Springfield Armory 1911 A1 Instructions Manual

SPRINGFIELD ARMORY®1911-A1 PISTOLS 
OPERATION AND SAFETY MANUAL
Important Safety Information Inside
Read this manual before handling this firearm.
Keep this manual with your pistol and review it before each
use. This manual was designed to fit in your shirt or jacket
pocket. Do not allow others to handle or fire your pistol until
they have read this manual. Transfer this manual with the
firearm upon ownership change.
Be a responsible gun owner. Use it safely, store it securely,
and always transfer a gun...

2
This is an auto loading pistol. It is immediately
loaded and ready to fire again after each shot until all
shells loaded in magazine have been fired. The pistol is
able to fire both with and without the magazine in
place. Removing the magazine does not unload the
pistol nor engage the safety. The pistol is not unloaded
until the chamber is empty.
About your owners manual
This is an instruction booklet on how to operate this
firearm with some basic safe handling rules. It does not
attempt to provide...

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Be A Safe Shooter.
ACCIDENT (ak´ si dent)N. 1. An unintentional or
unexpected happening that is undesirable or
unfortunate, especially one resulting in injury, damage,
harm or loss.
Don’t be the cause of an accident.
A responsible gun owner is safety minded and always
handles guns in a safe manner by following the basic
rules of safe shooting and by using common sense in
the handling of a firearm.
Store firearms unloaded, locked, and in a secure place.
Keep keys for locks separate from lock and in...

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•Guns and alcohol or drugs do not mix. Do not take 
them before or during shooting activities. Your vision, 
coordination and judgment could be impaired, 
making gun handling unsafe.
•When taking medication, seek a doctor’s advice to be 
sure you can operate and handle your firearm safely.
•Get instructions from a competent firearms instructor 
before using any gun.
•Before attempting to shoot, practice operations by 
dry firing with the chamber empty, without 
ammunition, or with dummy shells. Become...

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•Many ammunition identifications sound similar. Make 
sure you use the right size ammunition in your gun.
•If gun fails to fire when the trigger is pulled, keep it 
pointed at the target for at least 30 seconds before 
opening the action and removing the cartridge from 
the chamber. Sometimes slow primer ignition will 
cause a “hang fire” and the cartridge will go off 
after a short pause.
•When group firing, always appoint someone to 
maintain safety control. Obey his/her commands 
immediately and...

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We want you to be a safe, satisfied shooter.
Before attempting to load this firearm with live
ammunition, follow the sequence of operations shown
here without ammunition or with dummy shells.
By practicing operations without ammunition (or with
dummy shells), you will become familiar with: 
•Safety features, 
•Trigger control (dry firing), 
•and handling of your firearm.
As a result you will be a safer, more confident
shooter when aiming at your first target.Safety Stop on Hammer
The Safety Stop is a...

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Warning:Do not remove the mainspring housing
before reading instructions and using eye protection.
The ILS has parts under spring pressure. If improperly
disassembled, the mainspring cap will be forceably
ejected and could cause injury to you or a bystander.
Caution:The ILS is designed to lock the pistol when
stored or left unattended. It is not intended to replace
any of the existing safety features.
ILS Operation
Locate the ILS switch on your mainspring housing. 
(See Figure 13)
1.If the holes are...

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Disassembly of the Mainspring Housing with ILS
Do not attempt this procedure unless you have
considerable experience in firearms disassembly.
1.Place mainspring housing in a vice.
2.With a suitable punch, depress the ILS spring 
cap and hold it down. (Figure 15-1)
3.While continuing to depress the ILS spring cap, 
remove the takedown pin. (Fig. 15-2)
4.Slowly and carefully release the pressure on 
the spring cap allowing it to move out of the 
mainspring housing. (Fig. 15-3)
5.After the spring cap has...

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Replacing the Mainspring Housing with ILS
1.Slide the mainspring housing into place and 
reinsert the mainspring housing retaining pin.
2.Cock the hammer to a full cock position.
3.Remove the takedown pin.
4.Remove the rubberband from the grip safety.
5.Lower the hammer to the full down position.
The mainspring housing with ILS is now installed.
SPRINGFIELD’S INTEGRAL LOCKING SYSTEM (ILS)
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1.Place the EMPTY magazine in the magazine well, 
located in bottom of pistol grip. Push firmly enough 
on bottom...

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If you have never fired a gun before, practice without
live ammunition before your first shot. Then load only
onecartridge into the magazine for your first live
ammunition firing.
1.Load shell into chamber from magazine and 
engage the thumb safety.
2.Grasp grip of pistol firmly. (A loose grip may 
cause the pistol to malfunction.) The pressure 
from the hand will disengage grip safety located 
at top of rear grip area.
3.Move thumb safety down taking gun off safety.
Caution:The gun is now ready to...