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Gen 1 P32 slide lock does not work.

6K views 42 replies 7 participants last post by  CJP32 
#1 ·
Greetings,

Back when I got my previously owned Gen 1 P32, it only had one magazine with it. I noted that the slide did not lock back, upon pulling it back, nor does it stay back after shooting the magazine dry. I ordered two new mags from KT today, along with an owner's manual, which was also missing when my P32 came to live here. Hopefully, it will be a problem with the "follower" on the one mag I have. If not, what else do you suggest I look for, to fix this? Thanks for any ideas, or suggestions, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc
 
#5 ·
Hey, Brawny,

OK, sounds good. I'll order three mag springs right now, and a follower, and see how it goes.

Took some photos of my P32 this afternoon, and will post them here, when time permits. Too much work, right now. Thanks, again, for the excellent advice, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc
 
#6 · (Edited)
Greetings,

Back when I got my previously owned Gen 1 P32, it only had one magazine with it. I noted that the slide did not lock back, upon pulling it back, nor does it stay back after shooting the magazine dry. Hopefully, it will be a problem with the "follower" on the one mag I have. If not, what else do you suggest I look for, to fix this? Thanks for any ideas, or suggestions, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc
Pull the slide back with the magazine in place and you will see the "lever" that is actuated by the follower. Make sure it is in place and not bent or damaged. With the magazine removed you can then push up on it with any small tool and see if that locks it. If your magazine feeds reliably I doubt that you have a spring problem. Most likely the slide lock lever or the follower. You can also try pushing up on the bottom of the mag while pulling the slide back. If that helps you may have a worn mag catch.
 
#7 ·
Howdy, WPhilB47,

Many thanks for the additional tips. I'll give your suggestions a try, and see how things go. I've never noticed that lever of which you speak, but will check for it later today. Thanks, again! BTW, I am originally from Odessa, and so a fellow Texan! Thanks, again, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc
 
#8 ·
I agree with Phil, check the slide lock first, it's the most likely cause. New mag springs and followers shouldn't hurt but I don't think the wolf brand is better than the factory replacement parts. Let us know what you find.
 
#9 ·
Howdy, Phil, CJ, and All,

I have checked that lever, and it does not look to be the same shape as what is shown in the drawings of that part. In the drawing, the lever appears to be squared off on the end, and mine "looks" to be tapered from front to back! How easy is it to remove that entire block, and check the lever stop, just to make sure it's not mishapen. In the meantime, I will order a new ejector/slide stop, and spring, from KT.

Thanks, again, for your help, Gentlemen! Much appreciated! I'll keep you posted as to how it all turns out. AND, I'll include photos, so this thread is not "worthless"!! ;) :D Talk soon, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc
 
#10 ·
Howdy, Phil, CJ, and All,

I have checked that lever, and it does not look to be the same shape as what is shown in the drawings of that part. In the drawing, the lever appears to be squared off on the end, and mine "looks" to be tapered from front to back! How easy is it to remove that entire block, and check the lever stop, just to make sure it's not mishapen. In the meantime, I will order a new ejector/slide stop, and spring, from KT.

Thanks, again, for your help, Gentlemen! Much appreciated! I'll keep you posted as to how it all turns out. AND, I'll include photos, so this thread is not "worthless"!! ;) :D Talk soon, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc
Can you see the follower engaging the slide lock when the slide is retracted with an empty mag in place? Can you push/pull that lever up with a screwdriver/ finger with the slide retracted and no magazine, and lock the slide?
 
#11 ·
Wouldn't hurt to take the actual frame out of the grip frame and see if maybe the slide lock lever is just gummed up with old lube/carbon/whatever. Unhook the mainspring, knock out the three frame pins, and carefully lift the metal frame out of the grip frame. Keep your fingers over the sides of the assembly as you do so, so that none of the springs come shooting out. If the slide lock tab doesn't appear to be damaged in any way, just give the whole mess a thorough cleaning and lube, then carefully reassemble, and see if that doesn't do the trick. If not, you might just need a new spring for the slide lock. Don't worry about it being too complex to reassemble, just make sure you have a clean, well-lit workspace where any small parts that might fall or pop off in the process can't be easily lost.

