Disassemble a Glock (intermediate)

This photo blog entry goes over how to disassemble a Glock on an intermediate level for maintenance and cleaning. This information also generally applies to most modern handguns on the market today. (IE: Springfield Armory, Smith and Wesson, H&K, etc). Click any of the photos to enlarge them.

Once you have disassembled your Glock, you can perform basic cleaning of your firearm at this level. Glocks are notorious for not requiring much maintenance, but I always take my Glock apart on an intermediate level for a little more thorough cleaning. To do this, start by taking your Glock apart as mentioned here.



Now that you have the Glock in two pieces, let's look at the slide.



In the upper portion of the slide, near the barrel, there is a large spring. This is the RECOIL SPRING. We want to remove this part first. Just pinch at the bottom and use your finger on the top near the barrel as a stabilizer like the photo above.

Push up a little with your thumb and the RECOIL SPRING should come out pretty easy. Be careful and do not let it fly off the slide! Use a good strong pinching motion to move it from place and hold on to it at the same time like the photo below.


Once you have removed the RECOIL SPRING, set it aside.


Now we want to pull out the BARREL. This is the long cylinder inside the slide, and at this point, is the only thing left. Just grab it and move it forward a little and pull it out.


The barrel is free and clear! Now the frame, magazines, slide, recoil spring and barrel are all separate.


For the most part, you should not require any further disassembly of your Glock than this level.


Cleaning of all parts can be very effective at this point and most user-serviceable items are easy to work on from this point as well.

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