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Howdy, folks.
Like many others, I'd run into an impossible-to-manipulate safety and after searching the posts here, did some judicious googling and found a cause/solution worth sharing.
It was a broken safety plunger.
I used a screwdriver blade to depress the plunger from the side and then tapped the safety into the center position with a brass hammer. From that position, it took one whack of a hammer to dismount the safety.
With reference to my annoted photo, look at how the socket hole for the detent / detent spring has been peened from gorilla-like attempts to manipulate the safety.
To give credit where credit is due, I found this solution on KTgunsmith's page dealing with his own 1903 restoration efforts (www.ktgunsmith.com/03a3.htm).
Like many others, I'd run into an impossible-to-manipulate safety and after searching the posts here, did some judicious googling and found a cause/solution worth sharing.
It was a broken safety plunger.
I used a screwdriver blade to depress the plunger from the side and then tapped the safety into the center position with a brass hammer. From that position, it took one whack of a hammer to dismount the safety.
With reference to my annoted photo, look at how the socket hole for the detent / detent spring has been peened from gorilla-like attempts to manipulate the safety.
To give credit where credit is due, I found this solution on KTgunsmith's page dealing with his own 1903 restoration efforts (www.ktgunsmith.com/03a3.htm).