Most complicated firearm you've disassemled

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The Ruger MkII can be a pain. I always have to hit up YouTube to get that one back together. Colt 1908 Pocket Pistol is another one I always forget how to take apart.

Everyone should detail strip a 1911... Thank God for the YouTube. :D
 

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"LOL! Where can I find more guys like you? "

You just did.
Bought a Ruger 22 used in a pawn shop in 1963. No manual, no nothing and the first thing I did was tear it down. Took most of the logging season to get it back together and I still don't know how that happened.

20 years later I was hunting with a friend and one night he pulled his Ruger out and started to take it down. We finished the season and went home and it still wasn't back together.

20 years after that my son bought one. I refuse to even shoot it !!!!!!!!!!
 
A long time ago, I thought I would take my Marlin model 99 completely apart to give it a really thorough cleaning. Big mistake.
 
A 1911...don't have much exposure to a variety of guns here. Closely followed by the Ruger 10/22. Reasonably easy to take apart, but that damn bolt and spring assembly is a pain to put back in.
 
It's not the disassembly, its REassembly that can be a pain.
Browning buckmark, colt woodsman, and ruger
Click to expand...

Kingcreek hit the nail on the head with his remark, back when I was doing a little gun smithing I used to get one of these at least once a month brought to me as a box of parts. I'd promise to put it back together and not tell their buddies if they would keep throwing me a little business. Worked out good for everyone involved.
 
Another M2 vote here, closely followed by a 1911. Had to watch several youtube videos to get it back together
 
SVT40...every other rifle/handgun I have I can disassemble and reassemble by memory with a bit of prompting...that one, I STILL need to look up how it comes apart and goes together each time.
 
The only gun I had to send off to get reassembled was a four barrel COP .357 magnum. I was pretty young and shoulda just threw it in the river.
 
Well, there is "field stripping" (my "winner" here is a Ruger 22/45)

Then there is actual dis-assembly (taking EVERYTHING apart down to the frame)

I think my "winner" for dis-assembly nightmare probably goes to CZ. Lots of parts, at least one special tool needed, and a couple of microscopic "goddamnit" springs to boot. I NEVER disassemble a CZ unless it's inside a gallon freezer bag because at least one itty-bitty spring (part 15) flies on it's own.

Fortunately you almost never have to actually tear a CZ down that far, I just work on a lot of guns :D

CZ Exploded Diagram
 
Aw come on the Ruger MKII isn't that bad. first time I disassembled mine it only took about 20 min to put back together...... it wouldn't fire, but it didn't take that long. So I broke it down again, and reassembled it, still wouldn't fire. Finally by standing on my head, holding the gun upside down canted 28degrees to the right, reciting a buddhist prayer, and invoking the help of Anung Un Rama. I was able to get it back to functioning. It hasn't been disassembled since.
 
The most complicated firearm I ever disassembled was a Winchester 1911 SL. This was a 12 gauge shotgun designed to get around the patents that John Browning held on semi-automatic shotguns. This Winchester had some design features that many would call unique and others would call bazaar.

Without a manual or assembly diagram (this was before the internet) I actually got it apart and repaired it. Despite its strange features it was a nice shooting gun once repaired. I did this a number of years ago; before I got old enough to know that what I did wasn’t possible or advisable for me to do.
 
Browning BPS shotgun.

Trigger group reassembly. :banghead:

Never. Ever. Again.

E. V. E. R.

Ever.

I mean it.
 
I have completely disassembled 1911's and Ruger Mark II's. While they were interesting, they weren't "show stoppers".

(I cheated and read about the trick of pointing the Mark II muzzle up to get the strut to hang in the correct position. If you don't do this, I have no idea how anyone could reassemble one, unless it was pure accident from pounding the thing on a table while trying to force the spring latch closed...)

No, the one that gave me the most fun was a Ruger Super Blackhawk. I know these aren't hard, but for some reason there was just too much going on for the number of hands I had.

Later, I read that there is a special tool available to make this one easier. :)
 
I haven't ran into many that are too much of a pain. The worst one in my limited experience is probably a Walther p22. Taking it apart is simple enough, but it ships with a little plastic rod that you have to use to line everything up to reassemble it and it's just a kind of a quirky nuisance.
 
Ruger Mark pistols? Really? Sure, it's harder than a Glock and would be a bit baffling wothout a manual, but in this age of the internet, Ruger has it online. Follow the directions, it's a piece of cake.
Now the mag disconnect on the MkIII.... I got rid of that.

Most complicated I've detail stripped is a CZ52 after my g/f dropped hers in the sand at the range. Sure, field stripping it is simple, but a full strip down to the frame reveals waaaay more parts than needed for a single action autoloader. I'll stick to my Tokarev, thanks! The Yugo models can be detail stripped with the exception of the extractor using no tools.
 
I agree with Blu above, the Ruger Mark pistols really aren't that bad once you've done it a few times, just like anything else. It is easier with the mag disconnect removed.

Hardest time I've ever had was with my first 1911, a sub-compact Kimber UCII. Of course I was trying to disassemble it incorrectly.
 
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Certaindeaf said:
The only gun I had to send off to get reassembled was a four barrel COP .357 magnum. I was pretty young and shoulda just threw it in the river.
Click to expand...
COPP gets my vote. I finally got it back together, but it took nearly 3 weeks.

Probably the easiest was a Ruger Security Six followed by a 1911. Probably the easiest long gun was a Winchester '04a.
 
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