I finally went and got my Smith & Wesson Military & Police .45 full size pistol on Saturday the 2nd of February, at approximately 4 PM. I paid $200 and got $20 change back, signed the back of the 4473 form confirming I picked up the pistol, pulled it out of the case, examined it briefly, then put it back in the case and walked around Green Mtn. Guns for a bit, still dazed by the experience of having a full sized self defense pistol again in a major caliber after years of fooling with 9 millimeters. My last .45 was a H&K USP, and I never shot it, it just stayed in it’s plastic case on top of the bookcase gary now has, and I pawned it for money in the mistaken belief that I would get a job and earn enough money to redeem it out of that pawn shop, but that never happened, so I lost that .45 along with all but three of my guns.
I did pull the pistol out in my Cherokee, and took pictures galore of it, then went to Lone Star to celebrate by eating a burger, fries, drink coffee and Ice water, and these days, that for me constitutes celebrating. I also wore it under my grey pullover long sleeve shirt, just to see and feel how it conceals. I need an inside the pants holster for it; the pistol is full size and it wants to fall out of my pants, and did in fact twice. The first, when I went to the bathroom to use the commode, and the second when I paid my bill and left to get to my Jeep to leave.
My impressioin of this pistol is that it is Big, but not bulky, and is rather trim in width and svelte compared to a full size 1911 Gov’t model .45. Smith & Wesson achieved a miracle in getting the frame and slide to hold 10 cartridges in the magazine and still have the pistol fit into the size envelope it does. It also feels lighter than a comparable 1911 style pistol, and the zytel plastic frame and lightweight parts of the controls inside the frame no doubt lighten the pistol.
The next day (Sunday) I did manage to take the pistol apart and the frame tool is very hard to get out of it’s recess in the back part of the grip. I had to use the regular screwdriver blade on my trusty Swiss Army knife as a pry bar to pry the tool out of is’s recess, and even turning it is difficult. But I finally got it rotated 90 degrees, and pulled it out of the recess. The I locked the slide back, and used the tool to lower the sear deactication lever to allow the slide to run forward when the slide lock lever on the left side of the frame is in the lower position. I got the slide off, flipped the slide upside down, and pulled out the recoil spring guide and spring from the detent on the bottom of the barrel, then took the barrel out of the slide. I also took many pictures of the barrel, slide, recoil spring and guide, magazine, frame and all from differnet angles and got images of all sides of the major components.
I wiped off the excess lubricent from the factory, and put the pistol back together again, and took it apart several more times to make sure I got the procedure down pat. The I took some more pictures of the reassembled pistol on my right leg and in the case, then packed it back in it’s blue case, and hid it in my Jeep so on one can easily find it and steal it.
The next day I went to Dick’s Sporting Goods and bought a Field & Stream cleaing accessories pack, which included a .44 and .45 bronze brush, a patch holder, 20 cleaning patches to fit a .44 or .45, and a brass jag for tight fitting a patch down the barrel. I pulled out the cleaing kit for my Sig and can use the handle-extension with the extension holder, and thank God the threads are the same size and pitch, and fit. So I can use the military cleaning rod section for the intitial cleaning of my M&P and don’t have to buy a new cleaning rod for it, at least not yet.
I have not yet cleaned the factory oil and grease off the pistol, but will do that the first chance I get to do so in (relative) privacy away from prying and no doubt paranoid eyes, and lube it. I only wish I had some Hoppe’s # 9 to clean it with, but will have to depend on the bottle of Break Free CLP I have in the plastic bag with the cleaning rod, jags, brushes, patches, etc, for the Sig. I won’t be able to afford any Break Free till I get paid on Friday and will try to clean the pistol on Friday evening or on Saturday next. I miss the smell of Hoppe’s # 9. It just seems to make a firearm all the cleaner and breaks it in, in a traditional way. Soon.
Meanwile, some images of my new pistol. A keeper for concealed carry/self defense and one I intend to have till the day I die.
