Section Five - Semi Auto Pistols Like revolvers, semi auto pistols have parts that are unique to them. In figure 1 below we have pointed out the most common parts to the semi auto handgun and give detailed descriptions. Figure 1 11 1. Slide The slide gets its name from its movement back and forth on the pistol frame. During this movement it accomplishes many functions. As you will see in the animation video in the next section, the slide moves back and forth on the frame. During each cycle the slide will strip a cartridge off the top of the magazine and insert it into the chamber. When fired, the slide moves to the rear ejecting the cartridge in the chamber. It then comes forward again, stripping a new cartridge from the top of the magazine and inserting it into the chamber. 2. Slide Stop Lever The slide stop lever is known by many names slide catch, slide lock, and slide release to name a few. Whatever name you decide to call it, it has the same functions locking the slide to the rear of the frame or releasing the slide from the rear of the frame.
Most slide stops are engaged after the last round is fired from a magazine so you can easily tell the gun is empty. Once a new magazine is inserted the slide stop can be depressed, releasing the slide, which then pushes a new cartridge into the chamber. Some firearms do not have slide stop levers. (See Figure 2 bottom left picture.) To lock the slide open on these types of firearms you should insert the magazine and see if that locks the slide to the rear. If it does not, insert a pencil or some other object down between the chamber and the slide to show that the chamber is empty. 3. Safety and/or Decocker A safety is a mechanical device that is used to keep the gun from firing. Like all things mechanical, they can sometimes fail, so never violate the firearm safety rules even when your safety is on. Decockers were devised to lower the hammer of the pistol safely without having to use the thumb method we discussed in the revolver section. Some manufacturers have designed guns with both safeties and decockers. These guns can have two different levers one for each action. Other manufacturers have built the safety and decocker into one lever. When you purchase a firearm, check to see if the gun has a safety, a decocker, or a combination safety decocker. 4. Magazine Release The magazine release, also known as a magazine catch, does what its name implies. It releases the magazine so it can be removed from pistol. It also locks the magazine into place when inserted into the firearms. Magazine releases, most commonly, are located as shown in figure 1, on the left side of the frame near the trigger guard. However, some manufacturers put them in different locations. You might find a magazine release on the bottom of the frame, on the front of the grip, or even on the bottom of the grip. (See figure 2 below.) Figure 2
Magazine A magazine is a storage device for holding cartridges. Sometimes they are mistakenly called clips. The two basic types of magazines are the single stacked and the double stacked shown below in Figure 3. Figure 3 The double stack magazine is easily recognizable by its width compared to the singe stack magazine. Notice that double stack magazines holds the cartridges diagonally, while the single stack magazine holds the rounds one on top of the other. Double stack magazines typically hold more rounds than a single stack magazine, but in some areas of the country magazines that hold more than ten rounds are illegal. In those areas a block or buffer is usually put in the magazine to limit the number of rounds to ten. When loading magazines, be certain to load the correct caliber cartridge. Although magazines are made for a specific caliber, other calibers may fit into the magazine, causing serious damage or injury if fired.
Magazine Construction Magazines are made of metal or plastic. The inside of the magazine also has a piece of metal or plastic, called a follower, which sits on top of the spring inside the magazine. The two lips, that run approximately half way along the top of the magazine, hold in the spring, the follower and, the cartridges. (See Figure 4.) As cartridges are inserted, the spring becomes more compressed with each successive round, making it more difficult to insert the next cartridge. Figure 4 A fully loaded magazine will compress the magazine spring as shown above in figure 4. It is not necessary to fully load your magazine each time you use it. This can save wear and tear on your fingers. Once you are done shooting, if you are not going to shoot again soon, you should unload your magazines to take the pressure of the spring. Be careful not to damage the sides, or lips of the magazine as any type of damage to a magazine can cause the semi auto pistol to malfunction.
