The Silliness of Field Stripping Some Autos

[Phaedrus/69]

The Ruger MkI/II/III is easy to take down. Now, putting it back together...

 

[JDGray]

The Ruger MkI/II/III is easy to take down. Now, putting it back together

I know!!!! Pulling the trigger with the barrel pointing down is soooooo dangerous!!!

 

[Zaydok Allen]

My easiest gun to clean is my SA XDs. Flip the lever, pull the trigger, and clean away. Love it.

I hear the Walther PPs is a real pain.

 

[Tommygunn]

My easiest gun to clean is my SA XDs. Flip the lever, pull the trigger, and clean away. Love it.

I hear the Walther PPs is a real pain.

I never found my Walther PP difficult to clean .....

EDIT: er,, PP, or PPS? Don't know nothin' 'bout any PPS.

 

[PJSprog]

If you have trouble stripping a M&P it's because you failed to read the operators manual. They didn't hide the lever, it's yellow. They didn't make it a secret, it's well documented.

I guess you missed the part in the original post where I said that I found out by checking the manual. And, the lever on hers is definitely not yellow, it's just unfinished steel (or whatever metal they used).

As much as I appreciate all the Glock trigger references, I've never owned a Glock. Again, I'm a revolver guy. I'm used to swinging out a cylinder and cleaning away. Pretty much all modern revolvers work this way. It would seem, though, that pretty much all modern semiautos work completely different regarding takedown. That was my point.

First world problems, indeed, Dave. Then again, that's the case with pretty much every post here, no?

 

[ATLDave]

First world problems, indeed, Dave. Then again, that's the case with pretty much every post here, no?

What??? My difficulties finding AA#5 powder were the most serious problems in history!!!

 

[ny32182]

So to clarify the method not using the lever (which is what people mean when they say "pull the trigger like a Glock":

1) Lock gun open
2) Rotate the takedown lever
3) Let the slide forward until it stops. It is only being held on the frame at that point by contact between the striker and sear.
4) Pull the trigger to drop the sear, eliminating this contact
5) Slide the slide off the front of the frame.

I definitely prefer this method over sticking my finger or some tool into the breach of a locked open pistol.

 

[ClickClickD'oh]

And, the lever on hers is definitely not yellow, it's just unfinished steel (or whatever metal they used).

If your lever is not yellow, you need to go talk to the people you bought it from because it's not new and someone has been tinkering with it. The sear deactivation lever in al M&P pistols is yellow from the factory.

 

[Water-Man]

OP,

Buy a Sig P320SC for cleaning simplicity.

 

[gwpercle]

You haven't noticed, the more modern something is the more complicated it becomes.
I can change the headlights my 1968 Chevelle with a screwdriver. Wife's 2012 Tahoe you have to disassemble half of the front end to get to them.
!968 Chevelle...old school
2012 Tahoe.....new school

1911...old school
S&W M&P 9c....new school

Just the way things are...more complicated equals more better!

 

[ny32182]

uhhh..

1911:



M&P:



There are like 30 parts total in an M&P. The internet tells me 49 in a standard 1911. Actually I would have guessed the difference was more significant.

 

[fastbolt]

I'll toss in that early gen pistols had a curved sear disengagement level instead of the modern straight levers. Due to the design of the curved level, you have to have it depressed to reassemble the pistol, with the modern straight one it doesn't matter.

-Jenrick

Good point. I didn't mention it because I didn't want to complicate the topic, but since you did ...



The lever on the left is from an older sear housing block I got in my first M&P armorer class in '07. It has the original dog-leg bend.

The SHB on the right has the current lever, which is straighter.

The curved lever could get hit by the slide's pick-up rail during reassembly unless it was in the down position, while the current lever doesn't get in the way if left in the up position.

In other words, they decided to make it more "cop proof" while they may be standing around a cleaning station, chatting and maybe not paying as much attention as they ought.

As a LE armorer trained for a number of different firearms, I've long since stopped being bothered by how different gun company engineers decided their firearms ought to be disassembled for normal cleaning and user-level maintenance. Might as well complain about different car companies not putting a dipstick in the same spot, or supporting a raised hood in the same exact manner.

