Detail Stripping PM40 w/ External Safety and LCI

[Lt. Walker]

Hi all: I just purchased a used MA-compliant PM40 with the external safety and loaded-chamber indicator. I’ve seen excellent postings about detail stripping the slide and frame, but none have any advice on those two extra features. Any advice on dealing with these in detail stripping would be much appreciated.

Many thanks, Lt. Walker

[Bawanna]

Might be hard to come up with first hand experience on this one. I don't recall anyone here having one. That's not to say that there aren't a few around the members.

Stick around for awhile and we'll see if anybody stops in and gives us some clues.

Are you having issues or just routine maintenance etc?

Welcome to the forum.

[Lt. Walker]

Thank you! As far as the detail strip goes, Since I bought the gun used, I’d like to make sure it’s clean inside and out. After that, I don’t intend to detail strip it again unless some compelling reason arises.

Lt. Walker

[gb6491]

Lt. Walker,
This is purely conjecture on my part

Looking at the parts diagram:
The LCI should be pretty straight forward (I have disassembled simialr assemblies on other pistols).
! Using a suitable punch, drive the pin out (I'd guess from either side) just far enough that the LCI will clear it. Keep the punch in place.
2.Cover the LCI with a finger or thumb as the LCI has some spring pressure on it, then remove the punch and slowly release pressure on the LCI.
3. Remove it and the spring.

If it moves freely as it is now, I'd advise leaving it alone.

Safety:
I've less of a clue here but it appears to me (looking at the parts diagram again) that there is a small pin holding the lever in place on a shaft.
It may be that the pin is in a blind hole or a hole that goes all the way through.
If it's in a blind hole, then I'd think that one of the other frame parts has an interface with the shaft that keeps the safety in place.
That might also be the case with a pin hole that goes all the way through the lever, but there's also a chance that the shaft is cut so that the lever holds the safety in the frame. In which case the lever would need to be removed to take the safety out. That would involve driving that tiny pin out....and back in.

Again, if it's working correctly, leave it alone.

Anyway, those are my guesses (no first hand experience with these models), so proceed with caution and at your own risk.

Welcome to the forums!

Regards,
Greg

[Lt. Walker]

This is excellent! Thanks so much for the extra effort in answering. As long as the LCI is independent of the other mechanisms, I have no problem leaving that in place either (since it’s not part of any tutorial). I’m hoping that’s the case.

[Bawanna]

Greg comes up with some very good stuff. I believe that the LCI is on it's own, independent of everything else.

It could probably be removed and left out with no ill effects other than a hole that would be unsightly.