It's now April 2014, about four years since Glock Gen 4 9mm's were released.

Has a definitive solution to the Glock Gen 4 9mm brass to face issue been found? I search all over the internet and all I can find is back and forth as well as threads where the user having the issues never came back.

What I'm looking for are definitive answers, you'd think that by now, four years after the issue arose, there would be a simple guide to solving the problem like replace X part and X part and problem solved.

Thanks.

I had the issue with my gen 4 34 with an aftermarket trigger. All I had to do was swap out ejectors to the factory ejector and never had it again.

My 17 has had no btf.

Friends Gen 4 19 from last summer GTG, been 100% reliable and no BTF.

I have had no BTF with my gen 4 34.

I owned one of the first Gen 4's to come out (a 17), and it had BTF issues and erratic ejection.

I've heard (from LAV) that getting a 3rd party extractor (can't remember the name--Apex maybe?) solves the issue. I plan on getting it eventually.

G34 born in January of 2014.  I'm coming close to 2k rounds and no problems with brass to the face.

I have a gen 4 19 and 34 each have ran flawless.  Both are from 2013. No brass to the face what so ever

 

Definite answers, huh!  

There aren't any.  I've been living with this problem for the past 3 1/2 years.  During this time I've tried EVERYTHING in order to get rid of Glock's damned annoying BTF problems.  Apex doesn't have a perfect answer.  Last time I checked they were on their 3rd or 4th model extractor; and performance was still erratic. So far I've had 4 different Glock and Lone Wolf extractors in my G-19; and none have worked properly.  

I finally settled on a factory extractor which came with an invoice marked, 'zero degree extractor'.  (No LCI, and a consequent tighter bite on the case head's groove.)  Of all the extractors I've tried this zero degree thing works the best.  NOT great, but the best.  I'm getting, at least, consistent 2 to 3 foot, 'humpbacked' ejection which, so far, I've been able to live with.  

Yes, I've also swapped the ejectors too.  The old #336 worked OK for awhile while the pistol was new; but, as the gun wore in I had to switch to the newer, 'drop nosed' #30274 ejector.  (The reason, 'Why' these new, 'drop nosed' ejectors work better is because they allow more time for a poorly held case head to slip down the breechface; and are still able to impact the case head, more or less, at the middle and, thus, maintain consistent left-side ejection.)  

Why do some Glock pistols work, while many others do not?  Well, like all things, 'Glock' nothing is consistent!  BTF seems to have two principal causes:  Either the extractor claws are too capacious, or the cutouts they ride in are slightly larger in, at least, one dimension, and consequently out-of-spec.  (Which, in my opinion, is why the carefully machined steel extractors that Apex provides don't always work as well as intended.)  What do I think the best solution is?  I'd like to get my hands on a slightly oversized Apex extractor; and hand-fit it into my pistol's extractor slot.

Finally, do I think you should go ahead and make that next Glock purchase?  If I were you I wouldn't; but, then again, I've already made up my mind that I'm not going to buy anymore Glock pistols.  If I want to gamble away 5 or 6 hundred dollars I'd rather do it at a casino rather than on a pistol that might, or might not work.  As far as this Glock owner is concerned, Glock's, 'finest hour' has already past; and I'm, now, moving on to other pistols.  If you like to gamble then don't take this advice; there are Glocks out there that do still work.  Who knows?  You just might end up with one.

I recently brought home a Gen4 G17 with a test-fire date of 30 Sep 13, and it's ejection is very erratic. I haven't gotten around to calling Glock. They're going to get the first go at it.

I have 19 and 26, both Gen 4 and I haven't had a problem of any kind with either of them.

I own nine Gen 4 17s and two Gen 4 19s - not one single malfunction, not one single piece of brass to the face.  I have even used cheap monarch ammo that you can feel that it is underpowered, and it ran 100%.

My Gen4 17 has no issues.

I have a Gen 4 34 with perfect ejection and two later Gen 3 g19's which needed the Apex extractor. The 19's have extracted perfectly since installing the Apex part.

4 years later and people shooting Gen 4 Glocks at crowded ranges still blame the gun for brass bouncing off the overhang, or the brass nets and hitting them in the face.

The vast majority are fine though.  And easily the best Glocks ever built.

