Posted on 08/23/2002 2:24:12 PM PDT by archy
Defects in NYPD handguns
Half subject to jamming
By BOB KAPPSTATTER and ALICE McQUILLAN
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Tuesday, August 20th, 2002
More than half of the Police Department's handguns are subject to jam without warning, a potentially dangerous flaw that can leave the weapons as "useless as paperweights," police sources said. Although the jamming is rare, the NYPD has been concerned enough to order a recall of 24,000 semiautomatic Glock handguns so they can be refitted.
This problem affects the Glock Model 19S - the gun carried by about 60% of the department's 39,000 officers. The flaw, in which the shell casing fails to eject, has only arisen during practice and tests at the NYPD firing range, police officials say.
"Our studies have shown this to be a rare occurrence," said police spokesman Chief Michael Collins. "In the worst-case scenario...we estimated that this has happened only once in 450,000 times when fired."
However, during an actual gun battle in Brooklyn, two Emergency Service Unit officers reported that their Glocks failed. Collins said that after an investigation of the October 2000 incident, ballistics experts said whatever problem those guns had, it was not the jamming malfunction that is the subject of the current recall.
To correct the problem, the Austrian-based Glock company has sent engineers to the NYPD's firing range at Rodmans Neck in the Bronx. Since June, they have repaired 3,200 weapons in a procedure that takes about an hour. Immediately afterward, officers tested the refitted weapons at the range, where the results have been excellent, Collins said. The process will continue until all 24,000 Glocks are fixed, he said.
There is a delay in fixing all the weapons, sources said, because cutbacks and the redeployment of officers to special details have made it difficult for cops to schedule time to have their guns repaired.
Sources also said that some of the Glocks have a different problem - locking. When a gun locks, a user can get it functioning again by removing the clip holding the ammunition and manually moving the slide to eject the stuck shell casing.
In that scenario, the source said, "You can be back in the gun battle in a matter of seconds, as opposed to the total jam where the guns become [as] useless as paperweights."
Lol...what a stupid sentance.
If one is in the habit of removing one's finger from the trigger guard when one does not have a target (a good habit for any firearm), that is all one has to do to holster a Glock safely, since the act of removing one's finger from the trigger lowers it to half-cock. With a Beretta or Ruger, safely holstering the firearm after use requires that one also operate the manual decocker. Additionally, the Glock has an identical trigger pull on every shot; SA/DA pistols require much more practice to ensure that the first shot goes to the same point of aim as the rest.
The Glock's safety may be summed up in three sentences:
All my GLOCK's (17-23-21-34-30) have never even burped or jammed regardless of ammo jammed down it's throat. Just a story (it's mine and I'll tell it like I want :o) about it's ability to function........When the glocks first hit the market I sold my first child to gypsies and used the money to buy a Glock 17. Carried it for a while but decided I really didn't like it better than my 1911A1 or Browning High Power P35. But it was fuctional. As we did a lot of work in water I kept the glock around to abuse per se as my ugly but functional sidearm.
At one point I was stationed near a small mom & pop ammunition maker that had five gallon buckets of misfit rounds his quality control folks had set aside from the good stuff. He would sell us GI's ,that he knew ,these buckets of 9mm with the understanding that we would return the brass to him.
Well some of that ammo was too long to even fit a magazine so it was left in the bucket but rounds that were too short or not loaded properly or had a smashed edge or crimp ect ect (rejects) were all "processed " through our Glock 17's on our EOD range . Yeah we had a few jams due to extream condition of ammo but for the most part those little glocks were and are IMHO and experience the baddedst little handgun on the market available to all these days and then. Of all that crap ammo we "disposed of through the Glock 17's we never had a burp unless the ammo was extreamly damaged , visably so.....
They were and are IMHO just a rugged, tough little pistola. My 1911A1's, SIG's and Glocks all require upkeep as does any mechanical device, cleaning and lube, replacing recoil springs after 5000 rounds or so is just a good idea if you use said weapon for duty or self defense.
These cops carry more than fire those glocks so I am of the opinion setting miles from NYC (thank goodness) that spring set or dust bunnies and old ammo (I've been told ammo gets old but never had it around long enough to see if true :o) are the real reasons the NYPD's glocks are going south if they really are at all.
