Glock, new barrel, no lead, kaboom, no worries HELP??????

I already told you everything I know in the other thread.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=6689698&postcount=15

Your Gen 3 doesn't have the "fire out of battery" problem early Glocks had. And your chamber is probably cut closer to spec then they used to be too.

rc

lol rcmodel for the win.

That explanation makes perfect sense. Not being a glock owner, much less even using lead bullets in my loads, I never really gave it much thought.

Now to add onto that, tell me if you think this makes sense.

For people who get "kabooms" using FMJ ammo in a glock (say, reloads using modest charge and acceptable brass), could it have been caused by the following?

-Shooting high volumes without cleaning
-Build-up of crud in the chamber on the headspacing shoulder (like in the lead situation, except NOT lead)
-Pistol is being fired slightly further and further out of battery
-Enough of rear case wall exposed to cause a burst

For those reading this, this is just a hypothesis. I don't have any evidence.

There are lots of theory's on the Glock KA-Boom thing.

That is just one of mine & lead bullets.

While it is unlikely a jacketed bullet would cause headspace problems, there have been documented cases of KA-Booms with factory loaded jacketed ammo.
Maybe just bad brass in a loose chamber?

Some speculation was some barrels were heat treated wrong, etc.

I do note that Glock Ka-Boom's are very seldom heard about anymore.
Glock has done several things to make the 2nd & 3rd. gen guns safer, including tighter chambers, better feed ramp case support, and a disconnecter that actually disconnects when it is supposed too.

So, your guess is as good as mine.

rc

rcmodel said:

There are lots of theory's on the Glock KA-Boom thing.

That is just one of mine & lead bullets.

While it is unlikely a jacketed bullet would cause headspace problems, there have been documented cases of KA-Booms with factory loaded jacketed ammo.
Maybe just bad brass in a loose chamber?

Some speculation was some barrels were heat treated wrong, etc.

I do note that Glock Ka-Boom's are very seldom heard about anymore.
Glock has done several things to make the 2nd & 3rd. gen guns safer, including tighter chambers, better feed ramp case support, and a disconnecter that actually disconnects when it is supposed too.

So, your guess is as good as mine.

rc

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Rcmodel, has summed it up as well as it can be summed up. Glock's perfect gun never was. Not to say it isn't a great gun for it's intended use, but they claimed perfection and there ain't no such thing.

As RC points out they have improved their perfect gun quite a bit, and kaboom publicity has dropped off considerably. They still use their trademark barrel rifling, and that makes it less able to fire less than "perfect" ammo. (maybe that's what they mean by "Glock Perfection")

Keep in mind that kabooms were always rare in guns like the Model 17 chambered for 9mm. They got their deserved reputation from the .40 S&W chambered models.
You want to reload for your M. 17? Get after it. Just get your head out of the dark spaces, and learn to do it right like we all have to. (don't know anybody on this forum who kaboomed)
Listen to RC...he's shot and reloaded safely for Glocks as much as anybody, and such experience is worth listening to.

That said, anybody who reloads for any handgun or rifle does so against the expressed wishes of the manufacturers. Mainly because people who do it badly often want to blame the gun, the company, and litigate it.....that causes a lot of grief and expense.

You will find that if you do stay in the dark spaces and experience a kaboom with your Glock, You will call the company to see what they will do about it. They usually, if you're not an ass about it, give you the parts to fix it at a more than reasonable price....its in their best interest to do that.

P.S. If you're looking for somebody to tell you that reloading is as safe as driving your car...then OK, it is actually more safe. Of course driving is anything but safe, if you haven't learned how, or you find yourself unfocused or distracted. The internet is not a good place to learn to drive....or reload. Get some reloading manuals and study...then try a few. Study some more...try some more. Pretty soon you'll be reloading those 9mm cases as easy as putting on your clothes. But never...never...take it for granted, or reload unfocused or distracted...and keep your Glock clean! ....same goes for your driving and your car.

TH3180, if you want a second opinion as to shooting reloads out of Glocks, reread what rcmodel posted.

I have shot 300,000+ of reloaded jacketed and plated rounds through my factory Gen3 Glock barrels with no issue. I shot 40S&W reloads primarily but also 9mm/45ACP.

