Any history of Glock 40 cal failures or fast wear?

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rdmercer

rdmercer

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I have a Gen 3 Glock 22 and Gen 3 27 both in 40 cal. Do either one of these have a history of catastrophic failures or fast wear in the higher pressure 40 cal? I have Wolf 9mm barrels and mags for both but keep going back to the larger cal.
 
Glock apparently wasn't happy with the durability of the early .40S&W Glocks so they went to the 3 pin frames. But even the 2 pin .40S&W Glocks did ok.
 
I have a 1st gen MDl 23. I have close to 20k rounds through it.+ +P rounds probably less than 100. Only time it has failed was when i was shooting crappy reloads. It Doesn't like the CCI shot shells either as they get longer after shooting and cant eject. I want to refresh it and get 2 barrels, 1 40 and 1 9mm conversion.
 
ColtPythonElite said:
No
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JohnKSa said:
Glock apparently wasn't happy with the durability of the early .40S&W Glocks so they went to the 3 pin frames. But even the 2 pin .40S&W Glocks did ok.
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Well, the Gen 1 - 3 .40 S&W Glock's didn't explode (OK, some did, but that's not the point), but the reason there was a Gen 4 Glock was to fix problems with the .40 S&W models.

Also, the Gen 5, .40 S&W Glocks have a thicker slide, essentially the slide from the .45 GAP guns. Glock is still searching for something to make their .40 S&W guns work as well as their 9mm guns. We'll see if the Gen 5 has the correct answer.
 
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JohnKSa said:
Glock apparently wasn't happy with the durability of the early .40S&W Glocks so they went to the 3 pin frames. But even the 2 pin .40S&W Glocks did ok.
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Wasn't that done mostly because of the Glocks in 357 SIG? As far as I remember, it was okay to convert a three pin G23 to 357 SIG but not an older 2 pin frame.
 
I have had no issues with my Glock 27. It gets shot fairly regularly. I also reload and check for the Glock "smile" often. But, I am not reloading 40 at the top end of the range. I stay in the middle. Unlike some others I don't have a huge round count thru the weapon. Probably only 2 to 3 thousand rounds. I really like the 40 and have about 6 or 7 other brands. (M&P 40c, Beretta 96, Browning Hipower, Sig 226, Sig 229 etc.) No problems with any of them.
 
rdmercer said:
Do either one of these have a history of catastrophic failures or fast wear in the higher pressure 40 cal?
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Yes. The slide moves fast, that makes it fast wear. :neener:

The trick is realizing that by the time you buy enough ammo to wear one out, you'll have spent hundreds of times the value of the gun. Chill and go shoot.
 
Both the Glock 22 and 27 are great guns. I own both and shoot them a lot. I've carried my 27 for over twenty years and just sent the slide and barrel in to be NP3 finished. The great thing about all Glocks is it is really easy to replace the parts that wear out (springs and extractor) with high round counts. I'm also a big fan of the 40S&W cartridge still even though it gets put down a lot these days. I'd always rather have a 40 than a 9. (I do own several 9mm though.....)
 
MFInc said:
I haven't seen any in a store in a long time. Corbon was the brand I used. Which was about 25 years ago.
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Was it sold specifically as being +P pressure = loaded to a higher chamber pressure than the SAAMI pressure limit of 35,000 psi? Did it have +P on the box?
 
JTQ said:
Well, the Gen 1 - 3 .40 S&W Glock's didn't explode (OK, some did, but that's not the point), but the reason there was a Gen 4 Glock was to fix problems with the .40 S&W models.

Glock is still searching for something to make their .40 S&W guns work as well as their 9mm guns. We'll see if the Gen 5 has the correct answer.
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Disagree. They keep coming out with new gens to keep things fresh. Marketing ploy to get folks to buy “new” or “improved”. Most of my glocks are 3 pin gen 2’s and they perform as well or better than the 3’s, 4’s, or 5’s.
 
I have a Glock 22 that was a LE turn-in. It had some holster wear, and some noticeable but mild internal wear.

I don't know how much it was shot. I'd guess not a whole lot, but not barely at all, either.

I've shot it quite a bit in the 3-4 years I've had it.

It still functions perfectly, just like the day I got it.

I have a 9mm barrel and mag for it, but the 40 caliber ammo is more fun to shoot.

I'm guessing I will give out before it does.

It was a ridiculous deal, too, like $300 OTD with the box and 2-3 extra mags.

