[Navy joe]

Well, leave it to me to break my uber-reliable Glock. In two or three matches I had a trigger freeze that I couldn't figure out, usually involved looking real dumb like at the gun, cycling a perfectly good round out and re-engaging the rest of targets in a flustered state. I initially attributed it to freezing my finger and not re-setting the trigger, but I realized that this happened while reloading. Still none the wiser, it happened to me three times today in one match, afterwards I went to an empty shooting bay to duplicate what I had finally figured out. Whenever I firmly seated(read slammed) a loaded mag into the gun with a round chambered the slide would hop back just a little and the barrel would drive down out of battery. Every time.

What happened is that I disturbed the Glock's balance between recoil and striker springs. The striker was still stock and the recoil was not. Added with a tungsten guiderod the new spring was originally stock weight, but of a different mfg. and has five less coils than stock. After 5K+ rounds it is much looser than a factory spring, especially at full extension where the gun locks up. I will be able to go back to my heavy rod just as soon as some assorted weight springs show up and also as soon as I go the full competition route on my striker and put reduced powers in there. The need to shoot tomorrow solution was to drop a stock spring assy. in and deal with the extra muzzle flip. Today's lessons are:
1. Always have spare parts. (I'm so smart)
2. Bring them the 170 miles to the match with you.(I'm not so smart)
3. All guns can fail.

[HSMITH]

Not to be a jerk but lesson 4 could be: Leave your Glock alone and it will run fine.

Thanks for the info, that is a REALLY strange circumstance that could cause serious headaches.

[Sentry]

The Glock didn't malfunction. You did for using worn out non-stock parts.

[Sven]

4. Don't mess with Gaston's design and parts.

I know most of the gamers disagree with this rule, but I really like my "Stock Glock" and it has not let me down (with the exception of a limp wristed FTE during first 200 rounds of break in) - not ever.

[Navy joe]

Well, I tried to be helpful and relate some interesting info and the horde of Gastonites has descended upon me. :D

Sentry, no really the Glock malfunctioned. Not me. My malfunction was staring at it the first time it happened like a moron rather than clearing it and moving on.

The gun worked today but, the recoil and timing were so different I was having fun on second shots. Kind of a disaster of a match day.

My point was to remind folks to reduce springs in concert with each other, a reduced power striker will work fine with a stock recoil but not vice versa. This week I will be going to a full titanium striker, reduced power striker, back to tungsten guiderod set-up. Stock Glock springs really suck in my opinion. I've seen every last bit of plating fall off my striker springs, the slide stop springs are forever taking a set and I don't trust the plastic guiderod.

I really don't understand this whole leave your gun stock thing. It's a gun, not a religion. Had I left my gun stock I'd have a gun I couldn't hold onto well with crappy sights, a heavy gritty trigger, slow slide speed, and annoying muzzle flip. Plus I'd be bleeding profusely since saint gaston's mag release pokes a hole in my finger. This is my games gun. I can live with it, plus I learned something which is something that folks with their head in the stock sand seem to have trouble doing. I believe in my Glocks but realize they are fallible machines so I am open to learning opportunities they create. My 17 for carry and IDPA has a stock weight spring but with a tungsten rod, plug, sights, plug, grip tape, connector replaced. Am I to believe that those parts are going to swear a secret pact to become unreliable or should I believe the 4K+ rounds fired in the last 8 months?

[biere]

I personally feel your title should read something like "modified glock needs more frequent tune-ups", or something letting folks know it was not the stock glock that messed up.

With that said, I don't think glocks are perfect. I find them darn close and thought your title was going to show me something a stock glock could have happen. I read such things and pay close attention.

Overall, I am glad you posted about your problem and that you figured it out. I think the others over reacted a bit, but a title change could have stopped that.

And I like making changes to my glocks, but I always accept that those changes may cause problems that a stock glock would not. I actually have a note book on anything changed and keep a decent round count as well and I have found that fresh non-stock parts often work well. But with age the non-stock stuff can cause trouble.

Overall, I think a stock glock can run an awful lot of rounds if left alone and that is what got some folks upset with your title.

[Navy joe]

Title change? Nah, it's a unique Glock malf that can only happen in a gun where both the mainspring(striker) and recoil spring exert tension on the slide. I figure it could happen with a stock spring too.

[Sentry]

No, the gun did not malfunction. The non-stock parts you put in it did. You don't put a fart can on a Honda, and when it won't start blame the car, do you?

[HSMITH]

I figure it could happen with a stock spring too.

I agree and that is why I thanked you for the info ^^^^^. I do think that with a stock spring it would have to be dragging on the guiderod (certainly possible) and/or weakened by MANY tens of thousands of rounds to get that bad.

This malf would be a SERIOUS headscratcher for most guys and is a great piece of info to file away.