There is almost nothing under the side plate that will fall out because the parts are all fitted and spring loaded. Buy a good screwdriver set. . .EBAY sellers have them. Remove the grips. Remove the plate screws. Slide out the yoke and cylinder. Tap on the grip frame of the gun with a rubber hammer or block of wood or almost anything. The side plate will pop right up so you can easily remove it. At this point, you can do all the inspecting and cleaning you want. I would not remove any other internal parts because that involves some springs. The only time I do that is when I want to replace a trigger or hammer. After everything is cleaned up ease the side plate back into position. . .front and top first. Unless you're working on a stone mint collector's Smith, there is not much you can hurt. If you mess up a screw, go to EBAY and buy a set for your gun from gun_garage. They cost around $8 each. I very often replace all the screws unless they are already perfect. It will improve the appearance of the gun if needed.

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Dr. B