I have a French MAB model D pistol which is giving me the following problem. The pistol will NOT fire with a round in the clip! The gun fires if only one round is inserted into the clip and the slide manually pulled to load the round into the barrel. Any suggestions as to what the problem could be?

George

Hard to say. But I bet it has something to do with the magazine safety or the magazine that you have. Try a different magazine that is set up to work with the magazine safety because I think they made that pistol both ways for a while. If that doesn't work replace the magazine safety and see if that works.

That's all I got. I don't do much with little guns.

It sounds to me more like the disconnector than the magazine safety.

The gun fires with the round in the chamber and the mag in place,,so the magazine safety works.

The disconnector is visable under the left grip.
It is the nearly verticle extension of the sear conector bar from the trigger to the sear.
It has a circular shape to it's upper portion IIRC and a small projection or tab that extends just a bit above the slide rail on the left side right next to the mag well.

When it's extended upwards (there's a cut in the slide that allows it to do that when the slide is in the closed position) the pistol can fire as the sear can be engaged.
As the slide opens,,the bar is pushed downward and the connector 'disconnects' from the sear'.

What may be happening is the insertion of the loaded magazine may be pushing the disconnector tab away and down just slightly enough to 'disconnect' the trigger bar connector from the sear.
That loaded round in the magazine on top might be pushing the dsiconnector tab in some manner as it is right along side the mag well on that left side..

You can see it easily if you remove the slide,,then remove the left grip panel.
Then load a round in the magazine and slowy insert the mag in the pistol.
Watch as the mag reaches the top and see if it or the loaded round push on that disconnector tab in any way and disengage the trigger from firing/engaging the sear..

The MAB C & D need the magazine safety as part of the firing mechanism to work. The mag safe can't be removed like a BHP and have the mechanism still fire.

Just some thoughts,,,

You you get the hiccup sorted, George. I had one of these and it was just a lot of fun to shoot.