Glocks Can Break!

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P-990

New member
Yep, it's true. I have the evidence locked up in my cabinet. One EST-series G-17 9mm, about 6000-7500 rounds (not sure, I think 6000 might be conservative and 7,000 is probably closer). Left-rear frame rail broke right off last time I field-stripped the pistol to clean. I know it was a known issue; I decided to shoot it and see if it failed or not, rather than panic 4 years ago. ;)

Already called Glock and they're ordering a new frame and will call me back with further instructions when it arrives. I'm wondering if I should ask how much to install some Meprolights or Trijicons while it's down there?

Just remember, anything mechanical can and will fail. It's just a matter of when and where. And when there is a known problem, it just means it'll happen that much sooner. Now I'm doubly convinced anybody who tells me that an "XYZ NEVER malfunctions" is just short of imagination.
 
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JohnKSa

Administrator
I wondered how long those "defective" rails would hold up. You should have started a pool!

7,000 rounds is pretty impressive durability for a gun that the manufacturer admits has a manufacturing defect. Sorta puts things in perspective, doesn't it.

Based on the results of a poll I did some time back, over half of shooting enthusiasts will never put 7500 rounds through any single handgun. In other words, over half of shooting enthusiasts would never have put enough rounds downrange to discover that your handgun was "defective". :D

Or, put another way, you got a lifetime of shooting out of your Glock (at least from the perspective of around 57% of shooters) and now you're going to get a brand new frame. Not bad...
 
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ATW525

New member
He likely was talking to the people in Smyrna, Ga who will need to order a replacement frame from the factory in Austria.
 
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Sturmgewehre

New member
Yeah, they break (I've broken two factory guide rods on first gen Glocks). They also jam.

One of the most reliable Glocks is the G17. After well over 10k rounds through my G17C it finally had a "phase 3" malfunction. This is one potentially nasty (i.e. life threatening) malfunction if it occurs in a fight.

img229.jpg


Right after it happened with Winchester White Box ammo I snapped this pic with my cell phone.
 
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P-990

New member
JohnKSA,

Well, figuring on 7500 rounds every 5 years (sounds kind of conservative, but then vagaries of time, money and tastes change), I can get, letsee..... *adding, multiplying, dividing* .... 9 more lifetimes out of the new frame by retirement age! :eek:

I was just thinking about the round count thing. It's probably close, but I know at one point a couple of years ago I was doing about 1000 rounds every 3-4 weeks when I could. And I WAS working on the last two boxes of a 500 case I got 3 months ago.

And my shooting buddies (who never come with me) all say "Never buy a used gun from Nasty, he's actually shot it!" :cool:

Oh, and do you have numbers for rifle shooters on those round counts as well? I'd be curious to know. I've got an AR-15 on it's second barrel, with about 4500-5000 on the first one. It's a match rifle, FWIW. I compete seriously with the rifle; I only do "fun" matches with my pistols.
 
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Double Naught Spy

New member
I have participated in 4 Glock v. 1911 1000 round matches. All the shooting is done in one day with no allowance for maintenance/cleaning etc. While there was lots of arguing over which platform was more reliable based on which ones tended to run longer versus which ones tended to malfunction first, versus which had the higher percentage of guns with problems, and any other way the data could be viewed, I was actually quite surprised at the number of guns that actually suffered mechanical failures. For example, at the 2nd Glock v 1911 match at TDSA, I want to say there were 3-5 guns that suffered mechanical failures and 2-3 of those were the Glocks. Considering there were something like 34 participants in the match, that is a significant number of mechanical failures of the platforms.

TDSA's discussion forum is down right now, but if it comes up, the results are posted as to how well shooters did and how well their guns performed including which guns actually broke.
 
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RsqVet

New member
IF I recall corectly from when a freind went throught this with a glock, The factory as a maker CAN give you a new frame with the same serial as your current, they will destroy your old one, ship you the new one. Otherwise they would have to send your new frame to a FFL and you'd have to do a transfer on it.

