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Posted: 1/28/2002 6:47:01 AM EDT
Given the recent discussion about the Glock 30 KB, and the so many we had seen before, I am starting to wonder a little about my Glock 31.  

Could you guys and gals please explain to me how the Glock chambers are unsupported, and how this leads to the catastrophic failure of the pistols?

Thanks gentlemen.
Link Posted: 1/28/2002 6:49:37 AM EDT
[#1]
And while you're at it, what pistols have fully supported chambers?
Link Posted: 1/28/2002 6:50:22 AM EDT
[#2]
Believe this KB issue began w/ the .40SW caliber Glocks and early on the chambers left the 6 o'clock area above the feed ramp unsupported. I have no 40SW, but have the 17, 19 & 21s and have never had a problem.

Mike
Link Posted: 1/28/2002 6:58:43 AM EDT
[#3]
[url]http://communities.prodigy.net/sportsrec/glock/gz-glock-kb.html[/url]
[url]http://communities.prodigy.net/sportsrec/glock/gz-g2-kb.html[/url]
Link Posted: 1/28/2002 7:03:48 AM EDT
[#4]
Link Posted: 1/28/2002 7:15:10 AM EDT
[#5]
Quoted:
And while you're at it, what pistols have fully supported chambers?
View Quote


Revolvers.
Link Posted: 1/28/2002 7:27:41 AM EDT
[#6]
Any pistol, including 1911s, that have been 'throated' by their owners are likely to have this problem because throating the barrel reduces the casing support at the rear.

I can only surmise that the Glock design is basically weak. 9mmm pistols operate at high pressure like the .40 and there are many 9mm designs out there that do not suffer from this.
Link Posted: 1/28/2002 7:31:17 AM EDT
[#7]
Quoted:
I can only surmise that the Glock design is basically weak. 9mmm pistols operate at high pressure like the .40 and there are many 9mm designs out there that do not suffer from this.
View Quote


I've never heard of a Glock 9mm kB!  Just .40's and (now) .45's.
Link Posted: 1/28/2002 7:34:16 AM EDT
[#8]
Some of the cartridge case manuals and reloading manuals warn about reloading for specific firearms.  For instance in some (most) pistols the feed ramp which has been incorperated into the barrel precludes the full encasement of the cartridge case.  This means that one specific part of the brass cartridge itself must help to contain the explosive expansive gases that propel the bullet through the barrel.  Cratridge manufacturers design such cased with a "web" that strengthens the base of the cartridge as well as the walls - to a point.  If SAAMI specs for pressure are exceeded you could very well have a Kb.

This happened to a friend of mine with an old Ruger auto.  He started to reload and imediately delved into "discovering" that perfect 9mm+P+ load.  Well, he experienced a catastrophic failure that I'll never forget.

So, it pays to be safe.
Link Posted: 1/28/2002 9:50:20 AM EDT
[#9]
Link Posted: 1/28/2002 11:20:06 AM EDT
[#10]
"Unsupported" chambers will make the weapon more reliable.  It does not necessarily mean the gun is going to blow up.  For instance, Winchester Model 70s have "unsupported" chambers and they are test fired at 100,000 psi.
Link Posted: 1/28/2002 11:41:48 AM EDT
[#11]
I have put over 5,000 rounds through my Glock G-29 10mm, mostly jacketed reloads. Some of our loads have had enough pressure to rock the foundations of hell itself, and never a glitch from that little gun.
I don't think it is a failure of the Glock design, on that aforementioned little G-30, but rather something that was wrong with *that particular gun*.
If there was an inherent weakness in the Glock design, one would think it would have shown up in the 10's first.
Link Posted: 1/28/2002 11:57:50 AM EDT
[#12]
Link Posted: 1/28/2002 12:10:48 PM EDT
[#13]
I asked a guy at Turner's about this and he looked at a .357 Sig model Glock and compared it to the .40.  Same appearance but no reports of .357 KB's.  Maybe not many out there.
Link Posted: 1/28/2002 12:11:36 PM EDT
[#14]
While I can attest as well to having put thousands of rounds through my .40 caliber Glocks without failure, it doesn't serve any analytical purpose for everyone to chime in that they haven't had a kB! It's akin to saying, "I've driven 200,000 miles in my Ford Explorer with Firestone tires and I haven't rolled over." The only way to get a true figure on this is to compare the total number of Glocks to the number of Glocks that have kBed, and to then compare these numbers to other manufacturers. kBs that resulted from crazymagnumbuttstomper loads would obviously have to be excluded from [b]all[/b] of the data. Only after looking at all of these numbers could we really determine whether Glocks are more prone to kBs than other weapons.

Anybody have a source for this kind of data?
Link Posted: 1/28/2002 12:47:11 PM EDT
[#15]
Don't almost all pistols have unsupported chambers?  Why does everyone blame the unsupported chamber on Glocks?  Do Glocks have larger feed ramps than most pistols?  I'm pretty sure my USP has an unsupported chmaber, and I never here of those KB'ing.  
Link Posted: 1/28/2002 12:52:06 PM EDT
[#16]
Time is short and haven't read all the above.  Here's something to read though -

[url]http://www.f-r-i.com/glock/FAQ/FAQ-casefailure.htm[/url]
Link Posted: 1/28/2002 1:57:25 PM EDT
[#17]
Glock KB's are only partly due having an unsupported chamber. "BTW, there are after market barrels for the Glock that are fully supported and have regular groove rifling resulting is less pressure."

The other part of the equation is that because of the "safe action" hammerless design, a Glock can sometimes fire even when a round is not fully chambered. Both of these factors together will definately contribute to a KB.
Link Posted: 1/28/2002 3:52:24 PM EDT
[#18]
its seems as though I heard the glock kb's were in the polygonal rifling versions, and folks were shooting lead bulletws in them. that's why most kbs were in the .40, which had polygonal rifling. was someone shittin' me?
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