Unload the gun - Remove magazine. Rack the slide. Rack it again. Confirm no round in the chamber.
Remove recoil spring plug - slide forward, push in plug, rotate bushing 90 degress clockwise while covering plug with thumb, slowly allow plug to be pushed out by recoil spring, pull plug off spring (assumes standard guide rod)
Remove slide stop - push slide backwards to align rounded notch on bottom left of slide with rear part of slide stop lever, push slide stop from right to left, remove it completely
Remove bushing from slide - rotate bushing counter-clockwise beyond normal position, pull it out (if tight, use barrel to push it out)
Remove barrel from slide - flip barrel link forward/down, push barrel forward and out through front of slide
FIELD STRIPPING IS NOW COMPLETE - continue for full disassembly
Remove firing pin stop and firing pin - FOR SERIES 70 - use punch to push in firing pin, and at the same time, slide the firing pin stop down and off the slide while covering the firing pin to prevent it from flying off, pull firing pin and firing pin spring from slide.
FOR SERIES 80 - push firing pin lock plunger up, push firing pin in, release firing pin lock plunger (holds firing pin in), pull firing pin stop down and off the slide, then, while covering the rear of the firing pin, push firing pin lock plunger up, releasing the firing pin. Pull firing pin and firing pin spring from slide.
Remove extractor - SERIES 70 - pull extractor straight back out of the slide (may require prying)
SERIES 80 - push firing pin lock plunger up, pull extractor back a little, remove firing pin lock plunger from the slide, then pull the extractor out the back of the slide
Release hammer - hold hammer tightly with left thumb and forefinger, pull trigger and hold it back, let trigger slowly rotate forward all the way to vertical (not to half-cock)
Remove grips - unscrew the grips screws, carefully so as to not scratch the grips, and lift the grips off
Remove mainspring housing - slide it down and off the frame (if very tight, can use a punch from top, through frame, to get it started)
OPTIONAL - Disassemble mainspring housing - With one hand, use a large punch (1/8" or larger) to push down forcefully on the top of the mainspring cap and also hold the mainspring housing. With the other hand, use a 1/16" punch to push out the mainspring cap pin. Then slowly release pressure on the mainspring cap. Turn the mainspring housing upside down to dump out the mainspring cap, mainspring, and mainspring housing pin retainer.
Remove safety lever - while covering the safety lock plunger, rotate the safety lever up about halfway, and wiggle/pull it out the left side of the frame. Note that the safety lock plunger (inside the plunger tube above the left grip) may go flying if you don't cover it. Also note that the safety lever cannot be removed unless the hammer is cocked.
Remove grip safety - remove rubber band that was keeping it pressed in, and the grip safety can be pulled out of the frame (was held in by the safety lever)
Remove hammer - push hammer pin out right-to-left with your finger, then lift hammer off frame. For SERIES 80, the upper sear lever can now be removed also.
Remove sear and disconnector - push sear pin out from right-to-left with your finger, then dump out the sear and disconnector. For SERIES 80, the lower sear lever will also come out now.
Remove magazine catch - push magazine catch in as if releasing a magazine and hold it in while, on the right side, using a small screwdriver (or the sear spring) to rotate the magazine catch lock counter-clockwise 90 degress to release it. Push the magazine catch out of the frame from left-to-right.
Remove trigger - slide trigger rearward, out the back of the frame
Insert magazine catch - slide into place until left side is flush with frame, use small screwdriver to rotate magazine catch lock 90 degrees clockwise, and it will snap into place. If the screw won't turn you need to adjust the position of the catch left-right in the frame.
Install disconnector and sesar - Lubricate any shiny spots on the disconnector, sear, and sear pin. Lay disconnector front side down, lay sear on top of disconnector (concave side up). Holding the frame muzzle-down, insert the pair into the frame, so the head of the disconnector barely sticks out of it's hole in the top of the slide, and the bottom of the disconnector lays on the rear of the trigger. It may be easier to use a slave pin (such as a toothpick) to line up the disconnector and sear with the sear pin hole in the frame. Insert the sear pin, left-to-right.
