Posted on 11/30/2005 10:33:30 AM PST by kiriath_jearim
Charleston, North Charleston police to stick with Glock 21 for service pistol
Officials say they've had few problems with gun, despite misfirings reported in other areas
BY GLENN SMITH The Post and Courier
The Charleston area's two largest police departments say their officers will continue to carry a popular brand of .45-caliber pistol, despite reports of the guns misfiring in other parts of the country.
Police in Los Angeles and Portland, Ore., have barred officers from carrying the Glock Model 21 pistol amid concerns about the weapon's safety. But the pistol remains the standard duty weapon for hundreds of police officers in Charleston and North Charleston.
Police officials in the two Lowcountry cities said they have used these pistols for years without problems and see no reason to make a change.
"We haven't had a bit of problem with it," said interim Charleston police Chief Ned Hethington. "It's a great weapon."
Glock Inc.'s pistols have become the weapon of choice for many Lowcountry law enforcement agencies, most of which use the company's .40-caliber pistols. None of the departments contacted Monday reported problems with Glock guns in their arsenals.
Glock's pistols, made of polymer plastic and steel components, have proven popular with police across the nation because the guns combine power with a lightweight, durable design. More than 7,500 law enforcement agencies, or about 65 percent of the market, use Glocks, according to the company's Web site.
Los Angeles police, however, ordered officers to stop using the Model 21 last week after reports that the .45-caliber weapons misfired dozens of times during training and firearm-qualification sessions, the Los Angeles Times reported. By October, the department had received more than 40 reports of "light strikes," which occur when a firing pin hits a loaded cartridge with insufficient force to discharge a bullet, the newspaper reported.
Last year, Portland's police chief ordered an immediate recall of Model 21 pistols after two separate incidents in which the guns exploded in the hands of officers. Two officers received minor injuries in the incidents, which occurred on the firing range, said Sgt. Brian Schmautz, a spokesman for the department.
Portland police surveyed law enforcement agencies across the country and learned of others that had experienced problems with .45-caliber Glocks, Schmautz said. Portland police stayed with Glock but switched to the company's 9 mm pistols, he said.
Some observers have questioned whether the incidents point to a defect in the guns, while others have suggested that low-quality ammunition or poor maintenance could be to blame.
Representatives from the Austrian arms company, which has U.S. offices in Smyrna, Ga., did not return a call Monday seeking comment on the matter.
North Charleston police started using Glock Model 21 pistols in 1997, and all of the department's nearly 200 uniformed officers carry the weapon, said Spencer Pryor, spokesman for the department. Misfires have not been an issue, he said.
Charleston police use two types of .45-caliber Glocks, the Model 21 and the smaller Model 30. The department has used these pistols since 1993 and now has about 400 of the guns in its arsenal, Hethington said.
"I can't say we haven't had a light strike in there some place, but we really haven't had a problem with it," said Cpl. Craig Farr, range master and a firearms instructor for the department. "It's been a reliable weapon for us."
I have a Glock 40 cal. Nothing, absolutely nothing wrong with that pistol.
I hate Glocks.... I'll keep my Sig, thank you very much.
Reloads,+P or out of battery?
I will never own or shoot a glock again after personally witnessing a Ka-Boom at San Gabriel Gun Club last summer. I thought the K.B. issue was simply anti-glock hype but that incident changed my mind. I will never own a firearm which doesn't have a fully supported chamber like a glock. The design also has caused a few incidents of the weapon firing out of battery as well.
... scary.
I'll stick with Sig, Springfield XD, HK USP's, and Barettas (for poly firearms).
Sig 226 is my favorite.
The most common reason for a glock blowing up is the fact that they don't have a fully supported chamber. Many documented KB's as well as the one I witnessed were with brand new, never re-loaded ammo. Winchester white box. (which is what I shoot in my Springfield XD for practice. $11.99 for 100 rounds of 9mm. 4,000+ rounds later through the XD and not one jam, misfire, etc.)
I have put several thousand rounds through my Glock 21...nothing wrong with that weapon.
If not properly maintained or with the atypical manufacturing defect any one of those handgun makes you list could have a similar problem.
I've got Glocks and SIGs and I've got nothing against either.
Lately, though, I'm favoring the Glock (light rail, mainly).
I think idiots in the PDs and the press don't understand firearms, and since a significant number of these agencies issue Glocks, the stories get out of hand.
I've never had any of my Glocks FTF or "misfire".
You'll get my P220 in .45ACP out of my duty leather....
And the vast majority of these were with the Glock 22 in .40SW. 9mm and .45ACP Glocks don't seem to have this problem.
I never have either, I just don't care for the "feel" of a Glock. I like a beefy piece of tool-steel for a duty weapon.
I bought my Glock 22 in 1993 when I didn't have the extra scratch for the SIG P229. With the factory trigger, I never really liked it and ended up buying the P229 anyway (but I made the mistake of getting it in 357SIG). Around 2000, I traded up for the Gen 3 Glock 22 and installed the 3.5lb disconnector. From then on, I really started to like it. For some reason, the crazy Glock grip angle naturally points for me.
Check out the following link for some more info on what i'm talking about as well as some scary pictures of what happens when a firearm doesn't have a fully supported chamber. http://www.thegunzone.com/glock/glock-kb-faq.html
You are correct in that the glock 19 (9mm) KB's are a very small percentage of the guns that do KB. But.... the one i saw personally was a Glock 19. This link has photos of glock 19's which have KB'ed. http://www.thegunzone.com/glock/g19-kb.html
I own many weapons, but mostly long arms and concealable pistols.
When I joined my small-town PD, I was lucky in that they gave me a $450 weapon allowance for a duty weapon and allowed me to go buy whatever sidearm I wanted.
I LOVE my SIG. :)
Please, no more Dean Speir.
That guy's a flaming asshole ;)
I've seen 1911s KB, too.
I've never gotten around to swapping my factory G22 barrel
By random chance you wouldn't be related or associated with a "Dave Sample" from www.thefiringline.com would you? He is an avid 1911 owner and gunsmith who frequents that forum.
Sorry, no.
My professional and personal experiences with the 1911 would definitely not put me in his camp ;)
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