Lost detent ball - help!

[Rblakely]

I was removing the firing pin on my M57 Tokarev which requires removing the slide mounted safety. I had the slide in a big zip lock so I wouldn't lose any small parts. The safety came out and the detent spring went in the bag and the detent ball went.....somewhere else. I spent the last hour sweeping the floor with a magnet to no avail.

Any idea where I can get a replacement for that tiny safety detent ball?

Edit - Unless someone has a better idea I might just pick this up

https://www.gunpartscorp.com/ad/283700.htm

[Gunsnwater]

I was removing the firing pin on my M57 Tokarev which requires removing the slide mounted safety. I had the slide in a big zip lock so I wouldn't lose any small parts. The safety came out and the detent spring went in the bag and the detent ball went.....somewhere else. I spent the last hour sweeping the floor with a magnet to no avail.

Any idea where I can get a replacement for that tiny safety detent ball?

Edit - Unless someone has a better idea I might just pick this up

https://www.gunpartscorp.com/ad/283700.htm

Are you shure it's not a safety plunger and spring? eBay has two listed and numrich has them also.

[Rblakely]

Are you shure it's not a safety plunger and spring? eBay has two listed and numrich has them also.

No - it's the slide mounted safety. It has (or at least had) a ball and spring detent.

[Rblakely]

Saw a complete slide assembly on ebay for $50 and picked it up. It was an M57 slide with a slide mounted safety like mine. It was delivered this week.

The reason I was dissassmbling mine was I was getting light strikes with any ammo except PPU. I was going to clean the firing pin channel and remove a coil from the spring.

Put the new slide on and bingo - no more issues. I have a bunch (400 rounds) of surplus from the 50's that I gave up trying to shoot because it took 3 hammer drops to go off (if it went off at all). With the new slide / firing pin assembly I sent 50 surplus rounds down range w/o an issue. Also shot 50 S&B rounds w/o issue that used to give me one or two light strikes per mag.

[Bang]

Now you can disassemble the newly-acquired one, measure the ball, and know what's needed to replace in the first one

[Rblakely]

Now you can disassemble the newly-acquired one, measure the ball, and know what's needed to replace in the first one

And start a new thread called "Guess what my dumb ass did today?"

[streaker69]

And start a new thread called "Guess what my dumb ass did today?"

A wise person would disassemble it inside a paper bag.

[Rblakely]

A wise person would disassemble it inside a paper bag.

I dissassmbled the first one in a bag (one gallon ziplock). The detent ball popped out nice and clean through the hole where my hands were. Hit me dead center of the forehead and vanished.

[streaker69]

I dissassmbled the first one in a bag (one gallon ziplock). The detent ball popped out nice and clean through the hole where my hands were. Hit me dead center of the forehead and vanished.

Big paper bag, have one of your kids staple the bag shut around your hands. Use your mind's eye to disassemble.

[Rblakely]

Big paper bag, have one of your kids staple the bag shut around your hands. Use your mind's eye to disassemble.

Yea...this ain't me there Obi-wan