Glock makes their frames, I believe this is the explanation for the delay / timing in getting a replacement.
 
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Doc TH

New member
Glocks can break

That's why I shoot a S&W 686+ and S&W 13 3".
Pull the trigger, gun fires. If no fire, pull trigger again. Can't be simpler.
 
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jlh26oo

New member
Yep, it's true. I have the evidence locked up in my cabinet. One EST-series G-17 9mm, about 6000-7500 rounds (not sure, I think 6000 might be conservative and 7,000 is probably closer). Left-rear frame rail broke right off last time I field-stripped the pistol to clean. I know it was a known issue; I decided to shoot it and see if it failed or not, rather than panic 4 years ago.

Already called Glock and they're ordering a new frame and will call me back with further instructions when it arrives. I'm wondering if I should ask how much to install some Meprolights or Trijicons while it's down there?

Just remember, anything mechanical can and will fail. It's just a matter of when and where. And when there is a known problem, it just means it'll happen that much sooner. Now I'm doubly convinced anybody who tells me that an "XYZ NEVER malfunctions" is just short of imagination.
Click to expand...

"Panic" is not requisite of action.

Sorry to hear of your rail breakage p-990; but knowledge is power only if you take initiative. I just hope you don't ever attempt to prove a similar point with say an automobile manufacturer, if one should ever issue a recall on what you drive.

But don't worry, GLOCK will still take care of you either way.

Thanks for sharing. Good lesson for all.
 
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AZGunLover

New member
P-990, a picture is worth a thousand words, so take that broken Glock out of your cabinet and snap a picture of it for all of us to see please.
 
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monsterdawg725

New member
That's why I shoot a S&W 686+ and S&W 13 3".
Pull the trigger, gun fires. If no fire, pull trigger again. Can't be simpler.
Click to expand...
as i recall thats the same procedure with my glock and anything man made can fail especially revolvers ive never had one that worked as long as my glock or my xd
 
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RevolverLover

New member
That's why I shoot a S&W 686+ and S&W 13 3".
Pull the trigger, gun fires. If no fire, pull trigger again. Can't be simpler.
Click to expand...

Any gun can break, including revolvers. I know I've had a couple that broke or weren't reliable.
 
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AK103K

New member
Glocks can break

That's why I shoot a S&W 686+ and S&W 13 3".
Pull the trigger, gun fires. If no fire, pull trigger again. Can't be simpler.
Click to expand...
Your right and wrong, both at the same time. :)

My 17 broke within the first 200 rounds when new, was fixed by Glock, then failed again a little while down the road, and in the exact same manner. The trigger locked up both times and could not be pulled to fire the weapon. I got rid of it when it came back.

I had a S&W 940 when they first came out. It too locked up within the first 200 rounds. You could not pull the trigger to fire the weapon. I also had to take the gun apart to unload it so I could send it back. They sent me a new one, same serial number, but the lettering was totally different than the gun I sent back. It too locked up, the exact same way, within 200 rounds or so. I told them I didnt want the gun back in 9mm, so they sent me a 642.
 
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45SuperBob

New member
I had a S&W 340 revolver that was never as reliable as the five Glocks I have.

I suspect with the price of ammo going way up and even reloading getting more expensive we are going to see less and less failures due to guns getting worn out.
 
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Sturmgewehre

New member
That's right, revolvers to malfunction. I've had S&W and Ruger revolvers get jammed up due to things like brass shavings and other foreign debris working it's way into the action. When such a malfunction occurs, you're seriously screwed. It's not a matter of racking the slide to clear the malfunction, it becomes a matter that's often only resolved with the use of tools.
 
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45SuperBob

New member
Aint that the truth. Revolvers may not malfunction as much as autoloaders, but when they do they are typically locked up to the point of having to be disassembled.
 
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