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Recoil Spring Tool


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I have seen pictures of recoil spring tools in manuals, but never seen any for sale. Are they easy to find in the States, and if so what is the usual price tag on these?

 

Stay safe

Richard

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I have seen pictures of recoil spring tools in manuals, but never seen any for sale. Are they easy to find in the States, and if so what is the usual price tag on these?

 

Stay safe

Richard

 

Mine is cheaper. It's called a "nail." Works as good as the $25 ones. Once you learn how to "wind" it - it works great.

 

The British tool is hard to find and usually expensive. Like others have mentioned, a punch of the proper diameter works well if you can't find an "original" nail. A good substitute is to make one from a G.I. 1911 cleaning rod if you have access to a lathe. I made several from cleaning rods over the years but they always seem to end up in someone else's tool box.

 

The Colt Navy is definitely a pain in the butt - I always subtituted a 21 actuator, spring, pilot and buffer or used Savage components in the 28N. I have a Colt firing pin in the junk drawer with the business end snapped off by a genious who thought it would make a good recoil spring tool. It worked for awhile. The same guy liked to demonstrate pivot plate removal with the trailing edge of a 21 actuator - he learned that trick from a certain federal agency. Perhaps you've seen some of his work! Add these to your "don't do list."

Edited by 1921A
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Original recoil spring tools are not easy to find anywhere. And they can be expensive. I have seen British marked tools sell for over $50. It is a great tool to have. I purchased a couple from Doug Richardson many years ago. I can't imagine removing the pilot and spring without one.
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Original recoil spring tools are not easy to find anywhere. And they can be expensive. I have seen British marked tools sell for over $50. It is a great tool to have. I purchased a couple from Doug Richardson many years ago. I can't imagine removing the pilot and spring without one.

Could you explain to us what advantage a recoil spring tool has over a plain nail? Bottom line to me is ya gotta compress the spring and sticking something in the hole in the buffer keeps it compressed until it's slipped into the back of the bolt and receiver.

Jim

Edited by james m
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james m,

 

The looped handle of the tool makes it much easier to wind the spring onto the pilot shaft than a common nail does. There was a previous post a month or so ago that explains how to perform this function.

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A common mini screw driver or punch works great for me with 28 GI pilots with a hole.

 

The Colt Navy pilots give me a fit. If I did those a lot I'm sure I could McGiver a tool of

some sort,,maybe a modified mini needle nose vise grip?

-Darryl

Edited by darrylta
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A common mini screw driver or punch works great for me with 28 GI pilots with a hole.

 

The Colt Navy pilots give me a fit. If I did those a lot I'm sure I could McGiver a tool of

some sort,,maybe a modified mini needle nose vise grip?

-Darryl

Darryl,

Did you miss my earlier post for making a Colt Navy spring tool out of common 1/2 inch copper pipe??

http://www.machinegunboards.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=14554

Jim C

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I guess I've been using a somewhat different approach. I stick the buffer pilot end upright in a partially opened vice and pulled (compressed) the spring down with one hand. When I have it compressed enough I've slipped a small nail with my other hand into the hole. Then of course I've inserted the buffer into the end of the bolt and the other end through the back of the receiver. Pull out the nail and your done.

As an aside: The only firearm I've worked on that absolutely required winding the mainspring on for installation have been Lugers.

Jim

Edited by james m
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The nail idea etc. Works fine, I am sure, but it is the memorabilia I am also interested in. I was offered one, see picture, for $110. But that seems very expensive even for memorabilia.

 

002-1.jpg

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Jim,

I had forgotten about your copper pipe jig. I've got all that stuff in my

plumbing drawer, I still think I'll still put some eye protection,,,,, or drill

a hole in it and have one of those rare Colt Navy nickle steel pilot's I've

read about :)

Thanks,

Darryl

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The nail idea etc. Works fine, I am sure, but it is the memorabilia I am also interested in. I was offered one, see picture, for $110. But that seems very expensive even for memorabilia.

 

002-1.jpg

 

rpbcps,

 

That is expensive, but like TD said, they haven't been available for a while. I got mine for $25 plus shipping from Sweden several years back. I believe mine has Norwegian Navy markings on it. So, it's definitely a collectible tool, but whether it's worth $110, that's up to you. Is the one you are looking at British marked?

 

David Albert

dalbert@sturmgewehr.com

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Mine looks just like the one in the above post. . It is 5 and 1/2 inches long. The tip is 1/2 inch long. The tip diameter is just under the diameter of the hole on the buffer pilot. These would be an easy repo part to make if you have the brass or steel .45 pistol cleaning rods and a lathe.
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Original recoil spring tools are not easy to find anywhere. And they can be expensive. I have seen British marked tools sell for over $50. It is a great tool to have. I purchased a couple from Doug Richardson many years ago. I can't imagine removing the pilot and spring without one.

Could you explain to us what advantage a recoil spring tool has over a plain nail? Bottom line to me is ya gotta compress the spring and sticking something in the hole in the buffer keeps it compressed until it's slipped into the back of the bolt and receiver.

Jim

 

Too easy, Jim!

 

I've seen guys in all seriousness looking for "original USGI Thompson stick mag loading tools", just certain that they had to have been made. Never mind that it was just too easy to press single rounds in from the top!

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Mine looks just like the one in the above post. . It is 5 and 1/2 inches long. The tip is 1/2 inch long. The tip diameter is just under the diameter of the hole on the buffer pilot. These would be an easy repo part to make if you have the brass or steel .45 pistol cleaning rods and a lathe.

 

Chopper28, thank you for the dimensions.

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Does anybody have a catalog handy for a price on the tools? Dont know where mine ended up I even looked in the drum mag book from Doug.

 

Joe

Doug list the price of the 1928 recoil spring stripping tool as $25. He states that ist original

 

Frank

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