Are Glocks more finicky than other pistols?

[Glaron]

Seems like a personal problem. Just like everything it is a choice, until the Government mandates it. The answer is buy more guns that way it is easier to tell if it is you or the gun.
Last time I was considering a ammo feed problem? It was the ammo.

 

[303_enfield]

The only 9mm ammo I couldn't run in a Glock was/is steel underpowered Russian cr@p.

Stuff was so weak it would go bang and not eject.

 

[Combloc]

This thread should wrap up quickly as soon as someone posts the correct answer.

LOL.

 

[Squaregrouper]

I am NOT a fan of Glocks due to their grip angle. That being said, they're very reliable pistols. I would make sure the springs are viable and the correct weight. As others have stated, hold on like an able bodied adult (no kiddie grip).
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My guess on the OP making 5 posts in the next few months is 1/10

 

[Melnic]

Gen 3 17 owner here, so is my son. Never a problem unless a guest (one was a "gun instructor") puts his 2nd hand high and rubs the slide lock. I say "his" cause the ladies have never done that. That has so far been the only time I had any issues and I"ve shot factory and many many reloads. Don't know if the Gen 5 will have issues. LOTS of issues with Poly 80 clone until I recognized the issues and fixed it.

This thread may last longer than the Jeff G thread....maybe not.

 

[RoadDawg]

Glocking since 1990.
17
22
26
27
36
42
Never had a malfunction. Many thousands of rounds… indoor, outdoors, hot sun, pouring rain, snow, sleet… NADA.

 

[Worsley]

You can’t go wrong with a Glock…..

 

[TheOriginalMexicanBob]

I am NOT a fan of Glocks due to their grip angle. That being said, they're very reliable pistols.

This! I’m so used to the grip angle of the 1911 the Glock feels odd...plus models like the Glock 20 and 21 feel like a 2”x4” in the hand.

 

[Blaster229]

He lubed it

 

[Blaster229]

How can support hand ride high over the strong hand thumb when it should be under?
Typically the right thumb rides slide lock down preventing the slide from locking back on empty.

 

[iceman-cometh]

The frame is light, relative to the slide. Limp-wristing them rapidly re-vectors force into rotation instead of driving the slide back against the recoil spring. Frame flex also contributes to this a bit. Recoil assemblies are also generally tuned to handle nato ammo, so really light ammo is more likely to cause malfunctions in the right(wrong) conditions.

Guns that have metal frames have some built-in inertia that resists the transfer of linear slide energy to rotational energy. They also generally don't lose any extra from frame flex. For these reasons, guns with heavier frames resist limp-wristing malfunctions a little more.

So, it can be more likely to be a user-induced malfunction from limp-wristing with weak ammo. Hold it correctly or use hotter ammo and it likely won't do it.

Yeah, once I realized I was "limping" it, I took care of the operator error and the FTF properly went away. As I mentioned in the first post, my all-steel pistols don't suffer from this and I appreciate your explanation of why and wherefore and these make sense to me. I have been using subsonic ammo in the Glock because I have a suppressor attached to it. Again, though, with the steel pistols, FTFs have not been an issue, even with the subsonic ammo and the suppressor attached.

 

[Huckleberry]

I think it's the low bore axis that makes it 'limp wrist' sensitive. I spent a day shooting with Blaster and the only stoppage I suffered that day was the first time shooting from retention. After that, I learned it's almost impossible hold a Glock too tightly. Tighter the better.

Range day....if you say so....

 

[eruby]

I love Glocks but you can't handle them limped wristed.

Glock pistols are not designed like Lamar Latrell's Javelin to complement a limp wristed grip

Glocks are just like 1911s and Steyr AUGs in that the all 3 were designed for Soldiers in muddy foxholes, sandy beaches and other less than hospitable fighting environments so they are built a little loose to handle the dirt, dust and grime that jam up guns with tighter tolerances. You can literally hose them off, reload and get back in the fight. When you get a lull in the battle then you can field strip, clean and lube before the next interation.

Dudley Dawson approves of this post.

