Picture: Gun Parts & Description

BARREL (1)

A tube, with rifling twists in it, down which the bullet is driven, when the gun is fired. At the rear of the barrel, there is the cartridge chamber, where the cartridge is loaded. In the M-1911, the cartridge headspaces by the cartridge rim. The lower part of the entrance of the chamber is throated, in order to facilitate the entrance of the cartridge. This is an area that usually needs some polishing, when customizing the gun, or when a new gun is treated for reliability. This area is also a part of M-1911, which has been criticized, for little supporting the cartridge walls, during firing.

To improve things, some ingenious souls, have produced barrels, with different feed ramp, which better supports the cartridge walls (however, these barrels require some modification to the frame).

The barrel is held inside the slide, by the barrel bushing in the front. It is also locked in a constant position in the slide, by the slots there are at the rear top part of the barrel and which mate to reciprocal slots in the slide, when the slide is at its normal, forward position. As the gun is fired, the slide moves back, and down, due to the barrel link. This movement unlocks the barrel from the slide, opening the breech and allowing the extraction of the used cartridge case and insertion of a new round.

BARREL BUSHING (2)

The barrel bushing is used to lock the front part of the barrel, in a consistent position, in relation to the slide. The barrel bushing locks into the slide and allows the barrel to move in it, as the slide moves back and forth, when the gun recycles. A tight bushing is a must for accuracy, however it should not be excessively tight in order to avoid malfunctions and jams.

BARREL LINK (3)

This is a small kidney-shaped part, which links the barrel with the slide stop. It is free to move, at both ends. As a result, when the slide moves back the link lowers the rear end of the barrel and unlocks the barrel from the slide, allowing the extraction of the fired case and the feeding of a new cartridge. The barrel link is a very important part, as it should be of proper length, in order to assure the correct locking of the barrel into the slide. At least 4-5 different lengths are available.

BARREL LINK PIN (4)

The pin that secures the barrel link onto the lower part of the barrel. It allows the link to move.

DISCONNECTOR (5)

The disconnector is a safety device that does not allow the gun to be fired, unless it is in its upper position. When the slide is in its forward position, the disconnector protrudes above its recess in the frame, into a small crescent-shaped recess in the slide. When the slide moves back, the disconnector is pushed down, disconnecting the trigger mechanism and disallowing firing. A faulty disconnector is dangerous, as it can allow the gun to fire, before the slide is in its full forward position, which means, before the slide and the barrel are properly locked.

EJECTOR (6)

This is the part, where the fired cartridge shell is driven onto, so that it is pushed away from the face of the slide, towards the opening of the slide and out of the gun. The face of the ejector needs to be properly shaped, in order to have the spend cases ejecting correctly from the gun. The ejector is held in the frame with a tiny pin.

EXTRACTOR (8)

This is the part that grabs the rim of the cartridge case, as this is stripped from the magazine (see below) and fed into the barrel mouth. The rim stays under the claw of the extractor until the cartridge is fired, when, as the slide moves back, the extractor pulls the cartridge out of the chamber. As the slide continues its rearward movement, the cartridge case strikes the ejector face and is popped free from the extractor and ejected outside the gun.

FIRING PIN (9)

This is the part that actually fires the round in the barrel chamber. The firing pin resides within a tube in the slide and is forced forward by the falling hammer. It normally does not appear when viewing the slide from the front. However, when the hammer strikes it, it moves forward, compressing the firing pin spring. It then protrudes from the breach face of the slide, enough to hit the cartridge primer, thus igniting the powder inside the cartridge. The firing pin is then pulled again inside its recess, by the force of the firing pin spring. In Colt Series 80 guns, there is a passive safety mechanism (shown at right), which forbids the gun from firing, unless the trigger is fully pulled to the rear. In these guns, the firing pin has a special cut; so pre-Series 80 firing pins cannot be used in Series 80 guns.

FIRING PIN PLUNGER (10)

Part of the new safety mechanism. This part is pushed upwards by a link in the trigger mechanism, against a small spring. By moving up, it frees the firing pin to move forward.

FIRING PIN SPRING (11)

A spring, against the force of which, the firing pin moves, when hit by the hammer. The firing pin spring has to be in excellent condition, especially in pre-Series 80 guns, as the gun can fire, if it receives a blow in the front of the slide, hard enough to move the firing pin forward. Several manufacturers produce replacement springs of good quality.

