Posted: 7/5/2007 5:46:18 AM EDT
| I took my Glock 17 apart last night and found that my guide rod for the recoil spring was broken. Should I just buy another factory Glock replacement or should I go with aftermarket steel guide rod and a Wolf spring? This gun is for home defense and plinking. |
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I use both steel and factory polymer guide rods, the fun guns get the stainless steel rods, and the carry guns get the factory recoil rod. My reasoning is that there is less friction with the factory guide rod, then with the metal on metal aftermarket set-ups. I have probably 20 different guide rods including different weight springs. I find the ISMI springs to last the longest and they are wound flat wire as the factory Glock springs are. |
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Sorry it took me so long to get back to everybody. I don't have a camera to do pictures, but the rod did break at the base. I have already ordered and recieved 2 factory guide rod assemblies from Glockparts.com. The oringinal rod seems brittle and stiffer than the replacements, maybe some crappy cheap lube I tried using, I think it was called Ducksfoot??? or something. I guess I'll stick with CLP. |
| If by "at the base" you are referring to the circular part that fits on the barrel lug, it didn't just break. You broke it by not properly placing the guide rod into the lower(when you have the barrel assembly upside down) circular notch in the barrel lug. You must do this every time you re-assemble your Glock, or that round plastic piece will snag on the metal slide lock lever, which weakens it and causes it to break when you force it past. |
+1 number one cause of recoil assy destruction is operator error. |
That and a mission critical part that is prone to breakage if not handled juuuuuust right.  For the record, I bought my 19 used, and I had the misfortune of inheriting someone elses "operator error". Once I got the pistol home, I started dry firing it and after about 20 cycles of the slide the guide rod let loose and the spring went berserk. It was a complete separation of the base from the rod and it was completely hidden by the spring. I wasn't sure if I would be able to get the pistol field stripped without a gunsmith. That is NOT something I want to experience at a critical moment... I know this much for sure. The steel guide rod I have now has been flawless for over 3000 rounds, and will never break the way the OEM one did... Unless I take a big hammer and a cold chisle to it! 
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It doesn't have to be handled just right. It simply needs to be installed properly. You wouldn't try to put a gun back together with the barrel facing sideways right? Same concept. A few things to keep in mind. You admit the one you got was already damaged. The recoil rod is not really a mission critical part. The only purpose it serves is to make installing the recoil spring easier. There is no way that rod breaking would have prevented you from field stripping that Glock. Had it failed in that manner in a critical moment, you probably wouldn't have known it until the whole situation was over with. A steel guide rod can still have been made improperly, leading to the same type failure, or it could suffer from metal fatigue because it doesn't flex like the origianl part, and you wind up with the same result. I have several Glocks, as in twenty something, with at least 10,000 rounds through all of them combined, since 1997 when I bought my first one, and I haven't had a single stock guide rod fail on me. |
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It had to have been damaged since I had only cycled the slide about 20 times, and I know that there are hundreds of thousands of Glocks that have no issues at all with the OEM guide rod. But trust me, when that rod broke, it rendered the weapon inoperable. The guide rod also prevents the spring from folding when under compression. When mine broke the rod partially ejected out of the front of the weapon and the spring folded over on top of itself, the slide was stuck a bit more then halfway to the rear. I can break an OEM guide rod with my bare hands. I'd have to use a hammer to do the same to this steel one. When properly cared for, the OEM guide rod works just fine. The problem is we live in an improper world, and that's just the way Murphy makes his living. |
Contrary to popular belief this will not break a guide rod. The rod cannot go past the slide lock lever. As the slide is moving to the rear, the guide rod stops at the plastic wall below the slide lock lever and is released from the barrel. The notch in the barrel is only there to keep the guide rod in place during reassembly. What I think breaks guide rod ends is the fact that at full retraction of the slide the guide rod is forced to cam upwards putting pressure on the base of the rod. At any rate, it is a rare a occurrence and usually doesn't affect function of the gun. At $5.00 a pop, I use the factory part. |
Good catch. I was thinking the ledge that holds the recoil spring was after the slide lock. Either way, there is still a plastic ledge even prior to where the recoil spring rests in the assembled position. That has to be what people are forcing the recoil spring assembly past and weakening it. It is the only thing in the same line of sight, and many people definitely snag on it. |
All the Glock manuals I read were pretty adamant that a Glock only needs five small drops of oil for lubrication, and everything else needs to be kept dry. Spots to lube: - four metal tangs on the frame that engage the slide - the drop safety (little round thing at the bottom of the slide) That's it! Some solvents and lubricants will certainly, especially with heat, affect the integrity of some plastic parts, so you never know. |
I haven't cracked a Glock manual in several years. Is that what they say now? They used to say... One drop inside the top of the slide. One drop on the barrel. One drop on each rail. One drop on the trigger bar/connector interface. |
This is correct as I recall it from the manuals as well, although I apply a little more liberally than this one drop stuff (because it makes me feel better, whether it helps or hurts is immaterial). |
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New Glock owner here, 21SF, Actually traded my Kimber CC in for it. Loved the Kimber but it would sometimes fail to go into battery, Don't like grip safeties, and limited capacity. I'm really enjoying my Glock, I love the fact that now I have 13 rounds of 230 grain .45APC in a reliable accurate handgun. I did notice a couple of times that the recoil spring would be partly out of it's position on the barrel after take down, I know I snap it in securly when I assemble it. Is this a problem? Should I send a letter to Glock requesting another spring? Thanks: Jon from Tennessee. |
Perfectly normal. The rod seperates from the barrel upon assembly and is captured again upon disassembly. |
Thanks, I see what you mean now, I feel like a dummy. The frame holds the recoil spring in place during firing. Well, there's alot to learn about my Glock. |