The best way to learn how your gun works is to do the teardown and reassembly yourself. Most really are not all that hard and more just a puzzle than anything else. Most of gunsmiths I've known usually give the job to their apprentices just for that reason.
There are books and CD's available to help you if you cant figure it out.
My buddy and I used to parkerize in his garage and he had a cabinet in the basement we used to bead blast what we parked. I was the one who usually did the teardowns and reassembly, and other than being overly confidant and retarded, I somehow still got things I never took apart before back together. They still worked too.
If you pay attention as you disassemble and use a little common sense as you reassemble, its usually not bad. It helps if you have buddies who are gunsmiths too.
If your going to do it, get yourself some proper tools and punches. Things go a lot easier if you do.
Oh, and Brownells has just about anything you need if you have things go "sprooing" on you, and go to those places where they always go, never to be found again. I'm sure when I die, I'll find that room somewhere on the other side.
Oh, one other thing. If you dont clean out the beads "real good" after your done. Things tend to get crunchy.
Oh, and one more other thing. DONT GET THE BEADS IN YOUR EYES!
You dont have to spray or blast them in either. My buddy simply rubbed the corner of his eye after handling the can we did the small parts in and the next day, his eye was about swelled shut. When he went to the eye doctor, he got to looking in the eye and said "what the hell have you been doing, you have a bunch of little balls in your eye?!"
Make sure you wash you hands after handling the stuff. Same goes for OC pepper spray. Dont ask how I know.