Ive been hearing mixed results. Some glocks born this year are having problems, others are not. I know a lot of people with Gen 4 19s with P Q R or S starting serial numbers had major issues. My own experience is as follows:

I had a transitional Gen 3 19 that would kick brass straight up in the air about 1 inch, and drop right back down into the chamber as the slide was closing causing an annoying stovepipe. (336 ejector). when it worked properly, the brass "dribbled" out of the ejection port and ran down my strong hand. It was entertaining in a gallow's humor way to watch the gun kick brass to the 7, 8 and 9 o'clock position sometimes too. I don't care what the BTF deniers say, you cannot have a gun kick brass to the opposite direction of the ejection port and blame how you hold the weapon. (and when i'd pick up any other pistol, the problem magically dissipated!). I had read about all the problems plaguing the gen 4s and figured they were tailored only to the gen 4s (WRONG), so I bought a gen 3. Boy i was irritated when I found out I had become a victim.


I guess there are two ways to correct it if you really want it to work (you could just sell it!).
1. Call Glock and have them send you a prepaid shipping label, tell them what the gun is doing, demand they test fire 100 rounds through it and ensure the weapon is functioning properly. if you get it back and it's still screwed up, rise and repeat. This is probably the way I should have handled it. It was their screw up, let them pay for it. But I can't help myself I need to tinker. Plus I figured this would be a good learning experience even if working on this pistol turned into dissecting a gun-cadaver for educational purposes.

2. Fix it yourself. Even if you're not a gunsmith by any stretch of the imagination (im not), glocks are so damn easy to work on you don't have to be. To fix the brass to face issue you literally need two tools. A 3/32nd punch and a pair of pliers (if you have a gen 3 gun). You will need to purchase a couple items, I will list them below with links

(a) A new Extractor and Extractor Spring from Apex link: https://apextactical.com/store/product-list.php?pg1-cid22.html

(b) A NON-Loaded Chamber Indicator Spring Loaded Bearing (Non-LCI SLB) link: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/114074/glock-spring-loaded-bearing-glock-17-19-26-34-without-loaded-chamber-indicator-black also another link: https://www.lonewolfdist.com/Detail.aspx?PROD=382&CAT=137

Here's a pic of what the difference is:
http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/zz31/EdgecrusherXES/Glock%20Info/LCICompJPG.jpg
http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/zz31/EdgecrusherXES/Glock%20Info/LCICompJPG.jpg



(c) The 30274 Ejector if you don't already have one ( the part when you buy it usually comes with a gen 4 housing, if you have a Gen 3 gun like I did you need a pair of pliers to pull the old ejector out  of the gen 3 housing, and push the 30274 ejector into the gen 3 housing... basically throw the gen 4 plastic housing away..) linky: http://www.midwayusa.com/product/225860/glock-trigger-housing-with-ejector-glock-9mm-generation-4

Here's a pic of the 336 (top) vs the 30274 (bottom)
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zks7_Joc6W4/UI1EnOqm73I/AAAAAAAABWA/_30dII1NPQg/s1600/Ejectors-side.jpg
https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zks7_Joc6W4/UI1EnOqm73I/AAAAAAAABWA/_30dII1NPQg/s1600/Ejectors-side.jpg

(d)? You can try running a 15 pound recoil spring if you want really strong ejection... I didn't find it necessary. a reduced power recoil spring will speed up slide velocity, but will probably increase wear on the gun.


If you need help detail stripping your glock to replace the parts, search on youtube something like, "detail strip glock", or "glock complete disassembly" . Look for videos that have 720 or 1080p resolution available. Watch the video first before you tinker. Then watch it again, pause it, work, unpause, etc and you should have no problem. If you get stuck, watch another video with a different angle or different explanation. That's how I learned. There are copious amounts of videos on this topic and on the general topic of detail stripping glocks

I hope this helps anyone with the problem, and I hope it makes people not fear buying a 19... they are really good pistols, fun and cheap to shoot and the brass problem is pretty easy to fix. whether or not you should spend more money fixing a new gun that was messed up from the factory is another topic entirely...

