Problem with safety on S&W M-52

I am visiting my brother for the weekend.  After he and I got my own new (to me)  M-52 sorted out (rather, got me to where I understand it better), I tried to help him with his own M-52.  It's just a model "m-52"l, no dash.  It has a 5 digit serial number, which I can post if that would help.

When he bought the gun from Cabella's, the price was reduced because it had some work done on the safety.  When I looked at the safety, it looks like an outer ring is separating from the center part of the safety, and someone tried to 'lock' it in place with a pin punch....

It looks nothing like the part on my own new M-52 that I bought today (more about that in a separate thread).  On my gun it looks like one solid part.

Does the damaged part need to be repaired by a gunsmith (I assume yes).
Are new parts available?  (I suspect no.)

The safety wasn't working when I arrived, and at least now it functions, but I'm worried the outer part is going to break off and get lost.
Any suggestions, or advice?
Clarence, other than crying, what is the appropriate thing to do?

Hopefully, the photo I took will show up here:

Wow 

The safety and slide stop are both 2 pieces and pressed together to become one.
It is the way they were produced.

If you cannot find a new safety then this is what I would do.
[Note; this is what I would do and you be the judge on a safety issue if you want to go forward with it]

If that safety is loose enough to spin like it is, then witness mark exactly where they should index.
Remove the safety, separate the two parts, clean them to bare metal where they contact each other with out removing any excess metal, press back together in proper position using the witness marks and solder it.

A little extreme is to drill a hole through edge wise and install a pin.
This would be my last resort.

Solder would make the best sense and then polish the best you can of the pin punch marks and reblue.

Good luck;
Looks like a gunsmith or finding a new safety is in order.

Clarence

This is what the safety on my no-dash looks like. And here is a safety on e-bay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/S-W-Smith-Wesson-MODEL-52-Safety-Manual-Thumb-OEM-Factory-origianl-part-/121935191375?hash=item1c63e75d4f:g:QJAAAOSwLVZV56DC

Find a gun smith that can silver solder that in place.. Actually a piece of cake..
Numerich doe not show it available.
Don't loose the plunger, as they are not
 in stock .. You have to make them..

Isn't the safety for the 52 no dash the same as a model 39? My no dash is not double action anymore or I would take it apart and compare. Numrich has a model 39 safety and a plunger.

http://www.gunpartscorp.com/Products/360260B.htm

a cheaper one on ebay too

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Smith-Wesson-Model-52-First-Generation-Safety-/351798200836?hash=item51e8ce8a04:g:TxoAAOSw0RpXlSNi

$39

I suspect that these parts are hand fitted to the gun.  If so, buying a new one might also mean a trip to a gunsmith to get the job done properly.

My brother rarely uses that safety.  For all the time he had the gun, he didn't use it at all, as he thought something was broken.

From what  you guys have said, the "best" repair (as opposed to replacement) might be to remove the parts, and solder them together, as suggested up above.  It's not obvious how one would even remove those parts (I guess along with the plunger).  Is there any kind of S&W book that describes this, or is this design exclusive to the M-52 (and M-39)?  

By the way - is this how ALL the safety levers are made, or only on the first run of the M-52?  My own M-52-2 looks like it's all one part, as do the parts I've seen photos of.  I think that's  just an illusion - the logical way to make the part would be to use two components, and press them together.

They are in fact 2 pieces pressed together, looking carefully at the end of the one on e-bay you can see the outline of the center pin. Even the model 41, slide lock lever is pressed on a stud, which is also pressed into the slide stop, the stuff rarely breaks free. I would just replace it, unless you want to solder it, or have someone put a few dot's of weld on it (tig-Mig), and bench it flat again. Or remove the lever and put some Loctite bearing retainer on it and reassemble it.

mikemyers wrote:
My brother rarely uses that safety.  For all the time he had the gun, he didn't use it at all, as he thought something was broken.

Even if safety is not used, it must be fully functional if the gun is used in competition. This year at Perry the referee told me I can't shoot my M52 because the grip safety is pinned. It took me a minute or two to convince him that M52 never had any grip safety 

Ha!  What did he say when he found out?   :-)  

Regarding my brother's gun, is this a hand-fitted part, or if we buy a replacement, would it drop in?  I ordered a book that I think gives complete disassembly instructions for M-52.  It's old enough that I can probably post those pages here, once I scan them.  I should have the book in two days.