I planned my February 23, 2020 to be a lazy Sunday as Im done with all my task for the week. My only agenda for the day was to clean and prep my Ruger PC Carbine for a Level 3 match on the 27th.

After I had my morning coffee over breakfast, its game time for the cleaning process. All things were going as planned and the cleaning was UNUSUALLY relaxing (those who know me knows how much i dislike cleaning my guns, its just something I needed to do) until i accidentally twisted the safety button while cleaning the unattached trigger assembly and the safety detent and spring flew across the room and at that point hell’s gates opened for a very stressful day ahead.

I searched every nook and cranny of my man cave room for the missing safety detent and spring for half of the day and finally i found one of them by accident — I was using my magazine pouch magnet to find the two missing very small parts when suddenly something that looks like a lizard’s poop got attracted by the strong magnet.

Viola! I found the detent (as lizard’s poop usually dont get attracted by magnets dont they?) but then spring is still missing. I decided that ill finish the cleaning first then I will resume the search for that still missing spring or else I might not finish anything for the day. To cut the long stort short, its almost dinner time and I already cleaned my man cave almost spotless but I still cant find the safety spring so I decided at that point that I really lost it.

I started experimenting on “alternative springs” just to make the safety “functional” for the meantime while waiting for my ordered replacement to arrive. I have a handful of Tandemkross replacement sear springs and Glock Safety plunger springs that are a little bit bigger but will fit the slot for the spring. I meticulously cut each coil then test then cut again and test again but it just not working. When I finally have one left of the Tandemkross sear spring and one of the Glock plunger spring left, I abandoned the idea.

I was looking at this picture for some time trying to figure out where did I see a spring that looks like the Glock safety plunger spring but just a bit smaller….. I know Ive seen it before but I just couldn’t figure out where.

Then across the room I spot a scented candle with a BIC brand disposable lighter next to it. It looks exactly as this one:

OF COURSE! The spring inside the disposable lighter! I hurriedly disassembled the lighter, match up the spring to the detend, IT FITS!! 😁 … but its so much longer. I cut the spring in half but its still about four coil longer than needed so I cut them off, lined up the safety and was able to successfully installed it and put it back to working state. I function checked the “replacement” safety spring about 50 times and its working perfectly.

I hope this helps ✌️ 🙂 🇵🇭

Disclaimer:

• Im not intending to keep using this makeshift part permanently.
• I will switch back to the almost $10 Ruger original spring once my order gets here.
• Information sharing only for fellow enthusiasts, and for emergency purposes just in case something like this would happen to you when you are field stripping your firearm.
• Use this information at your own risk and with caution. The author nor the website along with its website host, etc, are NOT liable to any damages or harm with the use and/or misuse of this information.