Colt 1911 Field Strip and Reassembly Step by Step

Colt 1911 Field Strip

This is a World War 2, 1911 colt. And we're going to take it apart.

Step #1 Take Magazine Out

First step is to take the magazine out right now. That's easy. You can take the grips off, if you like, just by removing these screws. We're not going to do that because that's fairly simple.

Step #2 Remove Barrel Bushing

Next step is to remove the barrel bushing.

You push this button down and this slides towards me. Put that up.

Obviously, if you let go that it'll spring and hit you in the face so you don't want to do that. Then you rotate it all way over this way and the barrel pushing pops off.

So you just repeated did the barrel bushing from right to left. Does it have to go from right to left?

First, you have to go this way toward you, then let it pop up and then turn it the other way to this little latch that holds it in there. That will take it off. That's a barrel pushing.

Step #3 Remove the Slide (hardest part)

The next step is to remove the slide. But here comes the hardest part of taking part in 1911. We have to line this with this first notch.

So we cock it, push it back, lined up right away. Often I have to jiggle it back and forth. It has to be lined up perfectly. And then this button here, you push on that.

As I mentioned, this is the hardest part because the button often sticks. As a matter of fact, if you look right here and I swear I didn't do that. This is what they call an “Idiot Mark”, because when you push on that part of a lot of times, people take a screwdriver and then pride at the same time and they make that mark there. But with you line up perfectly, it pops off like that there.

1911 Comes right Apart!

And then the spring comes out and you just get that comes right apart.

A Note about the stop

OK. When I pulled the slide off, you might have noticed that the stop fell out. That piece actually fits on here. But when I pulled this out, it was sitting right here. And when we put it back together again, you'll see how that stop fits right here.

All the Parts should now be on the table

So assuming the top comes right out, you pull the barrel and there you have the barrel. So these are all of the parts for the 1911 Colt. Usually when you have it out, you want to do things like check the boar, maybe clean it a little bit.

Colt 1911 Reassembly

But now we're ready to put it back together again.

Step #1 Turn Slide Up

Turns the slide facing off this way. The barrel slides right by hand because this is a coupler and it's just hanging it on the table.

Step #2 Be Patient with the coupler

Can you show the couplers closer to the screen? Sure.

This is the coupler and its kind of a tricky piece. Well, we'll see that in a minute. Don't get frustrated. It just maybe takes a couple of times to get it just right because that's what it holds the barrel in place.

Step #3 Place the Stop back in with the Spring

We put the stop back in with the spring.

With the spring.

Step #4 Cue the Coupler and slide back on frame

Now the coupler. You want to have it facing that direction and it should look like that. And now we slide the whole thing back onto the frame and hold it. Now, I want to turn this direction so that things don't fall apart now.

Step #5 The Pin and the coupler marry

Remember that pin, if you can see inside that circle? This has to fit. I usually put it in now that holds that. Remember that coupler that holds that in place? Again, you don't want to scratch. You don't want to scratch the surface.

But I bring it back to a place where lifted up, set it down gently. Don't scratch it. And when it lines up, it will get that popped right into place.

Step #6 Barrel Bushing and reload spring

Then the last step. Remember, we faced it away from us. This is the barrel bushing facing away from us. Turn it toward us. Push down again. The spring is pretty tight. So if we can want to work out a little bit, pop it back in

Step #7 Place Magazine In

Put the magazine in and I dropped my hammer without making a mark and then you have it reassembled.

You’re Finished!

This concludes another takedown video by legacy collectibles. Please like and subscribe comment below with other models you want to see us take apart and other suggestions for videos to come until next time.