Smith & Wesson 945 Instructions Manual
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11 •Use only commercially manufactured ammunition with internal ballistic pressures which are in strict accordance with the specifications of the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI). •Be certain all ammunition you use complies with the SAAMI specifications. If you are uncertain, contact your ammunition supplier for verification. C. MISFIRES •If your firearm fails to fire when the trigger is pulled (misfires), keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction, remove your finger from the trigger, and wait 10 seconds. Only after you have completed all of the above steps, remove the magazine or open the cylinder and remove the cartridge from the chamber and dispose of it properly. Keep your firearm pointed in a safe direction at all times. •If you have heard an unusual sound or felt an unusual recoil on firing, stop firing, wait 10 seconds, unload the firearm, and examine the barrel bore for obstructions. •Make sure your barrel is clear and free of obstructions. If you see an obstruction, return your firearm to Smith & Wesson or take it to a qualified gunsmith. Never fire a firearm with an obstructed barrel. D .AMMUNITION SPECIFICS •Use only ammunition specifically recommended by Smith & Wesson for your firearm. •Never mix ammunition. •Never use a cartridge not specifically designated for use in your firearm. Pressure from the wrong type of ammunition may be beyond the capability of your firearm to withstand and may damage or even rupture your firearm. •Whenever rimless pistol cartridges are used in the cylinder of a Smith & Wesson revolver, (except M547) full or half-moon clips MUST be used to both position and extract such cartridges. Failure to use ammunition clips with rimless cartridges may result in malfunction of the revolver. •Additional ammunition calibers can be fired from the following list of select calibers. Caliber on Barrel Can also Fire .45 Colt .45 Schofield, .45 S&W .45 S&W .45 Schofield .44 Magnum .44 Special .357 Magnum .38 Special, .38 Special +P .22LR .22L, .22 Short, .22CB, .22BB (in revolvers only) 10mm .40 S&W (in revolvers only) •In some cases, a round of ammunition not specified on your handgun may fit into the chamber or cylinder. Firing ammunition not specified on your handgun may cause it to rupture and cause serious injury or death. AMMUNITION CONT’D.
12 AMMUNITION CONT’D. E.AMMUNITION WARNINGS •“Plus-P” (+P) ammunition generates pressures in excess of the pressures associated with standard ammunition. Such pressures may affect the wear characteristics or exceed the margin of safety built into some revolvers and could therefore be DANGEROUS. •“Plus-P” ammunition should not be used in medium (K frame) revolvers manufactured prior to 1958. Such pre-1958 medium (K-frame) revolvers can be identified by the absence of a model number stamped inside the yoke cut of the frame. (i.e., the area of the frame exposed when the cylinder is in the open position. •“Plus-P-Plus (+P+) marking on the ammunition merely designates that it exceeds established industry standards, but the designation does not represent defined pressure limits and therefore such ammunition may vary significantly as to the pressures generated. •“Plus-P-Plus (+P+) ammunition is not recommended for use in Smith & Wesson firearms. •In the Model 940 revolver, some brands of 9mm parabellum ammunition may cause difficulty in extracting spent cartridge cases from the cylinder. If this situation occurs, thoroughly clean the cylinder charge holes with solvent. If this condition persists, we recommend changing to another brand of 9mm parabellum ammunition. •Smith & Wesson has found wide variations in primer sensitivity between some brands and types of .22LR ammunition. Smith & Wesson recommends that before you put your .22LR handgun into regular use, that you fire several boxes of your choice of ammunition through it to determine reliability of ignition. If “failure to fire” occurs, try different types of brands of .22LR ammunition until a reliable loading is found.
