3. Hold a heavy shop cloth over the top of the magazine to catch the spring and remove the screwdriver from the counter hole. CAUTION: The spring is under tension, so be sure the cloth gives enough padding to prevent injury. Remove the spring from the top of the magazine.
Most fixed-floorplate magazines can be completely disassembled, as the floorplate is usually held in place either by cross-pins, or by staking the lower edge of the magazine shell into grooves or recesses. But, even when removal is done by a careful professional, some damage is inevitable. It’s best to leave the fixed-type floorplates in place.
Removable Floorplate Type:
4. The removable floorplate is usually locked in place by an internal lockplate with a button at the center which protrudes through a hole in the floorplate.
5. Depress the button with a brass punch or some other non-marring tool and slide the floorplate toward the front of the magazine, but not more than half-way.
6. Restrain the lockplate against the tension of the magazine spring, and slide the floorplate off toward the front. Caution:Be sure to keep the lockplate under control, as the spring can send it quite a distance if released suddenly.
7. Release the spring tension slowly, and remove the lockplate, spring, and follower from the bottom of the magazine.
Other Magazines:
8. In some magazines, such as the Parabellum (Luger) shown, the floorplate is a shaped endpiece retained by one or more cross-pins. When these are drifted out, the endpiece can be removed and the spring taken out from the bottom of the magazine. The follower is then moved down until the follower button aligns with its opening in the side track. The button is then lifted out toward the side and the follower removed from the bottom.
9. Some magazines with sliding removable floorplates have different retaining methods. The Russian Tokarev, shown on the left, has an internal lockplate with a release tab near the front of the plate. This is pushed inward, in the same way as the button on the usual type. The Mauser 1910 (right) has a slot in the left edge of the floorplate for the angled tip of the magazine spring. The tip of the spring is pushed upward to clear the slot and the floorplate is slid off toward the front.
AMT Back-Up
| Data: | AMT Back-Up |
| Origin: | United States |
| Manufacturer: | AMT, Inc. |
| El Monte, California | |
| Cartridge: | 380 ACP |
| Magazine capacity: | 5 rounds |
| Over-all length: | 5 inches |
| Height: | 4 inches |
| Barrel length: |
2 |
| Weight: | 17 ounces |
The “Back-Up” is made entirely of stainless steel, and, as its name implies, it is intended as a “backup” gun for the law officer, for use if his regular sidearm is disabled, empty or lost during a serious social encounter. The little Back-Up is also popular as a self-defense pistol for the private citizen. The excellent and mechanically simple design is the work of John Raymond Wilkinson.
Detail Strip:
1. With the magazine removed and the hammer in the fired position, use a non-marring drift to drive out the breechblock cross-pin toward either side.
2. With a non-marring tool such as a nylon-tipped punch or a wooden dowel, nudge the breechblock upward, working through the magazine well.
3. Remove the breechblock from the top of the slide.
4. Allow the slide to move forward until it clears the, short slide rails at the rear of the frame, and lift the slide upward at the rear to clear the barrel. Move the slide assembly forward off the barrel and frame. Remove the recoil spring and its guide from the frame.
5. Drifting out the small cross-pin in the breechblock will free the extractor and its coil spring for removal upward. CAUTION:Removal of the extractor will also release the firing pin and its spring, so control the firing pin as the extractor is removed. The circular spring, which retains the breechblock cross-pin, is staked in place on the left side, and no attempt should be made to remove it.
6. Use an Allen wrench of the proper size to back out the grip screws. Lift the grip panels at the rear for removal.
7. With a small tool, detach the trigger bar spring from its groove in the rear lower edge of the trigger bar, and move it inward, behind the bar. Restrain the trigger, and remove the trigger bar toward the left.
8. Removal of the trigger bar will release the trigger and its spring to move forward, and it can then be removed toward either side. Take care that the small trigger spring is not lost.
9. Remove the safety lever toward