Photo tutorial: Norinco m93 Woodsman trigger parts disassembly/reassembly (pic heavy)

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Photo tutorial: Norinco m93 Sportsman trigger parts disassembly/reassembly

Hi all - This is my first attempt at a photo tutorial. I've benefited from many useful tutorials here and elsewhere, so it's time to pay it forward a bit. If I've made any errors (or if there is a better guide available), please let me know and I'll edit this guide and give you credit. There are several good guides for doing the basic field strip, but I haven't found one for reassembly of the trigger parts.

Disassembling and reassembling the trigger-related parts on a Norinco m93 Woodsman is not all that bad if you know where all the parts are supposed to go. Now that I've done it a few times, it only take 15 or 20 minutes to do.

Why would you want to do this? Maybe you just like being able to fully disassemble/reassemble your pistol. Or maybe you've had a look inside this beast and found that there is a heck of a lock of rough machining between your pull on the trigger and the fall of the hammer. Without touching the sear surface or the hammer hooks, I found that a bit of polishing to some key areas helped a lot with the gritty feeling trigger on my m93. The trigger, trigger pivot, trigger bar, sear (avoiding the hammer hook engagement surface), firing pin block retractor, hammer (avoiding the hooks), and hammer strut can all be safely polished and easily improved. I'm talking about polishing the parts only, not changing any dimensions. I used 150 grit to 600 grit cloth and paper. Use the 150 grit carefully, as you can remove a lot of material with it and inadvertently make your pistol unsafe. Note that I did not cover removal and installation of the firing pin block in this guide.

As always, do a complete function test upon reassembly. If you don't know what a complete function test is, find out before attempting this disassembly.


There are a few other great resources available.

The Norinco-specific parts schematic (the m93 is slightly different from the Woodsman, notably the magazine safety and the firing pin block):
ht tp://stevespages.com/pdf/norinco_m93.pdf

Basic field stripping video:
ht tp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZYa3CHnaVc

Reinstalling the recoil spring in the slide:
ht tp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCemc9TmrwU
 
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Disassembly I

First: Do not lose any parts. There are numerous very small bits and springs inside this pistol, and they will disappear on you if you give them the chance. Set up your workspace with plenty of good light and no carpet for miles around. If you're removing a spring, don't let it get away from you.

Tools: You'll need a few flat blade screwdrivers. Try to find several different sizes that are the right size for the various screw heads you'll be removing - The screw heads are susceptible to damage from using too small a blade. A small punch may be useful if you have a tight-fitting sear pin. On mine you could use a ballpoint pen to start the sear pin and pull it out easily. I used needlenose pliers on a couple occasions during reassembly. Fashioning a slave pin could be very useful at one point, so maybe a paperclip or small bit of wire would be useful for this purpose.


Do a basic field strip of your m93, and remove the grips. You'll wind up with this:
DSC03998.JPG



Turn your attention to the side plate on the left side of the frame.
DSC04008.JPG



Remove the side plate screw and take the side plate off.
DSC04010.JPG



Pull the safety up and out of the frame. Mine was a little difficult to remove.
DSC04011.JPG



This frees the hammer/strut and firing pin block retractor from the frame. The hammer and strut are attached and you probably don't need to take them apart. Pull it out or shake it out of the frame. The firing pin block retractor will also come out. This is what you'll have pulled out, showing the firing pin block retractor resting on the hammer in the orientation you will use for reassembly:
DSC04012.JPG



Push the sear pin out of the frame. It is the pin visible below the safety in the pictures above. It is symmetrical, so you can push it out on either side of the frame. The sear will come free:
DSC04013.JPG



Now, you'll have removed the side plate screw, side plate, safety lever, hammer/strut, firing pin block retractor, sear pin, and sear.
 
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Disassembly II

Now let's look at the trigger.