13 MODEL NUMBER IDENTIFICATION The serial number and the model number appear here on your pistol. FIGURE 3c Trigger Guard Trigger GripMagazine Magazine Release Front Sight Rear Sight Hammer Frame SlideSlide Stop Notch Safety LeverEjection Port Slide Stop Extractor Slide Stop Pin Barrel Front Sight Barrel Bushing Recoil Spring Guide Rod Grip Safety FIGURE 2aFIGURE 2b FIGURE 3b FIGURE 3a
14 INSPECTING YOUR PISTOL When you inspect your pistol, you should first check for yourself to ensure that it is unloaded. To do this, grasp the pistol with your finger off the trigger and outside the tr igger guard.Point the muzzle in a safe direction and depress the magazine release and remove the magazine (Figure 5). Depress the safety lever into the fully down “fire” position (Figure 6). With the muzzle still pointing in a safe direction, grasp the serrated sides of the slide from the rear with the thumb and fingers as shown in Figure 7, and briskly draw the slide fully rearward in order to extract any cartridge from the barrel chamber and clear it from the pistol. Do not obstruct the ejection port because doing so can interfere with ejection of a cartridge and thereby creates the risk of exploding an unchambered cartridge and causing possible injury. In order to lock the slide in the open position, allow the slide to move slightly forward from the rearmost position while pressing upward on the slide stop. You are now able to safely check the barrel chamber and bore visually for any obstructions. You must follow this procedure every time your firearm is inspected, cleaned, handed to another person, transported or stored. Unload the magazine by holding it with the bullet end of the cartridge pointing away from you and pressing each cartridge forward and out of the magazine. Pick up and secure any live rounds on the ground when you finish. FIGURE 5 FIGURE 4 FIGURE 7 DO NOT BLOCK EJECTION PORT!!! FIGURE 6
15 LOADED CHAMBER INDICATOR Currently manufactured 945 pistols come with a loaded chamber indicator. This indicator can be observed by looking at the top of the slide/ejection port, (Figure 8) noting an opening at the rear of the barrel hood. By looking into this opening, you can observe as to whether or not a round is in the firearm’s chamber. You would see the actual brass or silver colored rim through this opening if the chamber of the firearm was loaded. FIGURE 8 INSPECTING YOUR PISTOL CONT’D. Familiarize yourself with the safety lever on your pistol. When the safety lever is fully down as shown in figure 5, it is in the fire position; when the safety lever is fully up, as shown in Figure 4, it is in the safe position. It can only be placed in the “safe” position when the hammer is cocked (Figure 4). When it is in the “safe” position, the slide is also locked in place and cannot be moved rearward. Notice how the safety lever looks and feels in each of the two positions of its extreme travel - fully up for safe and fully down for fire. Please be advised that other model or brand pistols may have a safety or decocking lever that operates differently . .45 ACP PERFORMANCE
16 LOADING •Do not load the pistol until you are about to fire. Keep your finger outside the trigger guard until you are ready to fire. WARNING: These Smith & Wesson centerfire pistols will fire with the magazine removed. Keep your fin- ger off the trigger and outside of the trigger guard until you have made the commitment to fire. •Only use Smith & Wesson magazines specifically manufactured for your particular model of pistol. Do not interchange magazines from one model pistol into another model pistol. •Smith & Wesson has provided you with a magazine designed to operate in your specific model of pistol. While your magazine may be able to be inserted into another model pistol, it will only function properly in the specific model for which it was designed. •Follow instructions in this manual and any other specific instructions which may be marked onto, or accompany, a magazine. Failure to use the particular type of Smith & Wesson magazine specified for your model and caliber of pistol may result in a malfunction. •Load the magazine by pressing a cartridge head (rear of cartridge) downward on the forward portion of the magazine follower (or downward on the case of the previously loaded cartridge) and sliding the cartridge fully under the lips of the magazine until the cartridge head is against the rear wall of the magazine. (Figure 9) Repeat the procedure for the number of cartridges you wish to load, up to the magazine capacity. Do not attempt to load your magazine with more than the specified number of cartridges because doing so can cause a feeding failure. •Hold the pistol in one hand with the muzzle pointing in a safe direction and with your finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard. Insert the loaded magazine into the magazine well of the pistol until it is locked in place. WARNING: Do not use excessive upward force when inserting a loaded magazine into the pistol. Excessive upward force could cause the slide to move forward, chambering a round and making the pistol ready to fire. FIGURE 9
LOADING CONT’D. 17 •To make sure that the magazine is fully and securely inserted, apply some removal pressure to the exposed portion of the magazine butt plate. •With the muzzle still pointing in a safe direction, grasp the serrated sides of the slide from the rear with the thumb and fingers as shown in figure 10, and briskly draw the slide fully rearward and release it. This strips a cartridge from the magazine and seats it in the chamber of the barrel and at the same time, fully cocks the hammer. WARNING: The pistol will fire if the trigger is pulled! •With the muzzle pointed in a safe direction and your finger outside the trigger guard, place the safety lever in the fully up “safe” position (Figure 11). WARNING: Some early model 945 Performance Center pistols do not have a firing pin block and will fire if subjected to sufficient impact by being dropped. For this reason, early Model 945 pistols with no dash number on the frame should not be carried with a round in the chamber. Models with a dash number such as the 945-1 or the 945-40 have the internal firing pin block. DO NOT BLOCK EJECTION PORT!!! FIGURE 10FIGURE 11
