Question on 1900 Toggle Slop

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by raindog

It is possible that one leaf of the two leaf recoil spring assembly is broken. The remaining single leaf has insufficient tension to fully close the action. These springs commonly fail in this fashion according to my recent experience.

...And you found replacement mainsprings at...???...

[raindog]

Originally Posted by postino

...And you found replacement mainsprings at...???...

Lugerdoc sometimes has M1900 mainsprings in stock, drop him a line. They also show up regularly for US customers on Ebay, the seller "dealoftheday$" seems to have a few on hand and lists them from time to time.
These springs are getting hard to find, and can be expensive - I have seen them range from $60 (Ebay) all the way up to $300 for NOS on some dealer's websites. It seems like $150 is becoming the norm - when you can find one.
I wish someone would make some reasonably priced quality repro's, as I have found that these springs are prone to breakage. I think this was even so originally, as DWM soon replaced them with more reliable coil springs in the 1906 model.

[sheepherder]

Got the 1900 put on my PP and brought it home today...I lucked out...The mainspring is OK...

When I took the grips off and turned it over, I could see the toggle link flopping back & forth...Not sure how that got loose...The claw on the mainspring wasn't catching it...I poked it a couple times, and it engaged, and now there's no "slop"...

...Just 111 years worth of crud...

Is the mainspring supposed to fit in a slot at the bottom of the gripframe???

[Ron Wood]

Originally Posted by postino

Is the mainspring supposed to fit in a slot at the bottom of the gripframe???

No. The drawing you posted does not show how the spring actually fits (Egad!..an error in an old document) The spring just tucks up under the lug at the bottom of the grip. There is nothing wrong with your gun. Glad the mainspring is OK. I kind of suspected the toggle hook was not engaged but didn't get around to posting. Sorry...but then think about the fun you had finding out!

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by Ron Wood

No. The drawing you posted does not show how the spring actually fits (Egad!..an error in an old document) The spring just tucks up under the lug at the bottom of the grip. There is nothing wrong with your gun. Glad the mainspring is OK. I kind of suspected the toggle hook was not engaged but didn't get around to posting. Sorry...but then think about the fun you had finding out!

I stripped it down tonight and removed the mainspring...There was a goodly amount of crud under it...I was kind of apprehensive about getting it back in...Thor had mentioned that putting them back in can test your patience...But with the frame clamped to my lathe table, and using half a clothespin to push it, it went right in...After only 5 tries...

Originally Posted by Karl

Congratuations on a nice looking (from the one pic) 1900...We await a full set of pictures.

I don't have a full set, and my magazine is out for repairs, but here's a sneak peek...

The seller wanted four times what the experts here thought it would be worth...But I managed to negotiate it down to only three times what it's worth...

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by Ron Wood

I kind of suspected the toggle hook was not engaged but didn't get around to posting.

Yes, that is exactly what it was. While measuring the frame rail to barrel flange gap (.010" each side, btw) I managed to assemble it with the toggle hook behind the mainspring...Instant slop...