Let me tell you my recent story of woe.

Twice a year I go through my safe, oiling everything & recording the S/N's. I've been doing this for years now, so I have a solid procedure down, so it zips along somewhat smoothly. Still, it takes time to do 150-ish guns.

When I got to my Desert Eagle .357, it was gummed up something fierce due to my believing the hype about the lube's claims. (Made by a former SEAL, blah blah blah.) It took all I had to get the slide to move back out of battery, but it did. Slide comes off, barrel comes out, everything goes into the baking pan to soak in Hoppes. Scrub everything down until it sparkles (thanks USMC!), lube it this time with Lucas Synthetic Gun Lube. Slide, barrel & frame all mate nicely with no problems whatsoever.

Then..................................... I arrive at re-installing the firing pin asy.

For the record, I can detail strip a 1911 down to bare frame with no help at all. I can do a Beretta 92FS with some Youtube help now & then. (For the record, I refuse to do a USP, period.)

The Desert Eagle is really similar to a 1911 firing pin asy. Firing pin stop in a groove on the rear of the slide, a firing pin & a firing pin spring. There is a cut-out on the side of the firing pin to allow for the firing pin stop/safety to prevent it from moving, so it's obvious which way the firing pin goes in. Super easy, right?

I WORKED ON THAT BLANKETY BLANK BLANK BLANK BLANK SOB FOR OVER AN HOUR TRYING TO GET IT IN!!!!  

After my blood pressure peaked around 300 over 299, I laid it all down on the table & went to the house to have a cold beer & think about my inadequacies on cleaning my own guns.  

So............................ Next day arrives. I come home from work & go straight to the garage. I'm gonna fiz that SOB or I'm gonna dremel that SOB right in two! (I knew right then how Hacksaw Reynolds felt. You kids look him up.)

Initially, I had the same issue again: the firing pin would NOT go down in the firing pin channel. I visually checked it for an obstruction, it was perfectly clear. The spring was ok, no binding. THEN...............................................  

I flipped the gun over & looked at the side of it. "Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm", I thought. "Was the safety on or off when I took the firing pin out? Well, shit, let's flip the GD thing off (or on, whichever it was) AND BY GOD IT SLID RIGHT IN LIKE BELONGED THERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    

Ho Lee Schitt, I wasted I don't know how much time trying to figure this thing out & I simply stumbled onto the fix more or less by accident.

Yes indeedy, more beers were consumed that night in celebration. (After the guns were put away, of course.)  

No…I’m a mechanic by trade.

1911 is a pie job.
92FS is not bad.
USP is a pie job too. I have installed 3-4 match trigger kits and it is no big deal. Biggest issue is the right pair of pliers for the trigger return spring.

cool story.  neat write-up.  honest.  just went through something similar with a Glock G20SF (10mm), it's been a while, forgot that to get the slide back on, you have to press the firing pin safety underneath, to get the striker forward, before putting the slide back on.  Grrrrr.  I don't recollect having to do that for any of my 9mm Glocks.  But it's been a while.

Attached File

Changed the trigger springs on my Scorpion Micro yesterday, piece of cake. Still get irked when I think about the length of time I wasted on the DE.................  

Love the gun though.  

Wish I could be perfect like that......................  

I did something like that once, i don't recall the gun but i totally forgot how to reassemble it.
I broke down and youtube'd it.

For the deagle, the safety can also hold the fp in place!!
I use that trick every time i detail strip it.

Nice collection, I wouldn't have ROOM for 150 guns. I have never done that particular move...but ask me about my very first batch of reloaded 9mm 17 years ago, and how I managed to get a roll crimp on them...