MAB sear does not release the firing pin

[ligonierbill]

On the off chance that someone is familiar with these pistols, I recently acquired an early model D. The bushing that retains the recoil spring has a slot on the bottom that locks with a spring-loaded tab on the bottom of the frame. On later ones, you just push the bushing in to rotate it.

The problem is that the pistol will cock, but the sear will not release. This can get exciting when field stripping the pistol. (Don't worry, I found all the parts.) The pistol has a mag safety, a small block that bears against the magazine and the sear block. With no mag, this block moves when the trigger is pulled rather than the sear block. Doesn't work on mine. I tried two different mags, both of which appear to be sound and correct. Note that I can feel a small movement in the mag when I press the trigger.

Replacements for the sear assembly are available, but before I tear the gun down, I wonder if there is something I'm missing, a quirk in this model. For the casual reader, Manufacture d'Armes de Bayonne was a French arms maker, and the pistols are FN Browning 1910 clones with enough changes to get around the patents.

Well, I might have to...file the sear. Saints preserve us!

 

[ligonierbill]

Got her working. I did put a few gentle strokes of the file on the sear, and that did the trick. The old girl (1939-1945) is a little loose, and just wasn't dropping the sear quite enough. Not a recommended fix, but this is strictly a range toy. Cocked it, released the safety, and thumped it up and down a few times. It's kind of a creepy trigger, certainly not an overly light release. The MAB does have a grip safety that blocks the sear. Not foolproof, but fairly positive.

 

[James K]

Those were not bad guns and were used by French police and security forces when .32 ACP and .380 ACP was considered perfectly acceptable for shooting bad guys. (Today's bad guys are tougher, and most European police have gone to 9x19, along with most US forces.)

To get those guns into the country, most importers have had to put on a thumb rest pistol grip and "adjustable" sights.

Jim