.

45 Caliber Automatic Pistol

INTRODUCTION:
The .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) or .45 Auto (11.43×23mm) is a rimless straight-walled
handgun cartridge designed by John Moses Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-
automatic pistol. After successful military trials, it was adopted as the standard chambering for
Colt's M1911 pistol. The round was developed due to a lack of stopping power experienced in
the Moro Rebellion in places like Sulu. The issued ammunition, .38 Long Colt, had proved
inadequate, motivating the search for a better cartridge. This experience and the Thompson–LaGarde
Tests of 1904 led the Army and the Cavalry to decide that a minimum of .45 caliber was required in a
new handgun cartridge.
The standard issue military .45 ACP round uses a 230-grain (14.9 g) round nose projectile that travels
at approximately 830 feet per second (250 m/s) when fired from a government-issue M1911A1 pistol.
It operates at a relatively low maximum chamber pressure rating of 21,000 psi (140 MPa), compared
to 35,000 psi (240 MPa) for both 9mm Parabellum and .40 S&W, which due to a low bolt thrust helps
extend the service lives of weapons. Since standard-pressure .45 ACP rounds are subsonic when
fired from handguns and submachine guns, it is a useful caliber for suppressed weapons to eliminate
the sonic boom.

The History and Design

Cross-sectional diagram of U.S. Army .45 ACP "ball cartridge" for the Model 1911 pistol, with dimensions in inches

During the late 19th century and early 20th centuries, the U.S. Cavalry began trials to replace their
sidearm arsenal of issued .45 Colt Single Action Army (SAA) in favor of the more modern and
versatile double-action revolver in .45 Colt.
After the example of the Cavalry, the Army in turn had fielded versions of double-action
revolvers in .38 Long Colt. It was eventually evaluated that the .38 caliber round was significantly less
effective in overall stopping power than the .45 Colt against determined opponents in cases such as
the Tausug Moro juramentado warriors, who were encountered in the Moro Rebellion. The standard-
issue rifle, the .30-40 Krag, had also failed to stop Moro warriors effectively; the British had similar
lack-of-stopping-power issues switching to the .303 British, which resulted in the development of
the dum-dum bullet, in an attempt to compensate for the round's deficiencies. This experience, and
the Thompson–LaGarde Tests of 1904, led the Army and the Cavalry to decide a minimum of .45
caliber was required in a new handgun. Thompson and Major Louis Anatole La Garde of the medical
corps arranged tests on cadavers and animals in the Chicago stockyards, resulting in their declaring
that the .45 was the most effective pistol cartridge. They noted, however, training was critical to make
sure a soldier could score a hit in a vulnerable part of the body.
Colt had been working with Browning on a .41 caliber cartridge in 1904, and in 1905, when the
Cavalry asked for a .45-caliber equivalent, Colt modified the pistol design to fire an enlarged version
of the prototype .41 round. The result from Colt was the Model 1905 and the new .45 ACP cartridge.
The original round that passed the testing fired a 200-grain (13 g) bullet at 900 ft/s (274 m/s), but after
a number of rounds of revisions between Winchester Repeating Arms, Frankford Arsenal, and Union
Metallic Cartridge, it ended up using a 230-grain (15 g) bullet fired at a nominal velocity of 850 ft/s
(259 m/s). The resulting .45 caliber cartridge, named the ".45 ACP", was similar in performance to
the .45 Schofield cartridge and only slightly less powerful while significantly shorter than the .45 Colt
cartridge that the United States Cavalry was using at the time.
By 1906, bids from six makers were submitted, among them, Browning's design, submitted by Colt.
Only DWM, Savage, and Colt made the first cut. DWM, which submitted two Parabellums chambered
in .45 ACP, withdrew from testing after the first round of tests, for unspecified reasons.
In the second round of evaluations in 1910, the Colt design passed extensive testing with no failures,
while the Savage design suffered 37 stoppages or parts failures. The Colt pistol was adopted as
the Model 1911.
The cartridge-pistol combination was quite successful but not satisfactory for U.S. military purposes.
Over time, a series of improved designs were offered, culminating in the adoption in 1911 of the "Cal.
45 Automatic Pistol Ball Cartridge, Model of 1911", a 1.273-inch-long (32 mm) round with a bullet
weight of 230 grains (15 g). The first production, at Frankford Arsenal, was marked "F A 8 11", for the
August 1911 date.

