Final Report Instructions April 23rd, 2013 DISASSEMBLY AND REASSEMBLY OF AN M1911 PISTOL INTRODUCTION Originally adopted by the

e United States Army in 1911, the M1911 is a single-action, semiautomatic pistol which was a standard issue sidearm for the United Stated Armed Forces. It was originally designed by John Browning, was manufactured by Colt Firearms and later expanded to Springfield Armory. The M1911 is still used as a standard sidearm in the Armed Forces even though it was replaced by the M9 after 1985. General Infantry (more commonly known as GI) during WWI, WWII, the Korean War, and Vietnam War would needed to disassemble or field strip their side-arm to clean their weapon. The purpose of these instructions is to give a thorough walkthrough of how to disassemble and reassemble the M1911. While there are many different calibers and manufacturers of this weapon, these instructions are applicable to any military specification M1911. The pistol used in this documentation is a Taurus PT1911 9mm. Pictured below is an overview of the basic parts of the M1911. Hammer Magazine

Slide/Barrel Assembly

Trigger Catch Release Button Figure 1: Fully Assembled M1911 DISASSEMBLY OF M1911 1) Inspection Remove magazine (if inserted) by depressing the magazine catch release button Pull slide back fully to ensure the chamber is clear of any ammunition 2) Removal of Recoil Spring Depress recoil spring plug

With plug depressed, turn barrel bushing counter clockwise Remove spring and bushing from the slide/barrel assembly i. Note: Spring is under high tension and can fly out if not controlled

Barrel Bushing

Rotate CCW

Recoil Spring Plug

Figure 2: Front View of Pistol 3) Removal of Slide/Barrel Assembly Push slide rearward until semi-circular tab on slide aligns with semi-circular disassembly notch on slide stop Push slide stop pin on right side of the pistol through the left side and remove Barrel Semi-Circular Notches

Recoil Spring Guide

Slide Stop Pin

Figure 3: Recoil Spring and Bushing Removed and Alignment of Semi-Circles

Slide Stop Pin

Figure 4: Removal of Slide Stop Pin 4) Slide/Barrel Assembly Removal After slide stop pin is removed, push the slide all the way forward to remove Move slide completely off of lower frame

Slide/Barrel Assembly

Figure 5: Slide/Barrel Assembly Removal

5) Removal of Barrel and Recoil Spring Guide Rotate the recoil spring guide away from the barrel and remove towards the rear of the slide Remove the barrel through the front of the slide Slide

Barrel Frame

Recoil Spring Guide

Slide Stop Pin

Figure 6: Fully Field Stripped M1911 Now that the pistol is completely disassembled, cleaning of the gun can take place. After proper cleaning with an appropriate solvent and oil, the pistol is ready to be reassembled. REASSEMBLY OF M1911 1) Reassembly of Slide/Barrel Assembly Insert barrel through the front of the slide until it is as far back as it can go Insert the recoil spring guide from the back of the slide to the front Figures 7 and 8 show how to insert the spring guide and barrel into the slide

Insert Barrel in From Front of Slide

Figure 7: Insertion of Barrel into Slide

Insert Recoil Guide in From Back of Slide

Figure 8: Insertion of Barrel into Slide 2) Placement of Slide/Barrel Assembly onto Frame After the barrel and recoil spring guide are in place in the slide, take the assembly and place it on the front end of the frame Align the slide with the frame and push the slide assembly all the way back until the semi-circular notches line up

Figure 9: Placement of Slide/Barrel Assembly onto Frame

Slide Stop Pin Hole

Figure 10: Alignment of Semi-Circular Notches 3) Insertion of Slide Stop Pin When notches are aligned, take slide stop pin and insert it into the slide stop pin hole Push the pin all the way through until it clicks into place 4) Insertion of Recoil Spring and Bushing Return slide back to its original position and insert recoil spring over the recoil spring guide Push the recoil spring and plug completely down until it is flush with the recoil spring guide Place the bushing over the barrel so the teeth are 90o to the recoil spring Push the bushing down into the slide assembly and rotate 90o clockwise so the teeth cover the recoil spring plug 5) Testing Assembly Pull the slide as far back as it will go so the hammer is cocked Release the slide so it returns to its original position If the slide does not return to its original position, disassemble the pistol again and reassemble to ensure each part is properly seated