Fieldstripping a Sig Sauer P365 or S&W .380 EZ
You’ve heard the term: “fieldstripping your gun.”
But what does this mean? How do you do it? How often do you have to clean your gun? What’s the big deal, anyway?
Our friends at Wikipedia say fieldstripping: “refers to the process of disassembling it into its major components for cleaning and maintenance. This typically involves removing the slide, barrel, and other key parts in order to access hard-to-reach areas and remove built-up residue.”
When the gun’s apart, you clean out the gunk and then lube your gun according to directions in the manual.
One day I asked Joe: “How does your Sig Sauer P365 X-Comp come apart to clean?”
A newbie nearby huffed.
“All you do is run a snake through it.” She barely avoided saying: “Duh.”
Wouldn’t it be great if all you have to do is pass a snake through the barrel?
Drat. You should have guessed you aren’t going to get away that easily.
Fortunately, many new guns, including Sig’s P365 series and Smith & Wesson’s EZ series come apart basically the same way.
So, what do you always do first when starting to clean any gun?
You point the muzzle in a safe direction, away from any people and anything that potentially could get damaged. Then, you check to see that the gun is unloaded. Remember how we do that?
Push the magazine release button. The mag shoots out. Now there is no magazine in the gun.
But is there a round in the chamber? Pull back the slide all the way and push up on the slide lock lever. By the way, is the muzzle still pointed in a safe direction? Yes? Good.
While I am telling you this, I’m pulling back on Joe’s P365. And pulling. Drat.
I’m not strong enough to get the slide all the way back. This 365 has a pretty strong recoil spring!
“Put the empty mag back in the gun,” directs Joe. “It’s easier to lock the slide when the magazine is in the grip. You can lock it back without the magazine in, but it’s a lot harder.”
OK. I knew this a couple years ago and have managed to forget. And he’s right. The slide does lock back much more easily with the empty mag in the grip. Done.
Now that the slide is locked back, look into the ejection chamber. See any metal casing? Look towards the muzzle from the chamber. Still no back of a casing?
So, we’re totally clear of rounds in the gun.
Push the mag release button again to eject the magazine. The magazine needs to be out when you take the gun apart.
We’re about to fieldstrip the gun.
These particular handguns and many new ones like them come apart in the same manner. Of course, always check the manual first.
Locate the take-down lever. This lever is forward (towards the muzzle) of the slide lock lever. It has parallel lines on it. Often, when you see parallel lines, this is an indication of a place where you will push.
The take-down lever is no exception. Right now, the lever is running parallel to the slide. Take a finger and push down on this lever so that the lever is at a 90’ angle to the slide. You’ll be pushing downward from the side of the lever closest to the rear of the gun.
Now, the slide must come forward, so press down on the slide lock lever.
If you’re right-handed, hold the grip with your right hand. With your left hand, reach to the top of the slide, and pull the slide towards the front of the gun. If you’re left-handed, do the opposite. Notice that you can move the slide forward?
Continue pulling until the slide is totally off the frame. You did it! The gun is now in 2 pieces. That’s the way it’s supposed to be.
Are we done yet? No.
Let’s place the slide upside-down on the counter. See the spring? Place your left hand over the spring, caging it. One side of the spring is towards the muzzle. The other side sits in an indentation on the breech block. You’ll push backwards on the spring and pull up, which compresses it and then allows it to come off this indentation. Naturally, since the spring is under pressure, when you let go, it may want to fly across the room. This is why your left hand is acting like a cage over it. Your hand’s cage keeps the spring from going anywhere.
So now you have the recoil spring out of the slide. Lay it aside.
Beneath where the spring had been is the barrel with its barrel block. Remember, the spring had been compressed onto the notch on the barrel block. This part of the block is raised. Pick up the block, and move it backwards and up. Now you can lift the barrel out of the slide. Put it aside.
The slide assembly has come apart to the slide itself, the recoil spring and the barrel. You did it! Your handgun is fieldstripped.
Once your gun is fieldstripped, you can clean the various parts as described in your manual. And yes, part of cleaning your gun includes running a “snake” though the barrel. The snake is like a fat string you drop into the barrel, from the end closest to the chamber to the end closest to the muzzle.
Fortunately, many new guns come apart this way. It’s fairly simple. You clean your gun after you’ve been shooting a few months, or when you’ve shot a lot.
Why bother? When you shoot, residue builds up in the barrel and the internal mechanisms of the gun. This residue can combine with lubricants, resulting in firing fouling or in decreasing the precision of your shooting. We sure don’t want that!
So now: lucky you! Bring out the solvent, swabs, grease, and all the tools you need to clean every crevice, surface, and rail.
Fieldstripping? Piece of cake!
Marj Law is the former director of Keep Wakulla County Beautiful who has become an avid shooter in retirement.
