Fixing a Davis P-32

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Confederate

Confederate

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Does anyone have one of these?

Here's mine...purty, isn't it? But it suffers from failure to feed malfuntions. The Davis company was sued out of existence (probably because they didn't work), but there are people who say they have P-32s that work fine.

Davis%20P32_2.jpg

Cobra now makes the gun and offers parts. I was thinking about replacing the recoil spring. If Cobra has a stiffer spring it might move the slide into battery. But if it doesn't, could I strengthen one spring by clipping an inch or so of another spring and adding it to the spring guide?

If that fails, what about replacing the slide? That's about $45, but I'd have to really think about it before doing that.

Any suggestions to get this SNS working again would be appreciated. And yeah, I know it's a cheap, trashy gun. But I had a few Ravens that worked fine. I'm just curious why this .32 version won't. :banghead:

.
 
I have opinions but no answers. If you have an extra spring, you could try adding a piece. My fear would be the two springs would tangle and tie up the gun.

In my limited experience, failure to feed malfunctions are often caused by the magazine not the slide or the recoil spring. Or ammunition, but if it won't feed hardball it's probably not the ammo. I'd try another magazine and a new spring before buying a new slide.

How's the feed ramp? Sometimes polishing (without removing any metal) will help depending on where the round is hanging up going into the chamber.

If you can, post a picture of the malfunction. Smarter people than me may be able to diagnose your problem that way.
 
At the risk of sounding snobbish, I wouldn't bother with it. I'd just put it away and wait until some well-meaning organization does a gun buyback and take the gift card to wal mart and buy ammo for a gun that works, or a new set of sheets from Kmart, or whatever.
 
The magazine is $16.50. I could try that but can see no anomalies in the magazine lips. I wish I had a dummy round I could try feeding. Years ago I experienced a discharge when loading rounds into a Sterling .22LR. Never felt comfortable loading live rounds into cheap guns since, though I'm sure I caught the rim. The thing wouldn't fire at the range, but did when I didn't want it.
 
I used to have a Davis just like yours about 30 years ago, Confederate. It worked fine, although it was unpleasant to shoot. The recoil was kind of sharp due to poor grip shape, the trigger was heavy, and the chrome plated sights were just plain bad, but it fed FMJ all right. I can't remember if I ever tried it with Silvertips, which were about the only 32 ACP hollowpoints available back then.

I bought it because it had been decades since anyone made a 32 automatic in the USA at that time, or at least so I thought. Also, it was cheap, and I had never had a cast-zinc gun before, so I thought it might be interesting.

Definitely try a new magazine first. All of these pistols seem to have mags made of sheet aluminum or something instead of steel, and yours looks pretty worn.

If that doesn't work, you could try a recoil spring for the 380 version and see if that A) fits and B) does any good.

I wouldn't ditch this gun. It's like a mint condition Hopkins & Allen or Iver Johnson - not many survived mint because they were so common and cheap, but people are glad to find one now.
 
They can be made to work OK, I would check the feed ramp and magazine as other posters suggested.

Davis was actually just a victim of the 90's. Yes the are prone to slide failures, especially in .380 ACP within 1k rounds. They are not heirloom guns and were never intended to be. They fill the niche market for people who can't afford even $200 for a gun. Cobra still fills this role.

At the time that this gun was built you could sue the manufacturer if someone committed a crime with their gun, so that's exactly what anti gun organizations did until they put a large number of companies out of business with frivolous lawsuits that are now illegal to pursue.

For instance I am fairy confident I read about one case against Davis where someone shot a convenience store clerk with a P380 and Davis was successfully sued for it.

Intratec, which was one of the founder of Kel Tec's first involvements in the firearms world with the Tec-9, met the same fate. Lawsuits shut down Intratec and various other companies in a similar way.
 
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For me this would be a fun mini-project to get it working. I don't know anything about how they work, but I'd thoroughly clean, inspect all parts, and very lightly oil it.

If possible I'd remove the firing pin for safety concerns as you've mentioned while manually testing it's feed cycle by hand.

I'd take out the recoil spring for manual cycling and see what happens at various slide speeds. Check how well the magazine lips and mag springs lift and center rounds toward the feed ramp and chamber, etc. Check the mag catch for how well it hold the mag in the feed path, etc. Extractors on small blowback guns may not do much but it's worth seeing if it hinders feeding as the rounds are released by the mag lips. Breech face look smooth, slide action smooth, etc.

The 32 acp is semi rimmed and can suffer from "rim-lock" in the magazine. Shorter rounds, usually hollow point, but if the magazine has been deformed it may facilitate this happening with FMJ too I suppose. Top round extractor groove may have the next round's rim caught in it, "locking" the top round from feeding at all or possibly feeding with difficulty.

Springs and feed ramp checks as others have said.

Best of luck, would love to see how it goes for you.
 