First, remove the magazine if you have one in the frame. This will relieve tension on the magazine safety. The magazine safety is shown here in the 'safe' position (no mag in the frame). It is the black plate with two pins attached, and the upper right corner of the plate intercepts a lug on the trigger bar:
DSC04014.JPG



The magazine safety will be pulled straight up and out of the frame. The tips of the arms of the magazine safety spring is visible in the picture above (note the orientation). DO NOT LOSE IT as you pull the magazine safety out. Here's what it looks like upon removal:
DSC04015.JPG



Now have a look at what's left here. There's the trigger bar (reaches back to the rear of the frame), trigger (silver in this photo), trigger pivot (black plate with two nubs that mate with two notches in the frame), and trigger spring (hidden behind the trigger and trigger pivot).
DSC04016.JPG



This will all come out as an assembly (sort of), which I recommend. Alternately, you can remove the trigger bar, trigger pivot, trigger, and trigger spring in sequence. The trigger spring is sandwiched between the trigger and the frame so watch for it to launch when the assembly clears the frame (or the trigger, if you're going piece by piece). This is what the assembly will look like on the way out (the silver piece pointing at 12 o'clock is one end of the trigger spring):
EDIT: THIS SHOWS THE SPRING IN THE INCORRECT ORIENTATION
DSC04021.JPG



Here is what those four pieces will look like when you get them out. Clockwise from the top, you have the trigger bar, trigger spring, trigger pivot, and trigger:
DSC04018.JPG
 
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Reassembly I

Reassembly.

EDIT: I STUMBLED ACROSS AN EXCELLENT RESOURCE FOR REASSEMBLING THE COLT PRE WOODSMAN: h ttps://colt22.com/posting/pre&1st_trigger/index.html#02

AFTER REFERRING TO THE EXCELLENT GUIDE AT COLT22.COM, I SEE THAT THIS TUTORIAL SHOWS THE TRIGGER SPRING INSTALLED INCORRECTLY. IT CAN ONLY BE INSTALLED IN TWO DIFFERENT ORIENTATIONS, SO PLEASE USE THE OPPOSITE ORIENTATION TO WHAT IS SHOWN HERE. I APOLOGIZE FOR MY ERROR - IT'S SIGNIFICANTLY EASIER WITH THE SPRING FLIPPED. I CAN'T REDO THE PHOTOS FOR THIS GUIDE, SORRY.

The reassembly method I used is basically a reverse of disassembly. There may be other methods, and I don't know if this is the best one, but it worked for me.

First, take the trigger, trigger pivot, and trigger spring. Put them together into an assembly as shown EDIT: WITHOUT THE TRIGGER BAR AT THIS POINT. Note the orientation of the trigger spring. EDIT: THIS PHOTO SHOWS IT OPPOSITE TO HOW IT SHOULD BE. THE BENT ARM OF THE SPRING SHOULD BE RESTING ON THE INSIDE THE TRIGGER. There is a tiny keeper notch on the trigger that helps to keep the trigger spring in place at this point:
DSC04019.JPG



Top view of the same assembly:
EDIT: THIS SHOWS THE TRIGGER SPRING INSTALLED BACKWARDS
DSC04020.JPG



The straight arm of the trigger spring wants to keep you from placing this assembly in the frame. You need to coax that arm of the trigger spring into the same part of the frame where the rest of the assembly is going. EDIT: IF YOU ANGLE IT SO THE SPRING JUST CATCHES INSIDE THE CUTOUT IN THE FRAME, YOU CAN WIGGLE THE ASSEMBLY INTO PLACE. CHAMFERING THE CUT END OF THE SPRING HELPS A LOT.
DSC04021.JPG



Once that spring cooperates, push the assembly snugly into place. When fully seated, pushing on the plate of the trigger pivot will feel solid, not spongy.

EDIT: NOW INSTALL THE TRIGGER BAR. PLACE THE LARGE END OF THE TRIGGER BAR INTO THE CORRESPONDING HOLE IN THE TRIGGER UPPER, WITH THE TRIGGER BAR POINTED AT 11 O'CLOCK. ROTATE THE TRIGGER BAR CLOCKWISE AND PRESS IT INTO PLACE IN THE CORRESPONDING CHANNEL IN THE FRAME. THIS CATCHES THE BENT END OF THE TRIGGER SPRING ON THE CORRESPONDING FLAT SURFACE OF THE TRIGGER BAR, TENSIONING THE BAR AND KEEPING IT IN THE RIGHT POSITION IN THE FRAME CHANNEL.


