Smith & Wesson Single And Double Action Pistol 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 from the trigger, and wait 10 seconds.
Only after you have completed all of the above steps, 
remove the magazine or open the cylinder and remove the 
cartridge from the chamber and dispose of it properly.
Keep your firearm pointed in a safe direction at all times.
•If you have heard an unusual sound or felt an unusual recoil 
on firing, stop firing, wait 10 seconds, unload the firearm, 
and examine the barrel bore for obstructions.
•Make sure your barrel is clear and free of obstructions.
If you see an obstruction, return your firearm to 
Smith & Wesson or take it to a qualified gunsmith. Never 
fire a firearm with an obstructed barrel.
D
.AMMUNITION SPECIFICS
•Use only ammunition specifically recommended by
Smith & Wesson for your firearm.
•Never mix ammunition.
•Never use a cartridge not specifically designated for use in 
your firearm. Pressure from the wrong type of ammunition 
may be beyond the capability of your firearm to withstand 
and may damage or even rupture your firearm.
•Whenever rimless pistol cartridges are used in the cylinder 
of a Smith & Wesson revolver, (except M547) full or
half-moon clips MUST be used to both position and extract 
such cartridges. Failure to use ammunition clips with
rimless cartridges may result in malfunction of the revolver.
•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
.44 Magnum  .44 Special  
.357 Magnum  .38 Special, .38 Special +P  
.22LR   .22L, .22 Short, .22CB, .22BB 
(in revolvers only) 
10mm  .40 S&W  (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 specified on your handgun may cause it
to rupture and cause serious injury or death.
AMMUNITION  CONT’D. 
						

							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 the yoke 
cut of the frame. (i.e., the area of the frame exposed when 
the cylinder is in the open position, see Figure 2).
•“Plus-P-Plus (+P+) marking on the ammunition merely
designates that it exceeds established industry standards, 
but the designation does not represent defined pressure 
limits and therefore such ammunition may vary significantly 
as to the pressures generated.
•“Plus-P-Plus (+P+) ammunition is not recommended for use 
in Smith & Wesson firearms.
•In the Model 940 revolver, some brands of 9mm parabellum 
ammunition may cause difficulty in extracting spent 
cartridge cases from the cylinder. If this situation occurs, 
thoroughly clean the cylinder charge holes with solvent. If 
this condition persists, we recommend changing to another 
brand of 9mm parabellum ammunition.
•Smith & Wesson has found wide variations in primer
sensitivity between some brands and types of .22LR
ammunition. Smith & Wesson recommends that before you 
put your .22LR handgun into regular use, that you fire
several boxes of your choice of ammunition through it to 
determine reliability of ignition. If “failure to fire” occurs, try 
different types of brands of .22LR ammunition until a
reliable loading is found. 
						

							13
MODEL NUMBER
IDENTIFICATION
The serial number and the model number appear here on your
pistol.
FIGURE 1
FIGURE 2
Equipment Rail
Trigger Guard
Trigger
Grip
Magazine
Magazine
Release
Front Sight
Rear Sight
Hammer
Frame
SlideSlide Stop
Notch
Decocking
Safety LeverEjection
Port
Slide Stop 
Extractor
Slide
Stop Pin
Barrel
Front Sight
Barrel
Bushing
Recoil Spring
Guide Rod 
						

							14
INSPECTING YOUR
PISTOL
When you inspect your pistol, you should first check for yourself
to insure 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, rotate the decocking lever fully down
into the safe position as shown in Figure 4, depress the 
magazine release, and remove the magazine.
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 5, and briskly draw the slide fully
rearward in order to extract any cartridge from the barrel
chamber and clear it from the pistol. Do not obstruct the ejection
port because doing so can interfere with ejection of a cartridge
and thereby creates the risk of exploding an unchambered
cartridge and possible injury. In order to lock the slide in the
open position, allow the slide to move slightly forward from the
rearmost position while press-
ing upward on the slide stop.
You are now able to safely
check the barrel chamber and
bore visually for any
obstructions. You must follow
this procedure every time your
firearm is inspected, cleaned,
handed to another person, transported or stored. Unload the
magazine by holding it with the bullet end of the cartridge
pointing away from you and others and pressing each cartridge
forward and out of the magazine.
Familiarize yourself with the decocking lever on your autoloading
pistol. When the decocking lever is fully up (parallel to the top of
the slide) as shown in figure 6, it is in the fire position; when
the decocking lever is fully down, as shown in Figure 4, it is in
the safe position. Notice how the decocking lever looks and
feels in each of the two positions of its extreme travel - fully up
for fire and fully down for safe. Your pistol may have a red dot
which is totally visible when the decocking lever is in the fire
position; however, do not rely on your inability to see a red dot
as the only indication that the decocking safety lever is engaged.
Please be advised that other model or brand pistols
may have a safety or decocking lever that operates
differently
.
Traditional Single and Double Action Pistols
FIGURE 4FIGURE 5
FIGURE 6 
						

