COTEP.org - A little help with Detail-stripping

Detail-Stripping your Rock
Seems we're getting a lot of first-time 1911 owners having problems Detail-Stripping for the first time. So, here's a little tutorial on the Subject.

1.) Clear the gun. Make sure there's no magazine in the well and no round in the chamber.

Detail-Stripping the Slide;
2.) Depress the Guide-Rod plug with your thumb and turn the Bushing to the left as far as it will go with your fingers. Slowly release pressure on the plug and remove the plug and recoil spring.

3.) Slide the slide back to the takedown notch(Located on the left side of the slide, it will be the smaller of the two notches and closest to the hammer) and push the Slide-Stop out from the right side of the frame.

4.) Grasp the slide and pull it forward and off of the Frame.

5.) Turn the bushing to the right until the slot is showing and pull the bushing off of the barrel.

6.) Remove the Guide-Rod and slide the barrel out the front of the slide.

7.) Take a 1/8th. punch and Depress the Firing-Pin and when it clears the Firing-Pin Stop, angle the punch downward to move the Firing-Pin Stop down. Put your thumb over the Firing-pin area and slide the Stop down and off the slide while holding your thumb over the pin. Slowly release the pressure with your thumb and remove the Firing-Pin and Spring.

8.) Turn the slide over and ,from the bottom of the slide, push the Extractor-Head towards the rear with the punch. When you push it back to flush with the breechface grasp the other end and pull the Extractor out.

9.) There is no need to remove the sights.

Detail-Stripping the Frame;

10.) Verify that the hammer is cocked. If not, cock the hammer.

11.) Remove the Gripscrews and the grip panels.

12.) Move the Thumb-Safety to a point midway between engaged and disengaged and pull straight out from the Frame to remove. Next, remove the Slide-Stop plunger,spring and Safety-Plunger by pushing them out the rear of the tube.
NOTE: If you have a Tactical Model, turn the Thumb-Safety halfway up and pull the right side paddle off first, then remove the left-side paddle

13.) Grasp the frame,depressing the grip-safety and, with your other hand holding the Hammer, squeeze the trigger and guide the hammer to the fired position.

14.) Lay the Frame on it's side and tap the Mainspring Housing Pin out by tapping with a hammer and punch on the recessed side. Slide the Mainspring Housing out and remove the Grip-Safety.

15.) lift the searspring out.

16.) Remove the Hammer-Pin by pushing from the right side, lift the Hammer and Strut out.

17.) Push the Sear-Pin out from the right side and remove the sear and Disconnector.

18.) Push in on the Magazine-Release and at the same time, turn the Magazine-Release Lockscrew one-quarter turn counterclockwise and push it out the right side.

19.) Remove the trigger by sliding it out the back of the gripframe.

Reassembly is the opposite, start at number 19 and work towards number 1.

HTH;