Next, on to the magazine safety. This one is easier. The magazine safety part is composed of one plate and two pins. The magazine safety spring is placed on the muzzle-end magazine safety pin (the one that inserts into the smaller hole). Note the orientation of the spring: The bent arm will brace against the frame, and the straight arm will push against the magazine safety pin that is going into the larger hole in the frame. The large hole is what allows rotational movement of the magazine safety (rotating on the other pin in the smaller hole). Leave the spring in the correct orientation but loose until the pins are well started and the plate limits the off-axis movement of the spring (as shown in the photo). Coax the bent arm of the spring into place against the milled edge on the frame, and finish seating the magazine safety. This will tension the 'plate' of the magazine safety into the engaged position (up), where it will intercept the lug on the trigger bar (unless you have a mag in the frame).
DSC04023.JPG



Friction should hold all of these parts in place while you reassemble the rest of the parts (it did for mine), but if you've got a loose fit maybe wrap some tape around it until you can get that side plate on to hold everything in place.
 
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Reassembly II

Now for the sear. Orient the sear as shown in the photo. This is how you will place it into the frame. I used needlenose pliers. You will likely find it easier to shift the trigger bar slightly from its current position, as it interferes with insertion of the sear. Sneak the sear in to align with the frame holes, making sure that the lower tip of the sear is located on the mainspring housing side of the frame. If it is in the magazine well, you won't be able to seat magazines. If you messed that up you probably wouldn't be able to get the hammer in place anyways.
DSC04024.JPG



Next, the hammer/strut and firing pin block retractor. Assemble them as shown in the photo. I found this can be a bit fussy, so you might want to make a slave pin to hold these two pieces together. Sneak this assembly in close to the respective frame holes. Use a thin punch or small screwdriver to align the assembly with the frame holes. Insert the safety and the hammer assembly will be in place.
DSC04025.JPG



Now you're close. Here's how it should look if you followed the directions above to the letter. In this photo, the black bar crossing the base of the hammer face is one arm of the firing pin block retractor. This retractor needs to be rotated until the bar is forward of the portion of the trigger bar protruding inside the frame. In the photo, the bit of the trigger bar preventing this movement is visible as a black square immediately above the pivot point of the hammer.
DSC04027.JPG



Rotate the firing pin block retractor: Push the arm of the trigger bar aside (you'll need to leave the safety out a bit to give the trigger bar room to do this) and pass the bar of the retractor in front of it. This is what it will look like when you've got it rotated forward into the right position. Clockwise from the bottom, you can seen the hammer, trigger bar, the upper leg of the sear, and the firing pin block retractor. Note that the opposite side of that same bar of the firing pin block retractor is now visible.
DSC04031.JPG



That should be everything as far as the trigger-related parts. Now, if you want to check trigger function without having to completely reassemble the pistol, just pop the sear spring and mainspring housing in without the slide. This allows dry firing without the usual rimfire problems. Maybe find some way to stop the hammer from bashing the frame, but you get the idea.
DSC04030.JPG
 
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excellent job, never bothered to take mine apart, just removed the grips and flushed it with brake clean. Anything plastic on this gun (grips and mag follower) will dissolve with brake clean.
 
Bump so this can be found and loved by new people also.

I am now trying to make a replacement spring for the trigger spring that broke the speed of light on its journey to freedom in the next room...
:(
Lol but really love these guns!
 
You are a Gentleman, a Scholar, and a judge of Fine Woman.
This is probibly the ONLY m93 tutorial in the world that is correct.!!
The instruction diagram you get with your norinco is WRONG. I found that out the hard way. I took mine all apart without watching where everything goes.."I was excpecting the diagram to be correct". arrrgggg!! It took me 3 days to figure it all out. So....here is a pic with the new UPDATED assembly.
NUMBER 19 "roll pin" goes in from the opposit side"

m-93instructions_zpsbdb62164.jpg
 
Well I got mine back together and we took it to the range. Had a great day with 3 adults and 6 kids shooting all sorts of 22's. Thanks for a great tutorial. Now to find a source for sturdy mag followers.
 
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