So, I took my Mossberg 500 apart and lost the safety detent. I then found a small ball bearing on the garage floor NEAR where I had the gun and I think it is the right ball but it doesn't fit into the safety spring hole. Can someone measure their detent ball and tell me the diameter? Or, does the thing not fit perfectly into the hole?
Thanks, and yes, I've got EGG all over my face here.
Darren

I couldn't locate a specific size for the ball probably to stop someone from running up to the local hardware store instead of ordering one online.

Found this on a search: Looks like the ball sits on top of the spring which is in the hole.

The detent spring goes into the hole in the receiver, just forward of the red dot. The detent ball will sit on top of it. The detent plate and then the safety button need to be laid gingerly on top of the safety block and detent ball so that the hole in the button is aligned with the screw hole in the safety block. The screw then goes down through the safety button and detent plate and threads into the safety block.

Thanks C'mere. I really appreciate the effort. I'm tempted to replace the entire safety setup, it's cheap and I'd be sure to have the right stuff. However, I'm a cheap !@#!@ and would rather not spend the $25+/- if I don't have to.

The search continues.