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Help! Reassembled Hellcat OSP Without Takedown Lever Seated, Popped Out

AshamedHellcat

AshamedHellcat

Alpha
Hi!

As the thread title implies, I reassembled my Hellcat without the takedown lever properly seated. As soon as I railed the slide the lever popped right out.

So I've pulled the lever out now and I'm at sixes and sevens over how to get the slide off. I've read elsewhere that sig owners have done this (shame on me for being the first hellcat owner to) and fixed it by using a screwdriver in the takedown lever hole to push the guide rod forward enough to grab it at the muzzle and hold it in place, then shimmy the lever around in the hole until it seats itself.

Should I try this or is there a better option?
 
AshamedHellcat said:
Hi!

As the thread title implies, I reassembled my Hellcat without the takedown lever properly seated. As soon as I railed the slide the lever popped right out.

So I've pulled the lever out now and I'm at sixes and sevens over how to get the slide off. I've read elsewhere that sig owners have done this (shame on me for being the first hellcat owner to) and fixed it by using a screwdriver in the takedown lever hole to push the guide rod forward enough to grab it at the muzzle and hold it in place, then shimmy the lever around in the hole until it seats itself.

Should I try this or is there a better option?
Click to expand...
Hope this helps?
www.thearmorylife.com

How To Disassemble and Clean Your Hellcat - The Armory Life

This Springfield Armory Workbench video covers the basics of maintenance, care, and cleaning of the Springfield Armory Hellcat 9mm pistol.
www.thearmorylife.com www.thearmorylife.com
 
AshamedHC : don’t be ashamed, for one!
I don’t have a Cat and don’t have a clear idea of the scenario so This ain’t much advice. But having done some stoopid stuff in my time:
1) If there’s something to see, post some pics here for others with Cats.
2) Don’t force anything; that’s a very last resort
3) if you don’t get a reasonable sounding, definitive reply here right off, set it aside, do something else for awhile (it resets my mind, anyway), come back to it later and think through the problem.
 
TidalWave said:
AshamedHC : don’t be ashamed, for one!
I don’t have a Cat and don’t have a clear idea of the scenario so This ain’t much advice. But having done some stoopid stuff in my time:
1) If there’s something to see, post some pics here for others with Cats.
2) Don’t force anything; that’s a very last resort
3) if you don’t get a reasonable sounding, definitive reply here right off, set it aside, do something else for awhile (it resets my mind, anyway), come back to it later and think through the problem.
Click to expand...
One more thing: you should see a mail icon at the top of the forum page. Try messaging XDman, KLGunner and OkiePewPew - they might have a handle on the HCs.
 
I fixed it!

20210421_133156.jpg

Pictured above is the assembled firearm, without its takedown lever.


20210421_133233.jpg

You can see here the problem is that the rear of the guide rod is in the way, preventing the takedown lever from being reinserted. The recoil spring is usually stopped a little further up the gun by the takedown lever.

What I did was use a small flathead screwdriver to push the plate forward enough tooooo...


20210421_133318.jpg

...use a butter knife as a shim that can leverage against the front of the grip module to continue to pull the guide rod out. You don't have to use a butter knife -- anything that can be used as a shim that you can apply some serious torque on to lift the face of the recoil spring will work. If you do use a butter knife, be careful. They still cut. Lol.

The next step doesn't have a picture because I only have two hands:

Once I torqued the guide rod face about a half-inch out of the muzzle, I used a pair of pliers to more easily hold the rod up so that I could...


20210421_155852.jpg
20210421_155858.jpg

...wedge this thicc stack of post-its with a hole punched and a cutout (looks like a keyhole) behind the face of the guide rod. That held the rear plate of the guide rod far enough forward for me to easily insert the takedown lever into its hole and properly seat it in the locking block.


20210421_161010.jpg

Voila! 😊
 
Man, glad to hear that, and nice thinking!!
I hate it when things like that happen; it almost subconsciously raises my anxiety level if I can’t do a ‘quick fix’.... that’s why I suggested that “put it away for a while” bit. When I look at it later or next day after I’m rested and the initial little anxiety is gone I’ll often hit on the fix right away.
Best regards,
 
TidalWave said:
Man, glad to hear that, and nice thinking!!
I hate it when things like that happen; it almost subconsciously raises my anxiety level if I can’t do a ‘quick fix’.... that’s why I suggested that “put it away for a while” bit. When I look at it later or next day after I’m rested and the initial little anxiety is gone I’ll often hit on the fix right away.
Best regards,
Click to expand...
I felt tons of anxiety straight away. It takes me a loooong time for it to fizzle out so I let my mind race a while till I McGuyvered a solution. I'm glad it's off my chest! Thanks!
 
By the way I don’t think I’ve seen u on here before. If u are new then Welcome !
it’s a great site; lotta good info. Just don’t irritate Annihilator or he’ll zap u remotely with his Plutonium P-36 modulator, or whatever the heck it is :)
 
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