BODY:

M1911A1 .45 Caliber Automatic Pistol

TECHNICAL DATA
Country of Origin: USA
Date Of Introduction: 1926
Caliber: 0.45 in (11.43 mm)
Cartridge:
45 ACP - Automatic Colt Pistol
System of
Operation:
 Short recoil, semi-automatic
Weight With Empty Magazine:
2.4 lb (1.1 kg)
Weight With Full Magazine:
3 lb (1.4 kg)
Length: 8.625 in (219 mm)
Barrel Length: 5.03 in (128 mm)
Barrel Rifling: L.H., six grooves, pitch 1 in 16 inches (406 mm)
Safety Features: Manual safety lever, grip safety, half-cock position
Trigger Pull: 5 to 6.5 lb (2.3 to 2.9 kg)
Magazine Capacity: 7 rounds
Basic Load: 21 rounds
Unit Replacement Cost: $242

Performance
Muzzle Velocity: 830 fps (253 mps)
Muzzle Energy: 358 foot-pounds (485 J)
Maximum Range: 1,640 yd (1,500 m)
Maximum Effective Range: 55 yd (50 m)
Sights
Front Sight: Blade, integral with slide
Rear Sight: Notched bar, dovetailed to slide
Sight Radius: 6.481 in (165 mm)

Description

The M1911A1 .45 caliber pistol is a magazine-fed,

semi-automatic, recoil-operated, single-action hand
gun. It uses a .45 caliber rimless cartridge in a
seven-round magazine. It fires one round each
time the trigger is squeezed, once the hammer is
cocked by prior action of the slide or thumb. This
design is referred to as "single-action." The thumb
safety may only be activated once the pistol is
cocked.

History

John M. Browning designed the M1911 in response to the Army's need for a pistol with greater
stopping-power following the Army's experience with close-in combat during the Philippine
Insurrection (1899-1901). The M1911A1 model recoil semi-automatic adopted in 1926, was the
standard personal defense weapon carried by officers and team leaders of all services during World
War I, World War II, and Korea. Production was ended in 1945. The M1911 has a rich military
heritage, was very reliable, and the weapon of choice for use in close quarters. It was used up until
1984, when it began to be replaced by the more modern M9 9mm pistol.

Parts of .45 Caliber Automatic Pistol and its functions

1. BARREL
→ A tube, with
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.

2. BARREL BUSHING
→ 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.

3. BARREL LINK
→ 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.

4. BARREL LINK PIN

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

5. DISCONNECTOR
→ 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.

6. EJECTOR
→ 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.

7. EXTRACTOR
→ This is the part that grabs the rim of the cartridge case, as this is stripped from the
magazine 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.

8. FIRING PIN
→ This is the part that actually fires the round in the barrel chamber. The firing pin resides
withing 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.

9. FIRING PIN PLUNGER

→ 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.

10. FIRING PIN SPRING

→ 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.

11. FIRING PIN STOP

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

12. GRIP SAFETY

→ 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.

13. HAMMER
→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.

14. HAMMER STRUT

→ 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.

15. MAGAZINE
→ 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.

16. MAIN SPRING

→ 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 are held inside the Mainspring Housing by the
Mainspring Cap Pin.

17. MAINSPRING HOUSING

 → 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.

18. 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 bu 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.

19. RECOIL SPRING

→ 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.

20. RECOIL SPRING GUIDE

→ 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.

21. RECOIL SPRING PLUG

→ 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.

22. THUMB SAFETY (OR SAFETY LOCK)

→ 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 ambidextrous
devices, which can be operated from both sides.

