Manual

attached to the hammer) to rock the hammer forward on its axis (11) to strike the firing
pin (70) mounted in its slot in the slide. The firing pin will fly forward to strike and fire the
cartridge in the chamber.
When the powder in the cartridge case is ignited by the primer it generates a huge
volume of gas. This gas expands in all directions, but as the least resistance is offered
by the bullet directly ahead of it, it starts the bullet down the barrel (61), the gas pressure
following along after it during its travel. Meanwhile, the outward thrust of the gases press
the brass cartridge case firmly against the walls of the firing chamber, preventing gas
from leaking back past the cartridge case.
The backward thrust of the gases inside the cartridge case press the case back
against the breechblock which, in these pistols, is part of the slide.
The barrel and slide are locked together
by the locking ribs on the top of the barrel
which engage slots in the underside of the slide. They remain securely locked together
during the moment of high breech pressure. They go back for a short distance firmly
locked together.
As the bullet leaves the barrel and the chamber pressure falls to safe limits, the
resilient brass case contracts to its normal size, moving away from the walls of the firing
chamber. The barrel, swinging backwards on its link, which is firmly attached to the frame
by the slide stop pin passing through it, is forced downward by the continuing rearward
motion. The rear of the barrel strikes against its stop in the frame and its reaward action
is halted: while the slide continues on backwards in a straight line in its grooves in the
frame. The extractor, mounted in the breechblock face, carries the empty cartridge case
out of the firing chamber with it.
When the breechblock end of the slide passes completely over the mouth of the
magazine below, the ejection port in the right-hand side of the slide is fully exposed.