Help with Colt/Browning .25 auto pistol gunsmithing

[<MoA]

I'm a gunsmith in central WA St, and recently took in a job on a used .25 auto pistol that will not fire, will not pick up a new round out of the original magazine (because the slide does not cycle far enough back I think) and won't fire the round even if I manually place a round into the barrel.

The owner took it apart to try his hand at fixing the problem, lost the original firing pin, bought a new one, and I've dropped it in. No go. BTW, the entire pistol had been taken apart by it's original owner about 25 yrs ago (he'd "liberated it" in WW-II Germany), couldn't get it back together (they are a bit tricky!), and so he left it disassembled for a few decades. He may have taken it apart in the first place because it would not work; who knows!

I'm not sure what might need to be done to "fit" the new f/p. The piece didn't work with the original f/p either, and the owner "orbited" the part into the Carpet Monster.

So now I'm looking for a 'smith who is familiar enough with these pieces to take on this job, or perhaps just call me and tell me all I need to do is "tinker the knibbling pin" 1.245˚ to the left, and voila, it'll all work.

Anyone? Anyone? Please? (or if you know someone/anyone who can help professionally"? For $$$? BTW, Browning says NO.

 

[1KPerDay]

You probably already know this but the FN Vest pocket 1905/1906 and Colt 1908 are different from the "Baby browning" 25... make sure the parts you're trying are the right ones for the pistol you have.

 

[HOWARD J]

Maybe you need to buy lots of parts ?

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/catalog/Products.aspx?catid=1312

 

[1KPerDay]

case in point... that's not the 1905/06/08

 

[rcmodel]

And some of them have magazine safetys, and won't work without the magazine in place.

rc

 

[CMC]

http://www.precisionsmallarms.com/ is making copies you can call them and see if they got any insight.

I worked on a Galessi before and the firing pin was also the ejector .
I think it is the same way in the Baby Browning.
You maybe missing a part.
Usually when i get a pistol assembled by the customer I completely disassemble it , get a part count and it and start over.

 

[1KPerDay]

*sigh*

 

[Jim K]

The firing pin is the ejector on the Colt 1908, the Browning 1906, the Baby Browning, the Browning Model 1910 and the Model 1922). In fact the firing pins for all but the Baby Browning are identical and interchangeable. So the first thing is to check the firing pin and make sure it protrudes out of the breech face far enough (almost 1/4") to act as the ejector. If it doesn't, it is wrong or broken.

Then the firing pin spring has to be the right length. If it is too long, it will go solid and prevent the gun from being cocked. Then the firing pin spring guide has to be the right shape and installed correctly (large diameter "head" to the rear), with the smaller diameter fitting inside the spring and the spring fitting inside the firing pin.

Check that all that is right and come back if things still don't work.

Jim