Firing out of battery

[whitenack]

I am new and don't know anything.

What is "Firing out of Battery", how does it happen, and why are glocks more prone to it?

 

[tjhands]

See the thread titled, "Glock 21 unsupported chamber or..."

There's a heated discussion in there on this topic which should answer any question you have about it.

 

[shield20]

Here is a relevant quote from that thread...

The tilting barrel locked-breech system depends on the slide and the barrel remaining locked together until the bullet leaves the muzzle. The slide and barrel must remain locked together for about .100" while they recoil together. Then, the barrel tilts down, unlocking the system. When a Glock fires out of battery, the slide/barrel don't stay locked for the recommended .100" of travel, but only a fraction of that. The bullet does not have enough time to leave the barrel, the pressure doesn't go down to a low enough level, the case begins to leave the chamber prematurely and lets go in it's unsupported area.

You must realize that the only thing keeping the slide in battery is the recoil spring. Pulling the trigger on a Glock actually has the effect of pulling the slide out of battery as the striker is pulled back. If you have an aftermarket recoil reducer (typically a two-spring gizmo) where there is a lighter than stock primaryspring and a second helper spring, the slide maybe pulled out of battery enough to cause a dangerous situation. If the gun is dirty, and not fully in battery to begin with, the next trigger pull may be the last.

A good comparison is a 1911 - which has a disconnector which...disconnects the trigger from the sear (which drops the hammer) UNLESS the slide is all the way forward 'in battery' completely locked with the barrel. (there is a notch in the slide lined up with the disconnect when in battery, otherwise the slide pushes the disonnect down).

Glocks I believe count on the proper positioning of the slide (forward in battery) over a tab on the trigger bar (someone help me here).