Manual

TO LOAD AND FIRE (WITH MAGAZINE)

Practice this important aspect of safe gun handling with an unloaded pistol

until you can perform each of the steps described below with skill and

confidence. But before you do anything with the pistol, first read completely

through this manual.

1. Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. (See “The Basic Rules

of Safe Firearms Handling,” page 27.)

2. Press the magazine latch inward from the left side, and remove the magazine

from the frame. NOTE: The magazine is designed to fall free of the frame of its

own weight when unloaded and the pistol is held in the normal firing position,

but you should always prevent possible damage to the magazine by not letting it

drop to the ground unless rapid reloading is absolutely necessary.

3. Place eight (8) or fewer .45ACP cartridges into an 8 round magazine, or seven

(7) or fewer .45ACP cartridges into a 7 round magazine (see p. 6 for magazine

identification).

4. Insert the magazine into the frame, taking care that the magazine is locked

in place by the magazine latch. Slamming the magazine into the frame forcibly

is not necessary.

5. Hold the pistol firmly in the shooting hand but do not touch the trigger.

Keep the pistol pointed in a safe direction. With the thumb and forefinger of the

other hand grasp the rear of the slide and pull the slide to the rear as far as it

will go (See “Slide Retraction Warning” p. 13). When released, the slide will fly

forward to strip the top cartridge from the magazine and chamber it.

WARNING: The pistol is ready for instant use in the single-action mode once the

slide moves forward. Be careful!

6. If the pistol is not to be fired immediately, keep it pointed in a safe direction

and depress the decocking lever until the hammer drops. Remember that the

decocking lever will spring back to the double-action “fire” position when

released. (See Decocking Lever Warning”, p. 7)

7. When the pistol is in the “uncocked” mode (hammer forward), the first shot

can be fired double-action by pulling the trigger all the way to the rear, which

cocks the hammer and then fires the pistol. Subsequent shots are fired single-

action until the magazine is empty, the hammer being cocked by the slide as it

recoils from each shot. Note that the trigger pull is much lighter for these subse-

quent shots.

AMMUNITION (CARTRIDGES) NOTICE

WE SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGE

OR INJURY WHATSOEVER OCCURRING IN CONNECTION WITH, OR

AS A RESULT OF, THE USE IN RUGER FIREARMS OF FAULTY, OR

NON-STANDARD, OR “RE-MANUFACTURED”, OR HAND-LOADED

(RELOADED) AMMUNITION, OR OF CARTRIDGES OTHER THAN

THOSE FOR WHICH THE FIREARM WAS

ORIGINALLY CHAMBERED.