							The Smith & Wesson “double action only” pistol does not have a
decocking lever or manual safety. It does not require such a
mechanism because the hammer does not remain in the single
action (or fully-cocked) position when the slide is released after
loading and because the hammer does not remain in the
single action position after each shot.
The hammer of this pistol cannot be manually cocked before 
firing. The hammer is manufactured without a single action 
notch so that it cannot be placed manually into the single action
position.
With a magazine fully inserted in the pistol and with a cartridge
in the barrel chamber, this pistol can be fired simply by pulling
the trigger fully to the rear (“double action”). This action of pulling
the trigger moves the hammer rearward and then allows the
hammer to fall forward firing the cartridge.
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 trigger guard and point
the muzzle in a safe direction. Depress the magazine release,
and remove the magazine. 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 5, and briskly
draw the slide fully rearward in order to extract any cartridge
from the barrel chamber and clear it from the pistol. Do not
obstruct the ejection port because doing so can interfere with
ejection of a cartridge and thereby creates the risk of exploding
an unchambered cartridge and possible injury. (Figure 7)
In order to lock the slide in the open position, allow the slide to
move slightly forward from the rearmost position while pressing
upward on the slide stop. You are now able to safely check the
barrel chamber and bore visually for any obstructions.
You must follow this procedure every time your pistol is
inspected, cleaned, handed to another person, transported or
stored. Unload the magazine by holding it with the bullet end
of the cartridge pointing away from you and pressing each
cartridge forward and out of the magazine.
INSPECTING YOUR PISTOL CONT’D.
DOUBLE ACTION ONLY PISTOLS
FIGURE 7
15
DO NOT BLOCK EJECTION PORT!!!
LOADING
TRADITIONAL DA/SA  & DOUBLE ACTION ONLY
•Do not load the pistol until you are ready to use it.
Keep your finger outside the trigger guard until you are ready
to fire. 
						

							Once the magazine is removed from the pistol and the 
trigger is fully released, subsequent cycling of the trigger
will not fire the pistol until the magazine is fully reinserted.
(This may not apply to certain pistols that have been
marked “CAUTION - CAPABLE OF FIRING WITHOUT
MAGAZINE”)
WARNING: Some Smith & Wesson centerfire pistols
are designed to disengage the trigger linkage, and
thereby prevent the trigger from firing the pistol
when the magazine is removed from the pistol. Be certain
to fully release the trigger and remove your finger from
within the trigger guard when the magazine is removed from
the pistol. Failure to fully release the trigger could result in
firing the handgun. After inserting a magazine, always test
to make sure it is locked in place by applying some removal
pressure to the exposed portion of the magazine butt plate.
•Only use Smith & Wesson magazines specifically
manufactured for your particular model of pistol. Do not
interchange magazines from one model pistol into another 
model pistol.
•Smith & Wesson has provided you with a magazine 
designed to operate in your specific model of pistol. While 
your magazine may be able to be inserted into another 
model pistol, it will only function properly in the specific 
model for which it was designed.
•Follow instructions in this manual and any other specific 
instructions which may be marked onto, or accompany, a
magazine. Failure to use the particular type of Smith & 
Wesson magazine specified for your model and caliber of 
pistol may result in a malfunction.
•Load the magazine by pressing a cartridge head (rear of 
cartridge) downward on the forward portion of the magazine 
follower (or downward on the case of the previously loaded 
cartridge) and sliding the cartridge fully under the lips of the 
magazine until the cartridge head is against the rear wall of 
the magazine. Repeat the procedure for the number of 
cartridges you wish to load, up to the magazine capacity.
Do not attempt to load your magazine with more than the 
specified number of cartridges because doing so can cause 
a feeding failure.
•Inspect your pistol as previously described in the “Inspecting 
Your Pistol” section. Hold the pistol in one hand with the
muzzle pointing in a safe direction and with your finger off 
the trigger and outside the trigger guard. Insert the loaded 
magazine into the magazine well of the pistol until it is locked 
in place.
WARNING: Do not use excessive upward force when
inserting a loaded magazine into the pistol. Excessive
upward force could cause the slide to move forward,
chambering a round and making the pistol ready to fire.
•To make sure that the magazine is fully and securely
inserted, apply some removal pressure to the exposed 
portion of the magazine butt plate.
•Press down on the slide stop to release the slide and allow it 
to carry fully forward. This strips a cartridge from the 
magazine and seats it in the chamber of the barrel.
16
LOADING CONT’D. 
						

