- Field stripping a Glock is a critical skill for routine cleaning and maintenance.
- Advanced disassembly requires some basic tools, but it allows for deep cleaning and more part upgrades.
- Reassembly should always be followed by a final function check to make sure your Glock is functioning properly.
Owning a Glock is a great way to get into owning a gun, especially if you want longevity with the firearm. However, there are some skills that need to be present for you to get the most out of it. Knowing how to take a Glock apart is one of those skills.
We will cover the basics of field stripping and further disassembly of a Glock. This will allow you to do basic cleaning and upgrades for your Glock pistol without handing it off to a gunsmith when it isn’t necessary.
Basic Glock Field Strip
Field stripping a pistol is the minimum that is needed to clean it. This is taking the gun down to its largest parts without dealing with any tools until the items needed to clean the gun. This process is the most common task of caring for the firearm, and you will do it semi-regularly throughout the life of the pistol.
Now for the first step in field stripping a Glock: clearing the gun.
Clear The Gun
Before any Glock disassembly, you have to make sure the gun is empty. This prevents negligent discharges and allows the pistol to be disassembled. Start by removing the magazine. This is done by pressing the magazine release on the left-hand side of the pistol grip.
Once the release has been pressed, the magazine should either drop or stick out more than usual. If it just sticks out instead of dropping, pull the magazine from the magazine well and set it to the side if it sticks out instead of dropping.
Once the magazine is away from the gun, rack the slide a few times to ensure there is no round in the chamber. Visually inspect the chamber as an extra precaution. Then, point the firearm in a safe direction and dry fire it. It should “click,” and the gun is fully safe. Be sure to keep ammunition away from your work area when field stripping the gun.
Remove The Slide
Removing the slide is the next step in a Glock’s disassembly. Place the top of the pistol’s backstrap in the webbing of your right hand and curl your fingers around the top of the slide. Closing your fist will allow you to pull the slide back slightly with minimal effort.
Once you pull the slide back, pull down on the slide stop, which is a small serrated tab just above the trigger area. While holding the release down, slowly ease the slide forward.
After the slide is past the release, you can remove it from the frame by pushing it forward.
Remove The Recoil Spring
With the slide removed, turn it over, and you will see a large spring section. This is the recoil spring. Compress the spring towards the front of the gun and tilt the spring out. The spring should come out easily. Set it to the side in a clear area so you don’t lose it. This is one of the easiest operations of the Glock disassembly process.
Remove The Barrel
The barrel is the next major piece to be removed. Grasp the small toggle located near the middle of the slide. Push the barrel forward while pulling up. The barrel should push forward out of the slide a small amount and then allow you to pull it up directly out of the slide.
If your Glock model has a muzzle device or thread protector, these must be removed before you can pull the barrel free. Thread protectors and muzzle devices should be removed before the Glock disassembly.
Once the barrel is removed, the basic field strip is completed, and the sections are ready to be cleaned or lubricated.
Advanced Disassembly
If you want to do more of a deep clean or you just want to take the disassembly further, you can move on from a basic field strip. Now, you will need a small punch in order to reach into certain spaces or push pins.
Remove The Striker Plate And Striker
Near the rear of the slide, you will see a small channel with the end of your striker assembly. With your thumb on the back plate of the slide, pull the striker down with your punch and push the plate out of the slide.
Remember to keep your thumb where the plate was since the striker is spring-loaded, and you want to avoid the striker assembly jumping out of the slide on its own. Once the tension is released, the striker should slide out of the channel. Be sure to take the depressor for the extractor out as well.
Set both to the side and move on to the next step of your Glock’s disassembly.
Remove Extractor
Next, there will be a small silver rod near the ejection port. This is the firing pin safety plunger. Depress the plunger, and the extractor should come out of the side of the slide. Once the extractor is out, remove the plunger and set it with the rest of the slide’s internals.
Remove Trigger Assembly and Locking Block
From here, the process turns to the frame of the pistol. There are two pins above the trigger area (to the right of the slide release) and one near the rear of the grip. Each needs to be pushed out of the frame from left to right.
To make it easier for yourself, put them aside in the order you took them out. This will help prevent you from putting the wrong pin in the wrong hole. It’s best to start with the locking block pin.
When removing the slide release lever pin, you may have to wiggle the lever up and down as you remove the pin. This helps prevent it from getting stuck or binding in the gun. Remove the release lever in addition to the pin and set them to the side. The final pin should come out with no issue.
Locking Block
Once all the pins have been removed, the locking block should pull out easily from the slide. It is a fairly square-looking metal piece inside the frame. You may need to use your punch to pry it out. But it shouldn’t be a big issue in the Glock disassembly process.
Place it to the side with the rest of the internal parts.
Trigger Assembly
The trigger assembly should come out with no resistance. In order to do this, find the ejector “tab” and pull up. This should cause the entire assembly to come out of the frame. If it doesn’t, your trigger mechanism is broken, and you have a serious issue that should have come to light during the clearing phase.
Once the trigger assembly is clear, you have taken it almost completely apart. There are a few more pieces to remove, but this is as far as you should normally go to clean your pistol.
Conclusion
Once you’ve taken your Glock apart, all you have to do is reverse the process. One word of advice: first, put in the locking block/locking block pin. This will make it easier to seat the slide release lever.
After your Glock is assembled, perform a function check to make sure it still works. If you need anything else, reach out to our experts today or peruse our assortment of Glock parts.
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