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History of the 1911 pistol

The 1911 semi-automatic pistol was designed by John M. Browning for the US armed forces from 1911 to 1985. This gun was popular during the World War I, World War II, the Vietnam War and the Korean War.  The 1911 pistol

was designed to replace .38 revolvers which were not suitable to stop attackers during one of its war campaign against the Moros in Philippines.  The creation for this gun started after the Ordinance Board concluded they need a .45” caliber cartridge for a better stopping power.

J. Browning re-engineered the design of an autoloader pistol that has a .38 cartridge to suit the .45” diameter cartridge with the 230gr. FMJ bullet and submitted his design for evaluation after the Army officially announced their interest for a new handgun.  There were a few firearms submitted for evaluation and the 1911 was selected after the Ordinance Department prepared a series of further tests.

Browning even went to Hartford so that he can supervise the gun’s production personally. He cooperated with Fred Moore to make sure every part used for test gun was perfect.  Torture test was conducted on 3rd March, 1911 after the guns were submitted again for evaluation. One of the tests requires each gun to fire 6000 rounds. The pistol would be allowed to cool for 5 minutes after every 100 rounds. The pistol were cleaned and oiled after every 1000 rounds.

After the initial 6000 rounds, they tested it with deformed cartridges. And then the gun were submerged in sand and mud or rusted in acid to test its durability.  The pistols designed by Browning passed the test series excellently. In fact, it was the first firearm to go through a test firing 6000 cartridges continuously. The record was only broken in 1917 after another of Browning’s invention; the recoil operated machine gun went through a 40000 rounds test.

The .45 Automatic pistols were named as model 1911 and were chosen as the official sidearm for the Armed Forces of USA on 29th March, 1911.  This gun model was the most popular design done by John Browning. The short recoil principle system became popular during the 20th century almost all modern centerfire pistols that we have today are designed according to 1911.

The pistols that we have today look similar to the original 1911 model. The only obvious difference was the missing crescent-shaped cuts at the back of the trigger for contemporary pistols.  There were some slight changes being made to the Colt Model 1911 in early 1920 to improve the gun. The changes include replacement of the flat mainspring with an arched one, short trigger was made standard, the grip safety were made longer. This model was named as the 1911 A1 Government Model. Another 1911 model was created in 1929 based on the .38 Super cartridge.

A .22 LR version was produced in 1931 and named as Colt Ace. There were about 2.7 million units of the 1911 pistol were procured in the United States during its service life.

How to disassemble your 1911 pistol

The article below will explain how to disassemble your 1911 pistol for routine maintenance purpose. This type of pistol is actually quite simple and you don’t need too much tools for the process.

Make sure you always check if the gun is empty before you start taking the pistol apart as a safety precaution.

You can check by removing the magazine, pull the slide back and then lock it in the open position. The barrel’s chamber should be empty.

You should release the slide manually and wait for it to slide forward. Press the recoil spring plug inwards and the barrel bushing will be free to be twisted clockwise. The recoil spring plug will be uncovered completely. The recoil spring is under strong pressure so you must keep it pressed while twisting the bushing to avoid it from flying away.

After that, you should remove the recoil spring plug and spring. Make sure to cock the pistol’s hammer to its full-cock position. Do not cock the hammer to half-cock position because you would be in a dangerous situation. Pull the slide until the slide release lever end is aligned with the circular notch.

The axis of slide release lever should be pushed towards the left side of the gun. And then just pull the lever completely from the gun frame to remove the recoil spring guide.

After that, you can twist the barrel bushing anticlockwise to pull it away. The barrel link should be moved forward towards the muzzle, and then you can remove it from the slide’s front opening.

We can continue and remove the remaining items that are still on the slide. This next instruction will be different depending on the gun model that you’re using.

You can push the Firing Pin Lock Plunger up and inwards with a punch if your gun has the Colt Series 80 safety. After that you can release the Firing Pin Lock Plunger and the Firing Pin will stay inside its opening. For guns without the Firing Pin Locking mechanism, you can just push the firing pin using a punch within its opening.