Loading a Magazine (See Figure 5) Place the rear of the magazine (or flat side) against the flat part of your weak hand and close your hand around the magazine. Pick up a cartridge and hold it between your index and middle fingers of your strong hand - cartridge pointed towards you. See Figure 5. Because some magazines have stronger springs than others, and you will be compressing the spring more with each round, it is important to use your thumb and not your index finger to push down on the cartridge against the tension of the spring loaded follower. (It helps to hold the magazine on a flat surface where you can assert more pressure to insert cartridges.) Hold the cartridge in your fingers as shown in figure 6. Push down on the cartridge, with your thumb, and slide it under the two metal lips. There is far more muscle in thumbs than in index fingers. For this reason even difficult magazines can be loaded, using the thumb, when it might be impossible to do so using your index finger. Do not try and force the cartridge down through the two lips of the magazine. This will cause the lips to push apart. If this happens the magazine will not hold the rounds correctly and the pistol may malfunction. With the first round loaded, you can use the thumb of your strong hand to start pushing down on the previously loaded cartridge while loading the next round. Step by step pictures for loading magazines. Figure 5 Step 1. Hold the magazine in your weak hand as shown in figure 5 above
Step 2. Put a cartridge between your index and middle finger with the thumb on top of the cartridge as shown in figure 5 below. Figure 6 Step 3. Press cartridge down into magazine just in front of the lips of the magazine as seen in figure 7. Figure 7
Step 4. Press the cartridge down, compressing the spring. Then push the cartridge back under the lips of the magazine as shown in figure 8. Figure 8 Figure 9 This is how your magazine should look when correctly loaded.
Some guns come with devices called speed loaders, which make it easier and faster to load your magazines. We have pictured a few below. Figure 10 It is very important that you put the cartridges in the magazine correctly. Cartridges can go in the wrong way in some magazines. If the magazine is then inserted into the firearm it can damage the firearm or cause serious injury if you attempt to chamber a cartridge. Now that you know how to correctly load a magazine we will now load the magazine into the pistol as shown in figure 10. Pick up the gun in your strong hand while keeping the gun pointed in a safe direction. The slide should be locked to the rear when first loading the semi auto pistol. Keeping your finger off the trigger, align the magazine with the bottom of the pistol as shown in figure 11. Insert the magazine into the pistol. Notice in figure 11 that the bullets are facing front. Inserting the magazine with the bullets facing rear can cause damage to the firearm and the magazine, either of which could cause a malfunction. Figure 11
Using the heel or palm of your hand, push the magazine up into the pistol. Be careful not to pinch the palm of your hand between the frame and the magazine. Figure 12 Push the magazine up until you feel it lock into place. If the magazine does not lock into place it may fall out of the pistol, before or during firing. Figure 13 When loading and unloading, remember to keep your finger off the trigger and keep the pistol pointed in a safe direction.
Look down into the breech of the gun. There should be a cartridge at the top of the magazine, as shown in figure 14. You are now ready to put a cartridge into the chamber. Figure 14 Chambering a Cartridge There are two ways to chamber a cartridge in a semi auto pistol if it has a slide release. 1. The first way to chamber a cartridge is to pull back on the slide and release it, letting the force of the recoil spring strip off a cartridge and chamber the round. Do not hold onto the slide as it goes forward. Holding the slide while it goes forward can result in the cartridge not being chambered correctly, causing a misfire. Figure 15 Figure 16 Figures 15 and sixteen show the left and right hand view of pulling back on the slide. If you have a firearm that does not have a slide stop lever, this is the correct method to load a cartridge into the chamber.
2. The second way to chamber a round is to release the pistol s slide stop lever by pushing it in a downward direction. When you press downward the slide moves rapidly forward, pushing a cartridge off the top of the magazine, chambering the round. Figure 17 The firearm is now loaded. To see how a semi auto pistol functions we have included this animation for you at the end of this section. While watching the video, notice how the slide moves back and forth each time the gun fires. As you watch you will notice that the slide has many jobs. It holds in the barrel. It slides a cartridge off the top of the magazine and into the chamber. It pulls the fired cartridge out of the chamber. It ejects the cartridge out of the gun. It slides a new cartridge off the top of the magazine and into the chamber. This cycle is repeated until the last round is fired.
