Slide lock question

[Bill Hollinger]

Have any of you fellas seen a slide lock/take down pin break before? I pulled my RR out of the safe to show a friend and when I went to lock the slide to the rear before handing it to him I had some trouble manipulating it to lock. I looked at it closer and found the lever broken. I haven't had it out and looked at it in some time but when I did have it out I had shot it, disassembled it, cleaned and reassembled it. It couldn't have been broken when I put it back together. TIA Any one with a spare?

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[Johnny Peppers]

The slide stops were hardened to take the beating they do, and may have been on the brittle side. Who knows why some things decide to break when they do. A friend uses several gasoline engine driven irrigation pumps on his farm. He was telling me that back in the summer he cranked one of the engines and while it was idling with no load a valve spring picked that particular time to break.

[browningautorifle]

Sorry for your misfortune Bill, I have no spares. I had one break, I suspect a very old overused military issue. It broke at the junction of the pin and slide stop, very clean like crystalized steel does...

[Bill Hollinger]

Yeah, strange they break when they do. I guess 68 years of use may have had just a little to do with it. Thanks Johnny. I'm on the lookout for an October of 1944 slide lock now.

Jim, that is where mine broke as well

[DaveN]

I know you should probable not shoot some of these old pistols as breakage can and does occur from time to time. How would it be to say,replace a few parts that have that tendency to fail with parts that if broken during or seen to be damaged after could be discarded and the originals put back thus restoring back to original. No harm no foul.
Kinda like using a newer tighter Garand stock for shooting or competition and then putting the original stock with the nice cartouche back on and sliding it back in the good ole safe.

[Bill Hollinger]

Here's what happened.

[eiclan]

I have seen a tig welding expert weld the sharp edges of two razorblades together so this should not be a problem to weld together if only to look good til a more serviceable part is found. Cheers Ross Ingham

[Bill Hollinger]

Well, I got a new slide lock and the match is perfect! The folks here are the absolute best!!! Thank you Scott. and thank you everyone else for all the wonderful help and suggestions.