Stripped threads on small part

[zxing]

Hello everyone, I was shooting my favorite 22 pistol, a Beretta 71, when the slide release fell off. It’s held on via threads by a pin, but since it will drop in right over the threads currently, I believe the threads are stripped. Anyone have any ideas on how to repair this?




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[Deathrowdave]

There are many ways I suppose to repair this issue . 1st is try to locate a replacement part . 2nd is clean , clean . clean it , fill the hole with JB Weld , drill and retap it once dried . 3rd is to drill the hole bigger press in a bung drill and retap the bung . 4th Weld up the current hole , drill and retap the welded hole . Every repair I suggested will require finish machining of some type and re blueing of the part except maybe finding a nice replacement part . Good Luck , take your time and it can be repaired as good or better than it was made new .

[Earplug80911]

Yours is the older model 71 with the push button safety. I'm surprised your slide stop is different then my two newer model 71's. Keep this in mind when looking for parts. I don't know if the two models interchange. The new style slide lock is a bit beefier.
A good jeweler or clock repair shop might be a good bet for a repair.

[Test_Engineer]

From what I can tell from the owners manual and schematics, there are 3 pieces that are part of the slide stop/release.

Part #22 - Slide Catch
Part #23 - Slide Catch Spring
Part #24 - Slide Catch Spring Screw

The Slide Catch appears to be a lever with a pin and a catch both press fit in. This is installed from the left side of the gun. The pin goes thru the spring and is retained by the screw installed from the right side. So the pin has a threaded bore on the right side to accept the screw threads.

It appears the press fit portion of the pin/lever has failed.

Once the pin has been removed from the pistol, rejoining the pin and lever shouldn't be too hard. I think I'd slightly flatten the end of the pin on an anvil first. Then I'd use a center punch on the back side of the lever to drift a small amount of metal back into the hole. Then I'd realign the pin and lever hole and gently squeeze them back together with a smooth faced machinist vice.

If done carefully, you'd never know the Slide Catch had been repaired. The other option is to just find a replacement part. I see them for sale in the $30-50 range.