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James K · February 1, 2012, 04:57 PM

Two different meanings of "lock back". Dakotaern is talking about locking the slide back for takedown, while the others are talking about the slide locking open (or not as the case may be) on an empty magazine.

In the first meaning, dakotaern is correct. In the late pistols without the takedown lever (looks like the 1911 safety), the slide is held back for disassembly by turning the hammer drop lever down so its tail fits into a notch at the top of the hammer.

But failure of the slide stop to hold the slide back on an empty magazine is a different situation; the Radom operates much like the 1911, and is subject to the same problems, although much exacerbated by poor quality control under wartime conditions, not to mention deliberate sabotage at Radom. The Poles, for some silly reason, sometimes forgot to harden the parts properly, and things didn't get much better when production was finally transferred to Czechoslovakia. (During German occupation, Radom produced all the parts except barrels, which were made at Steyr/Znaim for security reasons.)

Edited to add: I have read about, but never seen, a Radom with no hammer drop lever. Neither Berger nor York mention such a variation. Still, FWIW, disassembly is possible without locking the slide back, simply by grasping te pistol with the thumb under the tang and the fingers wrapped around the top of the slide. The fingers pull the slide back to the proper takedown position and the left hand pulls the recoil spring guide forward, letting the slide stop fall free.

Jim

February 1, 2012, 04:57 PM	#17
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	Two different meanings of "lock back". Dakotaern is talking about locking the slide back for takedown, while the others are talking about the slide locking open (or not as the case may be) on an empty magazine. In the first meaning, dakotaern is correct. In the late pistols without the takedown lever (looks like the 1911 safety), the slide is held back for disassembly by turning the hammer drop lever down so its tail fits into a notch at the top of the hammer. But failure of the slide stop to hold the slide back on an empty magazine is a different situation; the Radom operates much like the 1911, and is subject to the same problems, although much exacerbated by poor quality control under wartime conditions, not to mention deliberate sabotage at Radom. The Poles, for some silly reason, sometimes forgot to harden the parts properly, and things didn't get much better when production was finally transferred to Czechoslovakia. (During German occupation, Radom produced all the parts except barrels, which were made at Steyr/Znaim for security reasons.) Edited to add: I have read about, but never seen, a Radom with no hammer drop lever. Neither Berger nor York mention such a variation. Still, FWIW, disassembly is possible without locking the slide back, simply by grasping te pistol with the thumb under the tang and the fingers wrapped around the top of the slide. The fingers pull the slide back to the proper takedown position and the left hand pulls the recoil spring guide forward, letting the slide stop fall free. Jim Last edited by James K; February 1, 2012 at 05:09 PM.