FIRING PIN STOP (12)

This is the part that holds the firing pin in its recess.

GRIP SAFETY (14)

A device used to stop the gun from firing unless it is firmly held in the shooters hand. The grip safety is depressed by the web of one's hand as he grasps the gun. In the rest position, the safety's arm is resting against the rear of the trigger, forbidding any rearward movement of the trigger. When the shooter grabs the gun, this arm moves up, outside the trigger's path, allowing the trigger to disengage the sear, from the hammer, and allowing the hammer to fall forward and hit the firing pin. This feature is a characteristic of M-1911 pistol, although J.M. Browning dropped it, from his design, in Browning Hi Power P-35.

HAMMER (15)

The hammer is the part, which strikes the firing pin to ignite the primer in the cartridge. When the hammer is cocked, it is under the force of the Main Spring, which pushes it forward. However it is stopped still, by the sear, which is engaged with the hammer. When the trigger is pulled, the sear is pulled away from the hammer; therefore the hammer falls forward, igniting the primer, which ignites the powder in the cartridge. As the powder burns, the expanding gazes push the slide backwards, cocking the hammer again. The area where the sear engages the hammer is usually polished by gunsmiths, in order to improve trigger pull.

HAMMER STRUT (17)

The hammer strut transmits the energy of the Main Spring to the hammer. It is a simple strut connected to the hammer with the Hammer Strut Pin, its lower end resting on the Main Spring Cap.

MAGAZINE (19)

The M-1911 magazine is a single-stack magazine holding 7 or lately 8 rounds. The bottom of factory magazines is welded to the magazine body, while there exist also third party mags with removable base plates. Its follower has a special protrusion that activates the Slide Release Lever, locking the slide open, when the last round is fired. During the 90's, M-1911 pistols with larger capacity magazines were introduced, which could carry up to 13 or 14 rounds of .45 cartridges. These pistols are called high capacity pistols and there are at least two companies that produce them today, Para Ordnance (which produces high capacity metallic frames) and STI Inc. (which produces its own plastic, high capacity frame). The frames of these guns are very slightly wider than the normal M-1911, due to either very thin stocks, or the stocks being molded on the frame itself, thus offering increased capacity without an extremely wide grip.

MAIN SPRING (25)

This is the spring, which pushes the hammer forward. It is kept inside the Mainspring Housing, at the rear of the frame and it has the Main Spring Cap on its top. The Main Spring, the Main Spring Cap and the Mainspring Pin Retainer (see word) are held inside the Mainspring Housing by the Mainspring Cap Pin.

MAINSPRING HOUSING (28)

The lower rear part of the frame, which contains the Main Spring, the Main Spring Cap, the Main Spring Cap Pin and the Main Spring Housing Pin Retainer. It is held in its place by the Main Spring Housing Pin, which is usually inserted from the left part of the frame. The Main Spring Housing come in either flat or arched configurations and the user can select the one most comfortable for his hand. Most production pistols come with plastic mainspring housings, while those produced by most gunsmiths have metallic housings.

PLUNGER ASSEMBLY

The plunger assembly is the tube that you see on the left part of the gun, right behind the Slide Stop and forward of the thumb safety, sometimes partially covered by the left grip panel. It consists of the plunger tube, the plunger levers (slide stop and safety lock plungers) and the plunger spring. Its role is to exercise some pressure on certain areas of the Slide Stop and Thumb Safety, in order to securely keep them at their correct positions. Some people do a small dimple at the face of the slide stop on which the plunger lever acts, in order to keep the slide stop from moving upwards, unless it is pushed by the magazine follower.

RECOIL SPRING (37)

A large spring, under the barrel, which is used to reduce the velocity of the slide, as it moves rearwards, under the pressure of the expanding gazes, produced when a cartridge is fired. Springs vary as far as their tension is concerned.

RECOIL SPRING GUIDE (38)

This part is located underneath the barrel. In its normal (at rest) position, it is pushed rearwards by the Recoil Spring. Some people prefer to change the short Recoil Spring Guide that comes with most M-1911s, with full length guides, the principle being that such a device does not allow the recoil spring to flex, as it is compressed, thus offering more consistent lockup position every time the gun fires.

