new member, probably not a new question

[TheDude]

Hi! I just got my P64 from AIM today, and have stripped it down and done some cleaning. But MAN, is everything stiff on this pistol. It takes a herculean effort just to rack the slide. The safety is also a bear to engage or disengage.

I have been reading the how-tos, fixes, etc, and I plan on cleaning, cleaning, cleaning this thing until my fingers bleed -- but has anyone else had a P64 that was reallllllllly stiff to move anything on?

I went to the wolff website, and they do not have any of the reduced power springs. I guess my question is, if I replace the recoil spring with a factory standard or extra power spring, is it going to be easier to rack the slide than it is now?

by the way, the pistol I received is in real nice shape otherwise, just a little carry/holster wear on the slide near the muzzle. The barrel looks pristine, definitely has not been fired very much.

thanks in advance for any advice, input, and help.

[Autosurgeon]

Go shoot it before you change anything!

[dfunk]

I agree shoot it!

If you replace the recoil spring with an extra power spring, the slide will be more difficult than it already is to operate. Plus, in my opinion, you'll unnecessarily batter the slide and frame.

[TheDude]

well, I am guessing that the spring it came with is much stiffer than it should be, but since I've never had a P64 before I have nothing to compare it with. I just know that it is very uncomfortable with the amount of effort it takes to rack it.

anyways, i went ahead and ordered a factory spec replacement and a heavy duty spring from wolff. I'll give it a try with all three springs and see how it feels. I agree, I don't want one that is too light, just one that works like I think it should, if that makes any sense.

[tomline]

Use an 18lb hammer spring, and 20 lb recoil spring. If the gun won't reassemble with the new recoil spring, grind down the ends, or cut about a 1/4 of a coil off.

Even with the new springs, I like to take a good india stone, and polish the hammer spring strut, and the top rear of the transfer bar where it rubs into the horseshoe disconnect to really butter things up. Look at wear points on the metal, where the finish has worn from friction of parts moving, and if there's machine tool chatter marks, try to get them to a smooth mirror shine. Put a thin coat of grease anywhere you polish. Don't mess with the sear or hammer.

The heaviest recoil spring that will let the slide be reinstalled is the way to go because it reduces recoil somehow.

anyways, i went ahead and ordered a factory spec replacement and a heavy duty spring from wolff. I'll give it a try with all three springs and see how it feels. I agree, I don't want one that is too light, just one that works like I think it should, if that makes any sense.

[butane]

Dude,

I got a pistol from the same batch as you did. Geez, AIM sold out in about six hours, we were lucky! Mine is stiff too. Go to the p-64 home page, click on 'Media' then look through the manual, and the 100% assembly instructions.

They say there isn't much you can do about the heavy double action trigger, but I don't believe it. I had a really stiff safety, and took apart the slide to get at the plunger that holds the safety in positon. Use the link to assembly instructions, and refer to it while you're doing it. Once I got the plunger and safety lever out, I polished the plunger end to a blunt rounded nub, so it wouldn't sink so deeply into the detent on the safety tumbler. Then I smoothed out everything else with super fine emery finishing paper. I'm happy with the result.

All blowback pistols are a bitch to rack the slide. You can't do much about that, except make your arms stronger. All Communist pistols have lousy double action trigger pulls. I'm still trying to find the answer to that.

[akguy1985]

Dude,

I got a pistol from the same batch as you did. Geez, AIM sold out in about six hours, we were lucky! Mine is stiff too. Go to the p-64 home page, click on 'Media' then look through the manual, and the 100% assembly instructions.

They say there isn't much you can do about the heavy double action trigger, but I don't believe it. I had a really stiff safety, and took apart the slide to get at the plunger that holds the safety in positon. Use the link to assembly instructions, and refer to it while you're doing it. Once I got the plunger and safety lever out, I polished the plunger end to a blunt rounded nub, so it wouldn't sink so deeply into the detent on the safety tumbler. Then I smoothed out everything else with super fine emery finishing paper. I'm happy with the result.

All blowback pistols are a bitch to rack the slide. You can't do much about that, except make your arms stronger. All Communist pistols have lousy double action trigger pulls. I'm still trying to find the answer to that.

I probably got mine from the same batch as yours. I got one of the 179.99 grade ones. I kept bugging this same lady and she finally took my order lol

[waltham41]

You change out the hammer spring to lighten up the trigger.... I have a couple of new wolff ones for sale in the trade section. The prices are not written in stone.

I swapped out mine and it makes a world of difference.

[TheDude]

so I got the springs, but I haven't put them in. on the advice of members here, i tried it with the springs the way it came from AIM, and it actually loosened up a bit. I greased the rails pretty well, and after about 50 rounds it was much better. I think it just had not been fired much, and had been sitting unused for quite a while. just needed some breaking in, i think!