08Nov06

Glock Issues:

In a conversation today with a good friend, who is also a Glock Armorer and

instructs for Glock, I brought up two irritating issues which keep raising their ugly heads among Glock owners and users: (1) Light primer strikes, a nd (2) Progressively-deteriorating, heavy trigger.

Both these problems typically crop up with well-used and poorly-maintained Glocks during one of our heavy ammunition-consumptive courses where we typically shoot a high volume of ammunition through each pistol over a shor t period of time. Seldom do we see either problem on a new gun.

Both problems can be caused by the addition of out-of-specification, after-market parts. These are dubious additions and are not recommended, b ut Glock itself has produced a small number of faulty parts, and they have quietly fixed the problem in most cases. But, all that only accounts for a minuscu le percentage of incidents.

In nearly all cases, light primer strikes are the direct result of the user

lubricating the firing-pin channel. Glock's firing-pin channel need s to be maintained bone dry. Oil and grease in the channel hold grit, and the mixt ure retards the acceleration of the firing pin. A Glock with a dry firing-pin channel will reliably function with nearly any reputable brand of ammunitio n.

Progressively-deteriorating, heavy Glock triggers are nearly always the result of inadequate lubrication of a critical juncture, the trigger bar and the connector. The interface of the trigger bar and the connector needs some lubrication. Without any, the trigger will become progressively heavier un til, in some cases, the pistol won't fire at all.

It all comes down to user-level care and maintenance. All guns have issues , and the user needs to keep on top of them. I, for one, have no use for unreliable guns!

/John

08Nov06

Excellent comments from friend and colleague, Jim Yeager:

"Have you noticed that students over-lubricate handguns and under-lu bricate rifles? I am astounded at the number of 'former thiss' and 'former thats' who show up with bone-dry ARs and then scoff when I suggest that they lube i t before class, saying 'I carried my rifle like this for years in the military, and I always carried it dry.' 'Carried it?=80=99 Yes. F ired it? Not much! My concerns manifest themselves when the rifle starts acting up, to the surpri se and disgust of the shooter, generally before his first magazine is exhauste d! "

/John

08Nov06

More on maintenance and lubrication, from a friend with a major gun company :

"We conducted an extensive, half-year study of our pistols which wer e returned to us, because they 'didn't work.' With both LE an d commercial guns, in excess of 95% were 'restored' to normal serviceability afte r being nothing more than cleaned and lubed. Fewer than five percent required replacement of parts or additional maintenance of any kind.

I am astonished with the percentage of gun carriers who, often for years, ignore the condition of the gun that is ostensibly intended to keep them fr om harm. For one, my boots are sometimes badly scuffed and in need of polish,

but I damn sure look after my pistol!"

Comment: Gun carriers, take note!

/John