Today I’m going to walk you through a basic field stripping of your 1911. First, put on your safety glasses. There are springs in the gun that are under tension.

Remove the magazine and double-check that there are no rounds in the chamber. Pull the slide back until it lines up with the disassembly notch. Reach in from the other side, push the slide stop out, and remove it. I’m holding the gun so I can control the tension of the slide while keeping one hand free.

Ease the slide forward. As you begin pushing it off the frame, control the recoil spring so it does not jump out. As the slide comes off the frame, hold the recoil spring securely. Set the frame down, then control the spring as you remove it.

Remove the recoil spring plug and set it aside. Give the barrel bushing a twist, then remove the barrel through the front of the slide. That completes the basic disassembly.

There is an alternate method. With an Ed Brown firearm, you may use an Ed Brown bushing wrench. Stand the gun up, depress the plug, turn the bushing, and remove the plug first. With the plug out of the way, ease the slide back to the disassembly notch and remove the slide stop. Pull the slide off the frame, then remove the recoil spring, guide, barrel, and bushing.

With the firearm disassembled, begin cleaning with a rag. It does not need to be anything special. Put a little Ed Brown firearm lubricant on the rag. Start with the frame and wipe away unburned powder residue from the crevices. An oily rag is normally all that is needed; there is no need to get too aggressive.

Clean the slide and breech face. Use the corners of the rag to reach the small areas. Wipe residue from the exterior of the barrel. Put a couple of drops of lubricant on a bore mop and swab the bore to remove unburned powder and wet residue.

For reassembly, slide the barrel into the slide through the front. Make sure the link is in the forward position. Install the bushing and turn it into position. Let the barrel slide back into engagement.

Insert the recoil spring plug from the rear so it lines up with the bushing. Make sure the barrel is all the way back. Insert the recoil spring and recoil spring guide into the back of the plug. The half-round cut on the bottom of the recoil spring guide must rest against the rounded portion of the barrel.

Compress and control the recoil spring, then slide the frame onto the slide. As the dust cover reaches each finger holding the spring, release that finger and continue moving the frame into position.

Push the slide back and begin inserting the slide stop under the slide-stop plunger. Pull the slide back until the disassembly notch aligns with the bottom of the slide stop. Push the slide stop up and in, then ease the slide forward. The gun is reassembled.

Using the alternate reassembly method, insert the barrel, turn the bushing into position, and install the recoil spring and guide. Make sure the link is up and the half-round cut in the recoil spring guide is against the rounded portion of the barrel. Install the slide on the frame, align the disassembly notch, insert the slide stop, and lock it into position.

Place the plug on top of the recoil spring. Using the bushing wrench, press the plug fully into position and turn the bushing until it aligns and captures the plug.

After reassembly, lock the slide open and point the barrel down. Put one or two drops of lubricant on each slide rail. Hold the gun horizontally and put one or two drops on the end of the barrel where the bushing locks up, then put one or two more drops on top of the barrel. Work the slide back and forth to distribute the oil.

Before storage, use a lightly oiled rag to wipe the metal surfaces and help protect them from corrosion.

If the firearm has a two-piece guide rod, insert a 5/32-inch Allen wrench into the guide rod, turn it counterclockwise, and remove it before continuing with your preferred disassembly method. After reassembly, lock the slide open, reinstall the guide rod, and snug it with the 5/32-inch Allen wrench.

When converting an Ed Brown 1911 to a two-piece guide rod, replace the recoil spring guide with the guide rod head and replace the recoil spring plug with the guide rod plug. Reassemble the firearm using the preferred method.

On the EVO series, the thin slide and heavy chamfer make the takedown notch less visible. Locate the notch and pull the slide back until the slide-stop catch aligns with it. Control the top of the gun while pushing the slide-stop pin from right to left as far as possible, then pull it out completely. Continue with the disassembly shown at the beginning of the video.