You and I both know that to get new and improved (pretty) whizbang pistolas for ones unit , The old and worthless glocks < / sarcasm > , must be proved to be trash, dangerous to all involved and no confidence with those that carry em. This must be sold to the bean counter risk managers and budget folks along with a trade in deal that seems to make money for the major companies these days.
Glock made their dime on the initial sale, now SIG , Beretta or ect ect wlll make their money on the trade in's credit and sale of new and traded in handguns to police and civilians. Look at the bright side. Whole sh*tload of high capacity magazines coming on the market maybe :o) Or wasn't NYPD one of those that bought high cap glocks with low capacity magazines ??
Stay Safe ya'll.....
I disagree. Brass is a good material for cartridge cases precisely because it is soft and can deform without fissure. By contrast, steel and aluminum are less deformable and more likely to crack.
WELL, OUR ASTRONAUTS DO ALL THE TIME!
Your observation about selection based on instructors' comments makes sense. You also have clearly made the point about confidence in the weapon selected IMO.
It's too bad you are restricted to "Double-Action Only in the Sig. The DA-SA version makes the most sense, in my experience. The issue is practive time.
As I said earlier, Mr. Glock doesn't want to hear about problems with his guns, which has substantially contributed to the NYPD problem requiring too much time to correct. If an officer is killed due to his/her weapon going "phase three" I expect Mr. Glock will be facing a substantial lawsuit.
WELL, OUR ASTRONAUTS DO ALL THE TIME!
Yessir, and look what happened. Our fighter pilots refer to the "lowest bidder" concern regularly.
Glad to hear your Glocks do so well, esp. if your life depends on their reliability.
A Glock is a trooper, it will last forever and keep going, even when filthy.
You can't say that about a Beretta or Sig really, they require much more work.
I can't comment on Berettas from direct experience. However, I shoot the Sig P-220 in 45ACP and can tell you they keep on running reliably even when very dirty and with many rounds through them.
The only part replaced after roughly 10,000 rounds was the recoil spring and that was just a precaution. The P-220 can be flushed out with a water hose and go right back to work. In addition these guns ran flawlessly right out of the box.
From the top article:
"To correct the problem, the Austrian-based Glock company has sent engineers to the NYPD's firing range at Rodmans Neck in the Bronx. Since June, they have repaired 3,200 weapons in a procedure that takes about an hour. Immediately afterward, officers tested the refitted weapons at the range, where the results have been excellent, Collins said. The process will continue until all 24,000 Glocks are fixed, he said."
A Glock is a trooper, it will last forever and keep going, even when filthy.
You can't say that about a Beretta or Sig really, they require much more work.
My error.
The FL is specially designed, it is a 100 grain truncated cone with an exposed soft point and a very thin jacket. It comes out at 1400 fps, if it hits a solid object (like a block wall) it will splatter & not ricochet. It will penetrate 12" in flesh & mushrooms like a hollow point. If it his bone, it fragments & does serious damage. If it hits soft body armor, it partially mushrooms & the thin jacket acts just like a hole punch & cuts right thru until hitting flesh, then it finished mushrooming.
Wicked stuff, as long as I can get it I will use it. No sense in carrying a gun or ammo for self defence unless you use the best you can get, in my opinion.
I agree with your opinion of the accuracy of the 7.65 PP. Mine is very good, and my PP Super (9mm ultra) is the most accurate pistol I own. I am not what you would call an expert shot, but in an indoor range I get groups the size of a nickel if I try.
What I love about my 7.65 PP is I can carry concealed it easily, even in the summer when I am only wearing a pair of shorts. Mine is stainless, so I can carry it in a fly holster & not worry about sweat ruining it.
I have a Glock 17, amongst other handguns. It is by far, at least for me, the most accurate, reliable, and fun to shoot gun . I fired Sig, and with a full magazine, that gun is heavy! The Glock feels just about right.
A report on this was made a couple of years ago. Female police were the main ones experiencing this. My wife would also experience it at the range as she got tired.
1. Glocks aren't cheap, either in price tag or quality.
2. I've never seen one jam.
3. Then again, the only Glocks I've seen being fired were owned by Marines. Marines tend to be extremely anal-retentive about keeping their weapons clean. Cops tend to NOT be so inclined.
I didn't get one 18 round tube emptied before I had to start dumping Hoppes down the barrel.
I came across a 17 that was a jammomatic. Every company makes a lemon now and then. I
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.