At one time I could field strip just about any pistol quickly with one exception. The Ruger Mark 1 .22 pistol was so tough that I finally just gave up and cleaned it as well as I could without stripping it.
That turned out to be well enough as they never gave any trouble.
LOL! There is a website somewhere that explains how to do it. Twice, I've bagged mine up and taken it to the gunsmith, back before the internet.
But you are right. It ain't easy. But they are robust.
/johnny