How To Strip An FTL .22 Auto Nine?

[RocketmanVT]

I have a skeleton of a P.O.S. FTL Auto Nine - no grips, no fire-control parts AT ALL (other what what resides inside the slide) and the magazine looks like it lost a fight with a truck.

I wish to remove the slide to get at everything else (especially the extractor) but I can't seem to get the blasted slide off the frame...I've got the barrel rotated about 90 degrees up past the slots in the frame, but cannot get the barrel to lift off the frame and down the guide.

Does anyone here know how to field-strip this hunk o' junk?

 

[never_retreat]

Well to keep things consistent with the rest of the gun I would just use a torch.

 

[kingpin008]

Pics might help, for those of us who aren't familiar with this particular gun but are good at figuring stuff out by looking at it.

 

[RocketmanVT]

Actually, I haveconsidered using my Dremel on it...Or maybe a little C-4?

Here are a couple of poor-quality pics I took (long depth-of-field on that little camera) just in case they help.

 

[Clermont]

Stripping the Wilkinson Sherry/FTL Auto Nine

Disassembly: Tools needed- 1/8" Philips screwdriver, 4" Screw driver narrow blade, 6" Wooden dowel 1/4" diameter.
1. Make certain firearm is unloaded. Remove Magazine. With gun cocked, place Safety on.
2. Remove Insert Screw on right side of Slide.
3. Insert wooden dowel into magazine well and use upward pressure to remove Insert. Insert will not come out if Hammer is uncocked.
4. Move Slide forward until it makes contact with the Barrel. Turn Frame upside down and strike against your hand. Barrel will fall out, allowing Slide to be removed. Snapping the Hammer with Slide off may result in damage to Hammer, Sear, and Strut. No further disassembly is recommended.
Assembly:
1. Make sure Hammer Pin is centered. If not, put Safety in off position and gently uncock Hammer to make ajustment, then recock Hammer and put Safety back on. Install Recoil Rod, washer end first, in recoil hole in Frame. Place Slide on Frame, sliding it rearward so that from the top of the Slide the barrel locking slots in the Frame are visible. 2. Place Barrel into the Frame using the opening in the Slide and engaging the barrel locking lugs with the barrel locking slots on the Frame. At the same time, align the Recoil Spring into the hole provided in the front of the Slide.
3. Holding the pistol in the left hand and using the left thumb so that at least 1/4" of Barrel protrudes past the front of the Slide, place Insert in top of Slide with rounded end of the Firing Pin toward the rear, flat side up.
4. Press rear of Insert against Slide so that the Firing Pin is depressed and down about 1/8". This will allow front of Insert to enter Slide. Pressing on center of Insert will now seat Insert into the Slide. Release Slide.
5. Place Insert Screw in hole in right side of Slide. Using thumb or wood object to assist in aligning hole in Insert with the Slide. Tighten Screw firmly, but not tight.

 

[lgcal20ga]

Can't believe I found this today. I have never tried to break mine down, but with this in hand, I may give it a go. Larry

 

[B yond]

Well, I just field stripped mine in about 3 seconds without any tools or a dowel...

1. Cock it and unload it.
2. Move the slide back until you can rotate the barrel so that the raised ribs of the barrel (which lock it into the frame) can rotate up into the cutout inside the ejection port on the slide.
3. The slide should slide off toward the muzzle.

It sounds like you might be caught up on the ejector, which is spring loaded and could prevent slide removal if it becomes damaged/warped. Pull the slide all the way back and you should see it poking out on the inside opposite the ejection port.

PM me if you're still having trouble and i'll try to find my camera.

 

[B yond]

pictures...

Here are some quick pics of field-stripping my auto nine...

Hard to see, but it says FTL MKTG. CORP. on the frame...

.22 AUTO NINE on the slide...

the barrel ribs rotate into the cutout on the ejection port...

the slide slides off toward the muzzle

and now it's in pieces!

Please excuse the poor quality images; batteries in my camera were dead so I used the webcam.

There's no screw on the slide on mine. I wonder if there were two models of auto nine.

 

[B yond]

This whole insert or no insert thing has been bugging me so I did some research and there apparently were two versions. This website has parts for both.

 

[Clermont]

To: B yond

If I remember correctly, both the Wilkinson Sherry and the FTL Auto Nine are marked Parma, Idaho. What other markings are on your FTL Auto Nine?

 

[B yond]

If I remember correctly, both the Wilkinson Sherry and the FTL Auto Nine are marked Parma, Idaho. What other markings are on your FTL Auto Nine?

The only other markings are the caliber (.22LR), serial #, and "Covina, CA."

No mention of Parma.

When I first got this one I took it to a LGS to get a pocket holster and struck up a conversation with the owner about it. He looked it up in a book of handgun values and apparently it was manufactured elsewhere for a company in the Los Angeles area (I assumed that company was FTL), Wilkinson Arms was probably the actual manufacturer, so it may very well have been made in Parma, and marked Covina (which is in LA).

 

[Moonclip]

My Auto Nine was made in Parma. It is not marked Wilkinson.