RECOIL SPRING PLUG (39)

This is the part that keeps the Recoil Spring inside the slide. It can be seen, below the barrel, in the front part of the gun, held in place by the Barrel Bushing. The standard part is closed in the front. If a full-length guide is used, then that plug is open in the front, so that the guide can move forward in it.

THUMB SAFETY (OR SAFETY LOCK) (40)

This is the part that allows the shooter to put his gun on safe. If pushed upwards, it blocks the movement of the sear, thus preventing the gun from firing. There are Safety Locks for either the left side of the gun only, or amphidextrous devices, which can be operated from both sides.

SEAR (42)

This part is used to keep the hammer from going forward, until the trigger is pulled. The sear has a special edge, which engages to a recess in the hammer, preventing it from going forward. When the trigger is pulled, the sear is pushed away from the hammer, disengaging it and allowing its forward movement. In case the sear disengages from the hammer without the trigger being at the rear of its travel, there is one additional notch on the hammer, called the half-cock notch, at which the sear will get engaged, thus preventing an accidental discharge. DO NOT ALTER OR ELIMINATE the half-cock notch from your hammer. This is dangerous and can easily lead to accidental discharges. The half-cock notch of some hammers does not allow the hammer to fall forward, even if the trigger is pulled (I consider this a plus), while others allow the release of the hammer if the trigger is pulled (I consider this unsafe). Also, please note that if your pistol is a Colt Gold Cup, there are two additional parts involved in the sear mechanism.

SEAR SPRING (44)

A three-prong (or sometimes a four-prong) flat spring, which exerts pressure on the sear, the trigger and disconnector, and the grip safety of the gun. Its role is therefore three-fold: a. to push the trigger forward, against shooter's finger, b. to push the sear, so that it is constantly pushing against the hammer, and in the same time to push the disconnector up c. to push the grip safety backwards, against the pressure of the gripping hand. If a four-prong spring is used, there are separate prongs for the sear and the disconnector, in order to improve trigger feel.

SLIDE (45)

The slide is the upper part of the gun. It contains the firing pin, the firing pin spring, the barrel, the barrel bushing, the extractor, part of the firing pin safety mechanism and the front and rear sights. The slide is attached to the frame, in two rails on the side of the frame. In the M-1911, the slide is embracing the frame, contrary to some 9mm pistols (like the CZ-75) where the frame embraces the slide.

SLIDE STOP (46)

The slide stop is used to keep the slide locked in its backward position, either manually or when the gun fires the last round of the magazine. In this last case, the follower of the magazine pushes the slide stop upwards, locking the slide at the rear. The slide stop is also linked to the Barrel Link, creating the rearward and downward movement of the barrel, when the slide moves backward.

STOCKS (48)

The stocks can be either wooden or made of some modern material such as rubber or even mother-of-pearls. A cosmetic, but also a functional part of the gun. Some shooters prefer rubber stocks as they allow a better grip of the gun. Some others claim that rubber grips do not allow the hand to slide on them, so preventing the shooter from obtaining a good grip, when in a hurry. The stocks are held on the gun by the Stock Screws, normally slotted, but recently using Allen heads. The screws attach themselves to the Stock Screw Bushings.

MAGAZINE CATCH ASSEMBLY

The part that you push to eject a magazine. It consists of the magazine catch; the magazine catch lock and the magazine catch spring. It is used to keep the magazine securely in the gun, until it is pressed, when the magazine is allowed to freely fall off the gun.

FRAME OR RECEIVER (36)

The basic part of a gun, sometimes called a "receiver". It is the part of the gun that you hold in your hand and in which the magazine is inserted, when loading the gun. In the M-1911, the frame also contains the trigger mechanism, and the thumb and the grip safety mechanisms.

TRIGGER (51)

The M-1911 trigger consists of two parts, the finger pad, which is what protrudes from the gun frame and is pushed rearwards by the shooter's finger and the bow, which is the part that transfers the finger's motion to the sear. The bow consists of a piece of metal, shaped like the Greek capital letter Delta (Ä, for those who have Greek fonts on their PC). In this way, the magazine can be inserted between the two sections of the bow, without interfering with the trigger functioning.