How to Field-Strip Your Semi-Automatic Pistol

Smith & Wesson's Julie Golob demonstrates the easy (yes, easy) steps to disassembling and reassembling your gun.

posted on July 14, 2021

Does the phrase "field-stripping" make you think of soldiers in Basic Training mastering complex tasks? Field-stripping your semi-automatic handgun is much simpler than it sounds, as Smith & Wesson's Julie Golob demonstrates in this video from the iconic gunmaker's GUNSMARTS series. There are lots of reasons why you should know how to field-strip your pistol, but for new gun owners, the best one may be this: It's a terrific way to understand how your gun works, and that will improve your safety and accuracy on the firing line.

As Golob demonstrates, there are two main types of semi-automatic magazine-fed handguns. There are hammer-fired guns, such as you'll see with 1911-style pistols; there are also striker-fired guns, such as the S&W M&P that you'll see Golob disassemble and reassemble in this video. Together with your owner's manual and the rules-of-thumb that Golob demonstrates here, you can master your gun's internal and external controls in a matter of hours ... not three months under a drill instructor's supervision.

Latest

Alexis Wilkins Lede
Alexis Wilkins Lede

Alexis Wilkins Joins Women for Gun Rights Leadership Team

Wilkins will advise the group’s messaging and advocacy efforts, helping shape public conversation around the right to self-defense and the cultural significance of the Second Amendment.

New Guns 2025: Taurus 58 .380 ACP Pistol

The aluminum-frame .380 ACP pistol boasts a 15-round capacity and refined ergonomics.

Why Every Woman Should Attend a Women-Only Shooting Event

Whether it’s holding a baby or holding a gun, there are some things that women are naturally going to find easier to understand when demonstrated by another woman.

Champion Shooter Jessie Harrison Returns to Team Taurus

Harrison is recognized globally as one of the most accomplished and respected shooters in the world.

New Guns 2025: Mossberg 990 Aftershock

The 990 Aftershock is a 12-gauge, 3” semi-automatic version of Mossberg's 590 Shockwave tactical firearm introduced in 2017.

2024 Olympic Medalist Sagen Maddalena Tops Podium at ISSF Lima World Cup

This Lima World Cup marks Maddalena’s first international competition since she medaled at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in Women’s 50m Rifle 3 positions.

Women's Interests



Get the best of NRA Women delivered to your inbox.