Posted: 3/14/2008 1:43:14 PM EDT
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I have and carry a glock 23 in 40 caliber. It is the older straight grip model. I noticed that on another thread they seemed to imply this caliber and model were prone to kabooms and that certain things increased their likelyhood, and that certain mods made them safer. I love Glocks, carried one as an leo and don't really wanbt to stir up shit. Just need some info I couldn't really find in a search.... lil help please.... |
+1 I have 4 glocks with a few thousand rounds through them.......still have both of my thumbs (knock on wood) More of a what you are putting into it problem than the firearm problem. |
I've done all 3 of those things with glocks for ~15 years. Tens of thousands of rounds. I guess I'm just lucky. BTW, all this talk of lead kB'ing glocks, why don't they mention it in their manual? You would think that if something was SO dangerous, they would put it in there..... rr |
If you use factory loads that meet the specs outlined in the Glock owner's manual your odds of suffering a kaBoom are pretty slim. I owned and carried a G23....I didn't spend a moment worrying about it blowing up on me. 
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There is no SAAMI spec for "+P" in .40 S&W. There are, however, some loads that are hotter than others, with the lighter weight bullets usually having a bit more zip than the bigger ones. I would suggest carrying Speer Gold Dots or Winchester's fine Ranger line over hydrashocks, as they offer superior terminal ballistics. The bottom line is that if your gun works and you are happy with it, you should stick with it. Unless you start shooting lead reloads or unfamiliar handloads you aren't likely to see any issues with your weapon. If you want to hedge your bets you can buy a replacement barrel for your G23 that has a fully supported chamber from makers like Bar-Sto. |
Glock isn't known for being the quickest to own up to problems with their weapons.... That being said, the overwhelming majority of kaBooms have been the result of ammo problems, not of the weapon itself. The lack of a fully supported chamber in the Glock doesn't help matters much, but it isn't really the reason that most have gone grenade. Time spent worrying about Glock kaBoom is probably better spent worrying about the issues a number of .40 caliber specimens have with X series Surefire lights mounted on them. |
FWIW Georgia Arms markets a .40 load as "+P" 180gr at 1,050fps |
I'd skip any .40 caliber load that claims to be +P in .40....especially from Georgia Arms with as many GA kabooms in ARs that I've read about from reliable sources. Last I knew there was no SAAMI standard for +P in .40, which is already a pretty high pressure round to start with. I wouldn't muck around with it. YMMV. |
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IMHO, there's a difference between reloads and handloads. I've fired many thousands of handloaded rounds out of stock Glock barrels and have'nt seen any sign of case failure. |
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Most Glock K'booms are a result of shooting 180 grain loads combined with bullet setback. The .40 is a high pressure cartridge, and bulletsetback can really increase pressures, especially with the long 180 grain bullets. Chuck any bullets that show signs of setback and you should be ok. |
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I've got two 10mm Glocks and one .40 Glock, as well as .40 conversion barrels for both 10mm pistols. I've shot thousands upon thousands of rounds of 10mm and .40 through all three guns without a single incident. I've shot factory rounds, I've shot my own reloads, I've even shot my own reloads using my own cast lead slugs. Almost all Browning style tilt barrel auto loading pistols have unsupported areas in the chamber, otherwise they wouldn't feed. The Glock may have a larger unsupported area, but they're ALL unsupported to some extent. Don't buy into the "fully supported" BS, cause it's BS. Shoot only quality ammo in your gun (this applies to ALL guns). Shoot only your own reloads, no one elses. If you shoot lead bullets don't let the lead build up (with ANY barrel). Don't constantly rechamber a round without checking it make sure the bullet hasn't been set back. If you're shooting and a round doesn't go off, don't just rack the slide and fire again without checking for an obstruction. More KB's happen due to squibs than anything else. |
it says not to shoot exposed lead in the manual. But i guess would have to read the manual to figure that one out. |
Finally, a Glock kaboom post that cuts through all the crap.  I too shot thousands of my own reloads--including cast bullets--through a 2nd generation G22 and never had a problem. |
You SURE about that? Maybe you should read the manual. I can guarantee you, that as of 2004, the latest year manual I have, that is NEVER said. And I quote: "Only use high quality commercially manufactured ammunition, in excellent condition and in the caliber of your pistol." It goes on to talk about using reloads. Not once does it mention lead. Nice try though. rr |
Yea because companies are so upfront about the errors in their products.. What a rediculous comment..... |
Leading would not be an "error" in the product. Does your lever action 30-30 manual advise against using non-soft point ammunition? Mine sure does. It's purely a function of the design, not a defect. rr |
That's what I've heard as well. But it's wrong. americanesuperstore.stores.yahoo.net/gs14800.html rr |
I thought we were talking about .40. I don't believe any of the major ammo manufacturers make a .40 load using plain lead bullets. KB's in 9mm are virtually nonexistent in Glock pistols. Most of the problems with KB's in .40 Glocks came about with a large quantity of early Federal ammo and it's brass. I don't recall the exact details, but it was definitely traced to a specific lot of ammo that caused a fair number of Glock failures. I believe that Glocks have taken an unfair amount of negative heat regarding blow-ups. It seems as though it is a prelevant problem, but I'll bet that the percentage of Glocks that have failed is comparable to any other major brand of handgun. There's just more Glocks out there. |
Would you consider Federal to be a major manufacturer? www.ammobank.com/cgi-bin/cshop/store/detail.tam?cart=08C15fnw.egt&lpg=%2Fstore%2Fgaugeshow%2Etam&lpt=1205626402&xax=479105&item%2Ectx=%3AAE40%23 rr |
OK, you're right. I guess lead ammo is fine in a Glock. I've been under a misconception for quite a while. It has been my understanding that polygonal barrels tend to lead and build pressure faster than conventional land and groove barrels and that is what caused higher pressure and KB's. I guess if Federal is loading lead bullets it must be fine to use in a Glock according to the owners manual, right? |
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Check your .40cal rounds for set back. Check out my post. www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=1&f=5&t=670162 |
IMO, yes, lead ammunition is fine in a Glock. I have shot 10's of thousands of lead RN through different Glocks. However, I do check the barrel for leading every 3-400 rds if its an extended range session/class. Mostly, though, my point was only that if Glock was so worried about lead in their pistols, shouldn't they put it in their manual? Lets say Joe Blow kB's his G22 cause he's shooting lead. In the process he loses his eyesight. He's gonna have a hell of a case against Glock, if it can be shown that they knew lead could be a problem, and neglected to inform their customers. Therefore, I don't think that they are that concerned about it. I know I'm not. rr |
I did a little more reading about lead bullets in Glocks on a couple other forums. It seems that others are shooting lead bullets as well. They seem to think that sizing,lube and bullet hardness are very important when shooting lead in anything-diameter being the most important factor. I've been shooting lots of Precision "black" bullets in my Glocks, but I'm using Lone Wolf barrels with conventional rifling. I've been having great results with that set-up. I guess I may try some lead in my G21SF and see how it works out with the standard barrel. With jacketed bullets being priced the way they are, lead may be a viable alternative. |
Yes. I wasn't really worrying about it either and suspect that there are far more things that will cause a failure. Didn't really know about the bullet seating issue and I don't shoot reloads anyway. So.... at the end of the day, if you are loading and unloading the same round you might change it or shoot it, or take it out of rotation. All good stuff to know. |
When I have to unload my weapon I take the ejected round and put it at the bottom of the magazine. After a round has been chambered twice I put it in my reject box, a box of assorted ammo I keep on hand to burn at the range. If you do that, setback will likely never be an issue for you. |
