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Final Report – Instructions

April 23rd

, 2013

DISASSEMBLY AND REASSEMBLY OF AN M1911 PISTOL

INTRODUCTION

Originally adopted by the United States Army in 1911, the M1911 is a single-action, semi-

automatic 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 manydifferent 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.

 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

Slide/Barrel Assembly

Trigger 

Catch Release Button

Magazine

Hammer 

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  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

 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

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

Recoil Spring Plug

Barrel Bushing

Rotate CCW

Barrel

Recoil Spring Guide

Slide Stop Pin

Semi-Circular Notches

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 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

 Figure 5: Slide/Barrel Assembly Removal 

Slide Stop Pin

Slide/Barrel Assembly

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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

 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

Slide

Barrel

Frame

Recoil Spring Guide

Slide Stop Pin

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 Figure 7: Insertion of Barrel into 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

Insert Barrel in From Front of Slide

Insert Recoil Guide in From Back of Slide

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 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

Slide Stop Pin Hole