Install hammer - Lubricate shiny spots on the hammer and hammer pin. Lubricate the hammer hooks. Insert the hammer into the frame, line it up with the frame hole, and insert the hammer pin, left-to-right.
Insert the sear spring - Lubricate any shiny spots on the spring (all three legs, especially the tips). Flip the hammer strut up out of the way. Holding the frame muzzle-down, hook the bottom of the sear spring into the slot in the frame (rightmost leg bent up), and lay the spring down into the frame. The tip of the leftmost leg should be touching the left part of the sear, with the "hook" on the leftmost leg to the left of the sear. The tip of the center leg should be resting on the disconnector, behind the trigger. The right legt should be sticking up.
Insert the safety lock plunger and slide stop plunger - These two parts should be connected by their spring. The slide stop plunger, which is shorter and has a narrower tip, goes in first. Slide them all the way into the plunger tube. The slide stop plunger should stick through about 3/32".
Install grip safety - Put the hammer all the way forward (if stuck in the cocked position, use a toothpick to raise the bottom of the sear, to allow the hammer to go forward). Put the hammer strut down. Holding the bottom of the sear spring in place against the frame, insert the grip safety, against the force of the rightmost leg of the sear spring. The hammer strut should protrude from the bottom of the grip safety, and be centered (left-to-right).
Cock the hammer - the hammer must be cocked, or the safety lever will not go in all the way.
Insert safety lever - Lubricate any shiny spots on the safety lever, particularly the shaft and where the safety lock plunger sits. Insert the shaft into the frame, capturing the grip safety. Slide it all the way in, until it touches the safety lock plunger. Use a long 3/32" punch (or the nice 1911 Safety Detent Depressor tool from Marvel) to push the safety lock plunger into the plunger tube (against the force of the plunger spring). Push the safety lever in as far as you can, and, while maintaining leftward pressure on the safety lever, slide the punch out. The safety lever should slide all the way into place with a snap, capturing the safety lock plunger. This may require wiggling the safety lever a bit. If it will not slide into place, make sure the hammer is still cocked, and that you've pushed the safety lock plunger all the way into the plunger tube.
Decock the hammer - pull the trigger, and manually rotate the hammer all the way forward.
Insert mainspring housing - Lubricate any shiny spots on the mainspring housing. Slide the mainspring housing into the frame until just before it touches the hammer strut. Itmay be tight, and there will be additional resistance as it slides over the bottom of the sear spring. Hold the gun muzzle up, so that the hammer strut falls backwards. Push the mainspring housing fully into place.
Insert mainspring housing pin - May be easier if you use a slave pin to ensure the mainspring housing is all the way up. The pin goes in left-to-right, with the rounded side first. Hammer the mainspring housing pin into place, with a hammer and punch, until flush with the frame on the left side (should protrude slightly on the right side).
Attach the grips - Both have a notch at the bottom to avoid covering the mainspring housing pin. The one with the notch near the top is the right side grip (notch allows magazine catch to move to the right). Screw the grips firmly into place (but don't over-do it, they're just wood).
Insert extractor - Lubricate the shiny spots on the extractor. Insert the extractor all the way into the slide, so that the slot near the back of the extractor lines up with the frame (so the firing pin stop can be slid into place).
Insert firing pin and firing pin spring - Place the firing pin spring firmly onto the front of the firing pin. It should stick to the firing pin. Holding the slide muzzle-down, drop the firing pin (with spring) into place.
Install firing pin stop - Lubricate the shiny spots on the firing pin stop. The firing pin stop slides into the frame with the rounded edge down and toward the back. Holding the slide muzzle-down, use a punch to push the firing pin all the way into its hole. Slide the firing pin stop into place, removing the punch once the firing pin has been captured. Slide the firing pin stop all the way up, until the rear of the firing pin clicks into the hole, capturing the firing pin stop. If the firing pin stop gets stuck halfway in, make sure it's straight, and not cocked to the left. Another common issue is that the extractor is twisted or not pushed all the way in.
