Don't you hate it when you lose a piece???

[Leadeye]

Sometimes a reasonable facsimile of Unobtainum can be reproduced from steel after many hours with files, heat and sandpaper.

I like to think that guys like Allen M. have modern machines that do this job in short order. Watching things like that work I think of myself like those people living on primitive planets when the Star Trek people visit.

 

[Dead Duck]

This is why I want a room dedicated to builds and repair to be all white with no carpet. Basically a "Clean Room".
Same when working on watches, clocks, radios, cell phones, etc...

 

[Tyler-The-Piker]

I had a 1911 spring plug go flying across the room yesterday, easily found but I had to laugh I had just read this thread.
I was installing and swapping a dozen different parts out of 2 different series 80 Colts...I may need to get one of those magnetic mats!

 

[MarkC]

I had a 1911 spring plug go flying across the room yesterday, easily found but I had to laugh I had just read this thread.
I was installing and swapping a dozen different parts out of 2 different series 80 Colts...I may need to get one of those magnetic mats!

Seems like the 1911 is over represented in this thread! I didn't have one until 2014, but I love mine and it is my carry gun when I don't have my P938.

The mat seems like a good idea, but the pieces I've lost have been mostly flying, not dropped, so I don't know how much it would help me!

 

[Crandall Crank]

Most pieces small enough go into a snack sized zip lock bag...that is if they don't get lost first. I've tried open top containers, but they seemed to get knocked over.

 

[Tyler-The-Piker]

Seems like the 1911 is over represented in this thread! I didn't have one until 2014, but I love mine and it is my carry gun when I don't have my P938.

The mat seems like a good idea, but the pieces I've lost have been mostly flying, not dropped, so I don't know how much it would help me!

Nice, you mention your P938, (and speaking of Colt haha) I've got the P238 and love it (I just really liked it better vs the Mustang)

 

[MarkC]

Nice, you mention your P938, (and speaking of Colt haha) I've got the P238 and love it (I just really liked it better vs the Mustang)

Actually, me too. I have a early 1990's Colt Mustang Plus 2 (7 round magazine), and it is a great little gun, but was getting unreliable. I bought the P938 to replace it based on my friend at the LGS's recommendation, and I like it better than the Mustang. Just seems easier to shoot and the 9mm has got to be better than the .380 round, especially when they are both fired from short barrels.

 

[2Lucky]

I lost a screw from a rear sight and never could find it in the thick carpet.....

 

[ART338WM]

Two weeks before I was to leave on a NM ML elk hunt the hammer for my Encore ML was actuating in such a manner it literally screamed badly fouled and gummed up.
Used an entire fresh can of spray degreaser with no apparent affect. So I had little choice but to disassemble it and clean it hoping that would solve the problem.
While disassembling it in my garage I had a spring that looked exactly like one you would find in a pen go flying. I looked for over literally four hours on my hands and
knees with a flashlight to no avail. It was Sunday so I had to wait till Monday to call T/C.

Took a sanity brake and then resumed searching. Figured if it wasn't anywhere near better start looking else where. Found that little S.O.B. under the wood base board in the corner of my garage BEHIND where I was standing while facing my work bench a measured 14 feet away!!! I would've bet BOTH testicles no way it could've gone that far but it did.

Thank God I did because I called T/C anyway figuring better have a spare on hand and they said NOPE, I would have to send in the receiver and they would replace the
spring. The did offer to NXT day air it back to me free if I NXT day aired it to them.

Once I cleaned an assembled the receiver it worked like a dream. never did figure out how that much crud could have ever gotten in there to begin with and after well
over 1000 shots fired from the inline never had any issues with crud again.

After that and several other similar incidents involving flying parts looked into and even figured out but never built a "disassembly box" out of plexyglass similar in design to a sand blasting booth where I made a rectangular box with a hinged plexy-glass top with holes to insert my arms into it and then disassemble the firearm. I cheaped out and simply bought a XL clear plastic tote place it on it's lid and cut openings for my arms and with the addition of a strong light it has worked very, very well. When searching for parts on carpet a
strong magnet is your new best friend.

 

[CMB69]

Whenever I am disassembling or assembling anything with springs involved, I get a grocery type plastic bag and work inside of it. They are big enough to have both hands in and still have good visibility. With assembled long guns bag can be wrapped around the area being worked on and be an effective flying part trap.

 

[STEEL CORE]

Once lived in Federal Way Washington, once and sitting on my couch in a carpeted living room, was cleaning a Walther Ppk/s.
Very small trigger spring went flying and I could not find it. I had to order another at $3.00 with $8.00 shipping back then. That was in 1988 when $11 bucks was $11 bucks!

 

[LazyAce]

I have a S&W Model 22a-1. I sometimes forget how to assembly it *THE CORRECT* way which causes my recoil spring/rod to ninja vanish. The last time this happened it took a month to find the spring, the rod randomly showed up a year later after I already replaced it.

 

[printcraft]

For the accident prone ... get a gallon size plastic bag (clear of course) gun and hands go in bag, flying parts stay in bag. Win.

 

[DRob]

The easiest way to find lost or launched parts is to buy a replacement. This almost guarantees the lost part will be found shortly. If you don't buy a replacement, rest assured the lost one is tangled in the fabric of a lost sock.