Posted on 03/05/2006 6:25:43 AM PST by LouAvul
I want to buy a Glock. Currently my semiautos are Sig 200St and two 1911s (both Colt).
I don't have a 9mm yet have owned several: two Browning HPs and Sig 226.
I've never owned Glock and am leaning toward a model 17.
The concerns with Glock seem to be centered on the fact that there is no external safety for a semi-auto that remains cocked and locked.
There are also concerns about firing out of battery/kabooms.
However, the latter concerns are mostly for calibers other than 9mm and models other than the 17.
One poster from another forum:
This is also anecdotally more prevalent in Glocks although I suspect the huge number of Glocks in service contributes heavily here. It's also heavily centered on the .40 caliber. The 9mm Glocks are almost universally - even by Glock haters - acknowledged as exceedingly safe (as far as OOB and kBs go) and reliable.
Different poster, same forum, different thread:
9mm Glocks don't seem to be a problem for some reason... I think a big part of this is that the 9mms were considerably over-engineered. I think a lot of that over-engineering is why the .40 could be shoehorned into the same basic design with only minor changes. And I think that loss of margin is why the .40s, seem to be so much more problem prone.
I'm thinking that since the model 17 is the flagship of Glock that maybe they've worked out the bugs.
I don't know how to ping the banglist. Maybe you could help.
I don't know who runs the banglist either, but here is a little advice on the Glock.
You need a special holster for the Glock that covers the trigger guard completely. Don't just shove the Glock into a holster that you already have.
Here's what the Israelies do. They NEVER carry a weapon with a round chambered unless they are actually in combat. And they DON'T have any problems with accidental discharges.
The keyword should do it.
I had, for a brief time, a G17. It was an utterly reliable, easy to maintain, souless hunk of plastic and metal.
I believe there is a large coorelation between KB's and shooting lead bullets. (unjacketed)
Hi, Slim.
I think you are right, Glock does not recommend lead bullets. Jacketed bullets only.
From what I can discern, Glock doesn't even recommend reloads. In fact, IIRC, shooting reloads might even void the warranty.
It will gobble up the Winchester white box bulk packs from Wally-world no problem, not much out there cheaper. A guy I knew shot up a bunch of turkish WW II surplus 9mm through a 17 and 19 without a hiccup.
As far as your concern about the constant "conditon 1" of the Glock, with a heavy trigger it's no more dangerous than a DA revolver.
The previous posters covered it:
1. Jacketed Ammo only.
2. No reloads.
3. The KB's tend to be a problem with the .40 cals.
Treat the Glock like you would a revolver. Finger off the trigger until you are ready to delete something.
I have a pocket Glock in.40. HATE the trigger pull. Have heard of several cases of accidental firings, all with 9mm.
I am a Glock Armorer. I carry one on duty and off duty.
The Safety issue-All safeties are internal-It is designed to function like a revolver-pull and shoot. The internal safeties prevent it from being fired unless the trigger is pulled. There are a lot of horror stories concerning discharges that appear out of nowhwere. Later investigation shows the trigger was pulled somehow-putting it in the wrong holster, finger in the trigger, even putting it in the provided box with a round in the chamber (The old boxes had post in the middle that required the trigger to the rear for storage)
Following the four rules of weapon safety pretty much eliminates the above
KaBooms-the design leaves a small portion of the case head unsupported in the chamber. Not a problem with proper factory ammo-most KaBooms are found to be reloaded ammo. The ammo has brass that has been re-loaded (which means stressed/Stretched) up to 10 times (Often at the high end of the charge table). The repeated resizing weakens the brass, causing a point of failure. This is evident on the 40 cal for two reasons-one is the pressure generated by the round and the tolerances needed in the Overall length. Seating the bullet wrong can double pressures.
Avoid steel cased ammo like Wolf-it brings a whole nother set of problems to the KaBoom table
The other reason is the prevalence of the Glock and 40 cal in Law Enforcement-simple math-That many agencies/people shooting the same weapon/caliber combination will make the problem look worse than it is.
The above being said-I have over 10, 000 reloads through my Glocks (.40's) -no problems. After 3-5 loads-the brass lays-I don't pick it up. I always stay at the midrange of the charge table and the moderate pressures there.
Reloads do void the warranty-but if you look at other makes of weapon (Kimber etc.) they put it in the owners manual too-standard liability disclaimer these days.
The Glock is a solid, reliable weapon that requires the same care and safety sense of all other firearms. Lots of horror stories, but it started with a horror story. When it was introduced to the US market-It was the "Plastic Terrorist gun that could pass undetected through Airport metal detectors." A quick check of the facts showed how goofy that was.
Full disclosure-I enjoy shooting my Para Ord full size 1911 more
I forgot-Lead bullets(Non-Jacketed) clog the rifling, which causes presure build up-contributing to KaBooms. Cleaning built up lead out of any firearm isn't easy or pretty. Best to just stick to jacketed bullets
I don't know how to post links, but a Google search can get you to these sites
Glockmeister.com
GlockFAQ
Glocktalk
All have pages that address KaBooms and Safety
The trigger pulls on Glocks can be lightened, but then you are risking an AD.
All AD's can be blamed on the handler of the firearm unless the firearm is defective in some way.
The Glock was made to be safe, but it is no safer than the person using it.
Standard pull is 5.5 pounds-it can be lightened with factory parts by an armorer to 3.5-I would recommend that pull for competition only.
It can also be raised to 8 and 11.5 pounds through factory parts. Police departments use these often for liability reasons.
There is one other configuration that puts it at 6 pounds, but smooths the pull quite a bit. It's done by using the 8 pound NY Trigger spring with a 3.5 pound connector. An armorer can do it-It is not in any of the manuals-but taught in the armorers school.
I like that set up and have used it on my personal Glocks
Bump for knowledgable Glock shooters.
For plinking, the range, housegun, carry?
My summertime light carry is the G26 with MMC sights. I suggest you go to your local range/shop and try some different models out.
The H&K is more expensive than the Glock but the extra money (about $400 more) is worth it IMHO.
I like the stock or the connector/NY trigger combo that brings it to six, but smooths it out
My duty weapon has the 11.5 on it.
Had to shoot a statewide competition that included 25 yd bullseye-not fun
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