23. SEAR
→ 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).

23. SEAR SPRING

→ 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.

24. SLIDE
→ 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.

25. SLIDE STOP

→ 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.

26. STOCKS
→ 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.

27. 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.

28. FRAME OR RECEIVER

→ 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.

29. TRIGGER
→ 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 (�, 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.

Operation

Each time a cartridge is fired, the parts inside the

weapon function in a given order. This is known as
the functioning cycle or cycle of operation. The cycle
of operation of the M1911A1 is divided into eight
steps: feeding, chambering, locking, firing, unlocking,
extracting, ejecting, and cocking. The steps are listed
in the order in which functioning occurs; however,
more than one step may occur at the same time.

1. A magazine containing ammunition is placed in the receiver. The slide is pulled fully to the rear
and released. As the slide moves forward, it strips the top round from the magazine and
pushes it into the chamber. The hammer remains in the cocked position, and the weapon is
ready to fire.

2. The weapon fires one round each time the trigger is pulled. Each time a cartridge is fired, the
slide and barrel recoil or move a short distance locked together. This permits the bullet and
expanding powder gases to escape from the muzzle before the unlocking is completed.

3. The barrel then unlocks from the slide and continues to the rear, extracting the cartridge case
from the chamber and ejecting it from the weapon. During this rearward movement the
magazine feeds another cartridge, the recoil spring is compressed, and the hammer is cocked.

4. At the end of the rearward movement, the recoil spring expands, forcing the slide forward,
locking the barrel and slide together. The weapon is ready to fire again. The same cycle of
operation continues until the ammunition is expended.

5. As the last round is fired, the magazine spring exerts upward pressure on the magazine
follower. The stop on the follower strikes the slide stop, forcing it into the recess on the bottom
of the slide and locking the slide to the rear. This action indicates that the magazine is empty
and aids in faster reloading.
Mechanism

The .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol M1911A1 is a recoil-operated hand weapon.

It is a magazine-fed semiautomatic weapon, which fires one round each time the trigger is squeezed,
once the hammer is cocked by prior action of the slide or thumb. This design is referred to as "single
action only."

The thumb safety may only be activated once the pistol is cocked. The hammer remains in the fully
cocked position once the safety is activated.

This single action ("Cocked and Locked") design requires the user to be very familiar and well-trained
to allow carrying the pistol in the "ready-to-fire" mode. Consequently, M1911A1s are often prescribed
to be carried without a round in the chamber. Even with this restriction on the user, unintentional
discharges occasionally occur.

To Load:

 Insert one or more cartridges into the magazine.

 Push the magazine firmly and fully into the handle of the pistol until a distinct "click" is heard.
 With the weapon pointing in a safe direction, grasp the slide (top of the weapon) and pull it
back as far as it will go.
 Release the slide, allowing it to spring back to its' original position. You have just placed a
round in the firing chamber and cocked the hammer. The weapon is loaded, ready to fire.
 If you are not planning on firing the weapon immediately, put it on "safe," by keeping it pointed
in a safe direction, and rotating the "Safety Lock" upward. This is called "Cocked and Locked."
The weapon remains loaded, however, and should not be pointed at anything you do not
intend to shoot.

To Fire:

 Point the loaded weapon at your intended target.

 Flip the "Safety Lock" down (off).
 Pull the trigger. This will release the hammer, and discharge the round.
 After the round is fired, the slide will recoil backward, and then spring back to its' original
position. This action will eject the empty cartridge case, bring a new cartridge into the firing
chamber, and cock the hammer.
 When you have fired the last round from your magazine, the slide will remain in the back or
open position.

To Unload:

 Point the weapon in a safe direction.

