[Princi]

I just got my PPS/FE on Tuesday. I read in the manual that you need to remove the backstrap in order to field-strip the gun.

Well, perhaps I'm just clumsy, but I don't find that putting the back-strap back on is the easiest thing in the world to do. Also, I'm a little worried about breaking the plastic mechanism. Yes, I do believe in plastic, even my roof is made out of polymer shingles (TAMCO).

Anyhow, I found out that if I just pull the trigger, like you do on a Glock, that you can remove the slide. My question is: will doing that cause any long term damage to the mechanism?

Also, is Breakfree LP a good lubricant to use on this thing?

 

[ought6]

I found the same thing (removing the slide w/o removing the back-strap). When replacing the back-strap, I found that it is MUCH easier if you lock the slide back - then it slips on rather easily.

 

[WaltherPPS]

Here is an animation of how the backstrap safety works. I know it doesn't answer your question, but at least you can see what it does internally...

Open the link and then click on the red animation box to the left. It will pop up another window and the animations starts to play automatically.

http://www.carl-walther.info/dev2/pps/pps.php?load=safety#

 

[ought6]

Thanks, WaltherPPS.

However, I can see why the backstrap is difficult, if not impossible to get on with the trigger not set, or the slide back.

What do you think prevents the easy reattachment of the backstrap? Am I overlooking something simple?

Thanks.

 

[WaltherPPS]

I don't have any problem with removing and installing my backstrap from the gun normally. When i field strip it i haven't removed the backstrap either and I just snap the tigger before removing the slide. I would imagine that due to the complex linkages shown in the animation- any misalignment (by having the trigger timed wrong wit the slide during disassembly will make it hard to install the backstrap. I cannot fathom that field stripping the gun without removing the backstrap will hurt anything, but I am sure it was written in the manual to remove it first so that there would be no binding or problems with the backstrap later in the assembly of the gun.

I am just going to take the backstrap off before I strip my gun so that it is done right (after all it takes like 3 seconds to do)...