 

[Clermont]

To: Moonclip

Your Auto Nine was made by the Auto Nine Corp. Wilkinson and the Auto Nine Corp. are both located in Parma, Idaho. What their connection is, I don't know. And now we learn there is an FTL Auto Nine marked Covena, Calif. I don't believe the FTL Marketing Corp. is a manufacturer, they marketed the handguns. If true, who produced the Covena, Calif. marked Auto Nine pistols?

 

[Tucson]

Yes--there is a difference !!!

The FTL with silver slide appears to be a very different gun from my Parma Auto Nine which has the extractor on top of the slide.

My Parma Auto Nine seems to work reliably only with CCI Stingers. Please let me know if any other ammo works 100%.

Be very careful if trying to remove an unextracted cartridge case--the tiny extractor is held in only by a spring-loaded plunger--VERY EASY KNOCK OUT AND TO LOSE!!! Tiny, tiny interlocking parts. Very clever design, but you'll want to wear your watchmaker hat when disassembling. You might even want to do it inside a large clear plastic bag to catch any flying parts.

I've attached a pic of my Auto Nine with a small Gemtech suppressor.

 

[Moonclip]

My Auto 9 is all black. The Covina thing is interesting, I think Wilkinson Arms was once loacted there as well.

I wouldn't mind having one of the Wilkinson Diane modles in .25acp. I got a spare .22lr mag from Northwest arms (are they still in business?) when they were reviving the 9x19 Linda.

I rarely to never see Wilkinson Arms guns locally. I got my pair of Auto 9's ANIB in 2003 or so for $119 each. A gunshop called B&B in North Hollywood of the LA bank shoot fame, used to sell them there NIB when they were in production as well as sales at their branch in Westminster CA IIRC.

The Auto Nine reminds me greatly of a scaled down single action AMT .380acp back up.

 

[Clermont]

I recall in the 1980s the American Rifleman did a write up on the Auto Nine. I don't remember how it was evaluated but the Auto Nine was pictured along side a Colt Model 1908 .25ACP pocket pistol to show the Auto Nine was smaller. The Auto Nine is about as compact a .22LR semi-auto pistol can get with a magazine capacity of eight cartridges, or nine cartridges with one in the chamber.

 

[Moonclip]

I liked the idea of a baby Browning sized .22lr pistol as a cheap understudy to .25acp ammo in similar sized pistols.

I rarely shoot my Auto 9 though.

 

[lgcal20ga]

Mine looks like Tucson's, minus the suppressor. All black, marked only "Parma, ID" on left side with caliber and serial number, verical on the frame right behind the trigger, and "Auto Nine Corp" on the right side. Ejector in on top of the slide.

How do you strip this one?

Larry

 

[Clermont]

Appearently there are two types of Auto Nines. The Parma Auto Nine has the Slide Insert and internal Hammer. The disassembly instructions have been posted on this thread. The Covena Auto Nine has no Slide Insert, is striker fired(no internal Hammer) and take down is similar to the Baby Browning .25ACP pistol where the Slide is partially retracted, and then the Barrel rotated allowing both the Barrel and Slide removal from the Frame.

 

[lgcal20ga]

I never shot my Auto Nine until last night. Thought I should make sure it operated and fed ammo, etc. Only had a few .22's with me, some with jacketed bullets and some lead. It ate them up, and spit 'em out, not a hiccup, all fired and ejected just fine. Rapid fire at 9-10 feet, easy to hold and put 5 in a 4" circle. Not bad for a little bitty pocket gun. Now I have to try my Norton/Budishkowsky the same way and see how it matches up, at 3X the price.

Could still use some help on stripping the Parma Auto Nine if anybody knows.
Thanks.

Larry

 

[Clermont]

To: lgcal20ga

If your Auto Nine is marked Parma, Idaho the disassembly instructions are posted on this thread. If it is marked Covena, CA disassembly is simpler and also posted on this thread.

 

[lgcal20ga]

Clermont: I thought your instructions were for the FTL Auto Nine, not the Parma ID one. I'll give it a try. Thanks.

Larry

 

[lgcal20ga]

Auto nine mags..................

In case anybody else needs one, Gun Parts Corp (Numrich) has Auto Nine .22 mags for $33.10 each. There's three left in stock after I ordered two the other day. Just thought if I was looking for one, somebody else might be as well. And, the mags are not listed on their website. You have to call them.

Larry

 

[Scott Skawronska]

Sorry for the Thread Necromancy.

There were two different inserts made for the "Insert Type" Auto Nine/Sherry, one with a little bitty plunger-operated extractor, and one with a slightly more robust extractor. Can anyone tell me which one Numrich has? I'd like to upgrade mine. I have one of the Auto Nines from Parma, ID, and at the time of purchase (in the 1980's), the salesman told me that if I had reliability problems, a Sherry insert could be substituted for the original insert which would allow more positive extraction.

Well, now I'm looking for such an insert. Any ideas?

S

 

[RickRA]

FTL MKTG. Covina CA. Auto nine 22 LR.

Thanks to the pictures and illustrations I was able to strip my auto nine. I have jam ups. I cleaned it and I will use different ammo. I love this little gun. Conceals easily and is real fun to shoot. Thanks