I do stuff like that, too. Sometimes another of the same item lying there gives you a better idea of what the first one looks like... and a BRIGHT light can really help.
The worst I saw was trying to find an extractor that flew off my PM9. It was a light day at the range and they cleared me to go out onto the range floor and look, but there was so much debris from targets, shell cases, bullet fragments, and who knows what, that I gave up after a few passes.
I have a LOT of spare parts to cover things like that now... Kahrs and Glocks... just about anything that can go flying. Got extras for my .308, too. :-)
I don't remember who coined the phrase "fiddly bits", but that's what I think of.
USAF Retired '88, NRA Life Member. Wife USAF Retired '96
Avatar: Wynn re-enlists his wife Desiree, circa 1988 Loring AFB, ME. 42nd BMW, Heavy (SAC) B-52G's
Frédéric Bastiat’s essay, The Law: http://mises.org/books/thelaw.pdf
Thomas Jefferson said
“A government big enough to give you everything you want, is strong enough to take everything you have.”
and
"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading".