Jim's Browning '74C series 9mm

[senona]

Has this thing been in this condition long?

Is it non functioning?

Can the slide rack?

I'd think you might be best off letting a gunsmith(even amateur) look it over. If it's been this way long, it might be stuck and some lub might loosen it. But it should be completely disassembled, cleaned, lubricated and then function checked.

Not sure really how long it's been like this.
But I do know it's been several years since it's been taken apart and cleaned.

We live in a very high humid area and I can imagine the inside possibly having rust.


There is a popular gun shop that I will take it to and see what they will charge to properly clean it.

[Snarl]

@"senona" empty your mag, reinsert it and seat it well, and let us know if the safety can be moved post WD-40 treatment.

And make sure you wrap the parts you don't want WD-40 on with a rag.

Anyone know how to get that surface rust off?  Just a brass brush and oil?

[MisterSpock]

The browning, from what I can tell, has a magazine disconnect, but that should not be affecting the function of the safety. 

My other concern, even if you get it freed up, is why it was stuck in the first place. Even a dry, old gun, should still be able to move that safety, granted with a fair amount of pressure required. 

You might have some internal damage/buildup or burrs in the trigger mechanism. A gunsmith shouldn't charge you much, maybe 50 bucks? to tear it down and clean it all up and check things, if it needed parts, it would obviously add cost. But the piece of mind would be worth it.

[Lumenari]

Will the slide "jiggle" backwards or forwards, even a little bit, like a millimeter?

.

Are we all aware here that this handgun has a magazine safety?

Just askin...

I am. It's a little pedal on the forward side of the mag well about half way up. Very annoying if one is trying to shoot something in the middle of a mag change.. which does happen, upon occasion...

.

I meant the magazine disconnect.

Without the magazine in , you cannot slide the action or pull the trigger on that handgun.

Without taking out the magazine disconnect... which also gives you a lot better trigger action.

I'ma hush now and leave it to the experts...

Oh hell no, you ain't gonna hush just yet. LMAO

I need your "innocent look" tips and advice, along with @"Ninurta" and @"Snarl" 





I never turn down any help on something I am not in the know of, especially when it comes to guns.

Empty the magazine, insert it and see what you can do with the safety.

If it operates with the magazine in, then cycle the action.

Do a dry fire or two under safe circumstances.

Then go from there.

Pro Tip... on that handgun if you get rid of the Mag disconnect (YouTube it) then you will get a lot tighter trigger out of it.

[Ninurta]

You can try this, but I hesitate to even put in in print.

If it was mine, I would empty a magazine and fully seat it in the mag well until it clicked. Then I would keep KEENLY in mind that I am not aware if there is a round in the chamber or not - it will still fire with an empty mag in if there is a round in the chamber. That means being acutely aware of where the muzzle is pointed, and keeping one's fingers out from the right of way of a bullet exiting said muzzle - because the right or way for a bullet is not very forgiving at all. 

Then I would hose it down along the interface between the slide and the frame (both sides of the gun), paying particular attention to the safety area, with WD40, and let it sit a while, giving the WD40 enough time to do it's penetration trick.

I'd tap it with a rubber mallet - not smite the shit out of it, just tap it all along the area of interest a few times, to jiggle shit around and clear a path for the WD40.

All this time I would keep in mind there might be a hot round in the chamber, and act accordingly - i.e. keep it pointed at a wall I didn't mind perforating, and make sure no dogs or friends were harmed in the making of this repair. I stress this because when I was much younger I nearly got my head perforated by an "unloaded" gun, which I feel would have possibly been very bad for me. I mean the brand new hole in my head thing might not have been good for me.

Then I'd cock the hammer, and REALLY ramp up the whole "which way is that muzzle pointed" thing, and keep track of what was in front of it that I might not want to obliterate. I would, at this point, place the weapon on "fire" or as nearly as I could, and remove the empty magazine from the chamber. I'd be pretty cautious of the trigger from here forward.

then I would try to work the safety and the slide a bit, to see if I could get any motion at all. Some motion can be good, no motion at all after several minutes of trying can be bad.

If I could get enough play in the slide to take out the takedown pin (also known as the slide release pin - the slide release pops about an eighth to a quarter of an inch out the left side of the gun when you are successful), then I would extract that and try to take the slide off to the forward of the weapon.

If I managed to get the slide off, then I would take out the recoil spring and make every effort to insure it didn't fly across the room and into the next installment when I did... and if I got that done, I would gently lift out the barrel and make sure there was no round in the chamber.. and if there isn't, I would breathe a sigh of relief, having disarmed a potential bomb.

