The Bernardelli baby pistol in 25 acp 2/2

This second article on the Bernardelli Baby pistol is the continuation of the first one, published a few weeks ago. The following chapters will cover the frame, the detailed steps of a trigger pull, the magazine, shooting with the Baby pistol, and the conclusion. Enjoy the read…

The first article is here : Le Bernardelli Baby 1/2.

The frame

The frame sub-assembly is composed of 23 parts :

• The frame ;
• The left grip panel ;
• The right grip panel ;
• Right and left grip panel screws ;
• The savety lever spring ;
• The safety lever ;
• The trigger bar ;
• The trigger ;
• The sear ;
• The sear pin ;
• The magazine safety ;
• The magazine safety pin ;
• The assembly lever ;
• The takedown lever spring and plunger ;
• The takedown lever lock ;
• The takedown lever lock springs ;
• The trigger bar ;
• The magazine catch and sear contrôle pin ;
• The magazine catch ;
• The trigger return lever ;
• The magazine catch and sear control spring.

Detailed gunsmith disassembly of the frame

• The mechanism contains very few parts. Although small in size, they are well-machined and properly fitted.

  Some machining work on the frame is complex, particularly the trigger housing. The walls of the magazine well are thin (1.2 mm and 1.36 mm). And yet, the parts are incredibly well-finished.

  How the magazine safety works: it pivots around a pin and is driven by a small spring. When the magazine is not inserted, the magazine safety tilts under the action of its spring and prevents the movement of the trigger. If the magazine safety spring breaks and/or it is difficult to find a replacement, one could consider temporarily removing the magazine safety from the weapon (the removal is explained in the previous section) to continue using it while waiting to source the missing parts. Removing this part does not prevent the gun from functioning. However, one must not forget that a safety feature has been removed, which may alter your safety habits.

  What happens when the shooter presses the trigger (assuming a magazine is inserted, the firing pin is cocked, the slide is closed, and a round is chambered) :

  1. The shooter presses the trigger. By pressing the trigger, the shooter moves the trigger bar backward. The two parts are linked together;
  2. As the trigger bar is in contact with the trigger return lever, the latter pivots around its pin. The trigger return lever is driven by the force of the spring shared with the magazine catch;
  3. The backward movement of the trigger return lever unlocks the sear. Indeed, this part acts as a block for the sear, preventing it from dropping down and thus releasing the firing pin under various circumstances. In other words: after a certain amount of trigger travel, the sear is no longer locked;
  4. The shooter continues to press the trigger. The rear of the trigger bar comes into contact with the sear and forces it to rotate (downward) around its pin;
  5. Past a certain trigger travel, the firing pin is released;
  6. The firing pin spring expands;
  7. Driven by the firing pin spring, the firing pin is driven forward into the cartridge primer;
  8. The primer is detonated, and the resulting flash ignites the gunpowder;
  9. Under the action of the gases produced by the cartridge powder, the walls of the case expand and seal against the walls of the chamber, creating a gas-tight seal;
  10. The bullet leaves its seat in the cartridge case. The projectile exits the barrel;
  11. The impulse produced by the gas expansion is channeled by the barrel. It acts on the projectile on one side and on the cartridge case and slide on the other;
  12. Once the bullet leaves the barrel, the internal pressure drops. The case contracts, no longer sticking to the chamber walls;
  13. The energy acquired by the slide breaks its inertia. The slide begins to move backward;
  14. About 7 mm into the opening stroke, the disconnector drops down and disconnects the sear from the trigger bar engagement;
  15. The released sear returns to its high position under the action of its spring;
  16. The fired cartridge case is ejected;
  17. Pushed by the follower and the magazine spring, the next round in the magazine takes its place against the magazine lips;
  18. The cocking notch of the firing pin passes the cocking notch of the sear, cocking the firing pin;
  19. The slide’s rearward travel is cushioned by the recoil spring;
  20. The recoil spring decompresses, and the slide starts its forward travel;
  21. A new round is pushed toward the chamber;
  22. The firing pin is held back by the sear;
  23. As the slide fully closes, the disconnector resets to its original position under the action of the trigger return lever;
  24. Returning forward, the trigger return lever prompts the trigger bar to move up, thus returning to contact with the sear;
  25. The shooter releases pressure on the trigger;
  26. The trigger bar returns to its rest position;
  27. The firearm is ready to repeat the same cycle if the shooter presses the trigger again.

• The magazine

This sub-assembly is composed of 05 parts :