Schematics of the P32 are available all over online, and in the original owner's manual, and there's plenty of how-to's on YouTube for the process (almost identical to the P3AT and VERYsimilar to the P11/PF9, as well as the Ruger LCP).

Extra-strength Wolff springs for P32 magazines are completely unnecessary. The OEM ones work just fine - they're made by Mec-Gar, and they're pretty well-known for making quality mags with good springs. I have old P32 mags with who-knows-how-many rounds through them, and they still function perfectly well and still have enough oomph to push that teeny-tiny little tab up to lock the slide back on the last round.
 
#12 ·
Morning, darkwriter77,

Excellent info, and I'll most certainly do that, as soon as work demands slacken a bit. I've already ordered the extra power springs, so, too late to change that plan. But, before I order parts from KT, I'll remove the frame from the grip frame, as you suggest, and make sure that all is clean and free of muck. Thank you, Sir, for your great info! Much appreciated! Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc
 
#13 ·
My first gen P3AT does not have a slide lock of any kind. I haven't had a P-32 for years but I don't remember a slide lock on it either. :confused::confused::confused:

Steve
 
#15 ·
As I said. I could not remember. The first gen P3-AT in my pocket does not have anything in it to lock the slide. I just pulled it out and looked. :cool::cool:
 
#16 ·
I should have looked before I spoke. On the Kel-Tec site it shows the P-32 has a lever on the left side ( part 280) that is operated by the follower and does have a slide lock tab on it. The P3-AT does not have that part. Sorry. :eek::eek::eek:

Steve
 
#17 ·
Good Morning, All,

Well, this morning, I removed the magazine and slide from my P32, and under good light, inspected the lever and spring that reside therein. To my uneducated eye, it appears that some past owner of this little pistol, has either modified, or worn out, the lever and possibly the follower from this firearm. I'll post some photos, and see if you think so, too.

The lever does not look like it should slant backwards that way, and the follower looks like the front left edge has been filed/modified to remove whatever area on which the lever is supposed to function as a slide stop. Please let me know what you think, and hopefully, this little Fellow can be put right, and restore this feature to it's list of actions. Thanks, very much, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc
 

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#19 ·
Actually, the follower looks fine to me - mine are visibly more worn than that, and they work fine. My bet's on it just being gummed up/sticky. Does it move freely and easily if you lift the slide lock lever, and does it snap back down readily when you release it?
 
#20 ·
Go to the Kel Tec site and to the P-32 and the PDF. Look at part 280. It has two tabs on it . I assume the one closest to the hole on the end is the one that contacts the mag. The one at the rear is the one that locks the slide. I did not see the second tab in your picture. it should be farther to the back of the gun. If it is not there then that may be your trouble. You can order parts from Kel Tec or send it in. I do not know what the cost for repair is now. Very hard to see everything over the internet. :):):)

Steve
 
#21 ·
I guess no one is going to listen to a simple way to narrow down the possibilities. One last try. With the pistol assembled and a magazine in place, pull the slide back and see if the follower is contacting the lever. If it is, try pushing the mag base down on the table while retracting the slide. If the follower is contacting the lever but pushing the mag plate up still won't lock the slide, take the mag out and with a suitable tool push the lever up with the slide retracted. If that doesn't work, disassemble and inspect for crud or damage.
 
