Iver Johnson TP-22 Problem....Weird.

T

TheGryme

Inactive
I have been working on this pistol off and on for a couple of months now. It's my Uncle's. He brought it to me originally because it wouldn't eject a spent shell. I checked it out and found the extractor and its spring had disappeared. (the pin had backed out and let the extractor and spring fly)
No big deal. I got a new one and fit it and it extracts nicely now. It was also missing the magazine (Uncle couldn't find it) I finally got a couple from internet sources.
Now to the weird problem:
The gun is now nice and clean and oiled.
Putting the safety on and pulling the hammer back and squeezing the trigger SHOULD result in the gun not being able to fire.
This crazy gun will roll the safety off and go to the fire position just by squeezing the trigger! I've done all this UNLOADED....so don't worry. :D
I replaced the safety detent ball and spring for the selector. But the gun still goes off of safe, especially if it’s turned sideways (weird!). I tried to open up the detent hole on the safety, but the gun steel seems too hard for my dremmel and carbide bits. Should I just buy another selector from Numrich or is there a way to open up that detent hole or is there something else to try?
I don't want to give this back to him until I'm sure it's safe!
Thanks for any help!
 
Am I correct in thinking that gun has a slide mounted safety? If so, that is really puzzling, and I can't think of a way that could happen. You might take the slide off and look to see if anything comes up from the frame when the trigger is pulled that could be moving the safety.

Jim
 
TP-22......weirdness

Yes, it's a slide mounted safety. It's basically a cam that in "Safe" position will not let the hammer strike the firing pin. In safe, the hammer does strike the safety. Maybe it's out of round? Nothing else is hitting it. Most of the trigger mechanism is in the side of the pistol. It didn't start doing this until I cleaned and oiled the gun! So I think dirt was keeping it from mal-functioning b4. The Safety has 2 detent holes machines into it. The "fire" position hole is a lot deeper that the safe hole. That's why I was trying to deepen it. No luck though, the gun steel just laughed at my carbide dremmel bit.
In the attached PDF, it's part #5509 that I think is the problem.
View attachment iverjohnson_tp22.pdf
Any help or suggestions are appreciated!
 
slide

On these I have seen is die cast aluminum. Possible hole safety sits in has worn. Just a suggestion, sounds like a real head scratcher.
 
A lot of the gun is some kind of casting....cheap metal. But the safety cam/ lever is steel. The two holes in it (detent holes) are measurably different. The “fire” hole is much deeper and more pronounced than the “safe” detent hole. That’s why I tried to dremmel it deeper. I just made it shinier! :confused:
O well. I guess I'll order another one from Numrich (25 bucks plus shipping!)and see if I can finally finish this project!
 
The major parts are die-cast zinc- not known for it's strength or wear qualities.
A sharp carbide bit will easily cut hardened steel. My bet is your bit wasn't carbide.
 
I do not recall messing with one of these, but after studying that manual, I think it supposed to work that way. It seems to say that if the safety is set to safe, and with a magazine loaded, that when you cock it by the slide, it will be ready to fire after it is released, or in other words, it caused the safety to go off. Really, I don't think having a magazine in it means flip, which means it did the same for you. It seems that the way it is made, is that any time its cocked, it automatically turns the safety to fire.

I think it has something to do with the front firing pin block, and the way it works with the trigger bar and the hammer. By the looks of it, when cocking the hammer for SA, the hammer will move the trigger bar, which will move the firing pin block attached to the trigger, at the front, which then may push the firing pin to the rear, and cause the safety to go off so it can fire.
 
I had one of those a while back. The slide raked my hand, the trigger pull was awful, and I couldn't hit a bull's fanny with it. It was one of the few guns I ever sold. But I don't recall anything odd about the safety.

Jim
 
I looked over the exploded diagram again, and I can not see anything that could affect the safety, but the firing pin itself.

If it takes the safety off, by itself, it's a first for me to see. However, after re-reading the manual, it almost sounds as it does, because they say to have it on safe when cocking, but after the slide is allowed to go forward, it is ready to fire. One would have to take the slide off, and look to see what might be there to affect the safety, and from the diagram, I can not see anything.
 
IJ 22 Report.

Hi All, Thanks for the various inputs.
I removed the safety again (yes, the detent ball and spring are there) and worked over the "Safe" detent hole with a new dremel bit and got it to be as deep as the "Fire" detent hole.
It will now stay on safe until it is moved!
I have to massage the extractor a bit more and I think I can finally give Unc his pistol back. :D
 
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