It angers me that anti-gunners are anxious to do this like that, but it's hardly surprising. Trump has accused Hillary of trying to eliminate the Sedcond Amendment, and soon after one media outlet said it's fact checkers had determined that to be false and that it could find no quotes to back that up. When a friend pointed that out to me, I reminded him of Hillary's quote saying she would be willing to explore the law recently passed by Australia for passage in the U.S. That law was a comprehensive gun ban. To think that a major media outlet could miss that when it took me seconds to recall smacks of either incompetence or blatant dishonesty.

Besides, Hillary has said she doesn't want to take our guns. So if she said it, I believe it, and that settles it! And of course I believe what the media says. I mean, why would it lie?

Clearly, lawsuits are a great way of attacking the Second Amendment. You can be all for it at the same time you're destroying it. Registration is another way and to take guns, you first have to know where they are. Taxing guns and/or ammo is still another way. Even now, .22LR ammo is still difficult to come by and who knows if well ever see the day when it will be available like it was a few years ago.

I know the Davis is a cheap gun, but if it can be made to work it'll at least go from being a paperweight to being a functioning firearm. And once it works, it should keep working if my Jennings J-22 is any indication. (It's had less than 500 rounds put through it.) I have friends with Jennings and Ravens who have shot thousands of rounds through theirs. But I've heard complaints that barrel wear can be excessive with jacketed bullets I these barrels.
 
Confederate, I understand your wisdom in not doing function checks with live ammo. Bad idea with any firearm. I have dummy rounds for all my usual calibers -.45 ACP, 9mm, .45 Colt, .38 Special, etc. I use them instructing in NRA classes as well as function checking my guns. I assume .32 ACP dummies are available. Be sure you get the dummy rounds that duplicate actual cartridge dimensions. The plastic spring-loaded "snap caps" won't feed or eject correctly in most guns. I'd also avoid the orange plastic ones which lack durability.

These are the ones I'd recommend:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/19...ummy-round-snap-cap-32-acp-aluminum-pack-of-5
 
I have a Davis P380 that works fine. However, if it ever started to malfunction (not that I ever shoot it), I wouldn't spend even $5 to get it running again. Same for me Davis D32 (.32 magnum derringer)

The only redeeming feature of Davis (I suppose Cobra now) is that it was inexpensive. If you start dropping money into repairs, there goes that single saving grace.

Unless it has sentimental value, I'd put that money towards something else.

All that said, if a blowback is suffering from failure to feed, the magazine is usually the cause.
 
Thanks, guys. Will take your suggestions. I'll try a new magazine, but I don't think I'll go beyond that. If I can fix any nonfunctional firearm for just a few bucks, I'll do it. Once these guns work, they seem to have a reasonable lifespan, but if it can't be fixed, it'll be a paperweight.

BTW, I've checked the feed ramp and the magazine lips. Everything seems fine, but I've had so many people recommended trying a new magazine that I think I'll try it.
 
So....what does the gun do when it malfunctions? Being a 32 ACP...I'd first suspect rimlock if the slide isn't chambering the next round properly being that the recoil spring can hardly not be strong enough to return the slide to battery. But if the top round jumps over the one below it...they'll stop right there.

When you load the mag, be sure to push the rounds in from the front and give it a tap on the heel of your hand after each round to be SURE they're to the back of the mag all the way. Some of the P-32's will rimlock if you drop a mag or treat them roughly enough that the rounds get jostled within...and it's much worse with shorter JHP's than ball. Make sure the rounds you're shooting fit the mag all the way to the front. If there's ANY room for a round to slide forward...it's just begging for rimlock.

For a test, you could try loading one then chamber it. Does it chamber OK? If so, load another into the mag and fire the two. Did both work OK? If so...that's pointing to the mag for sure. Then try three in the mag and work your way up to fully loaded to see if there is perhaps a dent or something that's interfering with the follower pressure. I agree it's a cheapo type gun..but it'll work.:)
 
I have a Davis 38 derringer, it has since been replaced by a good rock!
 
^^ To do what?

I've read of far more bad guys being driven off or taken at gunpoint without the gun even being fired than I have of them being driven off or taken at rockpoint without the rock being thrown.

Besides, with a Davis .32 pistol, you kind of have both in hand, anyway, right? :D
 
MedWheeler said:
^^ To do what?

I've read of far more bad guys being driven off or taken at gunpoint without the gun even being fired than I have of them being driven off or taken at rockpoint without the rock being thrown.

Besides, with a Davis .32 pistol, you kind of have both in hand, anyway, right? :D
Click to expand...
Lol, very true. Those Davis pistols are deceptively heavy.
 
I'm going to throw my two cents in on the easiest way to fix any Davis made firearm.
Take a large shop hammer and pound on it until it no longer resembles a firearm.
 
Try a new mag and pick up a 380 recoil spring. Bet the springs will interchange.

Use some non American made 32 ammo S&B or others. Their usually hotter than American stuff . Winchester 32 is worst 32 I have ever tried.
 
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