#22 · (Edited)
Evening, Gentlemen,

Thanks, again, for the excellent advice and comments! I just removed the slide, again, and took a closer look, again, under good light. Guess what I found??? Some previous owner apparently had removed the entire from the grip frame, and when reassembling it, seems to have gotten one leg of the slide stop spring, in the WRONG place!!! Please take a gander at this photo below, and see if this is as wrong as it appears to me. If so, I'll order a new spring, and ejector/slide stop, from KT, and wait patiently for them to arrive for installation in this little P32. Oh, well.... I'm still very happy with this little guy, and look forward to getting him into proper shooting condition. Just might have sussed it all out, thanks to you Gents!! Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

P.S. Hi, Phil, I did check out your suggestions, but found the lever and ejector not responsive in the proper way. Now, after seeing the spring leg poking out of the pin hole, I can see why that may have been. Many thanks for your great advice, Sir!
 

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#23 ·
Evening, Gentlemen,

Thanks, again, for the excellent advice and comments! I just removed the slide, again, and took a closer look, again, under good light. Guess what I found??? Some previous owner apparently had removed the entire from the grip frame, and when reassembling it, seems to have gotten one leg of the slide stop spring, in the WRONG place!!! Please take a gander at this photo below, and see if this is as wrong as it appears to me. If so, I'll order a new spring, and ejector/slide stop, from KT, and wait patiently for them to arrive for installation in this little P32. Oh, well.... I'm still very happy with this little guy, and look forward to getting him into proper shooting condition. Just might have sussed it all out, thanks to you Gents!! Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

P.S. Hi, Phil, I did check out your suggestions, but found the lever and ejector not responsive in the proper way. Now, after seeing the spring leg poking out of the pin hole, I can see why that may have been. Many thanks for your great advice, Sir!
It won't hurt to replace the parts, but this may simply be an assembly problem. Before I ordered parts, I would disassemble the frame from the grip, inspect and clean everything and (if there are no obvious defects) reassemble, following the directions closely. This may solve your problem, and if it doesn't, it will give you an insight to the procedure should you have to install new parts. You will have fewer problems and have less chance of losing/launching parts into space, with the additional practice.
 
#24 ·
Howdy, Phil,

Gave removing the frame a try tonight, but it seems to be held somewhat by a spring of some kind. Popped out the pins, and began to life out the frame, but something is still connected that needs to be released. Any ideas as to what that might be? I decided to stop where I was, rather than possibly break something about which I had no knowledge. I'll give it a go in a day, or so, after my work demands are a bit less than they are right now. Any clues as to what I need to "release" in order to remove the frame, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc
 
#25 ·
Howdy, Phil,

Gave removing the frame a try tonight, but it seems to be held somewhat by a spring of some kind. Popped out the pins, and began to life out the frame, but something is still connected that needs to be released. Any ideas as to what that might be? I decided to stop where I was, rather than possibly break something about which I had no knowledge. I'll give it a go in a day, or so, after my work demands are a bit less than they are right now. Any clues as to what I need to "release" in order to remove the frame, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc
You probably still need to disconnect the mainspring/hammer spring. Real simple, although it can be a bit of a booger to unhook (and especially to put back into place). Helps if you've got a hook-like kind of pick tool like one of these (cheap and readily available at all kinds of places if you don't have one):


The part you need to remove is this doohickey, like so:



You might be able to get away with just using a flathead screwdriver, like in the pic, and just lifting that black plastic tab up and moving it over into the mag well before CAREFULLY releasing tension upon it. That should free up your frame, if you've already knocked out those main assembly pins.

Also, this page has an exploded view of the P32, in case you need it:

http://www.mouseguns.com/p32/32review.htm
 
#26 ·
Morning, darkwriter77,

Excellent information!!! I'll give that a go. After yesterday's attempt to remove the frame, I can see why it did not now work, when trying Phil's also excellent suggestion. Without totally removing the frame, there is no way to get all the gunk out of the area that needs to be cleaned and lubed!

Thanks, again, and I'll see how all this turns out. I may go ahead and order a new spring, and ejector/slide stop ($1+$4 from KT) just to cover that base. But, with all the great info I've received from you good Folks, this looks like it may finally be put right, and my P32 will be ready to go!! Thanks, again, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc

P.S. I took lots of photos of my P32 the other day, and when she's all perking along, as designed, I'll post those photos here on the KT forum!
 
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