I think the key factors to remember when shooting jacketed/plated reloads are:
- Keep your charge loads mid-high range of load data and do not exceed max charge
- If you see bulged cases, reduce your charge
- Inspect your spent cases and do not reuse damaged/questionable cases

I have also shot quite a bit of lead reloads in Glocks, but prefer to shoot them out of Lone Wolf barrels. If you shoot a lot of lead reloads, $100 is very cheap insurance and compared to price of jacketed/plated bullets, you'll pay for the cost of reloading equipment+$100 barrel much faster (do the math for several thousand rounds):
- Same as above, but inspect/clean your barrel (especially the chamber to rifling transition area) regularly. If I am shooting lead reloads out of my factory Glock barrels, I check them every 200-300 rounds or so

Be safe and have fun with your Glocks.

Glock 17 is the baseline model and seldom gives trouble. Most of the kaBooms you read about are in .40s.

MY first generation G17 won't fire 3/16" "out of battery" because I have tried (with a primed case only.)

I shot some cast bullets in it with no more leading than a conventional land and groove barrel. If I were going to shoot a lot, I would check frequently and if it leaded, go over to moly coated cast or plated/jacketed bullets.

FWIW my third gen g21 sees nothing but lead bullets. I can shoot as many as I want per session, and sometimes I just look down the barrel and dont bother cleaning it. I went three range trips and finally cleaned it, and it wasnt bad. Of course, three range trips is only about 150 rounds for me, because I take so many guns. I use a 18bhn bullet from Missouri Bullet and AA#2.

I've become a big fan of plated bullets. They are the Glock substitute for lead. In 9mm my favorite plated bullet is the 130 grain .356" RN (.38 Super bullet)
I also load a lot of Hornady .356" HAP bullets, very few 115 .355" FMJ's.

I also load for 10mm and .45acp Glocks, 90% plated bullets, all with stock barrels.

The plated bullets have been excellent in the accuracy department, better than cheap FMJ's.

I have reloaded and shot many thousands of rounds out of my Glock model 22 (bought in early 1993). I always loaded mid range and used plated bullets like Rainier and Berry's. I'm on my 9th load for about 500 of my brass cases.

Never a problem until I started reading about "Glock brass", etc on these forums about a year ago. I bought an aftermarket barrel (Wilson Combat) just this summer and now I am worried.

The Wilson barrel is so much tighter that many of my reloads don't fit into it. Never mind not feed, that don't fit in if I take the barrel out and try to push the round in. This tells me that my Glock factory barrel is very large and I am flirting with a case separation. Specifically, the base of many of the cases loaded so often have a bulge that hangs up on the Wilson Combat barrel. The bulge almost custom fits to the Glock factory barrel.

I'll be discarding all these cases after the next firing. I know, I know, but I just can't throw them away.

I shoot a G 17 in competition and practice with it a lot. It has never seen factory ammo. I guess you could say it's a little spoiled shooting the good stuff.

If I do end up wanting to buy an after market which should I get?

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I recommend Lone Wolf barrels (replacement and 40-9 conversion) as they are true "drop in" compared to some other after-market barrels that require hand fitting by a gunsmith. I do not have any feeding problems with any of my LW barrels. LW barrels have tighter chamber than any factory barrels I have checked and I essentially use them as my case gauges as I load for multiple makes and models of pistols - if the reloaded round chambers in LW barrel, it will chamber in any other pistol.

They are stainless match grade (lower land/groove rifling for tighter bullet to barrel fit) barrels and come with polished rifling and ramp. I get very little leading in my barrels and usually 15 minute soak in WD40 will loosen any leading residue that comes out easily with copper scrub (chore boy) wrapped bore rod.

They also carry life-time product and service warranty. If you want any type of ramp/cham ber/transition area to rifling work done before/after you buy, simply send them sample dummy rounds and they will re-machine the barrel for free.

Cheaper-Than-Dirt carries the more popular sizes for $99-$109 and Lone Wolf Distributors website carries full line of threaded and ported barrels as well.

I have heard a lot of stories where people bought Lone Wolf barrels and the chambers were too tight. They had to send them back to be reamed and had to pay to have it done. A friend of mine has a Storm Lake barrel in his G-17 and it is very accurate. If I get one it will be a Storm Lake.

