While surfing YouTube, I happened upon a series of videos by an Ontario resident named, apparently, Brent Nowell.
I was impressed by his casual approach to firearms assembly and disassembly. If one goes by the author's on-camera demeanor, this is nothing more than
He doesn't seem to mind if he refers to the Slide Assembly as the "upper", and other apparent 'errors' of firearms nomenclature don't mean that he doesn't know what the parts are called ... it's just that he recognizes that "the map is not the terrain".
He's not a pedagogue. He's just someone who has a useful skill, and sees no reason why anybody can't learn it in one easy lesson.
And he's right.
When I decided that this would make a convenient all-in-one-place online technical reference, I was disappointed that the embedding option had been disabled by request. Fair enough; if the only way you can view the extremely helpful videos is to go directly to youtube and search for them, use the links (see below), or go directly to this youtube album then that's the way I recommend to you.
But to stick closely to ONLY his assembly and re-assembly of the 1911, here's the links to those three specific videos:
Disassembly of the 1911
Re-assembly of the 1911 (part 1 of 2)
Re-assembly of the 1911 (part 2 of 2)
I am not a gunsmith, nor do I play one on Television. I'm not sure about the technical background of the author, but I suspect that he fits more into the category of "skilled amateur". His youtube channel profile states that he is a computer geek; well, of course, Geeks often have a surprising variety of interests.
If you want a complete video representation of 1911 re-assembly, this video animates the whole process in a 'theoretical' mode. It demonstrates some of the details not present in brentnowell's videos (for example, mainspring assembly in the mainspring housing) but nothing there contradicts what you can learn from this author. And brentnowell is very good about warning the would-be 'gunsmith' about the little things which can cause you grief ... such as retaining the plunger tube components which are under spring compression.
If you think you have the guts to take apart and re-assemble your 1911, and just want someone to show you how, then I highly recommend this series of videos to you.
However, I even more strongly advise you to view the video(s) several times to make sure you have it down pat, and to test-fire your re-assembled 1911 on the range before you are confident of the results. It's easy when you know what you are doing, but it's as easy to do it 'wrong' as to do it 'right'.
Anecdotal aside:
In 2001 I asked a friend who was familiar with the process to detail-clean my 2011 EDGE from STI. I neglected to provide him with ammunition or a magazine to test-fire the pistol, so when he delivered it to me at the 2001 Area 1 USPSA Match in Washington, he warned me that it had not been test fired.
Sure enough, he had inadvertently installed the 3-finger spring (sear spring) incorrectly, and on the first stage the pistol went full-auto for a coupe of rounds. My score for that stage was Zero, and I was not allowed to continue the match until the problem was corrected.
My friend was embarrassed, and so was I. Using nothing more than a rock as a hammer, and a small screwdriver, my friend dis-assembled and then re-assembled the pistol. After testing it at the "Function Firing Bay", I was able to to re-enter the match and ending up winning the match.
Okay, that last part is a lie. The pistol functioned flawlessly, but I did not. I was somewhere in the mediocre middle in order of finish within my class, which is where I belong because you know what? I'm just not that good.
By the way, in 2008 I wrote an article about "1911 maintenance without tools". The linked videos mention that the 1911 can be completely disassembled using only "a small screwdriver, and a large screwdriver".
The large screwdriver is used to remove the grip retention screws.
The small screwdriver is helpful in removing the firing pin block, the extractor, a few retaining pins (if they are obstinate). Oh, and in re-installing the firing pin block because the firing pin must be depressed. I don't mean 'depressed' in the sense of having a bad attitude; I mean in pressing it into the firing pin channel of the slide so that the firing pin block can be installed.
It's also handy in aligning the extractor pin so that the firing pin block can be installed, depressing the Plunger Pin so the safety can be installed, etc.
Still, it's interesting to note that the removed parts can be used as tools. For example, the slide lock can be used to depress the firing pin. And the slide can be used as a hammer to install retaining pins.
The 1911 was designed to be a military sidearm, and as such John Browning made a conscious effort to make it possible -- if awkward -- to completely disassemble and reassemble the pistol without any tools at all, let alone special tools.
That being said, I have always found it much easier to include a 1/8" punch in my field kit. And of course, my range bag includes some small parts for those which may be damaged or, more likely, lost during field expedient repairs.
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