Pull down the Firing Pin Stop using punch to remove it. Use your thumb to cover the Firing Pin and you can press Firing Pin Lock Plunger to release it.

The pressure from the Firing Pin Spring will allow the Firing Pin to move back. Remove both of them.

Later on you should push the Firing Pin Lock Plunger inwards and pull the extractor backwards. Make sure you pull strongly to remove the Firing Pin Lock Plunger from the slide’s bottom.

And then you can remove the extractor completely.

The next step, you should grab the hammer with your left hand and release the trigger. Release it slowly to avoid the hammer from falling forward. That might destroy your gun.

Next, we should remove the mainspring house and press the grip safety until you remove the thumb safety.

You will need to use punch and hammer to take out the Mainspring Housing Pin. Don’t use too much force because you might lose the pin if it flies out of the housing.

Safety Lock can not be removed when the hammer is uncocked. You need to hold the grip safety and cock the hammer to move the Safety Lock upwards. Make sure you pull it out of the frame in the same time.

The Grip Safety can be removed after you remove the Safety Lock.

Next, the 3-prong Sear Spring at the grip’s bottom can be removed by lifting the hammer strut first.

To remove the Hammer, you will need to push the Hammer Pin to the right. Just push the pin gently.

Now you will have to push the Sear Pin to the left side of the frame to remove it.

This will enable the Sear and Disconnector to be removed. You will have to turn the pistol upside down so that the parts will fall into your palm.

After that you can remove the Magazine Catch Assembly with the prongs from the Sear Springs.

You need to push the Mag Catch Assembly and turn the small screw about 90 degrees counterclockwise.

The spring will lose its tension and you can remove it by pushing the Assembly to the right side.

You can remove the Trigger by pushing it from the back of the gun.

Pull the Safety Lock Plunger slowly to get the Plunger Spring and the Slide Release Plunger away from the Plunger tube.

Finally, get a screwdriver to unscrew the 4 stock screws on your gun. Make sure you use the right size to avoid scratching the surface of your screws. You might need to use plyers to hold the bushing and unscrew the stock screws.

Do not remove the plunger tube and ejector from the frame. This completes the whole process of disassembling your 1911 pistol.

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How to Clean 1911 Pistol Grips

Pistol grips are one of the most underrated and important parts of the pistol. Pistol grips allow you to hold on to the pistol in a way that it is incredibly comfortable. Obviously these grips are not made out of the same material that is used for the rest of the gun. Trying to clean the 1911 grips can be difficult, but is often necessary for those who want to make sure that their gun looks as clean as possible. Knowing the best way to clean the grips is the best way to make sure that you do it right.

Taking it Apart

The first thing that you need to do revolves around taking off the 1911 pistol grips from the pistol itself. While it is possible to clean them while they are still on the pistol, the best way to do it is to actually take the grips off of the gun. This allows you to get inside, and every surface, clean. By taking them off, you make it easier to do what you need to do.

If you are trying to take off the pistol grips, you simply need to find the screw that holds the grips into place. When you find this screw, you can easily remove the grips from the gun. Simply unscrew, being careful to not fracture or scratch the current grips, keeping them in perfect condition.

Cleaning the 1911 Pistol Grips

Cleaning the 1911 pistol grips could not be easier. Some people like to simply take the approach of soap and water to clean them. Others will go out and purchase specific products that are meant to clean treated wood. Either will work fine; it is up to your personal preference as to how you take care of the grips. Simply clean them, and dry them. If you would like, you can add more protective coating, and can add wax to protect the grips further.

Putting it Back Together

Putting the 1911 pistol grips back together is nearly as easy as taking them apart. You must be careful to line them up correctly. Once you do so, you can simply screw them back in. Be sure to be careful, as you will want to make sure that you do not scratch the pistol grips as you are putting them back onto the pistol itself.

Some people will fail to understand why they need to clean their 1911 pistol grips. Others will simply never clean their grips. Those who are serious about the performance of the pistol, and those who are serious about the look of the pistol will want to make sure that they clean the grips. Knowing the best way to clean the grips is essential to doing it right the first time. This efficiency should not be underestimated, as doing it wrong can lead to issues with the pistol itself.

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