Learn what's needed and move along to give thought to other important matters in everyday life.

Now, as a LE firearms instructor and armorer, I'd be happy if we could just get everyone on the same page of actually learning to properly clean and lubricate their issued & personally-owned firearms. :banghead:

 

[george burns]

Sir, if you had trouble with an M&P, that's very disheartening, because they are relatively simple mechanical firearms to field strip.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I never found my Walther PP difficult to clean .....

EDIT: er,, PP, or PPS? Don't know nothin' 'bout any PPS.

Whoops. Sorry. PPS.

 

[judgecrater]

I just use my finger nail to push the lever on my M&Ps. Not that hard. But removing the striker block from the M&P makes you appreciate the simplicity of Glocks.

Now I will agree that reassembling my Ruger MKI Target is a trick. I keep a copy of a page out of the manual right in the gun rug with it.

 

[Jenrick]

Now, as a LE firearms instructor and armorer, I'd be happy if we could just get everyone on the same page of actually learning to properly clean and lubricate their issued & personally-owned firearms.

Dear god yes! Just yesterday had a conversation with an officer about how just because the M&P can be run bone dry does not mean one should!

-Jenrick

 

[Ignition Override]

Pull down the trigger guard on most of my handguns, or a small tab at the trigger guard: Makarovs, Polish P-83s, Czech CZ-82, Sig 232.

Off comes the slide. Very simple.

 

[ColoradoShooter77]

The Walther PPX is about as easy as it gets. Drop the magazine, lock the slide back, turn the disassembly lever down....slide the slide off the frame....done!

 

[45_auto]

There are like 30 parts total in an M&P.

I count 30 parts just in the outlined boxes labeled #39 and #25 "Standard" of your schematic (18 in #39, 12 in #25).

Is there some reason that the barrel, multiple recoil spring parts, multiple trigger parts, multiple frame parts, multiple grip parts, and multiple take down parts don't count toward the total part count on an M&P?

 

[herrwalther]

I hear the Walther PPs is a real pain.

The Walther PPX is about as easy as it gets. Drop the magazine, lock the slide back, turn the disassembly lever down....slide the slide off the frame....done!

Modern Walthers can really spoil a person on how easy they are to field strip for cleaning. The P99 and PPS have tabs that you push down to release the slide. Nothing difficult about the process.

The most frustrating firearm I had to clean was an AMT backup. Tools needed were a wooden spoon, small punch, and a nickel. It had no slide lock so the nickel was to hold the slide open just enough to run the handle of the wooden spoon up the magazine well to knock out the firing pin block. The barrel was fixed to the frame so I never could get the slide off as it wasn't built like a normal blowback pistol. The grip panels had to be taken off to clean underneath the internal hammer. First time I cleaned mine I found a (human?) tooth that was lodged underneath the hammer. That AMT taught me what "tool less disassembly" means in a modern auto pistol.

 

[ritepath]

Yeah the M&P is a snap...

 

[Bama Drifter]

All has been pretty much covered, but count me in for 1911s and Glocks. There is a reason Glock uses "Perfection" as their motto and similar reason that a few dozen companies make clones of the 1911.
S&W did face an embarrassing suit over the "Sigma" pistols and I still don't see how they get away knocking off Glock w/ the SWVE series. <bangs head> *Sigh*

 

[2ndAmendmentNut]

To properly disassemble a S&W revolver you need about a half dozen tools.



Luckily this sort of disassembly is really only needed when the gun needs to be refinished.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Surely you jest.

While Ruger revolvers are fairly simple to break down, taking Smith & Wesson and Colt revolvers apart is more difficult than field stripping almost any auto. Fortunately you don't need to for simple cleaning.

 

[PJSprog]

While Ruger revolvers are fairly simple to break down, taking Smith & Wesson and Colt revolvers apart is more difficult than field stripping almost any auto. Fortunately you don't need to for simple cleaning.

Yeah, and that was the point, which some people seem to be either missing or intentionally avoiding. I don't need to completely disassemble a modern firearm just to clean it after shooting it, revolver or auto.

Appreciate all the parts lists, though.