Noob needs help with 1911 disassembly

C

clintpup

New member
Hey guys, I have a Colt 1991 (not the 1991a1) and I am trying to take it apart so I can lube it and shoot it. Well, I rotated the bushing and released the spring from tension but that is as far as I got because when I got to the part where you line up the nodule in the half moon notch and press in the button so that you can flip the lever, the button pressed in all the way but the lever didn't move. After trying to research the issue, I saw that I should have taken the magazine out before disassembling the gun, oops, I was in too much of hurry and missed that. So, I know not to do that in the future but for now I need to figure out how to get this slide off. Do you guys have any suggestions. Also, stupid question, does the whole lever/slide stop assembly part come off during disassembly or do you just flip the switch and keep it down until reassembly (a la the Beretta 92)?

Thanks!
 
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OK, double-check ... you are lining up the correct notch, yes? There are two notches on the slide: A large-ish notch for the slide-stop lever and a small notch about an inch behind it. You want to align the slide-stop lever's pivot point with the small, rearward notch, not with the larger notch.

Once that's done, you should easily be able to push the slide-stop lever through its hole, and the entire lever should pop right out.

Later, during reassembly, the slide-stop lever may be a little balky when you try to pop it back into place (especially with a new gun), but we'll deal with that when you get there.
 
clintpup said:
I saw that I should have taken the magazine out before disassembling the gun, oops, I was in too much of hurry and missed that.
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I don't want to sound harsh, but that wasn't just a disassembly mistake, it was a safety mistake. And a bad one. I can't tell you how many times I've heard of people having negligent discharges while cleaning their guns. And sometimes those NDs cause fatal injuries.

The first step to disassembling a gun is to clear it. And the first step to clearing a gun is to remove the magazine. Doing it any other way is a recipe for disaster.

OK, now that my safety lecture is over, I suggest YouTube. This thread could go on for 5 pages with great advice in every post, but it wouldn't be as valuable as a short YouTube video of someone disassembling their 1911.
 
Theohazard said:
The first step to disassembling a gun is to clear it. And the first step to clearing a gun is to remove the magazine. Doing it any other way is a recipe for disaster.
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Man, this is dead on (no pun intended).

A woman friend of mine works for a big university in Virginia, and they were set to have "active shooter training" this past summer. She mentioned that, were she to encounter a loaded handgun, she had no idea how to "neutralize" it (her word). So we went through it with several of my semi-autos (using snap caps), emphasizing that there's variation to the basic formula: The mag release is probably on the left, but it could be switched over to the right, and that while some semi-autos have safeties, many do not, and some can be cycled with the safety on, while others cannot. But as for that basic formula, it's all about sequence: First remove the mag, then cycle the action. Else she'd likely be exchanging one live round for another.

The point here is that she's never fired a gun in her life, but now she has great respect for the basic safety check. It positively amazes me that an actual gun owner would attempt to field-strip a gun without first clearing it.
 
Brownstone322 said:
Man, this is dead on (no pun intended).

A woman friend of mine works for a big university in Virginia, and they were set to have "active shooter training" this past summer. She mentioned that, were she to encounter a loaded handgun, she had no idea how to "neutralize" it (her word). So we went through it with several of my semi-autos (using snap caps), emphasizing that there's variation to the basic formula: The mag release is probably on the left, but it could be switched over to the right, and that while some semi-autos have safeties, many do not, and some can be cycled with the safety on, while others cannot. But as for that basic formula, it's all about sequence: First remove the mag, then cycle the action. Else she'd likely be exchanging one live round for another.

The point here is that she's never fired a gun in her life, but now she has great respect for the basic safety check. It positively amazes me that an actual gun owner would attempt to field-strip a gun without first clearing it.
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You got that so right sir. Show me an AD with an autoloading pistol and I'll likely show you a dummy who didn't take the loaded mag out first.
 
I am trying to give you the benefit of the doubt in that you did actually clear the firearm and just reinserted the empty magazine. If not, please take a firearms class.
I have the same Colt, like mentioned already youtube will have detailed videos on dissassembly.
 
Just an aside -- the slide stop lever on a 1911 is not a "take-down" lever. Unlike on some pistols, you don't rotate it to release the slide. It pops out of the gun completely.

Find a Youtube video showing how to field strip a 1911.
 
Unfortunately there are too many (non-1911's) that do require an empty magazine or substitute to field strip. So it's not universally a safety problem to have an EMPTY mag in the gun (my LC9s is that way). I've never had a ND because I understand the difference between a loaded and unloaded magazine.

As far as 1911's go, best advice I've ever gotten is never disassemble a 1911 in a room with carpeting. It's just too hard to chase down the spring. . .:o
 
Cirdan said:
Unfortunately there are too many (non-1911's) that do require an empty magazine or substitute to field strip. So it's not universally a safety problem to have an EMPTY mag in the gun (my LC9s is that way).
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Nobody ever said it’s a safety problem to have an unloaded magazine in the gun, we said that the first step when clearing a gun is to remove the magazine. The OP specifically stated that he forgot to remove the magazine before disassembling the gun, which strongly implies he didn’t clear it first.

I have a Mk III, and I have to re-insert the magazine in order to dry-fire it during the disassembly process. But I always clear it before disassembling it, and I first remove the magazine in order to clear it. Besides, there’s no magazine safety on a 1911, so there’s no reason to put an empty magazine back into it before disassembly.

