Question about a Colt Government Model 380 not cycling right

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dremhmrk2

Inactive
Hello all, new to handguns and this forum.

Recently purchased a Colt Government Model 380, this is the MkIV/Series 80 version.

I took it to the range today, and after putting about 40 rounds through the gun, it began to have a problem resetting after a shot. Probably not using the right term, but after firing, the gun was left in the 'half cocked' position.

It would feed the next round in, but the hammer would not be fully cocked. I could manually cock the hammer and it would be ready to fire but after a shot or two it would again not be fully cocked.

I also noticed it doing the same thing if I manually racked the slide and let it go with full force without letting it go slowly. In order words sometimes if I manually pull the slide back all the way and let it go at full speed, the hammer would return to half cocked instead of fully cocked.

Im not 100% certain but I think I also experienced a double fire, but it may have been a poor grip leading to me hitting the trigger twice, but it really felt like a rapid double fire.

The gun had very very few rounds through it before I purchased it, so the previous owner really wouldn't have experience with the problem to help me out.

Any suggestions folks? I am hoping this gun will be my future concealed carry, but it needs to be reliable for me to feel comfortable with that.
 
Is this an older model used gun, or is this one of the new production guns?

I'm not an expert on Colt Mustang's, but it sounds like you have a case of hammer follow. My guess is that the sear is not reliably engaging the full cock hammer notch, and the hammer is falling to the half cock notch. If the gun is used, it could be a symptom of a kitchen table gunsmith trying to perform a trigger job, which would likely require a new hammer and a qualified gunsmith to fix. If the gun is new, send it back to Colt for warranty repairs.
 
Depending on the age, the warranty thing would be where I would go.

I actually had my Colt Gov't .380 apart yesterday for cleaning...

There is a small metal rocker that acts as a sear, is it possible something has gunked up in that mechanism? Have you cleaned the pistol since you have had it?

Pull the grips off and you can see the lockwork for the hammer/sear/trigger bar. If it looks dirty or fouled, hose it with some Gunscrubber or something, let it dry and put a drop of lube in.

Let us know what you find... :D
 
Small guns are easy to 'limp wrist'. Make sure you have a firm grip on the gun when firing so the movement from your hands does not absorb the energy required to cycle the action.
 
I took the gun apart a little more than I have before, going all the way to pulling the hammer out. The hammer looks fine, no bumps or dings or file marks anywhere.

What I'm going to refer to as the sear, which moves when the trigger is pulled, also looks to be in good shape.

After putting it back together, i feel like I actually made the issue worse. Now after cocking the gun I can push on the hammer with very little pressure and it will spring forward into the half cocked position.

Is there someplace in the firearm where crud could get stuck that would prevent the sear from moving all the way back and making a good connection? I cleaned the two mating surfaces very well with cleaner and q-tips.

Regarding returning the gun to colt, it's probably over 15 years old, but with very very few rounds through it. Im not sure how their warranty works.

The serial # of the gun is RC900XX (dropped the last two digits for confidentiality, but they are low.) Can this help determine the guns age?
 
I would also like to add that this isn't the first gun I have worked on, I have been toying around with a ruger 10/22 rifle for quite a while and have taken it apart and put it back together a number of times without incident. I've been very careful with this colt because it is in collectible condition visually, nearly perfect, so I have been really using the soft touch on the mechanical parts, including only using plastic tools to prevent internal damage, which is totally anal I know haha.
 
You can call Colt and inquire about warranty work. I don't know what Colt's warranty policy was 15 years, but I'd be surprised if the warranty on the gun is still valid. Colt may very likely offer to fix it, since they have new production Mustang parts rolling out of the factory for the new guns, however they will likely charge you for the work.
 
There are a few differences between the Mustang and the .380 Government model but for the most part they are the same. The Mustang uses a shorter grip frame as well as a shorter slide. The .380 Government also uses a bushing and plug setup like it's big brother (the 1911), while the Mustang uses a bushingless barrel.
 
Us the mustang simply a 380 government with a shorter barrel?
Click to expand...

I believe you can swap barrel/slide assys between the Gov't model frame (in fact, Colt had a version of that call the Plus II... the Gov't frame w/short Mustang slide.)

If you are able to push the hammer off full cock you are in trouble, I WOULD send the pistol back to Colt or find a qualified Colt smith to work on it.
 
Im going to give colt a call tomorrow, both to get the age and to inquire into the warranty and/or repair work.

If I need to find a local gunsmith, what's a good way to find one? Is there a publication I could find locally, or should I let google help, or is there a "famous" colt 'smith I could mail it off to?

If it were my rifle, I would just send it to Ruger, but then again I still have the receipt and the original box hah.

I really appreciate everyone's help :cool:
 
Colt should be able to take care of you, and they are the first place I would turn. However, if you need to find a local gunsmith you can simply check the yellow pages in your local phonebook or use a Google search. Any competent gunsmith should be able to diagnose the problem and find a fix for it. Mustang's aren't all that complicated after all.
 
Just to update, my serial # worked out to being born in 1987.

Im going to be sending the gun in to Colt, they said more than likely any problem causing hammer follow would be taken care of for under $100 inlcuding return shipping
 
I'd let them fix it.
A lot (maybe all) of that series of guns has a stamped sear.
It would not take much wear to it or to the hammer hooks to let it start following.
Mine has a light trigger pull and I figure that one of these days it is going to start failing that way. But in the meanwhile, it is a great little IDPA BUG; accurate and easy to shoot for the size and caliber.
 
Jim,
Funny you should mention a light trigger, as I thought it had an unusually light trigger pull myself before it started acting up.

It felt as light as my friend's 44 magnum when you cock it manually.
 
Wow a blast from the past. I had a Government model 380 back in the 1980's sorry to hear about your problems I also had problems with mine. I sent it in a couple of times and after the last repair I traded for a PPK/s. I hope you have better luck.
 
I will definitely update everyone on how it comes back from colt.

The sear "looked good" to me, no real rounding on it that I could see. Is there any way the sear spring could pop out of it's position or is it most likely sprung its last sprang?
 
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