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P32 mag catch spring fell out

1.9K views 11 replies 4 participants last post by  TxCajun  
#1 ·
Wife was putting some rounds thru her new P32 today. Finishing shooting and when I went to remove the mag to start the cleaning processing, I noticed that the mag release didn't spring back. Removed the slide and there was the mag catch spring out of the groove and just hanging there in the hole in the release. I pulled it the rest of the way out.

I assume this means I've got to dis-assembly everything to get it back in there?? At least that's the way it looks to me.

Any idea what could cause this? I don't remember reading about any kind of problems in this area. The gun has about 150-160 rounds thru it so far without any kinds of problems.

Are there any helpful insts floating around anywhere.?
 
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#2 ·
Re: P32 mag spring fell out

Ed_Y said:
Wife was putting some rounds thru her new P32 today. Finishing shooting and when I went to remove the mag to start the cleaning processing, I noticed that the mag release didn't spring back. Removed the slide and there was the mag spring out of the groove and just hanging there in the hole in the release. I pulled it the rest of the way out.

I assume this means I've got to dis-assembly everything to get it back in there?? At least that's the way it looks to me.

Any idea what could cause this? I don't remember reading about any kind of problems in this area. The gun has about 150-160 rounds thru it so far without any kinds of problems.

Are there any helpful insts floating around anywhere.?
they just didn't get it in right from the factory. once it is in place correctly, it will not come out. yes you will have to remove the frame from the weapon to install the spring. You can go to the kt web site and pull up their links etc and it will show you how to do it. or very shortly someone on this board will give you the proper thread to lock on to. I would do it but I can't do the magic that guys like tx-cajun and beach, and wilson can do. They will come up with the right info for you.
 
#4 ·
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#5 ·
#7 ·
Thanks, TX. I got the mag catch spring back in without taking anything apart. Wife has some small needle nose pliers (she does beadwork) that allowed me to do it.

BUT, i inserted a full mag, racked a few shells, took the mag out, refilled it. I went thru this evolution a few times. After checking the mag catch spring again, it looks like it doesn't want to stay in position. The 2 lips that each side of the spring sit behind (part of the polymer body) look to me like they have been dinged up and don't extend far enough to hold both sides of the spring in place.

Does the long arm of the mag catch spring normally have a fend in it or is it straight? Mine has a bend in it.

Guess I should call KT in the AM unless someone has some other suggestions. Will they require me to return the complete pistol or maybe just send me a new grip??
 
#8 ·
It is supposed to have a little bend in it.
http://www.kel-tec.com/p32parts.html

Don't go sending the gun back just yet. Call Kel-tec and ask for a new mag catch and spring. You may have to remove the frame from the grip to make sure you have it properly installed. If it still pops out, then you may need a new grip if the recess where the pin sits is messed up. While I've never seen this happen, anything is possible. It would be hard to tell without seeing it and it's a difficult area to photograph. When you call KT, ask for service and ask to speak to a P3 technician. Discuss/describe the issue and see what they want to send you. Sending the gun back can be expensive and time consuming. You should be able to nail this... eventually. 8)
 
#9 ·
ED-Y, same thing happened to my son's P32. Put spring back with wifes small needle nose also, without removing grip. His also didn't seem to fit in the notches in the grip. Look at the top of the spring and see if it is fully pushed toward the front of grip. His wasn't ,so I used a small flat scew driver and pushed it tight against grip. 100 rds later it is still working fine.
 
#10 ·
Thanks guys. I'll get in touch with Kel-Tec this AM and see what they say. I really don't want to send it back. I saw what looked like a slight bend in the spring in the parts schematic but wasn't sure if that was just the picture or not.

The top of the spring is flat against the front of the grip but after putting in, taking out the mag, the spring seems to move out somewhat. I always thought the mag came out a little funny since the gun was new (only couple of weeks ago) but just attributed it to new stiffness.

I've never taken the frame off the grip, either on this P32 or my P3AT. Anything I need to watch for or parts I should have, for the just in case kind of thing.
 
#11 ·
Ed_Y said:
Anything I need to watch for or parts I should have, for the just in case kind of thing.
The Geocities link TxCajun already posted for you is just about everything there is to know about it. The P32 instructions are exactly the same for the P3AT.

Anyway, here it is again, in case you missed reading it the first time:

http://www.geocities.com/pocketguns/P32grip.html

;D
rcmodel
 
#12 ·