Glock pistols are simple to clean because they field strip into five parts without tools. Glock’s own instructions spell out exactly where to clean and where to oil, and the biggest takeaway is to use very little lubricant. The steps below follow Glock’s published owner’s manual. Check the manual for your model and generation.
Unload and prepare
Safety first, every time: remove the magazine, lock the action open, and check the chamber twice, once by looking and once with a finger. Take all ammunition out of the room before you start. Work in a ventilated area, wear safety glasses because springs and solvent can fly, and wash your hands afterward since fired-gun residue contains lead.
Glock’s manual also warns that lubricant or solvent can affect the primer and powder in ammunition, which is one more reason to keep all ammo out of the cleaning area.
How to field strip a Glock
- Remove the magazine.
- Lock the slide back and check the chamber by sight and by feel. Let the slide go forward.
- With the pistol pointed in a safe direction, pull the trigger. The Glock’s takedown requires the trigger to be pulled, which is why the unloading check matters so much.
- Pull the slide back about 1/8 inch (3 mm) and hold it. If you pull it too far, the trigger resets; point in a safe direction and pull the trigger again.
- Pull the slide lock down on both sides and push the slide forward off the frame.
- Push the recoil spring assembly slightly forward and lift it out. It’s under spring tension, so control it.
- Lift the barrel out of the slide.
That’s the full field strip: slide, barrel, recoil spring assembly, frame and magazine. Glock’s manual says never to disassemble further; anything beyond this is for a GLOCK-Certified Armorer and otherwise voids the warranty. It also says not to manually reset the trigger and pull it while the pistol is apart, because that can damage the trigger safety.
Cleaning the Glock barrel
Glock’s manual says to run every patch and brush from the chamber end:
- Run a solvent or CLP-wet patch through several times.
- Scrub with a wet bore brush from the chamber end.
- Run a wet patch and look at it; repeat brushing until patches come out clean.
- Run a clean dry patch, then a lightly oiled patch.
- Before firing, run dry patches until no oil comes out. (Skip this if you’re storing the pistol and do it before you shoot.)
- Brush the outside of the barrel with a nylon brush and wipe it dry.
Cleaning the slide
- Brush the slide rail cuts, where the slide rides on the frame rails, and wipe them clean.
- Hold the slide muzzle down and brush the breech face and the area under the extractor claw, then wipe them. Holding it muzzle down keeps solvent from running into the firing pin channel.
- Wipe the other exposed areas of the slide.
On new Glock pistols you may see a copper-colored lubricant on parts of the slide. Glock says it’s there for long-term lubrication and should not be removed.
Cleaning the frame
Wipe the exposed parts of the frame with a soft cloth slightly dampened with solvent or CLP, then wipe dry. Usually that’s all the frame needs.
Glock lubrication points (per Glock’s manual)
- Wipe a lightly oiled patch over the outside of the barrel, including the barrel hood and lugs.
- Wipe the inside top of the slide in front of the ejection port, where the barrel hood rubs, and the opening at the front of the slide that the barrel slides through.
- Put one drop where the rear of the trigger bar touches the connector, at the right rear corner of the frame.
- Spread one drop along the full length of each slide rail cut.
- Wipe the outside of the slide with a lightly oiled patch.
Where not to put oil on a Glock
- Not in the firing pin channel. Glock warns that lubricant there can contaminate primers and cause a failure to fire, or a bullet stuck in the barrel.
- Wipe the breech face dry.
- Wipe the magazine dry, inside and out.
- Don’t over-lubricate. Glock says its pistols are designed to run with only small amounts of lubrication, and too much collects powder and debris.
Quick inspection before reassembly
Glock’s manual includes a user-level inspection. Look over the frame and slide for damage or corrosion, check the barrel for bulges, cracks or obstructions, and do the firing pin safety check described in the manual. If anything fails, don’t load the pistol; have it inspected by a GLOCK-Certified Armorer or a gunsmith.
Reassemble and function check
Drop the barrel into the slide, install the recoil spring assembly, and slide the slide back onto the frame rails until it’s fully forward. Then do Glock’s function checks with the pistol unloaded and pointed in a safe direction:
- Trigger safety test: rack the slide, then press the sides of the trigger without touching the center trigger safety blade. The trigger should not move rearward or dry fire.
- Trigger reset test: pull and hold the trigger (you should hear the click), rack the slide, then release the trigger. It should reset forward.
- Slide lock-open test: insert an empty magazine and pull the slide back. It should lock open.
Glock cleaning mistakes to avoid
- Cleaning with the slide locked back and a rod pushed from the muzzle instead of field stripping. Glock says this builds up dirt and oil inside the pistol.
- Pulling the trigger for takedown without checking the chamber twice.
- Oiling the firing pin channel or leaving oil on the breech face.
Condition Red Tactical is a Glock Blue Label dealer and offers cleaning and inspections, plus Glock trigger changes and sight changes ($40 labor each, plus tax). See services.
Common Questions
How often does Glock say to clean a Glock?
Glock's manual says when new before first firing, after each time it is fired, as needed after exposure to things like rain, sweat or dirt, and at least once a year.
How much oil does a Glock need?
Very little. Glock calls for one drop at the trigger bar and connector contact point, one drop spread along each slide rail cut, and a light wipe on the barrel and slide contact areas.
Can I clean a Glock without field stripping it?
Glock says no. Its manual says to field strip every time, because cleaning from the muzzle with the slide locked back pushes dirt and oil into the pistol.
Should I remove the copper-colored grease on a new Glock?
No. Glock says the copper-colored lubricant on new pistols is meant to provide long-term lubrication and should be left in place.