Making a Pistol Safe A loaded is pistol is very dangerous, if not handled properly, and the safety rules are not followed. You want to be especially careful unloading your gun, as this is often the time an accident will occur. If your semi auto has safety lever or decocker, which decocks the gun, engage the safety and or decocker before going to the next step. If the pistol does not have a lever, to decock the gun, you will have to decock it the same way that you decocked the revolver in section four. If you have a 1911 style pistol be aware that you cannot decock it or unload it with the safety engaged. Once we have the gun decocked we now we have to remove the magazine from the gun. Remove the magazine by pushing the magazine release making sure that your magazine does not drop on the floor. Push in on Magazine Release with your thumb. Figure 18 Catch the magazine in the palm of your weak hand. IMPORTANT Remember the gun is STILL LOADED. There is still a round in the chamber.
With the magazine out, and the gun still pointed in a safe direction, the action must be opened by pushing the slide rearward and locking it in place. This will eject the round from the chamber and lock the action open. If the gun has a slide release this will be used to lock the slide to the rear. If it has no slide release you must insert an object into the chamber area to keep the slide from closing. There are two common ways to lock the slide open. Below we show you the correct way to grasp the semi auto when locking the slide to the rear. Figure 19 Pushing with both hands, in opposite directions, will allow the use of stronger muscles to lock the slide to the rear while pushing up on the slide release lever. Figure 20
Locking the slide open 1 st method (Figures 19 and 20) THIS IS A RIGHT HANDED OPERATION. Holding the gun in your right hand, change your grip so you can place the tip of your right thumb under the slide stop lever and apply upward pressure. Grip the rear of the slide with your left hand. There should be serrations on the slide for a better gripping surface to keep your hand from slipping. With both hands gripping the pistol firmly, push the frame to the left with your right hand and push the slide to the right with your left hand. (See figure 20.) When the slide is going backwards toward the rear of the frame, push upward on the slide stop lever with your thumb until you feel it click into place. Once it clicks into place you can let the slide go forward. The slide release will now be in the notch, locking the slide to the rear. (See figure 21.) Figure 21 IMPORTANT You MUST keep the gun pointed in a safe direction! Be careful not to point the muzzle at your body, pay particular attention to your left elbow. Look through the ejection port at the chamber. There should be no cartridge in the chamber. With no ammunition in the gun and the slide is locked to the rear the gun is in a safe condition.
If someone hands you a semi-auto pistol and tells you it is unloaded but the slide is not locked to the rear, the first thing you should do is lock the slide to the rear. This is the condition an unloaded semi-auto pistol should be in when you hand it to someone. Locking the slide open 2nd method Most firearms manufacturers design magazines so that when there are no cartridges left and the follower is allowed to come to the top, a portion of the follower will contact and apply upward pressure to the slide stop lever from inside the gun. This is why the slide locks back after the last round is fired. You can also perform this same function without having to fire a last shot. Ensure all safety/de-cocker levers are down already, the hammer is de-cocked, and the safety is engaged. (If the firearm has a safety.) Remove the magazine by pushing the magazine release making sure that your magazine does not drop on the floor. Remember the safe direction rule. Hold your magazine in your strong hand, with your thumb on the top cartridge. Use your thumb to slide each cartridge forward until the magazine is unloaded. Insert the empty magazine back into the gun. Pull the slide to the rear. The empty magazine should push up on the slide release lever locking back the slide. Look through the ejection port at the chamber. There should be no cartridge in the chamber. With no ammunition in the gun, an empty magazine and the slide locked to the rear your gun is in a safe condition. As we said before, If someone hands you a semi-auto pistol and tells you it is unloaded and it is not in this condition, the first thing you should do is put it in this condition. This is the condition an unloaded semi-auto pistol should be in when you hand it to someone. Ask your in-person instructor to demonstrate making a pistol safe before attempting this exercise yourself. WE CANNOT EMPHASIZE ENOUGH, THE IMPORTANCE OF SAFE DIRECTION AND SAFE CONDITION. Please continue to the next section.