Then I would inspect the innards for rust, and try to determine why it wasn't freely functioning to begin with,

That's just what I would do - your mileage may vary.

None of this will likely work if the hammer cannot be cocked or at least pulled back enough to get the slide off.

.

[MisterSpock]

@"senona" empty your mag, reinsert it and seat it well, and let us know if the safety can be moved post WD-40 treatment.

And make sure you wrap the parts you don't want WD-40 on with a rag.

Anyone know how to get that surface rust off?  Just a brass brush and oil?

I've used just standard gun oil and a new toothbrush to clean off light surface rust on a couple 40 year old S&W's revolvers I bought a few years ago. 

It's slow and tedious, but obviously very finish safe. I'd start there, let it soak if it has too.

[Ninurta]

Will the slide "jiggle" backwards or forwards, even a little bit, like a millimeter?

.

Are we all aware here that this handgun has a magazine safety?

Just askin...

I am. It's a little pedal on the forward side of the mag well about half way up. Very annoying if one is trying to shoot something in the middle of a mag change.. which does happen, upon occasion...

.

There is no little pedal on the forward side of the mag on this one.

Both front/back sides are smooth.

No magazine safety? that's a keeper if you can get it operational! That is the only problem I had with my Brownings. I want a gun to shoot whenever I pull the trigger, even if I'm in the middle of a mag change. that's one of the reasons I bought this Taurus - it has no magazine safety, either.

.

[Snarl]

You can try this, but I hesitate to even put in in print.

If it was mine, I would empty a magazine and fully seat it in the mag well until it clicked. Then I would keep KEENLY in mind that I am not aware if there is a round in the chamber or not - it will still fire with an empty mag in if there is a round in the chamber. That means being acutely aware of where the muzzle is pointed, and keeping one's fingers out from the right of way of a bullet exiting said muzzle - because the right or way for a bullet is not very forgiving at all. 

...

[Ninurta]

Will the slide "jiggle" backwards or forwards, even a little bit, like a millimeter?

.

Are we all aware here that this handgun has a magazine safety?

Just askin...

I am. It's a little pedal on the forward side of the mag well about half way up. Very annoying if one is trying to shoot something in the middle of a mag change.. which does happen, upon occasion...

.

I meant the magazine disconnect... an actual magazine safety.

Meaning that without the magazine in , you cannot slide the action or pull the trigger on that handgun.

Without taking out the magazine disconnect... which also gives you a lot better trigger action.

I'ma hush now and leave it to the experts...

Yup, that one. On my last HP35, which was Brazilian rather than Belgian, it had a little pedal on the front of the magazine well (inside it) that, got pushed forward (by the magazine) when you inserted a magazine, and that disengaged the magazine safety. Without a magazine in it, the gun was dead in the water, and wouldn't do anything at all that was gun-like.

.

[Ninurta]

@"senona" empty your mag, reinsert it and seat it well, and let us know if the safety can be moved post WD-40 treatment.

And make sure you wrap the parts you don't want WD-40 on with a rag.

Anyone know how to get that surface rust off?  Just a brass brush and oil?

WD40 and a soft rag is what I would use. A brass brush or steel wool might mess up the finish.


There used to be an oil-like product that you could coat your gun in to prevent light rust like that in humid areas. I can't recall what the name of it was, but folks could ask around at their local gun shop.

.

[senona]

@"senona" empty your mag, reinsert it and seat it well, and let us know if the safety can be moved post WD-40 treatment.

Mag emptied and reloaded (12)
Spring is still VERY strong, no issues there as far as I can tell.

Still no luck on the safety, even with WD-40, at this time.

[Ninurta]

@"senona" empty your mag, reinsert it and seat it well, and let us know if the safety can be moved post WD-40 treatment.

Mag emptied and reloaded (12)
Spring is still VERY strong, no issues there as far as I can tell.

Still no luck on the safety, even with WD-40, at this time.

Just empty the magazine and leave it empty until you have the gun functional. You don't need it to reload itself with a fresh round after you puncture your nearest wall if there is still a round in the chamber.

What you are using the empty magazine for is to just make sure internal safeties are disengaged while you try to get motion out of the external safety or slide.

You might have to hose it down fairly heavily with the WD 40 and let it sit overnight to penetrate. Once it has penetrated, you may still have to lightly peck the safety lever to break it loose. I mean VERY lightly peck it - you don't want to break it. Just some light "taptaptaps" to see it it will move at all, even a little bit.

.