							The pistol can now be fired by pulling the trigger to the 
rear.
FOR TRADITIONAL DA/SA 
•Rotate the decocking safety lever to the down (safe) position 
and leave it in that position.
•If you wish to restore the magazine in your pistol to its full
capacity, depress the magazine release and remove the 
magazine from the pistol. Remember that there is a round in 
the chamber; therefore, the weapon should be holstered or 
safely secured during this process. Load one cartridge into 
the magazine to replace the one which was chambered 
when you allowed the slide to carry forward.
•Re-insert the loaded magazine into the magazine well of the 
pistol until it is locked in place. To make sure that the 
magazine is again fully and securely inserted, apply some 
removal pressure to the exposed portion of the magazine 
butt plate.
•Your pistol is now fully loaded. The hammer is down and 
resting against the decocking safety lever body, the trigger is 
forward and the firing mechanism is disengaged. Your pistol 
is now in a safe condition to be holstered and carried. Never 
holster, carry or store your pistol with the hammer cocked.
Remember to keep your pistol pointed in a safe direction 
under all conditions and always keep your finger or any other 
object off the trigger and outside the trigger guard until you 
have made the commitment to fire the handgun.
Never leave a loaded firearm unattended.
LOADING CONT’D.
CAUTION
NOTE: Certain specially manufactured Law Enforcement 
products may have a safety or a safety decocking lever
which will lower the hammer and then automatically return
to the fire position.
FOR DOUBLE ACTION ONLY
•If you wish to restore the magazine in your pistol to its full
capacity, depress the magazine release and remove the 
magazine from the pistol. Remember that there is a round in 
the chamber; therefore, the weapon should be holstered or 
safely secured during this process and the trigger should 
never be moved. Load one cartridge into the magazine to 
replace the one which was chambered when you allowed the 
slide to carry forward.
•Re-insert the loaded magazine into the magazine well of the 
pistol until it is locked in place. To make sure that the 
magazine is again fully and securely inserted, apply some 
removal pressure to the exposed portion of the magazine 
butt plate.
•Your pistol is now fully loaded. The hammer is in the down 
position and the trigger is forward. Your pistol is ready to be 
holstered and carried and will fire when the trigger is pulled.
Remember to keep your pistol pointed in a safe direction 
under all conditions and always keep your finger or any other 
object off the trigger and outside the trigger guard  until you 
have made the commitment to fire the handgun.
Never leave a loaded firearm unattended.
17 
						

							18
WARNING:
ALL Traditional SA/DA pistols with model
designations called out by 3 or more digits,
i.e. 410, 411, 5906, 4506TSW, etc. are manufactured
with an automatic firing pin block. The automatic firing pin
block prevents the firing pin from moving forward and firing
a chambered cartridge unless the trigger is held fully
rearward. Loaded Smith & Wesson Pistols, Model 39, 52, 59,
Super 9, 4006 S/A, 5906 S/A, 745 and some 945’s have iner-
tial firing pins without an automatic firing safety plungers. If
the decocking safety lever is in the fire position, the pistol
will fire when subjected to a sufficient impact.
THEREFORE, IT IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL THAT
THE DECOCKING SAFETY LEVER OF ANY LOADED
MODEL 39, 52, 59, SUPER 9 4006 S/A, 5906 S/A, 745
AND SOME 945’S BE KEPT IN THE SAFE POSITION
UNTIL YOU HAVE MADE THE COMMITMENT TO FIRE
THE HANDGUN. ALSO, REMEMBER THAT PULLING
THE TRIGGER WITH THE DECOCKING SAFETY
LEVER IN THE FIRE POSITION WILL FIRE A
LOADED PISTOL.
LOADING CONT’D.
FIRING
WARNING: During firing, always keep the barrel
pointed in a safe direction.
WARNING: Upon firing the pistol or releasing the
slide from the slide stop, the slide moves rearward
or 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.
WARNING: Single action firing requires significantly
less pressure on the trigger and reduced trigger
travel than double action firing.
•With the muzzle pointed in a safe direction and your finger 
outside the trigger guard, rotate the decocking safety lever 
fully up into the fire position. Except for the Models 52, 745, 
845, 5906S/A, 4006 S/A and Super 9 which can only be fired 
single action, the first shot from an uncocked center fire 
pistol will be fired in the double-action mode.
•As the trigger is  drawn fully to the rear, the hammer moves 
rearward and is released to strike the firing pin. Upon firing, 
the slide moves rearward thereby extracting and ejecting the 
spent cartridge case and rotating the hammer to the fully-
cocked position.
•The slide then returns forward feeding the next cartridge 
from the magazine to the barrel chamber. The hammer 
remains in cocked position and the trigger is in the rearward 
position so that subsequent shots will be fired in the single 
action mode. This sequence can be repeated until the last 
round has been fired at which time the magazine follower 
exerts upward pressure on the slide stop causing it to 
engage the slide and hold it in the open position. 
						

