Trouble with Colt Gov't. Model .380

[joe817]

I just rescued a Colt MkIV/Series 80 Government Model 380 from my brother in law. It's been on a shelf for years. I originally purchased the gun in 1984 or '85 as a birthday present for my father in law. He passed in 2000, and B.I.L. got it. I traded him for it, so it's now in my possession.

Last night I field stripped it, as I do on all guns I acquire, and when I went to reassemble it, it would not go into full battery. Today, I took it apart again, cleaned it, oiled it. It was totally bone dry. The bore had dust in it.

Same thing happened. Wouldn't go to full battery, by 3/8". I'm assembling it correctly as per manual, but this has me stymied. Everything appears to be going together to the point of pulling the slide back. In addition, the slide will not fully function. I can only draw it back about 1.5" then it hangs up. I'm not forcing anything since this is such a neat little gun. When putting on the slide, I'm not having any trouble of pushing ejector down to clear the slide.

It seems like it might be a slide stop pin issue, or maybe the extractor. I can't tell.

I just don't know what's going on, and I'm taking it to a gunsmith next week if I can't figure out what's wrong.

Any ideas anybody?

 

[kdstrick]

Is something in backwards, perhaps. I don't have one of those pistols, but here is a schematic from brownells... it may help.

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/sid=142/schematicsdetail/380_Models

Good luck, man. That is a nice pistol you have there.

 

[joe817]

Kd, thanks so much! That really helped me. Although I have the original everything(box, inst.manual even registrations papers), I used the exploded drawing in the link while I read in the inst. manual, and it really helped me solve the probem! Case solved. I haven't taken a gun apart in over 25 years and I needed some time to refresh my memory. It was an alignment problem all along.

And thanks for the kind words on the gun. Yes it's really sweet. I think I paid about $235.00 NIB back in '84. And who said guns weren't a good investment.
Thanks again. P.S. Love your City! When we vacation we go there or Galveston.

 

[Rex B]

You don't say what you found, but the usual problem on those is the ejector, which can flop out of place and go overcenter. you have to stick a screwdriver up the back of the magazine well and release the ejector to go back up where it belongs.

May not have been your problem, but it might help someone else.

 

[krs]

x1 on the ejector.

Also, it's pretty easy to miss the correct notch in the barrel lug and that would probably keep the gun from closure.