[senona]

Thanks for everyone's help, I really appreciate it.

And even tho I'm in the learning process of dealing with guns, I am fully aware of the dangers of handling a gun, even if one thinks it's on safety or empty.
And never, EVER point it towards anyone. Unless it's to shoot them (I hear ya Jim)

Jim pounded that much into my head many moons ago when he was still active with his guns/rifles.





Which, that in of itself is another reason why I need to get in touch with the Gun Shop.


Jim's many rifles that have been in a storage unit in Mississippi since forever, that I finally got moved to where we are now in Slidell, LA during the shutdown, thanks to my sister and brother-in-law.

They are still wrapped up but can imagine the rust on them.
Not gonna be pretty I bet.

I am going to keep 2 of his better rifles (the ones he kept with us on the road with scopes) and sell the others once they are cleaned up and checked out.

It will take time tho, going thru all our stuff in the storage.

[senona]

@"senona" empty your mag, reinsert it and seat it well, and let us know if the safety can be moved post WD-40 treatment.

Mag emptied and reloaded (12)
Spring is still VERY strong, no issues there as far as I can tell.

Still no luck on the safety, even with WD-40, at this time.

Just empty the magazine and leave it empty until you have the gun functional. You don't need it to reload itself with a fresh round after you puncture your nearest wall if there is still a round in the chamber.

What you are using the empty magazine for is to just make sure internal safeties are disengaged while you try to get motion out of the external safety or slide.

You might have to hose it down fairly heavily with the WD 40 and let it sit overnight to penetrate. Once it has penetrated, you may still have to lightly peck the safety lever to break it loose. I mean VERY lightly peck it - you don't want to break it. Just some light "taptaptaps" to see it it will move at all, even a little bit.

.

Got it, will do. Thanks!

And yes, very aware of harming the finish on it.
Do not want scratch marks ruining it.

A while ago, I had a cloth over it while I was lightly tapping it, trying to move the safety after I sprayed it with WD-40

[guohua]

Hello My Dear @"senona" 

My husband said the slide is not all the way forward and it is hanging the thumb safety.
Take one or two screws holding the right wooden grip off and you should be able to spray the inside of the safety mechanism and the slide grove and trigger area.
Yes using WD 40 will be fine, that is what a gunsmith will use and a rubber mallet.

[Snarl]

I am going to keep 2 of his better rifles (the ones he kept with us on the road with scopes) and sell the others once they are cleaned up and checked out.

**Whatever you plan to keep ... deserves most of your attention.**

Don't be in a big hurry to sell ATM.  It's a seller's market (big time) right now ... especially if you have a good quantity of ammunition to go with the ones you're selling.  But ... the bargain hunters WILL rip you off if you don't know what you've got and what it's really worth.

When you get a chance ... let us know what you've considered parting with.  You might wanna re-look what's going inside the asterisks above.

[Snarl]

One thing ... you've heard a Lot of folks mention WD-40.  Using that to address the rust (if that's all you have) is one thing.  Using it as a lubricant substitute is a no-no.

When you get the slide moving, you're gonna need to learn how to break that gun down and properly service it.  I have no knowledge specific to that particular handgun, but YouTube probably has everything you need to DIY.  And ... if you're unsure ... give us a shout!!  Just look at all the help you got.

[hounddoghowlie]

Hello My Dear @"senona" 

My husband said the slide is not all the way forward and it is hanging the thumb safety.
Take one or two screws holding the right wooden grip off and you should be able to spray the inside of the safety mechanism and the slide grove and trigger area.
Yes using WD 40 will be fine, that is what a gunsmith will use and a rubber mallet.

i'm gonna agree with guosha's old man and say, something going on with the slide. you can see daylight between the hammer and seat in the slide. and the slide doesn't seem to be lining up with the frame in the back.

it could be the safety detent ball and spring is rusty and stuck, at least it looks like it has one looking at other images. or rust along slide tracks.

couldn't find any with the same perspective as your image, but it you look at at the two below you will see what i'm saying
here is the image i'm looking at,




see how the slide is lined up with the frame and look at the safety, see the gap between the body of it and the frame.  you can see a little round ball
there. it also looks as if the safety is not fully released on your, not all the way down.

here is another, gun that shows it a little better,


see how the tang that goes in the slide on this one is all the way down and you can see the line(grove) above it.

now here is yours to compare them



see the daylight between the hammer and slide? and see the safety tang is not all the way down past the slide? as others have said use penetrating oil.
there are two others that i find better than WD40, that's Kroil oil or PB Blaster. 

