Colt 1911 handgun assembly animation

Function Checking an M-1911

The following steps are necessary when evaluating any M1911-type pistol that you plan on purchasing, in order to verify that the pistol is in safe working condition. Even if you have no plans to ever shoot the pistol, by verifying the working condition of the gun you will get an idea as to its true condition, and also feel assured that you are buying a real working firearm and not just an expensive paperweight. If the pistol fails these safety checks and you plan on purchasing it anyway, you MUST either have it repaired by a competent pistolsmith or else make sure that live ammunition is never fired in the pistol. Either find a tasteful way to mark it as being "not safe to fire", or else disable the firing mechanism completely.

It should also be understood that merely passing these safety checks does NOT guarantee that the pistol in question is safe to fire. Due to other factors such as improper headspace, metallurgical flaws, etc. it is still necessary to have a pistolsmith check the firearm over before firing live ammunition in it. These safety checks are merely for your use at the time of sale, in order to do a quick verification that there is nothing seriously wrong with the pistol. Once again, have a pistolsmith check over ANY used gun you buy before taking it to the range!

SAFETY WARNING: Performing these checks involves actuating the pistol's firing mechanism. DO NOT attempt any of these checks if you are not completely familiar with the operation of a 1911-type handgun. These checks are also only applicable to U.S. military-issue M1911/M1911A1 pistols, NOT any other types or models of firearms even if they may appear similar in appearance or operation. DO NOT ATTEMPT THESE CHECKS UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE MADE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN THAT THE GUN IS UNLOADED. IF YOU ARE NOT SURE HOW PROPERLY UNLOAD THIS TYPE OF PISTOL YOU MUST FIRST SEEK THE ADVICE OF A QUALIFIED INDIVIDUAL. THE AUTHOR OF THIS WEBSITE HAS NO CONTROL OVER YOUR USE OF COMMON SENSE AND KNOWLEDGE OF FIREARMS, AND AS A RESULT NO LIABILITY IS EXPRESSED NOR IMPLIED. Safety involving the following procedures is SOLELY the responsibility of, and can be controlled only by the person actually handling the firearm.

		SAFETY FIRST : DO NOT attempt any of the following safety checks until you have made ABSOLUTELY certain that the gun is unloaded! Point the gun is a safe direction, then: 1. FIRST completely remove the magazine. 2. Lock the slide back, engaging the slide stop. 3. LOOK into the chamber to ensure that no live round is present. Feel into the chamber with the tip of your little finger if you have to. Even after verifying that you are holding an unloaded gun, always keep the pistol pointed in a safe direction while performing the following tests.
		BASIC TEST: Slide forward, hammer cocked, thumb safety off, holding pistol normally with firing hand. Pull trigger- hammer should fall.
		FUNCTIONING TEST: Still holding gun in the firing hand, leave trigger pressed and pull slide back.
		Release slide, keeping trigger pressed. Hammer should now be fully cocked. Release trigger, then pull it again. Hammer should fall.
		HALF-COCK TEST: Using thumb, pull hammer back until the first audible click. Hammer should be at half-cock notch. Grip gun normally, attempt to pull trigger. Hammer should NOT fall for any reason, unless the gun is a Series 80 commercial. These guns have a re-designed half-cock notch that engages near the at-rest position, thus the hammer cannot fall hard enough to strike the firing pin with force. MILITARY GUNS WILL ALWAYS USE THE OLDER HALF-COCK NOTCH, WHICH SHOULD NEVER ALLOW THE HAMMER TO FALL.
		SEAR ENGAGEMENT TEST: Lock the slide back, grip gun normally, then release the slide stop, allowing slide to slam home with force. The hammer should NOT fall for any reason. If it does then the hammer/sear engagement is too weak. Repeat test once again to be sure. Note: The gun's current owner may not appreciate seeing the slide being slammed home on an empty chamber in this fashion, even though it is a critical safety check. Tell the owner what you intend to do beforehand and why, and limit it to one or two attempts.
		THUMB SAFETY CHECK: Holding gun normally with firing hand, slide forward, hammer cocked, thumb safety ON. Attempt to pull trigger. The hammer should not fall, nor should you feel any perceptible movement of internal parts. If you squeezed the trigger and it didn't come to a quick, hard stop (i.e. the trigger felt mushy) then there may have been some sear movement. Release trigger, disengage thumb safety. Hammer still should not fall. If it does the thumb safety and/or sear is faulty.
		GRIP SAFETY TEST: Hammer cocked, slide forward, thumb safety OFF. Hold the gun so as to not depress the grip safety. Attempt to pull trigger. Hammer should not fall. If it does the grip safety is worn or has been deactivated.
		DISCONNECTOR TEST: Slide forward, hammer back, thumb safety OFF. Grip gun normally with firing hand, while pulling slide back 1/4" with support hand. Pull trigger. Hammer should not fall. Repeat test by pulling slide all the way back, then releasing it slowly, pulling trigger every 1/2" of slide movement. The hammer should NOT fall until the slide has returned to the full forward position. If it does then the disconnector is worn. DO NOT fire the pistol until it is repaired, or else it may possibly go into firing uncontrollable bursts or go completely "full-auto".