I'll leave you with this, if you're really interested in getting more into what's going on with brass to the face... it's Randy Lee's dissertation on the problem. Link below:

http://www.m4carbine.net/showthread.php?92447-Randy-s-dissertation-on-erratic-ejection-and-extraction-in-the-Gen-4-Glock-9mm-pistol


Also, read what poster "English" had to say on this very topic, he is post number 8:
http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?p=21099942

same here

I have 3 gen 4 9mms (17, 19, 34).  Out of about 3-4000 rounds through the 3 of them, I've been hit with brass ONE time.

Nope!  I've tried every single one of the fixes that have been subsequently recommended since I posted my above reply.  I've done business with Randy Lee; (He's talented, and a really good guy!)  I consider GT's, 'English' to be a personal friend; and I have benefited MANY TIMES from his advice; but nothing I've read, so far, in this thread has fixed my LATE THIRD GENERATION G-19.  (The later 3rd generation Glocks, also, have MIM extractors.  Mine came from the factory with the older #336 ejector, and the new MIM extractor.)  

I've carefully read this thread and looked at all the pictures.  It's all nothing new; and I've both read about and tried all of these fixes before.  I'll say one thing, though:  This problem is NOT CAUSED by too high an ejection port sidewall.  Neither is fooling around with a stronger SLB spring or a different (non-LCI) SLB going to fix MOST of these problems on MOST people's Glocks.  If things were this simple I would have already solved my own Glock problem years ago!  

As for the barrel chattering when it hits the barrel locking block?  That's not the answer, either.  Many many Glock barrels impact with the locking block every time they're fired; and there's never a problem!  Glock's BTF problems are ultimately traceable to:  (1) Excessive slippage of the extracting case head, and (2) incorrect movement of the extractor claw.  The reason, 'Why' a different RSA might improve a BTF problem is simply because it alters the extraction time factor; and, hence, changes the amount of case slippage down the breechface.  If the extracting case didn't slip downward there would be NO PROBLEM with the height of the ejection port's sidewall, as well.  

This is what I've learned from the lessons of the past 3 1/2 years, and the several hundred dollars I've spent trying to solve my own Glock problem.  Glock needs to return to machined steel extractors; and some of these extractors (but, as usual with Glock pistols, not all of them) will need to be oversized in certain of their dimensions.  It's going to be a tough fix, and instances of custom fitting will be involved.

I've had mine for about 2 1/2 years.

 

The new ejector block fixed my G4 G17.

Mine too.  My G17 was a fairly early Gen 4 bought right at the height of the hysteria about this issue.  I tried different ejectors, extractors, recoil springs, etc, etc.  The gun was basically fine unless you limp-wristed it, or were shooting it suppressed.  Then it was very unreliable.  After the new ejector block, it has been 100%, no matter what I do.  Shot it suppressed this weekend for the first time in a long time and worked great.  Very positive ejection.

My wife has a much newer Gen 4 G17 that has been 100% from day one.  She could get my older one to stovepipe prior to the ejector block switch.  The new one has never missed a beat, even when she's tired.  I have a less than 6 month old Gen 4 G19 that I started carrying recently.  It in its first range session I had 2 or 3 BTF near misses.  That first 100 rds or so must have taken care of whatever "break in" it needed, because it has been fine ever since.  I shot 100-150 rds through it on the 13th, and another 140 or so yesterday and it was perfect.  Positive ejection and no BTF issues.  

I inquired of the staff and owner of NH's major indoor range about it last year and they said the Gen 4's are fine now.  Their rental pieces see thousands of rounds a week, so they would know if there was still a serious issue with them.

Is it safe to say that the Gen 4 Glock 19's were the worst hit with the BTF and erratic ejection issue?

I mean, most of the guns I've read about that were not able to get fixed after replacing ejector, extractor and RSA were Gen 4 Glock 19's.
Gen 4 G17's seem to be doing ok after replacing the ejector with the 30274, getting the latest RSA and putting in the Apex extractor.

Me as well.  My main problem was that my LGS, which is an official Glock armorer, tested my pistol with the old ejector and said it was fine (dumbasses) so I convinced myself that I had a terrible limp wristing problem because of the awful ejection (an issue that still haunts me to this day).  I put in the new ejector, and everything is 100% perfect.

I think limp wristing is almost a red herring at this point, unless we're talking very young shooters, or diminutive folks.