spray it around the back side of the safety body the flat part at the back behind the raised thumb portion of the safety and on the sides of it. on the other side you should be able to see the pin end of the safety on the frame spray it there. also spray along the slide groves.
spray the gap area and detent ball. let soak for a hour or so. try to move it by hand first. it it doesn't move take a light mallet or hammer with a solid piece of brass or if no soft metal is available a small piece of wood and place it on the raised part of the safety and tap do not hit it real hard. if you can find a small piece of metal that will fit in the gap where the detent spring is try and push the ball in, if it's rusty it might push in and stick, and you will have to get someone to break it down and fix it.

i didn't see if you knew if there was a round in the chamber or not, treat as if there is one. if that doesn't work take it to a gun smith or someone you know that has experience in working on weapons.

if it does work give to someone else when you test fire it to try

after i posted the enlarged picture of yours i can see either rust, or something around the flat part of the safety in the back.

you know i just thought about something, the hammer could be in the half cocked position that's why you can see daylight.

[hounddoghowlie]

being that the hammer might be in the half cocked position, try to lower the hammer to the dropped position.
go outside, put in a empty magazine, point pistol at the ground,place your thumb on the hammer and apply slight pressure on hammer and pull the tigger, allow hammer to fall if it seems to move while still holding pressure on it.

you might even try to fully cock it and and do the above if it does.

here i found a HI POWER™OWNER’S MANUAL, it the same as Jim's just has a Ambidextrous“Safety” Lever. functions are the same. older models only had left side safety's.

here is the section for lowering the hammer

LOWERING T H E HAMMER
To lower the hammer from full-cock to the dropped position the
following procedure is recommended.
1 Place the “safety” in the on safe position.
2 Insert a magazine into the pistol.
3 Point the muzzle in a safe
direction and move the “safety”
into the off safe position. Place
your thumb over the hammer
with the point of your thumb
in the “V” between the hammer
and the firing pin (the tip of cushion should the hammer accidentally fall). Apply slight
rearward pressure on the hammer.
4 Squeeze the trigger and allow the hammer to move forward slowly,
under control of your thumb.
Warning
WHEN THE HAMMER PASSES THE FULL-COCK POSITION REMOVE YOUR
FINGER FROM THE TRIGGER. THIS WILL ALLOW THE HAMMER TO CATCH
AT THE HALF-COCK POSITION SHOULD THE HAMMER SLIP FROM YOUR
THUMB. FAILURE TO FOLLOW THIS WARNING COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS
INJURY OR DEATH.
Slowly allow the hammer to travel forward until it is stopped in the
half-cock position.
5 With the hammer in the half-cock position, again, draw the
hammer slightly rearward and squeeze the trigger until the
hammer moves forward past the half-cock position.
6 Ease the hammer against the firing pin. The hammer is now in the
dropped position.

link for the PDF,
Hi Power

i know that the safety is almost all the way down, but it could be locking the the hammer and that's why it won't go all the way down because of the spring pressure.

[senona]

One thing ... you've heard a Lot of folks mention WD-40.  Using that to address the rust (if that's all you have) is one thing.  Using it as a lubricant substitute is a no-no.

When you get the slide moving, you're gonna need to learn how to break that gun down and properly service it.  I have no knowledge specific to that particular handgun, but YouTube probably has everything you need to DIY.  And ... if you're unsure ... give us a shout!!  Just look at all the help you got.

Ah yeah, about using WD-40 on a pistol....... I got the "look" today when I took it to the gunshop and mentioned that I had used it. LMAO

Needless to say, I bought a can of stuff that is not water based and will not cause rust later on.


Really cool guys there, older and down to earth. Good ol' boys, so to speak.



Anyhoooo..... nothing wrong with the gun, it was me not knowing how to rack the slide.


The guy that ended up helping me, slid it back without a problem and I was like how the hell did you do that???

He just grinned at me with a twinkle in his eyes.


Dan then proceeded to take it apart, all the while telling me that it was in really good condition and didn't need anything done to it. Haha

He did have an issue dissembling the cover (evidently Dan is not used to Browning), so he took it to his buddy who showed him up and had it off in a few seconds. LMAO


Dan cleaned and oiled it.
He did have an issue getting the slide back on -- the clamp has to be just right and he finally got it after about 20 minutes of mumbling and grumbling.


And what did he charge me???

Not a damn thing.
Dan would not take a dime from me, so I bought the oil spray just because.


He started to say, "If you feel the need to take it apart".......

And I said right quick before he could finish, "I will bring it here" with a laugh and grin.