My new to me Savage 1907 pistol is a pain to assemble

[Rogerbutthead]

I got an old Savage 1907 serial number 111354 in 32 ACP. Savage99 says it was manufactured in 1914.

Because of the line of old pistols I have at the FFL, I only got it yesterday.

So of course, due to my "I can do it" DIY youtube helped attitude - I took it apart. Strongest spring I can remember in a handgun that I have owned. Had problems with the rotating barrel - rotating enough to reassemble the slide/barrel to the frame. Had to pull out some gloves as my fingers were getting raw fighting with this old gun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lH8KF_qTnk This guy makes it look easy - and it wasn't for me - so I must be deficient....

My pistol apparently is not as forgiving as the various ones I saw on Forgotten Weapons and the several disassembly videos I was looking at. Really was a pain in the arse and I think I will admire it as it sits in my gun safe. I have no wish to take it apart again.

Guess I am a weakling. I have a strong negative feeling about playing with the pistol, much like my absolute hatred of my Hungarian P37 Nazi marked pistol that has the worst trigger pull of any pistol I have owned.

Hell, the slide pull on this Savage 1907 is worse than the that of the first-Generation Desert Eagle I have - that hasn't seen a gun range in approaching 40 years.

[DaveInOroValley]

Have had that experience with various weapons too. Usually end up sold or sitting in storage.

[smle-man]

I gave my SW 1006 to my nephew for the same reason. Too much of a struggle to get the recoil spring back in its seat and then the slide stop back in position. As I got older and my grip weaker, it was no !onger fun to shoot it because eventually I would have to take it down to clean it.

[Pofoo]

Could be a previous owner put in a wrong or stronger spring.
I found this in a Ortgies that would't cycle right.

[zinfull]

I have a lot of 1907s and never had one with a spring that hard to reassemble. The rotation of the back is where most people mess up.

[Rogerbutthead]

It gave me problems probably for over an hour.

When I pulled the slide back - which was a B - the safety lever wouldn't move all the way up. Oiled it and tried repeatedly - until it finally moved.

Then when I took it apart, the barrel seemingly wouldn't engage with the groove on the upper top of the slide - so it wouldn't go all the way back. Watched like three different videos on reassembly of this pistol and no one had similar problems.

The gun inside wasn't filthy or showing any sign of wear that would cause this problem. Gave it a good cleaning but didn't really seem to make that much of a difference.

Finally - after many attempts - the lug on top finally followed the curving path and it would go back - again though the slide was very hard to hold back while attempting to move the safety lever.

Guess my hand strength is below par.

Never going to take it apart again.

Is it true that trying to remove the grips will lead to their breakage? One guy gave a warning to never try to remove them - but no other video had that message - your experience with yours is - ?

[SVT-40]

I took one apart while checking it to sell at our auction years ago. I never made that mistake again.

It took me hours to get it back together.

For that reason alone I have never purchased one.

Lol.

['ol shooter]

As long as the safety works, it's easy. Pull slide back, lock in place by putting safety on, squeeze the hammer and it's housing and rotate 90 degrees then pull out of slide. Release safety while holding slide, done. I had never seen one before inheriting one from my Great Aunt, but it didn't take long to figure out, I guess having been a mechanic helped. Nice little pistol to collect. Mine:

[Rogerbutthead]

Pretty sure my weak grip strength was the main problem - did not retain the slide back as far as it could go - so that the safety lever could rotate in its cutout on the slide.

Now that I know better, it probably will be easier to assemble /disassemble it - but I just don't want to go down that road again....

['ol shooter]

You could drill an appropriately sized hole in a board that the barrel but not the slide will fit in and push down on the gun fully while gripping it and lock the safety on.

[Rogerbutthead]

Very good idea if I ever feel like shooting the old piece of metal and would need to field strip it again.

[Bullwinkle]

much like my absolute hatred of my Hungarian P37 Nazi marked pistol that has the worst trigger pull of any pistol I have owned.

Chuckling. I don't know a dang thing about the Hungarian P37, so if you say it has a horrible trigger, I certainly believe you. But if there's ever a "worst trigger ever" contest, my submission would be the CZ-38. And they had to make it DAO, too.