I talked to Lone Wolf earlier this year and they confirmed their life-time product and service warranty. No charge for re-machining the barrel - just send them your dummy rounds you use in your barrel (no powder - no primer) with your barrel.

If you have any doubt, call them before you order the barrel to be sure.

I will go ahead and say this, even though I expect someone to chime in and say "You dont know how to reload right." I had two Lonewolf 45 acp barrels for my g21. One a 6 inch and one stock length. Both of them were too tight to feed reliably. No, this isnt a matter of better reloading, its a known issue that many people have with them. In fact, Lonewolf will re-machine them for free, and cover the return shipping. I had the 6 inch one done, and it fed wonderfully. It was a very accurate barrel, at least as good as the stocker. I sold the other one to a member at GlockTalk. I have been using the stock one ever since, with no problems at all.

Only thing I have to add is if you are worring about paying off your equipment by reloading you're in the wrong hobby.

I really don't want to spend $100 dollars on a barrel so I can reload because it will just take that much longer for my reloading stuff to pay for itself. If that is what I have to do to be safe than so be it.

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You're making a job out of something ment to be a hobby.

Reloading is to be part of the whole shooting experience. JMHO

I have fed my gen2 g-17 nothing but reloads since I bought it new. No issues, no kabooms, no FTF,FTE, etc. If you're reasonably careful and follow procedures, you shouldn't have any issues

I talked to Lone Wolf earlier this year and they confirmed their life-time product and service warranty. No charge for re-machining the barrel - just send them your dummy rounds you use in your barrel (no powder - no primer) with your barrel.

If you have any doubt, call them before you order the barrel to be sure.

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That's good to know BDS. I'm glad the stories I have been hearing are wrong.

The problem is the limited sample that a person has experience with. That’s to say their particular pistol which they’ve fired (55,379???) lead bullets thru it with no problems. One must take into consideration the Glock OEM barrel design is optimized for jacketed bullets as opposed to lead bullets. Yes there are those among us that fire lead bullets with no issues with the OEM barrel. Personally I’m not one of these that do. I’ll error on the side of caution AKA safety.

Replace the OEM barrel with a after market KKM Precision barrel. One LW barrel was enough for me.

The problem is the limited sample that a person has experience with. That’s to say their particular pistol which they’ve fired (55,379???) lead bullets thru it with no problems. One must take into consideration the Glock OEM barrel design is optimized for jacketed bullets as opposed to lead bullets. Yes there are those among us that fire lead bullets with no issues with the OEM barrel. Personally I’m not one of these that do. I’ll error on the side of caution AKA safety.

Replace the OEM barrel with a after market KKM Precision barrel. One LW barrel was enough for me.

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So the rest of us arent safe, because you are too worried to do it? There are more than a few of us shooting lead, and some of us have done it out of more than one glock.

I have read a kazillion internet "stories" about lead and Glocks. I have shot a boatload of lead out of my 9mm/.40/.45 Glocks with zero issues. I clean them of course and never allow any lead build up during an extended range session...just like all my other pistols....but the Glocks have had to have had at least a thousand rounds of cast lead through each of them with no issues at all. Now the .40 cal Glock I have a KKM barrel in it. No issues there either....but I shot lead through the stock Glock barrel before I got the KKM.
I keep an eye out for any lead build up in all my guns anyway. Glocks or not. I look.

So the rest of us arent safe, because you are too worried to do it? There are more than a few of us shooting lead, and some of us have done it out of more than one glock.

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You are free to do as you want! Do I believe your being -----yes!

Currently loading 9MM for both the G17 and the G34 using Titegroup they crono @ just under 1100 using 115grn barry and rainier (plated) bullets. I do not shoot Lead exposed in any of my glocks. Every round loaded on my Dillion goes through a chamber No-Go Guage. It it does not seat it does not go into the gun. This process it the same used in 45ACP and 38/357. I must have loaded 10,000 plus rounds in the last 10 years and shot IDPA, ICOR, IPSC.... and have never had an issue with a kaboom. As said before and bears repeating, if you pay attention to the details you will be in good shape.

You are free to do as you want! Do I believe your being -----yes!

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Isnt that the beauty of it though, I am free to do what I want while other people waste money on more expensive bullets!