 Depress the "magazine catch" button. This will eject the magazine.
 Pull back on the slide until it stops. This will eject any unfired round from the firing chamber.
 IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO UNLOAD THE WEAPON IN THE ORDER DESCRIBED. IF
YOU REVERSE THE ORDER, FIRST EJECTING A ROUND FROM THE CHAMBER, AND
THEN REMOVING THE MAGAZINE, THE WEAPON WILL REMAIN LOADED. EJECTING A
ROUND FROM THE CHAMBER WILL AUTOMATICALLY BRING ANOTHER ROUND INTO
THE CHAMBER, UNLESS THE MAGAZINE IS FIRST REMOVED. THAT IS THE
AUTOMATIC PART OF THIS SEMI-AUTOMATIC PISTOL.
  Visually confirm that no round remains in the firing chamber.
 Rotate the "Slide Stop" down to release the slide. The slide will spring back to its' normal
position.
 Keep your thumb on the hammer, then pull the trigger and ease the hammer slowly down.

Clearing the Pistol:

 Clearing a weapon means unloading the it and leaving it so that anyone who sees it knows
that it is empty and temporarily disabled.
 To clear the M1911A1 pistol, remove the magazine, pull the slide backward and lock it in the
open position. This is the safest way to leave the weapon.

Helpful Tips in Firing this Weapon:

 While the .45 cal projectile can travel up to a mile, the nature of the weapon makes it effective
only at very close range. Unless you are highly practiced with this pistol, you are not likely to
hit your target if it is more than 25 feet from you.
 Aim for the center of the torso. You are least likely to miss this area.
 Use two hands to hold the pistol. You will shoot more accurately.
 Two shots in quick succession (1/2 to 1 second apart) are more likely to stop your target than a
single shot. While the .45 cal. round can certainly be lethal if it hits the right spot, it is a
relatively small, low speed projectile. It's legendary stopping power is often over-rated.
Particularly when trying to stop an adrenalin-charged, highly-motivated individual, multiple hits
from your .45 cal. pistol may be required. However, emptying a full magazine into your target is
also unwise, as it may leave you with no ammunition to take on his three angry friends.
 When defending against multiple targets, try to stop the most threatening target first. Usually
that is the target closest to you. However, someone with an automatic weapon or shotgun is
more dangerous to you and your patients than someone with a pistol. Likewise, someone with
a rifle is more dangerous than someone with a pistol.
 Take advantage of any cover you may have. Crouching behind a rock or packing crate is much
better than standing out in the open. If you are caught out in the open, quickly make a decision
to either go to the ground, or to run to cover. If you go to ground, keep moving (rolling,
crawling), to decrease the chance of your being wounded.
 Should you become wounded, keep shooting. The best defense against incoming fire is to
return fire, wounded or not.
 Should the weapon fail to fire, use the "Slap, Rack, and Bang" technique:
o Slap the base of the Grip to more firmly seat the magazine.
o Rack the slide backward and release, ejecting the old cartridge and bringing a fresh
cartridge into the chamber.
o Bang goes the pistol when you pull the trigger again.

Ammunition

Ammunition for the M1911A1 is issued in the form of a complete .45 ACP round. A complete round
(cartridge) consists of all the components (cartridge case, bullet, propellant powder, and primer)
necessary to fire the weapon once.
The cartridge was designed by John Browning for Colt, but the most influential person in selecting the
cartridge was Army ordnance member General John T. Thompson. After the poor performance of the
Army's .38 Long Colt pistols evidenced during the Philippine–American War (1899–1902), Thompson
insisted on a more capable pistol cartridge.

45 ACP cartridge full metal jacket

Type: Pistol
Place of origin: United States
Service history: (Wars) World War I – present

Production history
Designer: John Browning
Designed: 1904
Produced: 1905–present
Variants: .45 ACP +P, .45 Auto Rim, .45 Super, .460 Rowland

Specifications
Case type: Rimless, straight
Bullet diameter: .452 in (11.5 mm)
Land diameter: .442 in (11.2 mm)
Neck diameter: .473 in (12.0 mm)
Base diameter .476 in (12.1 mm
Rim diameter: .480 in (12.2 mm)
Rim thickness: .049 in (1.2 mm)
Case length: .898 in (22.8 mm)
Overall length: 1.275 in (32.4 mm)
Case capacity: 26.7 gr H2O (1.73 cm3)
Rifling twist: 1 in 16 in (406 mm)
Primer type: Large (some makers are now using small) pistol
Maximum pressure (CIP):19,000 psi (130 MPa)
Maximum pressure (SAAMI): 21,000 psi (140 MPa)

Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/ type Velocity Energy
230 gr (15 g) FMJ, Winchester 835 ft/s (255 m/s) 356 ft⋅lbf (483 J)
165 gr (11 g) Hydra-shok, Federal 1,060 ft/s (320 m/s) 412 ft⋅lbf (559 J)
230 gr (15 g) FMJ, Double Tap 960 ft/s (290 m/s) 471 ft⋅lbf (639 J)
185 gr (12 g) JHP +P, Underwood 1,200 ft/s (370 m/s) 592 ft⋅lbf (803 J)
90 gr (6 g) TFSP, RBCD 2,036 ft/s (621 m/s) 829 ft⋅lbf (1,124 J)

The .45 ACP cartridge is a very popular caliber due to its low velocity and relatively high stopping power. This caliber
is associated most with the Colt M1911, logically, as ACP literally means 'Automatic Colt Pistol'. However, there are
many more guns and variations on the M1911 that are chambered in .45 ACP.

45 Cartridge dimensions
The .45 ACP has 1.62 mL (25 g H2O) cartridge case capacity.
 .45 ACP Cross Section 45 Auto maximum CIP cartridge dimensions. All sizes are in millimeters (mm).

SAAMI specifications for 45 Automatic. All dimensions are in inches (millimeters)

The common rifling twist rate for this

cartridge is 1 in 16 in (406 mm), 6
grooves, Ø lands = .442 in (11.23 mm),
Ø grooves = 45 in (11.43 mm), land
width = .147 in (3.73 mm) and
the primer type is large pistol. The
cartridge headspaces on the mouth of
the case at the L3 datum reference.
According to Commission
internationale permanente pour
l'épreuve des armes à feu portatives
("Permanent International Commission
for the Proof of Small Arms" –
commonly abbreviated
as C.I.P.) rulings, the .45 ACP cartridge
case can handle up to
131 MPa (19,000 psi) Pmax piezo pressure. In CIP-regulated countries every pistol cartridge
combination has to be proofed at 130% of this maximum CIP pressure to certify for sale to
consumers. This means that .45 ACP chambered arms in CIP-regulated countries are currently
(2016) proof-tested at 170 MPa (25,000 psi) PE piezo pressure.
The SAAMI pressure limit for the .45 ACP is set at 21,000 psi (144.79 MPa) piezo pressure, while the
SAAMI pressure limit for the .45 ACP +P is set at 23,000 psi (158.58 MPa), piezo pressure.

Performance
The .45 ACP is an effective combat pistol cartridge. It combines accuracy as well as stopping power
for use against human targets, has relatively low muzzle blast and flash, and it produces a stout, but
manageable recoil in handguns (made worse in compact models). The .45 ACP is generally
considered to have a higher stopping power as compared to 9mm. Due to its larger size and slower
velocity it creates a larger wound channel and transfers more energy to the target.
CONCLUSION:
It is important to study and learn about the 45-caliber pistol because this belongs to the classification
of firearms. As aspiring public servants, we should know the origin, description, parts, mechanisms
and operation of a particular firearm. Through this, we will be able to know the differences of firearms
which can be used to identify or eliminate a weapon as being used in a crime, if a cartridge case or
bullet is recovered at the crime scene.
In conjunction to the importance of studying and familiarizing aspects about the Caliber .45 Automatic
Pistol, the Principles of Firearms Examination should not be disregarded as it explains how a firearm
functions and what safety features it might have and its impact on investigations of suicides,
unintentional shootings and accidental firearm discharge. And above all, we must also keep in mind
the golden rule in using firearms, because the safety is in our hands.
GOLDEN RULE:

“Do not point your gun at something you are not prepare to destroy”

Prepared by:
Orlando A. Advincula Jr.