Smith & Wesson 1911 Instructions Manual

11
AMMUNITION
GENERAL PRINCIPLES•A firearm and ammunition are a system and must work 
together. Their performance is closely related. There are 
different types of ammunition for different types of firearms.
Your firearm has been designed for ammunition of a 
specific type and a specific caliber. It is important to select 
the proper ammunition for your firearm.
Different combinations of bullet velocity, bullet weight and firearm
weight can have major impact on felt recoil.
For example:
• Gun Weight:...

FIGURE 1
12
AMMUNITION  CONT’D.
•You are responsible for selecting ammunition that meets 
industry standards and is appropriate in type and caliber for 
this firearm.
•Locate the caliber designation 
marked on the handgun. This 
information indicates the ammunition 
caliber that should be used in this 
firearm. (See figure #1).
HANDLOADED OR RELOADED AMMUNITION
WARNING: NEVER USE NONSTANDARD, RELOADED
OR “HANDLOADED” AMMUNITION WHICH  HAS  NOT
BEEN SUBJECTED TO INTERNAL BALLISTIC PRESSURE
TESTING....

13
AMMUNITION  CONT’D.
•Additional ammunition calibers can be fired from the
following list of select calibers.
Caliber on Barrel
Can also Fire  .45 Colt .45 Schofield, .45 S&W, 
.45 S&W .45 Schofield
.45 ACP .45 Auto Rim (in revolvers only)
.44 Magnum  .44 Special  
.357 Magnum  .38 Special, .38 Special +P  
.22LR   .22L, .22 Short, .22CB, .22BB 
(in revolvers only) 
•In some cases, a round of ammunition not specified on your 
handgun may fit into the chamber or cylinder. Firing 
ammunition not...

FIGURE 3a
MODEL NUMBER
IDENTIFICATION
The serial number and the model number appear here on your
pistol.
FIGURE3c
Trigger Guard
TriggerGrip
MagazineMagazine
Release
Front Sight
Rear Sight
Hammer
Frame
Slide
Slide Stop
NotchSafety Lever
Ejection
Port
Slide Stop 
Slide
Stop PinBarrel
Front Sight
Barrel
Bushing
Recoil
Spring 
Guide Rod
Grip
Safety
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 3b
Take Down
Notch
Recoil Spring
Retainer
14         

15
INSPECTING YOUR
PISTOL
When you inspect your pistol, you should first check for yourself
to ensure that it is unloaded. To do this, grasp the pistol with
your finger off the trigger and outside the tr
igger guard.Point
the muzzle in a safe direction and depress the magazine release
and remove the magazine (Figure 5). Depress the safety lever
into the fully down “fire” position (Figure 6).
With the muzzle still pointing in
a safe direction, grasp the
serrated sides of the slide fromthe rear with the...

LOADEDCHAMBER
INDICAT O R
INSPECTING YOUR PISTOL  CONT’D.
When it is in the “safe” position, the slide is also locked in place
and cannot be moved rearward. Notice how the safety lever
looks and feels in each of the two positions of its extreme travel
 fully up for safe and fully down for fire.
WARNING: IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT WITH THE 
HAMMER IN THE AT REST (FULLY FORWARD) POSI
TION, THAT THE SAFETY LEVER CAN BE PRESSED
UP SLIGHTLY. NEVER CONFUSE THIS WITH THE
FULLY UP “SAFE” POSITION AS THE SAFETY HAS...

WARNING:SMITH &WESSON 1911 SERIES PISTOLS
WILL FIRE WITH THE MAGAZINE REMOVED. KEEP
YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER AND OUTSIDE OF
THE TRIGGER GUARD UNTIL YOU HAVE MADE THE
COMMITMENT TO FIRE.
• Do not load the pistol until you are ready to fire. Keep your 
finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard until you 
are ready to fire.
• Only use Smith & Wesson magazines specifically
manufactured for your particular model of pistol. Do notinterchange magazines from one model pistol into another model...

LOADING CONT’D.
• To make sure that the magazine is fully and securely
inserted, apply some removal pressure to the exposed 
portion of the magazine butt plate.
WARNING: UPON RELEASING THE SLIDE FROM THE
SLIDE STOP, THE SLIDE MOVES FORWARD WITH
SIGNIFICANT FORCE AND SPEED.TO AVOID
INJURY BE SURE NO PART OF YOUR BODY IS IN
THE PATH OF THE SLIDE’S TRAVEL.
• With the muzzle still pointing in a safe direction, grasp the 
serrated sides of the slide from the rear with the thumb and fingers as shown in figure...

DECOCKING
WARNING: ALWAYS KEEP THE PISTOL POINTED 
IN A SAFE DIRECTION.
WARNING: YOU MUST BE CERTAIN THAT THE
CHAMBER IS UNLOADED. FAILURE TO VERIFY 
THE CHAMBER IS UNLOADED COULD RESULT 
IN THE PISTOL ACCIDENTALLY FIRING IF THE 
HAMMER SLIPS DURING DECOCKING.
If you decide not to fire and your handgun is in the fully cocked
position, you must follow these instructions to safely decock thehandgun.
•Remove your finger from the trigger and the trigger guard.
(Figure 12).
FIRING
WARNING: NEVER ATTEMPT TO...

20
DECOCKING CONT’D.
• Place the safety lever in the fully up “safe” position.
• Remove the magazine from the firearm.
• Place the safety lever in the fully down “fire” position.
• Draw the slide back and eject any chambered round. You 
must verify the barrel chamber is free of any live rounds or 
obstructions (Figure 13). Release the slide allowing it to 
move fully forward.
• Place your finger on the trigger and place the thumb of 
your opposite hand on the hammer. (Figure 14)
• Pull the trigger to the...