The problem of not locking the slide back came along with the change in design of the slide stop pin spring. In the older design the end of the spring was in a vertical hole in the frame and after a right angle bend, it passed under a retaining pin then continued over the stop pin. The end of the spring was free to move.
The newly designed spring starts out in a horizontal hole in the frame just to the left of the stop pin. from there it passes over the stop pin THEN it goes under the retaining pin. Now there is no free end so the amount of bend in the mid section of the spring becomes critical. Before I realized it was a design problem I made a new slide stop pin from lighter gauge spring material. That corrected the problem for me and one other member who I made a spring for. After I analyzed the problem I found that a slight adjustment to the existing spring would do the same thing as a lighter spring.
---------> This fix is only for the pistols with the newer type SS spring.<----------
Find a piece of 1/8" square stock, you will need about 2". Using a hacksaw or a file, cut a notch 1/16" deep and 1/16" wide about 1/16" from one end. Short pieces of square stock can be found at most hardware stores. The short pieces are referred to as Key Stock.
Once the tool is made field strip your pistol, reinsert the slide stop pin that you usually use then insert an empty Kadet magazine. Using a suitable tool push the follower down and let it raise up slowly. You should see that the magazine spring is not stiff enough to lift the slide stop.
Take your newly made tool and slip it over the end of the spring as seen in the picture. Pull the tool toward the hammer and watch the slide stop raise up to the lock position. You may need to over travel slightly so the adjustment is permanent. Now when you push down on the mag follower and release it at a snails pace the slide stop will lift.
Let me caution you not to get carried away when adjusting. There should be no free movement in the slide stop indicating the spring is not bearing on it. This can create the problem of the slide locking back BEFORE the magazine is empty. This will mostly occur when using the center fire barrel and slide.
The pictures should help you understand this fix.
Joe
