If the magazine has no cartridges in it, just pull the slide back - the magazine follower will actuate the slide release and lock the slide to the rear. If it's not an empty magazine, you need to push up on the slide release (located on the left side of the frame) while you pull back on the slide.
Slide is pulled to the rear and stop is engaged by hand.
you put the magazine into the butt of the pistol, then to charge the pistol pull the slide to the rear and let go or push down on the slide catch if there are no more rounds in the magazine.
Follower, Floor Plate, Magazine Tube, Magazine Spring, Retaining plate, Locking Block Plunger.
The magazine (clip) is held in the pistol by the magazine catch. This is a small stud that sticks out of the bottom rear of the grip. With the gun pointed in a safe direction and your finger OFF the trigger, hold pistol in right hand. Push the magazine catch to the rear (spring loaded) and hold it back, At same time pull down on the lip of the magazine at the front of the grip, and the magazine should slide free. THE PISTOL MAY STILL BE LOADED. After removing the magazine, pull the slide to the rear, and check the chamber for the presence of a cartridge.
Provided that the magazine is inserted in the weapon during firing, the slide remains locked to the rear.
No. The frame does.
The Colt M1911 is a single-action semiautomatic pistol. To fire it, you must first insert a loaded magazine into the magazine well. Then pull the slide all the way back, this will cock the hammer. Release the slide and let it return to battery, this performs the action of stripping a round from the magazine and chambering it. Now align the sights on target and pull the trigger. When the pistol has expended all the rounds, the slide will lock back. At this point, press the magazine release, located at the rear of the trigger guard, and the magazine will drop to the floor.
Insert a loaded magazine into the magazine well until it clicks in place. Hold the pistol in your firing hand. With your other hand, grasp the serrations on the rear of the slide, pull back, and release. Slide will move forward, chambering a cartridge. Gun is now loaded.
Pull the slide back, and lock it to the rear. Inspect the chamber to ensure it's clear. Check the safety to ensure it's on safe. Load rounds into the magazine. Insert magazine into bottom of pistol grip. Release slide to chamber the first round.
Inside the magazine there is a spring which pushes the rounds into the chamber. When the magazine is empty, the bolt or slide is locked and will not go forward, unless the bolt/slide release catch is pressed. When a fresh magazine, with rounds inside of it, is inserted into the magazine housing, the bolt/slide release catch is pressed and the weapon is ready to fire again. For some weapons the cocking handle will need to be re-cocked, and for others you don't even need to cock.
Technically, suitable ammo is loaded into magazine. Magazine is inserted into pistol. Slide is pulled back then let go, chambering a round from the aforementioned magazine. Trigger is pulled, causing hammer to move backwards via the trigger bar. Once past point of release, hammer falls, striking the firing pin. Firing pin moves and contacts primer of round, causing detonation of the powder, forcing the bullet forward through the rifling and exiting barrel. Firearm unlocks, casing is extracted and ejected, hammer is cocked, slide catches another round and forces it into the chamber of the barrel. Slide returns to forward most position and the whole process repeats.
More than likely a problem with the magazine.