 

[Bountied]

The only issues I've had with mine is when I start messing around with the springs and internals. A little trouble shooting with the right combination and they are good to go. I'm pretty sure I made mine full auto once with the trigger spring/striker spring combo I had once. The striker was releasing when I would rack the gun just as it was in battery, making me think it would keep firing if I racked it and let the slide go with a full mag. IDK. It's fine now and it doesn't jam. Actually none of my pistols jam after I get them tuned with the right ammo etc. .22s are by far the most finicky of pistols vs any center fire current production pistol IMHO.

 

[Michigander08]

Glock is tough. I never own one because it is ugly. It is tougher than this tupperware demo.

 

[Huckleberry]

Dudley Dawson approves of this post.

What about Frederick Aloysius Palowaski?

 

[smileycloser]

the glock weak link is the plastic guide rod. replace it and you're GTG.

 

[lazarus]

My G-19 has had zero issues: two handed, strong hand solo, weak hand solo, zero problems.
My Cousin also has a G-19 and also has zero issues with his.
I'm 5'8" 160#'s; Cousin is 6'2" and probably 260#'s.
LGS swears by Glock. I've never met anyone at the range who's had issues with their Glock.
Glock's made $$$ over the years by producing a quality product that goes bang when intended.

Sounds like you have a personal problem.

I was going to say, I am a big man at 6'1" and 190lbs of mostly muscle, but I am dainty with my guns and never had an issue.

Okay, I am not really. But I do shoot one handed a fair amount. I like to pretend I am some British dualist or something (not really, but that is the best that comes to mind right now).

No feed issues.

My Gen 1.5 P80 DID have some issues that took a long time to only mostly resolve where it wouldn't seat all the way on a round. Started at around 1 in 3 and have much work, stronger recoil spring and SS guide rod I got it down to 1 in 20. But I also wallowed out one of the locking block pin holes by accident drilling straight through the frame rather than drilling from each side. I swapped to a gen 3 frame and those issues went away.

The ONLY two issues I've had with my Gen3 G17 build now are A) With Winchester Ranger T 147gr+p ammo I need to run an 18# spring and SS guide rod or else on rare occasions I have the same seating issues. Or at least I experience 2 instances in 50 rounds. I immediately swapped that SS rod and 18# spring back in and it has been 100% with >150 rounds even weak handing it since. The gun was also pretty filthy at the time, so that could have contributed. B) I've had light primer strikes in the gun occasionally, but it was with my reloads and I wasn't seating the primers completely flush. Fixing my primer seating issue fixed my light strike issue. I've had that happen I think one time with commercial ammo in a couple of thousand rounds.

My gen 3 G21 ex-LE gun has never had any failures of any kind in at least the 1000-1200 rounds I've put through it since I got it.

As someone else said, I don't have any real affection for Glocks. But I seem to have a lot of them. And I really like them for something I don't love. They are just so utilitarian and there are at least 30 companies who make any given part for a 9mm Glock. Make that 3-10 for a large frame glock. There are just so many options to customize it exactly how you want. Cz75s are my favorite, but I've actually yet to own one (just shot a large number of them). My wife is not a fan of guns, which makes things complicated for me. But so far I've collected the bits to build a G19, G34 and a frame for a G20/21L build. I just haven't gotten around to it. I have a G34 slide I've been swapping on to my 17 frame and it shoots awesome. I just have to build the spare 17 frame I have.

I ditched some 80s recently that I hadn't built, but were planned builds, for gen 3 frames. So I got a 19, 17 and 21sf frame (because of a great deal).

I started off not wanting a single Glock and I am steadily moving towards having as many glocks as I have all other handguns put together. Okay, it isn't that bad yet (unless or until I get some single stack/sub-compact glock frames or something).

 

[atblis]

The most finicky guns I've encountered are CZs. Tight throated having issues with fuller bullet profiles, also had issues with bullets hitting slide stops. At one time, the Winchester White Box had a slightly different rim that CZs tended to have problems with. Never had a Glock 9mm have any of these issues.

The only problems I've had with Glocks were directly attributable to aftermarket parts. Also the Glock factory guide rod (the plastic one), is fine.

 

[KiloTango]

Glocks have been reliable and predictable for me over the decades. Modifications to the internals or use of aftermarket parts (including magazines) can negatively affect this. The captive spring guide rod is a consumable part that is intended to be replaced periodically.