Striker block spring???

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ccampo

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Trying to install an APEX kit on my shield. I knocked out the rear sight but cant find the cap that goes on the USB spring. I was very careful to not let it fly off. The spring was still there but no cap. Does anyone know if this is ever missing? How far could it have flown if I somehow missed it? I have looked all over my work area but cant find it...
 
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To answer my own question....It must shoot far because it is gone...Spent HOURS looking for it...NOTHING....Not happy....
 
The part you're talking about is small and could easily launch into the parts black hole that exists in all work areas.

Give S&W a call. I'll bet they'll send you one for free.
 
Ha! It probably went where my take-down lever spring went (e.g., no one knows). Those things can really fly -- and they are hard to see since the shiny surface of the metal disk reflects its surroundings when it is sitting at an angle. Try looking for it with a very bright flashlight, sweeping the floor with the light at low level... I find a lot of dropped primers that way...

You can call S&W and order a new one -- the newest ones come with a plastic "cap like" disk with a nubbin on it, that fits into the spring, so the two stay together and the disk stays oriented correctly to hold the spring in the center and not get bent over.

By the way, you can improvise a disk out of a small piece of plastic... or even a thin piece of metal... it just has to be the diameter of the hole. In fact, in a pinch you could reassemble the striker block and spring without it, as long as the spring doesn't get bent over when the rear sight slides over it during install.
 
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ccamper:

Rover's correct - you can omit the spring cover entirely, but DO be careful to not trash the spring when installing the sight.

The cover is there to make installation of the sights easier, I think, but you can get surprised.

I managed to shoot the rear sight off a big Para .45 some years back, and didn't know that there was a spring hiding under the sight (no disk - the hole looked like a burr from the allen screw that held the sight in place). Wondered why the plunger's spring tension went away during the next cleaning.... Brownells had that spring....

Now, if you want to really have fun, pop the sear out of the gun without taking extreme care (i.e., a plastic bag :D).... You'll probably find the sear, but the spring and a little bitty plunger will go far away.... (Rather like one of my cats, who apparently can walk through walls. I get up to let the dog out, and she's beside me. Then the dog and I head for the back door, and suddenly she's in front of us. WAY in front.... The other cat, btw, is afraid of himself.)

Six months or so ago, I was disassembling a 1911 for cleaning, and managed to launch the recoil spring plug into oblivion. No idea why the spring in that gun is so heavy. Full Length Guide Rod, so the plug is an oddball, and I didn't have another one.

I ordered one from Brownells, and what they sent was not what was on the web site, other than the same stock number. Ordered another one that seemed right, and it was even wronger. The first replacement looked close enough that I decided (Bubba-R-Us) to drill out a hole for the guide rod and use that. Worked OK, but the plug was about a half-inch too long. As I was trying to decide whether to use a hacksaw or Dremel cutter, guess what was laying in the top bin of the toolbox, under the Dremel accessories.... No idea how that plug got there....

For searching purposes, a magnet on the end of a rod is also sometimes useful, or a "swiffer", automotive snow brush, and things like that. I did find out why the magnet didn't find the plug, at least :D....

Regards,
 
Well...I called Smith and Wesson and they are sending me a replacement free of charge. Great service. Hopefully I will be back in business soon...:)
 
Im confused now....Does anyone know the order of parts? When I took it apart the order was rear sight-Missing disk?-spring-metal disk-and then striker block. I just watched the APEX instal video again and it appears that there is no metal disk that goes inbetween the striker block and the spring...Only between the sight and spring. The video shows a plastic disk that goes on spring between the sight. Is it possible that I have a metal disk and somehow it got on the other side of the spring? There is a dimple on the top of the striker block. Does the spring go into the dimple??? That seems more logical to me because if a disk goes over the dimple the spring would move. Any advice?
 
I looked at an exploded diagram and it looks like it is sight-metal disk-spring and then USB....I dont know how this happened...I didnt even know I had the metal disk until this morning...It was stuck to the striker block and I didnt know it was two seperate parts. I have been looking for a plastic disk this whole time. I put it back together and seems to work fine. UGH!!!!!
 
It's possible the order got mixed up at the factory when it was originally installed. The order should go like this: (top to bottom)
Sight
Disc
Spring
Striker Block

My M&P 45 has a plastic disc, but S&W could have used metal ones at one time. Yes, the spring goes into the dimple in the top of the striker block. The only purpose the disc serves is to keep the spring from binding as you slide the sight on or move it to adjust POI.
 
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Thanks Rastoff. I spent two horrible days thinking I lost the part and would have to wait until I got a new one. On the bright side my work are has never been cleaner as I moved everything looking for a part that wasnt missing...Jokes on me.....:)...I am sure the part was between the spring and the striker block because the spring never flew out as I took off the sight..That is why I couldnt believe the disk flew off if the spring was still there...Oh well I am back in business. Thanks for all the help...BTW the trigger feels great with the Apex kit. I will be able to shoot it next week.
 
The cap is designed to protect the spring, and keep the spring centered, when the sight is put back on. The cap is just slightly smaller in diameter, than the bore hole for the blocker. In the center of the cap is a pin, which the center core of the spring fits into, so the spring stays centered. As you slide the rear sight on, just push the cap down into the bore hole. By further pushing the sight on, the cap is held down and in place by the sight. Seems the newer guns have a plastic cap, and the older guns have a metal cap. yes you could omit the cap, but it is easy to bend the spring when putting the sight on. Bending is less likely with the shorter Apex spring. Also the spring may not be centered, but the blocker should still move freely in the bore hole as long as the spring did not get bent.

By the way, with some of the things I have seen written about S&W new gun quality control, you might have got a gun without the cap being installed.

Bob
 
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