Images and text Copyright 2001 D. Kamm

Care of your M-1911

Cleaning: (Range Queens and Beaters)

Field-strip, clean, oil every 500 rounds (Jacketed ammo)
Field-strip, clean, oil every 250-500 rounds (Cast lead reloads)

Detail strip,clean, examine for wear or impending parts failure every 2,500 rounds (Jacketed ammo)
Detail-strip, clean, (Might as well check the parts) every 1,000-1250 rounds for Cast lead reloads.

Recoil spring replacement...2500 runds
Firing pin spring replacement...5,000 rounds
Sear spring replacement...10,000 rounds
Mainspring replacement...20,000 rounds
Plunger spring replacement...If/When needed
Firing pin...as needed, indicated by wear or damage.
Plunger detent pins...as needed, indicated by wear or damage.

Examine:

Link and pin...Recoil guide rod head...Front frame rails and impact surface... Slide (cracks) all corners and in the ejection port...Extractor tension check... Firing pin stop (cracks) in the corners and in the firing pin hole...Firing pin, for signs of wear or deformation on both ends...Plunger tube for looseness... Perform all safety checks...Locking lugs in barrel and slide for any signs of radiusing, flanging, peening, or obvious deformation...Lower lug for cracks at the front and rear adjacent to the barrel...Lowr lug feet for signs of peening and/or deformation...Slidestop for impending failure at the junction of crosspin and arm...Barrel bushing for signs of cracking at the junction of the tube and flange, peening and/or deformation of the lug.

Lubrication:

Don't over lubricate. Oil is a dirt/girt magnet and the result is an effective lapping compound. A little is good...A lot is NOT gooder.

Two drops in each frame rail...A drop on the cocking/disconnector rail in the slide...A drop between the cocked hammer and frame for the hammer hooks and sear...A drop on the link...A light smear on the bushing OD and ID...A drop on the thumb safety lug(when removed) A drop on the slidestop crosspin...A drop on the top of the disconect...A light smear on the trigger bow(When removed) Push the mag catch button and put a small drop on the right side and work it in...Firing pin...LIGHTLY..with slightly oily fingers...Firing pin spring...LIGHTLY...with oily fingers...A light smear on the extractor with oily fingers...One drop in each locking lug in the slide...Wipe the surface down with a lightly oiled cloth, and follow with a dry cloth. Yes. Stainless pistols too. Lightly oil all pins whenever the pistol is detail-stripped. If you don't know how to detail-strip the gun...learn to. I can help.

Carry guns should be maintained each time they are fired. Though detail-stripping each time isn't necessary, do it at 500 rounds or quarterly..whichever comes first. Cheap insurance. Carrying a gun concealed exposes it to a lit of lint and dust. Lightly re-oil the frame rails weekly.

Safety/function checks:

Hold the trigger to the rear and hand-cycle the slide briskly. Release the trigger and listen for the disconnector to reset. It will be a light click. Engage the thumb safety, and pull the trigger with about double the amount of force needed to cause the hammer to fall. Hold the left side of the gun to your ear and slowly pull the hammer past full-cock. No click should be heard. A click means that the safety isn't blocking the sear correctly. With the hammer cocked, push the slide rearward an eighth of an inch and pull the trigger. The hammer should not fall. This can be done with the recoil spring out.

Point the gun straight down and perform grip safety check by pulling the trigger without depressing the safety. Hammer should not fall. If it does, the right leaf of the sear spring is allowing the safety to disengage by gravity and should be fixed. Holding the gun parallel to the floor doesn't give you a true test of the grip safety because the gun isn't carried that way.

Load one dummy round in the magazine...or a live round if you're very careful...release the slide with the slidestop. Repeat by releasing the slide by hand. Hammer should not fall.

Lower the hammer to half-cock...empty gun please...push on the hammer fairly hard. The hammer should not slip past the half-cock notch/shelf.

After detail-strip cleaning, put a new pencil in the bore, eraser first. Point the gun straight up and pull the trigger. The pencil should be propelled from the bore approximately 1-2 feet. Repeat 3-4 times to get an average.

How To Know If Your Colt 1911 Is Original

From melbu of pinoyguns