Cirdan said:
I've never had a ND because I understand the difference between a loaded and unloaded magazine.
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That may be true, but it’s even safer not to have a magazine inserted at all, that way a mix-up is impossible. That’s yet another reason why I think magazine safeties are horribly unsafe and promote bad habits. Converting my Mk III to remove the magazine safety is high on my list of gun mods to do.
 
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Model12Win said:
The M1911A1 is the greatest combat handgun in human history, and remains so today. You are well armed.
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Just owning a 1911/1991 or any other firearm does not make him "armed". Being well versed in the gun's manual of arms and trained in it's use will. As it stands right now it sounds like he's a long way from being armed with that pistol.
 
I don't want to sound harsh, but that wasn't just a disassembly mistake, it was a safety mistake. And a bad one. I can't tell you how many times I've heard of people having negligent discharges while cleaning their guns. And sometimes those NDs cause fatal injuries.

The first step to disassembling a gun is to clear it. And the first step to clearing a gun is to remove the magazine. Doing it any other way is a recipe for disaster.

OK, now that my safety lecture is over, I suggest YouTube. This thread could go on for 5 pages with great advice in every post, but it wouldn't be as valuable as a short YouTube video of someone disassembling their 1911.
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This is the best post I've read in a long time.

Always check and double check and check again to make sure your gun is empty. Too many people have been killed by empty guns.
 
^^^^^^ I concur with the above, and I'll add, evidently the OP didn't bother to read his owners manual as it would explain in detail how to disassemble the firearm for cleaning. Why do they put those pesky manuals in the box anyway
 
First after clearing the weapon, take the tension off the recoil spring by turning your barrel bushing and removing the recoil spring plug, as you did.

Next, cock the hammer so that you are not fighting against the hammer spring when you try to move the slide back.

Rather than carefully lining up the upper lug on the slide stop lever with the disassembly notch, you can just push in on the end of the slide stop pin on the right side of the pistol as you move the slide rearward. When the disassembly notch reaches the correct position, the slide stop will magically pop out.

As has been said, you do not need to rotate the slide stop to remove it. Just pull it straight out from the left side of the pistol.
 
My suggestion is to clear the weapon, install the gun lock and take it to your local independent gun shop or gun range and ask them to show you. You probably want to go when the shop or range is not busy and maybe call first. You can thank them by buying something. Youtube doesn't always answer your questions or show you the view which you need to see in order to fill in that missing step.
 
According to what the Army used to teach, after you rotate the bushing and let the tension off the recoil spring, the next step is to rotate the bushing the OTHER WAY, and remove it.

Then, (hammer cocked for ease of operation) you pull the slide back until the takedown notch (the small notch on the slide) lines up with the rear of the slide stop, then you can push the slide stop out from right to left.

DO note the slide stop has a spring loaded plunger pushing on it. you will need to take this plunger into account when you put the gun back together.

Don't "rotate" the slide stop against the frame, or you will make the "idiot mark" scratching the finish of the frame where you drag the slide stop over it.

It is an older design, and not as simple as many more modern designed guns (they don't call it a 1911 because it was designed in the 70s :rolleyes:).

get a BOOK (an actual printed on paper manual) so you have something to look at and learn from, that isn't on the computer. The owner's manual is a good start.
 
Thanks, guys! Yes, I did action the slide (or whatever you call it) to make sure the thing wasn't loaded and I would have seen something then if there was a round in there but, yeah, I let my excitement get the better of me re: not removing the mag. Anyway, the info here helped a bunch! I used a tactical pin removal device (plastic knife) and that did the trick! However, I did have trouble getting the thing back together. Maybe I am doing it wrong but I had a hard time keeping the barrel link where it needed to be when putting the slide on the frame. Any tips for making the reassembly easy? Thanks!
 
When you slide the slide on to the frame your recoil spring is still extended out of the front of the gun , you should be able to line up the link just buy angling the firearn an using the slide stop pin. When lined up by using the tip of the pin , position the slide with the little half moon cutout in the slide over the square cutout in the frame , don't angle the slide stop up into the notch , you will scratch the frame. Get it in line with the cutout , there is a little plunger under spring tension that makes it alittle tricky . When in position attach the spring cap , press into the slide & reposition barrel lug . Remember the cut end of the spring is facing the front of the gun .
 
Maybe I am doing it wrong but I had a hard time keeping the barrel link where it needed to be when putting the slide on the frame. Any tips for making the reassembly easy? Thanks!
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Lay the slide down, upside down.

Install the barrel, so it drops into the locking lugs (again slide upside down)
Place the recoil spring guide on the barrel, so that the round front end of the link goes in the hole of the recoil spring guide. Recoil spring on the guide, extending out the front end of the slide. (you can, if you want, at this point install the barrel bushing, just make sure it doesn't touch the recoil spring)

With this assembly (slide, barrel, spring guide & spring) still upside down, slide the frame onto the slide, to the approximate spot where you can see the link through the slide stop pin hole.

Turn the pistol right side up, and gravity will drop the link down where the hole in the link now lines up with the hole in the frame, and you can push the slide stop pin in, holding them together.

With the slide stop partially in place, holding things together, then move the slide as needed so the take down notch lines up with the slide stop and then you can push the slide stop all the way in. You MAY have to use a thin blade/tool to push in the slide stop plunger a little bit, to get the slide stop in place.

With the slide and the frame together, install the barrel bushing (if you haven't already) and then rotate the bushing so you can install the recoil spring plug, and you're done.

DO remember to keep your face clear of the recoil spring plug (and/or wear safety glasses. If you slip when putting the plug back in, it will fly out with enough force to damage an eye.
 
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