Weak Hi Power thumb safety

[HB]

I have a Magnum research made Charles Daly Hi Power. The thumb safety is a little too weak resulting it accidental disengaging. The current safety shape is fine, it just needs to be more positive.


Can I just stretch the current spring to a stiffer length? Any sources for a stronger spring?

Thanks,
HB

 

[BBBBill]

Typically one of two, maybe three, different possibilities.
1. The tip of the safety detent plunger is too blunt causing it to ride too shallow in the frame detent.
2. The frame detent is too shallow thereby causing the safety detent plunger to have too little depth of engagement.
Those two are related, having the same effect, but opposite causes. The fix is self explanatory.
3. Rarely is the spring too weak, but it is a possibility. I would say that the hole for the spring/plunger might be too deep, but the likelihood of that is very remote. If it were deep enough to have an effect on tension the back end of the hole would be breaking through the outside of the safety.

 

[RainDodger]

You can take a newer plunger and spring and it will fit in your present safety lever. The newer plungers have a sharper tip and will result in a more definite click when setting the safety. This solved the same issue with my older Hi-Power. This was recommended to me by a Browning Gunsmith at the Browning service center in St. Louis.

 

[weaselfire]

It's almost always the tip of the plunger and its angle/fit. You said it accidentally discharges though, I'm hoping you mean the safety is slipping off and not that it fires with the safety on.

Jeff

 

[BBBBill]

...discharges ....

You almost had me there. Discharges ≠ disengages thankfully.

 

[HB]

Haha disengages, not discharges. Don't you hate it when your pistol keeps going off in the holster!??

Thanks for the ideas though, I'll break the gun down tonight and play with it a bit. Is the spring/detent captive or will it shoot into my eye if i remove the safety?

Thanks again,

HB

 

[bikerdoc]

When working on a weapon that has any chance of launching a spring I take it apart in a plastic bag.
YMMV.

 

[BBBBill]

...Is the spring/detent captive ..?...

Depends. The older FN manufactured ones with the small, difficult to manipulate safety had a captive spring and plunger. You can identify those by the small retaining pin that is driven through the thumb piece vertically. The later ones with the longer lever were not retained by a pin, but by a spring with a larger base coil providing an interference fit in the hole. I have no idea what the Charles Daly branded (FEG origin) guns used, but my FEGs followed the older FN pattern with the pin.