DECOCKING If you decide not to fire and your handgun is in the fully cocked position, you must follow these instructions to safely decock the handgun. •Remove your trigger finger from the trigger and out of the trigger guard. (Figure 12). •Place the safety lever in the fully up “safe” position. •Remove the magazine from the firearm. •Place the safety lever in the fully down “fire” position. •Draw the slide back and eject any chambered round. Look into the ejection port to ensure chamber is empty. (Figure 13) •Place your trigger finger on the trigger and place the thumb of your opposite hand on the hammer. (Figure 14) •Pull the trigger to the rear and hold it while lowering the hammer to the forward position with your thumb. (Figure 15) •Release the trigger. 18 FIRING •With the muzzle pointed in a safe direction and your finger outside the trigger guard, depress the safety lever fully down into the fire position. Check to make sure that the hammer is fully cocked. If it is not, cock it by drawing it fully back with the thumb of the shooting hand. •To ensure proper firing control and to fully depress the grip safety, the pistol should now be gripped firmly with the shooting hand. •Draw the trigger fully to the rear. This releases the hammer and causes it to strike the firing pin. Upon firing, the slide moves rearward thereby extracting and ejecting the spent cartridge case and returns the hammer to the fully-cocked position. •The slide then returns forward feeding the next cartridge from the magazine to the barrel chamber. The hammer remains in cocked position so that subsequent shots will also be fired in the single action mode. This sequence can be repeated until the last round has been fired at which time the magazine follower exerts upward pressure on the slide stop causing it to engage the slide and hold it in the open position. WARNING: Single action firing requires significantly less pressure on the trigger and reduced trigger travel than double action firing. WARNING: Upon firing the pistol or releasing the slide from the slide stop, the slide moves rearward or forward with significant force and speed. To avoid injury be sure no part of your body is in the path of the slide’s travel.
19 UNLOADING •Remove your trigger finger from the trigger and out of the trigger guard. (Figure 12). •Place the safety lever in the up “safe” position. •Point the muzzle in a safe direction. Depress the magazine release, and remove the magazine. Place the safety lever into the down “fire” position. With the muzzle still pointing in a safe direction, and with your finger off the trigger and outside the trigger guard, grasp the serrated sides of the slide from the rear with the thumb and fingers, and briskly draw the slide fully rearward in order to extract any cartridge from the barrel chamber and clear it from the pistol. Do not obstruct the ejection port because doing so can interfere with ejection of a cartridge and thereby creates the risk of exploding an unchambered cartridge and possible injury. (See figure 13). Visually check the barrel chamber to be sure it is empty. •Unload the magazine by holding it with the bullet end of the cartridge pointing away from you and pressing each cartridge forward and out of the magazine. CLEARING MISFIRES •If during firing, a cartridge fails to fire, the chamber must be manually cleared. Wait ten seconds while keeping the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. Grasp the serrated sides of the slide from the rear and briskly pull the slide fully rearward to eject the misfired round. Keep your finger off of the trigger and out of the trigger guard. Do not obstruct the ejection port, and do not attempt to catch the round by placing your hand over the ejection port. (See figure 10) Also, remember that any time you release the slide while a magazine containing cartridges is in the pistol, you will have reloaded the chamber. FIGURE 12FIGURE 13 FIGURE 14FIGURE 15 DECOCKING CONT’D.
SIGHT ADJUSTMENT FIELD STRIPPING DISASSEMBLY •Remove the magazine by depressing the magazine release button, clear the chamber and verify it is empty. Firmly grasp the frame and slide with the left hand as shown in Figure 16. Apply backwards pressure on the slide and move it back until the slide stop notch in the left side of the slide is aligned with the forward, rounded portion of the slide stop as shown in Figure 17. Press inward on the slide stop pin from the opposite side of the frame and remove the slide stop. (Figure 18) •Certain model Smith & Wesson pistols are equipped with a FIxed Rear Sightthat is adjustable for windage only. To adjust, move the Rear Sight in the direction you wish the group to move on the target. For example, if the group should move to the right, move the Rear Sight to the right. Use a brass or plastic drift or punch to prevent marring the Rear Sight. If the Rear Sight has a set screw, loosen the set screw prior to moving the Rear Sight. Tighten the set screw after the sight has been adjusted to the desired position. •Certain model Smith & Wesson Pistols are equipped with a screw type rear sightadjustable for elevation and windage. ADJUSTING FOR ELEVATION Rotate the Adjusting Screw installed on the top of the Rear Sight body clockwise to lower the Rear Sight or counterclockwise to raise the Rear Sight. (Raising Rear Sight will raise the group, etc.) ADJUSTING FOR WINDAGE Rotate the Adjusting Screw installed in the right side of Rear Sight body clockwise to move the Rear Sight Blade to the right or counterclockwise to move it to the left. (Moving Rear Sight to the right will move the group to the right, etc.) 20 Ensure your firearm is unloaded before adjusting your sights. At all times follow the basic rules of safe gun handling. FIGURE 16