How to Disassemble a Glock 17 or 19: Field Strip any Glock

Step-by-step instructions on how to dismantle, field strip or disassemble a Glock 17 Gen 5 semiautomatic pistol. 

These How to disassemble a Glock 17 instructions will work for virtually all Glock models in 9mm, .40 and .45 ACP all the way back to the first Glocks made in the early 80s.

Glock firearms can be quickly dismantled, field stripped or disassembled for cleaning into the four main parts without tools. This is one of the many reasons Glock is one of the most popular guns in the world.

• Frame
• Slide
• Recoil spring/guide rod
• Barrel

Learning to perform this basic maintenance procedure is critical to the proper care and cleaning of a Glock pistol, or any pistol for that matter.

Once these parts are separated, each part can be easily cleaned and lubricated.

Here is a Glock Cleaning video:

See additional articles on field stripping a Kimber 1911, Smith & Wesson Bodyguard, S & W Shield EZ or Springfield XDm.

One issue with the field stripping procedure on a Glock semiautomatic is that the trigger must be pressed in order to remove the slide. This has resulted in negligent discharges for some Glock owners that failed to properly unload the gun prior to beginning the disassembly.

The firearm I am using for this tutorial is a Glock 17 Gen 5 MOS. (the MOS stands for Modular Optic system, meaning that an optic can easily be mounted on the slide)

It is critically important that the first step to disassemble or clean any firearm is to UNLOAD the weapon and to VERIFY at least twice that it is indeed unloaded.

Here are the steps to disassemble or field strip a Glock 17 or Glock 19 9mm (and most other Glock Models)

1. Unload the gun. Remove the magazine FIRST and rack the slide several times to eject any round that is in the chamber.
2. Lock the slide to the rear and visually verify there is no round in the chamber and no magazine in the gun.
3. Point the muzzle in a safe direction and press the trigger. The trigger must be in the rearward position in order to remove the slide.
4. Grip the Glock in the right hand as shown in the picture and move the slide slightly (about 1/4 inch) to the rear.
5. While holding the slide slightly to the rear, use your left thumb and forefinger to pull the take-down lever downward on both sides of the gun.
6. While holding the take-down lever down, use your right hand to move the slide forward and off the front of the frame.
7. Remove the recoil spring and guide rod assembly from the slide.
8. Remove the barrel from the slide.

How to disassemble a Glock 17 in Pictures

How to disassemble a Glock 17: After Verifying the Glock is UNLOADED, follow these steps:

That’s it, you are ready to clean the Glock 17 or other model. I have included a video below for your viewing pleasure.

How to Disassemble a Glock 17: How to Field Strip a Glock 17 Video

I hope this article has helped you learn how to field strip a Glock 17 or other model for cleaning. Please leave comments or questions in the comment section below! Thanks for visiting my site!

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