Glock G22

Glock G22

 
Throughout my 22 year career in law enforcement I’ve actually worn out 3 Glock 22’s. As an active USPSA and IDPA competitor I used my duty weapon in competition. Shot approximately 1200 to 1500 rds a month.
A Glock shoots low for me personally and took a long time for me to buy one with my own money. But if my life depended on a firearm, it would be a Glock.
 
rdmercer said:
Do either one of these have a history of catastrophic failures or fast wear in the higher pressure 40 cal?
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Not catastrophic in the sense that they'll blow apart the slide/frame like some earlier models, but I wouldn't advise installing a weapon light onto the rails if reliable function is a priority...it strengthens the frame and reduces it's flex
 
Have been seriously considering adding a Glock 27 or a HK P2000 SK to my collection.
This thread is making me feel very good about either sidearm, yet especially the Glock.
 
Thanks for all the responses in regards to Glock 40 cal. integrity and accuracy. I do have a light on the rail so probably will leave it on. I don't range practice with the it attached so flex probably is no issue. I like the G27 for concealed carry because carrying an extra mag to me is more of a burden than the gun itself. The short mag with 9 rounds fits in any pocket and not too long and it gives me 18+1 rounds. Any semi auto should have a spare mag even the full sizes.
 
but the reason there was a Gen 4 Glock was to fix problems with the .40 S&W models.
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It was a new recoil spring. If a person keeps up with their recoil spring replacement cycle--every 3K rounds for a pre-gen 4 Glock in .40S&W or .357SIG, they should be fine.
Wasn't that done mostly because of the Glocks in 357 SIG? As far as I remember, it was okay to convert a three pin G23 to 357 SIG but not an older 2 pin frame.
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Maybe. They didn't really come out and say why. Let's say it was for both, just to be safe.
Most of my glocks are 3 pin gen 2’s and they perform as well or better than the 3’s, 4’s, or 5’s.
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The pre-gen 4 Glocks in .357SIG and .40S&W do ok if you keep up with the recoil springs and don't let them get old. The 2 pin Glocks in those calibers are prone to faster wear, primarily to the locking block, as I understand it, but they will still hold up to a lot of shooting.
I do have a light on the rail so probably will leave it on. I don't range practice with the it attached so flex probably is no issue.
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That's not the issue. If you are going to use it with the light attached for self-defense you NEED to practice with it at the range. Some of the earlier Glocks can have reliability issues with lights attached. You want to find out at the range if yours is one. The fix is simple--different magazine springs.
 
rdmercer said:
I have a Gen 3 Glock 22 and Gen 3 27 both in 40 cal. Do either one of these have a history of catastrophic failures or fast wear in the higher pressure 40 cal? I have Wolf 9mm barrels and mags for both but keep going back to the larger cal.
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Got The 27 along with a Lone wolf 9MM barrel. The Both shoot extremely well. Only thing Is I had to buy 26 Mags to get the 9MM barrel to run reliably.
 
rdmercer said:
I do have a light on the rail so probably will leave it on. I don't range practice with the it attached so flex probably is no issue.
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I think you mis-understood the issue...maybe I didn't explain it in enough depth.

A weapon mounted light (WML) attached to the rail of a .40 Glock stiffens the frame and reduces flex. The Glock is designed with the flex of their frame in mind and needs it to reliably function. A LEA issued their Gen3 G22 with a WML and experienced feeding issues due to the stiffened frame reducing frame flex affecting slide travel. Their band-aid was more powerful magazine springs. The actually "fix" was the Gen 4 recoil spring assembly (RSA). This RSA caused feeding issues with the Gen4 9mm pistols
 
Tallball said:
I have a Glock 22 that was a LE turn-in. It had some holster wear, and some noticeable but mild internal wear.

I don't know how much it was shot. I'd guess not a whole lot, but not barely at all, either.

I've shot it quite a bit in the 3-4 years I've had it.

It still functions perfectly, just like the day I got it.

I have a 9mm barrel and mag for it, but the 40 caliber ammo is more fun to shoot.

I'm guessing I will give out before it does.

It was a ridiculous deal, too, like $300 OTD with the box and 2-3 extra mags.

Glock G22

Glock G22

Click to expand...
I've never been a .40 guy. I used to actually dislike it and thought it was a useless in-between cartridge but have since come around. I was very tempted to buy one when I was seeing them go for $250 at my LGS. I was going to convert it to have both .40 along with my 9mm's, but I never jumped on it. I should have.

There might be acceleration in wear compared to the 9mm because it's higher pressure exerted on the same 9mm frame but whether you will shoot it enough to reach the point of failure is pretty unlikely. But if you can afford to shoot out a glock, you can afford a new one.
 
The gen 2 and 3 Glock .40s do exhibit premature wear on the parts. Our armorers are constantly fixing broken guns, usually the frame rails breaking and the frame cracking at the trigger pins.

These issues are not seen with the 9mm and 45 Glocks. The Glock rep told me the service life of the 40 Glocks is roughly half that of the 9 and 45s.

That didn't mean they are bad guns. They just require more maintenance and faster part replacement. I know a guy with a Glock 22 with week over 100k rounds on it. The thing runs great. However he's replaced just about every internal piece on the gun. Some parts several times.
 
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