Field artillery materiel

by Unknown

Notes on the Automatic Pistol, Cal. 45, Model 1911.

The pistol is known as the Automatic Pistol, Cal. 45, Model 1911. By caliber is meant the caliber of the bore. All pistols used in the service are marked on the left side of the receiver, “United States Property,” and on the right side with the serial number, which must be memorized by the person to whom the pistol is issued.

It is important that every man have a thorough knowledge of the nomenclature, care and repair, method of assembling and dismounting the pistol as well as its use and operation.

The principal parts of the pistol are the receiver, the barrel and the slide.

To Dismount and Assemble the Pistol:—Press the magazine catch and remove the magazine. Press the plug inward, turn the barrel bushing to the right and by easing off on the spring let the plug and spring protrude gradually. Draw the slide to the rear until the small recess is opposite the thumb piece of the slide stop. Press gently against the end of the pin of the slide stop on the opposite side and remove the slide stop. This releases the link and allows the barrel and the slide with all its parts to be slid forward off the guide rails of the receiver.

To Disassemble the Slide:—Remove the plug by turning it to the left and withdraw the recoil spring with its guide from the rear; or remove the recoil spring guide and withdraw the coil spring with its plug from the front. Turn the barrel bushing to the left and withdraw it forward from the slide. The barrel may now be withdrawn from the slide. To remove the firing pin, press the rear end of the pin forward until it clears the firing pin stop. Then withdraw the stop downward from its seat, whereupon the firing pin, the firing pin spring, and the extractor are removed by withdrawing them to the rear.

For ordinary cleaning, no further dismounting will be found necessary and no disassembling of the receiver should be permitted except by permission of an officer. When the interior of the pistol has been exposed to water, or when it is desired to make repairs, the receiver may be completely dismounted as follows:

Cock the hammer, move the safety lock to a position half way between its upper and lower position. Press the end of the safety lock pin on the opposite side and withdraw the safety lock. Now lower the hammer by pressing the trigger. Push out the hammer pin and take out the hammer and strut. Next push out the housing pin. This may require a little extra pressure. It is the only pin pushed out by pressure from the left side of the receiver. The main-spring housing may then be withdrawn downward and the grip safety withdrawn to the rear. This exposes the sear spring, which is easily removed. By pushing out the sear pin, the sear and the disconnector are released.

The main-spring housing is disassembled by compressing the main spring, pushing out the small main-spring cap pin, whereupon the main-spring cap, the main spring and the housing pin retainer will come out. The main spring may be easily compressed by using the pin of the slide stop.

THE AUTOMATIC PISTOL, CALIBER 45, MODEL 1911.

RECEIVER, BARREL AND SLIDE.

To remove the magazine catch, press the button inward. By means of a small screw driver or the short leaf of the sear spring, give the screw head of the magazine catch lock a quarter turn to the left and remove the magazine catch. The trigger can then be withdrawn to the rear.

The hammer strut, a small nail or the long arm of the screw driver may be used to push out all pins except the main spring cap pin and the ejector pin. To remove these a tack or pin may be found necessary.

To assemble the pistol proceed in the reverse order, except that the main spring housing should be left to project about one-eighth inch. Do not push the main-spring housing home and insert the housing pin until after the safety lock is replaced and the hammer lowered.

The Operation of the Pistol.—The act of drawing back the slide in loading cocks the hammer, compresses the recoil spring, permitting the magazine follower to raise the upper cartridge into the path of the slide. Upon releasing the slide, the recoil spring forces the slide forward, carrying the first cartridge into the chamber of the barrel. As the slide approaches its forward position, it encounters the rear end of the barrel, forcing the latter forward. Since the front of the barrel pivots in the barrel bushing and the rear end is free to swing upward on the link, the rear end of the barrel is raised, causing the locking ribs on the outside of the barrel and the inside of the slide to engage, thus positively locking the barrel and the slide together. The joint forward movement of the barrel and the slide (about three-eights of an inch) is stopped when the barrel lug encounters the pin of the slide stop.

The pistol is then ready for firing. When the hammer is cocked, the hammer strut moves downward, compressing the main spring. The sear, under the action of the long leaf of the sear spring, engages its nose in the notch of the hammer. Upon pulling the trigger and pressing on the grip safety, the sear is moved, thus releasing the hammer. The latter then strikes the firing pin which transmits the blow to the primer of the cartridge. The explosion of the cartridge generates the necessary gas pressure to force the bullet through the barrel, the initial muzzle velocity being about 800 ft. per second. The pressure exerted to the rear against the face of the slide carries the latter and the barrel to the rear together. But due to the link attachment, the barrel is almost immediately swung down and unlocked from the slide, leaving the slide to continue its movement to the rear, thus opening the breech, cocking the hammer, extracting and ejecting the empty cartridge and compressing the recoil spring. When the slide reaches its rearmost position the magazine follower raises another cartridge into the path of the slide. This cartridge is then forced into the barrel by the forward movement of the slide as before described.

Although it might be supposed that the downward swinging of the barrel would affect the accuracy of the fire, this is not the case. The bullet has gained its maximum velocity and passed out of the muzzle before the unlocking movement between the barrel and slide commences.

When the magazine has been emptied the magazine follower is free to press against the projection on the slide stop, thus forcing the slide stop into the front recess of the slide, thereby locking the slide in the open position and reminding the person firing that the empty magazine must be replaced before firing can be continued.