. Kinda wore off some of the blue at the muzzle end trying. Dang, it was a virgin until then. Still a JMB fan anyway.
Nothing I would carry. You know I would not trust that tiny
little safety, JMB notwithstanding.
You gotta have the instructions, then it's pretty easy.

Lovely little .380!

billshears · Sep 1, 2020

I tried the garden hose by hand. And then a clear piece of plastic tubing that I squeezed over the barrel. I then tried to clamp the bushing lip and twist it. No dice. I didn't try super hard since I don't want to add a giant scratch to my agony.

Kurusu · Sep 2, 2020

old tanker said:
It's not a 1922...and a I agree, a good gunsmith. I have a theory, but I am having a hard time visualizing how the striker has to be positioned where it won't let the slide move back. How is it missing the hole in the slide?

I know it's not a 1922. In the 1910 you have to deprees the bushing to rotate it. The 1922 is easier because it has a latch. I have one of each.

mikerjf · Sep 2, 2020

My 1910 (a 380) was really difficult... probably my most difficult gun to strip after the Ruger 22. And I could hardly rack the slide on mine.

One of the coolest looking little guns ever, tho.

Protocall_Design · Sep 2, 2020

Normally, the first thing you do is take out the magazine...

Kurusu · Sep 2, 2020

Protocall_Design said:
Normally, the first thing you do is take out the magazine...

Yes. That and checking if the chamber is empty. It's so second nature to me, that I always forget to mention it.

Rule3 · Sep 2, 2020

I do not have one but do have a similar gun
If it was me, I would try to push down o the exposed magazine spring (the holes in the frame) and try to release the magazine catch to remove the magazine. Then go from there.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCb3F34RzU8[/ame]

billshears · Sep 2, 2020

Protocall_Design said:
Normally, the first thing you do is take out the magazine...

Yep, I did this. And then I reinserted it. I had just field stripped a Ruger LC9 that requires the trigger to be pulled, but due to the magazine safety you have to reinsert the mag to do it.

I wasn't thinking right about the takedown procedure, but I did have enough sense to check that it was empty. That is ingrained.

billshears · Sep 2, 2020

Rule3 said:
I do not have one but do have a similar gun
If it was me, I would try to push down o the exposed magazine spring (the holes in the frame) and try to release the magazine catch to remove the magazine. Then go from there.

FN Model 1910 disassembly and reassembly - YouTube

I'll try this tonight. Thank you!

Rule3 · Sep 2, 2020

billshears said:
Yep, I did this. And then I reinserted it. I had just field stripped a Ruger LC9 that requires the trigger to be pulled, but due to the magazine safety you have to reinsert the mag to do it.

I wasn't thinking right about the takedown procedure, but I did have enough sense to check that it was empty. That is ingrained.

But when you put the mag back in did you pull the trigger to "decock" it?? Seems this may be the issue it is still "cocked"
But do not understand why the mag release will not work to now drop the mag??

2152hq · Sep 2, 2020

Maybe the slide has over ridden the sear having come forward that far.
The sear can't depress as far as it is supposed to with the magazine in place as it's spring also powers the magazine safety.
That mag safety may now be pressing tightly on the mag keeping it from being pulled free.

Just a guess.

Try rotating the bbl back into it's disassembly position inside the slide where it is normally rotated to unlock the lugs on the bbl from the lugs on the frame.,,the 1/4 turn position.

That lugged area of the bbl may be now sitting somewhere in rotation other than the 'seat' cutout inside the slide made for it when it's rotated for TD.
You'll be fishing for that bbl position blind, but I think that's the problem.
Get the bbl back into TD position.
Then push the slide back where it belongs.
That should release the sear and it's spring. The spring is also the mag safety spring. That releases the mag safety so it's not jammed against the magazine.

It all sounds so simple!

billshears · Sep 2, 2020

2 minutes for the gunsmith to help me out. He was able to pop the magazine out. I was too scared to put more than finger pressure on the mag release and was having trouble trying to manipulate anything else since I'm not that familiar with its internals.

Thank you all for the suggestions and help!

Deceasedeye · Sep 3, 2020

The first step should be to unscrew the cap on front of barrel the spring is situated around the barrel, remove the spring and TD should be easy. You may have done this I can't tell by reading.

Browning 1910/1955 field strip problems - I jammed it good!

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