							MANUAL COCKING
•On a pistol with an exposed hammer spur, the first shot may be 
fired in the single action mode when so desired. You can prepare 
your pistol for single action firing by pointing the muzzle in a safe 
direction, removing your finger from the trigger, rotating the 
decocking safety lever fully up into the fire position, and pulling 
the hammer rearward until it locks into the fully-cocked position.
DECOCKING
•If you decide not to fire after you have manually cocked the hammer 
or if you decide to suspend firing, keep the pistol pointed in a safe 
direction, remove your finger from within the trigger guard, and 
rotate the decocking lever fully down into the safe position. This 
action will decock the hammer allowing it to fall against the decock-
ing safety body and will release the trigger to its forward position.
The pistol may now be holstered and carried safely. This does not 
apply to those handguns listed in red on page 18.
CLEARING MISFIRES
DOUBLE ACTION ONLY
•If, during firing, a cartridge fails to fire, the chamber must be 
manually cleared. Wait ten seconds while keeping the muzzle 
pointed in a safe direction. Grasp the serrated sides of the slide 
from the rear and briskly pull the slide fully rearward to eject the 
misfired round. Keep your finger off of the trigger and out of the 
trigger guard. Do not obstruct the ejection port, and do not 
attempt to catch the round by placing your hand over the ejection 
port. (See figure 7) Also, remember that any time you release the 
slide while a magazine containing cartridges is in the pistol,
you will have reloaded the chamber. •Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction and your finger 
outside the trigger guard until you are ready to fire. Each 
shot will be fired in the double action mode. While holding 
the grip firmly, pull the trigger fully to the rear. As the trigger 
is drawn fully to the rear, the hammer moves rearward and is 
released to strike the firing pin. Upon firing the slide moves 
rearward thereby extracting and ejecting the spent cartridge 
case. The slide then returns forward feeding the next
cartridge from the magazine into the barrel chamber.
•After firing you must allow the trigger to move forward fully 
before you can fire another shot. Failure to do so will prevent 
the lockwork from fully cycling and will prevent your being 
able to fire the next shot. Keep your finger off the trigger and 
outside the trigger guard until you are ready to fire again.
This sequence can be repeated until the last round has been 
fired, at which time the magazine follower exerts upward 
pressure on the slide stop causing it to engage the slide and 
to hold it in the “open” position.
DOUBLE ACTION ONLYFIRING CONT’D.
19 
						

							PRODUCT WARNING
All Smith & Wesson Handguns Capable of Double Action
Firing
•It has come to our attention that some users of 
Smith & Wesson handguns capable of firing in double action 
mode may stage the trigger in anticipation of firing a shot in 
the double action mode. Staging is the act of pulling the
trigger rearward toward — but just short of — the point 
where the hammer falls and the handgun fires. Such 
manipulation of the trigger can reduce the user’s control of 
the handgun and can result in an unintentional discharge.
Furthermore if the user decides not to fire, release of the 
trigger from a position close to the firing point in the staging 
process could result in a discharge.
•Obviously “staging” the trigger violates a basic rule of firearm 
safety which warns you to keep your finger off the trigger and 
outside the trigger guard until ready to fire.
•We warn all users of our handguns capable of firing in 
double action to refrain from “staging” the trigger.
UNLOADING
•Point the muzzle in a safe direction. Make sure your finger is 
off the trigger, and the trigger is in the at rest or forward 
position. Depress the magazine release, and remove the 
magazine.
•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 briskly draw the slide fully 
rearward in order to extract any cartridge from the barrel 
chamber and clear it from the pistol.
20
CLEARING MISFIRES
TRADITIONAL DA/SA
•If, during firing a cartridge fails to fire, the pistol will remain in the 
double action mode. If the situation permits, the trigger may be 
pulled once or twice more. If ignition still fails, the chamber must be 
manually cleared. Rotate the decocking safety lever fully down into 
the safe position and wait ten seconds while keeping the muzzle 
pointed in a safe direction. Grasp the serrated sides of the slide 
from the rear and briskly pull the slide fully rearward to eject the 
misfired round. Do not obstruct the ejection port, and do not 
attempt to catch the round by placing your hand over the ejection 
port. (See figure 7)  (Also, remember that any time you release the
slide while a magazine containing cartridges is in the pistol, 
you will have reloaded the chamber.)