Home > Parts > Pat's TECH TIPS BLOG > My Side Cartridge Broke


Broken edges on the side cartridge have 0 effect on your gun performance.

The part is only shaped that way so the front retaining cap will screw on (hard for a round cap top screw onto a flat surface). They break due to improperly removing the cartridge.

Detailed instructions for proper removal:

  • Pull front section out and remove the chamber.
  • Go through the front end and push the "B" side out first -they always come out easier.
  • "A" side.
  • ISO is what Gorilla glue is made from. Once the ISO cures, it is glued in place.
  • Take your nut driver, insert though the B port and it will sit perfectly over the Side Seal.
  • Push the side cartridge assembly out. Sometimes you will need to knock it out and sometimes I have to heat the cartridge to melt the ISO to get it out.

Fulcrum, leverage and force. I'm sure you know what a teeter/totter is, or have used a crowbar to lift a heavy load. The Fulcrum is the pivot point. Ratio on a teeter/totter is 1:1, but on a pry bar, the leverage from the fulcrum is over 100:1. With a screw driver, the fulcrum is .125, while the handle is just 6" long. That means .125 goes into 6" 48 times.

The force you push with on the handle is 48 times more at the other end of the fulcrum. If you apply just 4 pounds of force on the screwdriver, you have 4 x 48 pounds of force (192 pounds) at the other end. The hardened steel is not made to take high forces when the metal is .040 thick.

We have made some that are not hardened, so they will just bend some, but will still break at some point.