Cycle of Operation

Refer to figures 8-3, 8-4, and 8-5 as we explain the functions of the pistol. We will assume that a loaded magazine is in the weapon, a round is in the chamber, the grip safety is depressed, and the trigger

Figure 8-6.-Safeties on the .45-cal. pistol.

has been squeezed and the round fired. The cycle of operation now begins. The cycle of operation has been addressed earlier in this chapter. For more information on the M1911A1 .45-cal. pistol refer to U.S. Army TM 9-1005-211-12.

THE .38-CALIBER REVOLVER

You will find the .38-cal. S&W revolver (fig. 8-7) in armories ashore, where it is used by personnel assigned to guard or police duties. Because it is lighter than the .45-cal. pistol, the .38-cal. revolver is frequently issued to flight personnel. This weapon has about the same maximum and effective ranges (1600 and 50 yards, respectively) as the .45-cal. pistol. Figure 8-8 shows the revolver disassembled to the extent usually required for normal care.

Operation

In this discussion, operation of the revolver is limited to loading, firing, and unloading. To load the

Figure 8-7.-The .38-cal. special Smith and Wesson revolver: A. Left side- (1) thumbpiece (cylinder release), (2) stock screw, (3) stock; B. Right side- (1 and 2) sideplate screws, (3) sideplate, (4) stock.

revolver, swing the cylinder out by pushing forward on the thumbpiece and applying a little pressure on the right side of the cylinder. The thumbpiece will not release the cylinder if the hammer is cocked.

NOTE

The cylinder should not be flipped out sharply because this can cause the crane to be bent, throwing the cylinder out of timing and/or alignment.

Insert a round in each of the cylinder's six chambers, and swing the cylinder back into position. The weapon is now loaded and ready to be fired.

The revolver can be fired by single or double action. For single-action firing, the hammer is pulled back with the thumb to the full-cock position for each round. This action also rotates the cylinder. The hammer is held in the cocked position by the sear until released by the trigger. In double-action firing, pulling the trigger causes the hammer to be raised to nearly its full-cock position. The hammer strut will then escape the trigger, and the spring-loaded hammer will fall and strike the cartridge. In double-action firing, the cylinder is rotated by pulling the trigger. Since it requires considerably less trigger pull for single action, this method should produce better accuracy.

The empty cartridges are ejected by swinging out the cylinder to the left and pushing the ejector plunger toward the rear of the cylinder, There are two built-in safeties on this revolver the hammer block and the rebound slide. The hammer block prevents the hammer from going far enough forward to strike the cartridge primer when both the hammer and the trigger are in the forward or uncocked position. Thus, if the revolver were dropped or otherwise struck on the hammer, the round would not be fired. The rebound slide actuates the hammer block to prevent the hammer from traveling far enough to strike the primer should the hammer slip from the thumb while being manually cocked.

Disassembly and Assembly

To disassemble the revolver, do the following:

1. Remove the stock screws and lift off the stocks. (See figure 8-7.)

2. Push forward on the thumbpiece (No. 1 in figure 8-7, view A), which actuates the cylinder latch, and

Figure 8-8.-The .38-cal. Smith and Wesson revolver, completely disassembled.

swing the cylinder out to the left. With a small screwdriver, remove the sideplate screw (No. 1 in figure 8-7, view B) located directly under the cylinder. This screw retains the crane (or yoke) of the cylinder and ejector group.

3. Remove the cylinder and ejector group by pulling the ejector forward.

4. Remove the three remaining sideplate screws (No. 2 in figure 8-7, view B).

5. Remove the sideplate. (Do not use excessive force.)

6. If the revolver has a hammer block that fits over a pin in the rebound slide, remove the hammer _block. If the revolver has the type of hammer block that is staked to the sideplate (early models), removal is not required.

To reassemble the weapon, if the hammer block has been removed, place the hole in the hammer block over the hammer block pin (No. 12 in figure 8-8) so that the "L" projection of the hammer block will fit between the hammer and the frame. Assemble the

sideplate, making sure the hammer block fits in the recess in the sideplate (do not force). Install the remaining parts, following the reverse order of disassembly.

For further information on the .38-cal. revolver, refer to U.S. Army TM 9-1005-206-14&P-1.