THE GUN IS NOW MERELY FIELD STRIPPED - continue here for reassembly after field stripping
Lubricate the slide - Lubricate the inside of the slide, including the barrel lugs and bushing areas. Lubricate the slide rails. Lubricate the slide stop and disassembly notches. Lubricate the disconnector notch and the shiny path where the slide rubs the top of the disconnector.
Lubricate the barrel and bushing - Wipe the outside of the barrel with an oily cloth. Wipe all surfaces of the barrel bushing. Lubricate the barrel lugs and the barrel link.
Insert barrel - holding the slide upside down, push the barrel link down, and slide the barrel into the slide until it drops into place at the lugs.
Install barrel bushing - Holding the slide muzzle up, line up the raised boss on the bushing with opening where the recoil spring plug will go (the "feet" of the bushing down and to the right when looking at the muzzle). Slide the bushing into place on the barrel, inside the slide, until it is all the way down. Rotate the bushing clockwise until the feet are to the left (when you're facing the muzzle).
Slide guide rod into back of recoil spring - The spring has a front and a back. The front coil is not touching anything. The back coil is bent in, so it touches (or nearly touches) the coil next to it. Slide the guide rod into the back of the spring. It will be tight.
Insert recoil spring and guide rod - Holding the slide upside down, push the recoil spring into the slide from the rear. Place the "feet" of the guide rod down around the barrel, just in front of the barrel link.
Lubricate the frame - Lubricate the frame rails, the shiny spots around the slide stop holes, and the top of the disconnector.
Lubricate the slide stop - Lubricate all the shiny spots, including the shaft. Don't forget inside the little nub on the rear end of it; the slide rides in there.
Join the slide and frame - Holding the slide upside down, push the hammer link forward, until it rests upright against the recoil gide rod. Slide the frame onto the slide until the slide stop hole lines up with the barrel link hole. It should snap into place. If the barrel link fell, turn the gun right-side up so that it hangs down, and lines up with the slide stop frame hole.
Insert the slide stop - Insert the pin through the frame, capturing the barrel link. Push the slide backwards until the disassembly notch is lined up with the rear end of the slide stop. If you're not sure whether the slide stop pin has captured the barrel lug, try to move the barrel forward, it should not move far. With great difficulty and a lot of wiggling to get the slide stop past the tip of the slide stop plunger, push the slide stop all the way in, until it is flush with the frame on the left side (the rounded tip of the pin should stick out on the right side).
Decock the hammer - Push the slide all the way forward, grasp the hammer firmly between the forefinger and thumb of your off hand. Pull the trigger and hold it back while you gently allow the hammer to rotate fully forward.
Insert the recoil spring plug - Holding the frame muzzle-up, place the plug over the spring, and press it down until slightly below the frame. While holding that down, rotate the barrel bushing about 90 degrees counter-clockwise, until the feet are pointing downward, and the recoil spring plug clicks into place, captured by the barrel bushing.
Test the trigger - Rack the slide, which should cock the hammer. Hold the gun as normal, and pull the trigger. It should feel normal.
Test the grip safety - Rack the slide, cocking the hammer. Without depressing the drip safety, attempt to pull the trigger. The trigger should not move all the way back (a small amount of movement is ok), and the hammer should not fall. Now grip the gun as normal, depressing the grip safety, and pull the trigger. The hammer should fall.
Test the safety lever - Rack the side, cocking the hammer. Engage the manual safety by pushing the safety lever up. It should click firmly into place and stay there. Grip the gun as normal, depressing the grip safety. Pull the trigger. The trigger should not move all the way back (a small amount of movement is ok), and the hammer should not fall. Release the manual safety by pushing the lever down, and pull the trigger. The hammer should fall.
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