[Chuck Dye]

First, see if you can find a March 2001 issue of The American Rifleman, which contains an exploded view and disassembly instructions.

Empty the gun and remove the barrel.

Remove the butt stock by removing the butt plate and using either a socket on a long extension or a large, long, flat bladed screwdriver. Remove the trigger plate screw, the unpaired screw on the left side of the receiver. Remove the carrier screw lock screws and carrier lock screws from each side of the receiver. Slide the trigger plate group out of the receiver. Turn the gun belly up with the magazine to the left. There is an hour glass shaped pin visible in the undersider of the slide: with a punch pull the pin toward your body until the slide bar can pulled forward from engagement with the slide. Pull the slide, breechblock, and carrier together rearward out of the receiver.

The top extractor is retained by a powerful spring. To remove it, use a thin punch to push the spring plunger back; at the same time push the extractor out of its seat. The bottom extractor can be removed easily by driving out its hinge pin. To remove the firing pin from the breechblock, first drive out the check pin. Then the firing pin and spring can be removed easily rearward. Reassembly is in reverse order.

My Featherlight was given to me. When I first stripped it down, it was likely the first time its was done in the 35 year life of the gun. The slide pin did not release the slide bar until it was fully drawn toward my body. May be close tolerances, may have been the large quantity of sludge involved. Persevere!

I strongly recommend obtaining the exploded view.