I recently was handed down a revolver that belonged to my grandfather. I'm not in-tune with the guns and rifle community - so I'm trying to learn about this stuff as i go along. Would someone be able to tell me more about this gun? I'm curious of its year, as it was coupled with a few vintage WWII rifles. Also, is it common for this revolver to have a pistol pin that is removeable, and sometimes pops out when test firing the gun?

Thanks for any help or direction anyone is able to lend.

Jmlars

[Joe Ahearn]

I have an Fie Miami Mod E 15. There is a spring loaded lock that holds the shaft that the magazine revolves around. The shaft has never popped out while firing. I received this gun in a unusual way and I have not fired it very often. It seems to be rather worn out, and gets hung up when fired. It is possible the your gun is worn too, or the locking pin is missing or worn. FIE went out of business, I am told, in 1990. Since I did not buy this gun and received it from a family member I don't have any history on it. I am looking for an assembly manual. I came to this site to try find one to download. I have found manuals for my other guns this way. My email is cashbox@bellsouth.net if you find any additional information that can help me. Joe

[Fatstrat]

To unregistered 1st poster: Since you refer yo your pistol as a "Cowboy", I assume it is a Single Action FIE E-15. The cylinder pin is indeed held in by a spring loaded latch on the front of the frame. You will see that it has straight screw head slots on each side. To remove, simply unscrew the sides from one another. Problem is possibly that it gunked up (Dirty) and needs cleaned. If cleaning doesn't solve problem, replacements are available from Numrich Arms.
Joe Ahearn: The E-15 is basically a scaled down copy of the classic Colt Peacemaker.Numrich Arms (e-gunparts.com) has an exploded view on their website. And any website you may find that explains disassembly of a Colt will be nearly identical in proceedure to your FIE. They are fairly easy if you pay attention. Lots of Old West gunslingers figured them out and smithed their own guns.
My 1st inclination is that your pistol is also excessively dirty internally. I say this because I have purchased several of these guns in "non-working" condition, and found the problem was neglect. The internal parts were too gunked up to operate. Try a good cleaning. If you find any obvious;y broken or worn parts, Numrich Arms should have most replacements.

If you don't feel qualified to attempt this, most gunsmiths will completely disassemble and clean a gun for about $25.