Posted: 9/3/2016 3:03:07 PM EDT
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(Edit...apologies if I am calling that part something it is not. Slide stop, slide catch, slide release, etc. I have used them all to describe the part that catches the slide notch and holds it open. Thats the part I am talking about, not the bar that holds the slide on the gun.)
Though I am right handed, I like having a left hand mag release wherever possible. I recently purchased a new Gen 4 Glock 20, and one of the main features I looked for was how it felt in the hand to do the mag change, and it was just about perfect for me once I swapped it over. I have shot it now about 100 times, couple boxes of range feed and some SD stuff. Function is fine, love the gun, might even become a Glock disciple. What concerns me is a flaw that is just consistent enough to be annoying. After the range time, and time spent at home holstering, drawing, mag changing, dry firing etc, general familiarization type stuff, I find that maybe 2 out of 10 times, the slide release will either not engage the slide and hold it open, or maybe just catch it microscopically. I don't use the slide release as a reload mechanism, so no concern on that aspect, but the slide not holding open on the empty magazine is a concern. It happens on all 3 magazines, slightly more often on one in particular, but swapping followers and springs around didn't change the effect. Also, less frequently but more annoyingly, the magazine will stick just enough to not fall free, requiring a tug to remove it. What appears to be the issue is that the left side release setup puts pressure on the magazine body from the right, which pulls the top of the magazine over just enough to make the follower either miss or barely graze the slide release shelf. Has anyone else dealt with this issue? If there is some small adjustment I can perform, I am not afraid to tinker, but sometimes the obvious fix misses some other nuance. If someone with a 20 can try theirs and see if they notice the same effect, maybe mine is not unique. I'm not ready to give up on it, as it works fine with the right side release, but I was reeeaaalllyyy liking that feel of draw, fire, slight twist, right middle finger drop mag while left hand grabs next magazine, reload. Something about the mag and the mag well, feels like I could hit it from across the room with my eyes closed, it just seems to suck the magazine in. |
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No, this is when hand operated. Happened one time shooting, I thought I may have limp wristed.
With slide removed, the problem becomes more obvious, with the slide release either barely catching the follower or shifting to the side of it, which can catch it and hold the magazine in the gun. Works fine right hand side, theres just some sort of slack to the left side. Just curious if anyone else has the same situation. |
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With the slide on, and and empty magazine inserted, does the slide lock back if you rack the slide hard?
Eliminate your grip by shooing left handed only, does the slide lock back on the last round? If the answer is yes to both questions.... then it's operator error or weak ammo (doubtful you came across week 10mm, assuming you are reloading it). ~g |
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See photos. First one shows the magazine position, with the release in the right hand position. Notice the relation of the follower to the shelf of the slide release. Plenty of contact,
Second one shows the same mag with the release in the left hand position. Only thing I changed was the mag release from right to left. Notice how little of the slide release is contacting the magazine follower. This is best case, as the slide release can easily and does slip past the follower and either not lock the slide back, or hold the magazine in the gun when the mag release is pressed, or both. 
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Not an ammo situation, not a grip situation, this is a geometry situation. I'm just trying to get a perspective from someone else who may have a gen 4 that has switched the mag release over, or maybe its a large frame issue, or maybe just a G20 issue, or maybe just a my gun only issue. Thanks for the ideas, tho. |