Smith & Wesson 945 Instructions Manual

11
•Use only commercially manufactured ammunition with
internal ballistic pressures which are in strict accordance 
with the specifications of the Sporting Arms and 
Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI).
•Be certain all ammunition you use complies with the 
SAAMI specifications. If you are uncertain, contact your 
ammunition supplier for verification.
C.
MISFIRES
•If your firearm fails to fire when the trigger is pulled 
(misfires), keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction, 
remove your finger...

12
AMMUNITION  CONT’D.
E.AMMUNITION WARNINGS
•“Plus-P” (+P) ammunition generates pressures in excess of 
the pressures associated with standard ammunition. Such 
pressures may affect the wear characteristics or exceed the 
margin of safety built into some revolvers and could 
therefore be DANGEROUS.
•“Plus-P” ammunition should not be used in medium
(K frame) revolvers manufactured prior to 1958. Such
pre-1958 medium (K-frame) revolvers can be identified by 
the absence of a model number stamped inside...

13
MODEL NUMBER
IDENTIFICATION
The serial number and the model number appear here on your
pistol.
FIGURE 3c
Trigger Guard
Trigger
GripMagazine
Magazine
Release
Front Sight
Rear Sight
Hammer
Frame
SlideSlide Stop
Notch
Safety LeverEjection
Port
Slide Stop 
Extractor
Slide
Stop Pin
Barrel
Front Sight
Barrel
Bushing
Recoil Spring
Guide Rod Grip
Safety
FIGURE 2aFIGURE 2b
FIGURE 3b FIGURE 3a 

14
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 from
the rear with the...

15
LOADED CHAMBER
INDICATOR
Currently manufactured 945 pistols come with a loaded chamber
indicator. This indicator can be observed by looking at the top of
the slide/ejection port, (Figure 8) noting an opening at the rear of
the barrel hood. By looking into this opening, you can observe
as to whether or not a round is in the firearm’s chamber. You
would see the actual brass or silver colored rim through this
opening if the chamber of the firearm was loaded.
FIGURE 8
INSPECTING YOUR PISTOL  CONT’D....

16
LOADING
•Do not load the pistol until you are about to fire.
Keep your finger outside the trigger guard until you are ready
to fire.
WARNING: These Smith & Wesson centerfire pistols
will fire with the magazine removed. Keep your fin-
ger off the trigger and outside of the trigger guard
until you have made the commitment to fire.
•Only use Smith & Wesson magazines specifically
manufactured for your particular model of pistol. Do not
interchange magazines from one model pistol into another 
model...

LOADING CONT’D.
17
•To make sure that the magazine is fully and securely
inserted, apply some removal pressure to the exposed 
portion of the magazine butt plate.
•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 10, and briskly draw the slide fully 
rearward and release it. This strips a cartridge from the 
magazine and seats it in the chamber of the barrel and at the 
same time, fully cocks the...

DECOCKING
If you decide not to fire and your handgun is in the fully cocked
position, you must follow these instructions to safely decock the
handgun.
•Remove your trigger finger from the trigger and out of the
trigger guard. (Figure 12).
•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. Look 
into the ejection port to ensure chamber is empty....

19
UNLOADING
•Remove your trigger finger from the trigger and out of the
trigger guard. (Figure 12).
•Place the safety lever in the up “safe” position.
•Point the muzzle in a safe direction. Depress the magazine 
release, and remove the magazine. Place the safety lever 
into the down “fire” position. With the muzzle still pointing in a 
safe direction, and with your finger off the trigger and outside 
the trigger guard, grasp the serrated sides of the slide from 
the rear with the thumb and fingers, and...

SIGHT ADJUSTMENT
FIELD STRIPPING
DISASSEMBLY
•Remove the magazine by depressing the magazine release 
button, clear the chamber and verify it is empty. Firmly 
grasp the frame and slide with the left hand as shown in 
Figure 16. Apply backwards pressure on the slide and move 
it back until the slide stop notch in the left side of the slide is 
aligned with the forward, rounded portion of the slide stop as 
shown in Figure 17. Press inward on the slide stop pin from 
the opposite side of the frame and...