Failing to Eject in Glock 17

[Homerboy]

Took my brand new Gen 3 Glock 17 to the range today, and fired 100 rounds of my 124 grain plated reloads. I haven’t fired a factory round in any of my guns in years and I have fired thousands of these very same reloads through multiple guns and never a malfunction, and a Glock 19 was one of those guns.

I don’t have to tell anybody here that factory ammo is crazy high priced. I meticulously load my ammo one round at a time and measure every round and test with a case gauge.

To be honest, I have a hard time believing it’s an ammo issue. One of the cases stayed in the chamber and the other extracted from the chamber but just kind of hung out in there and was not ejected. The other 98 rounds ejected perfectly.

I have it a quick wipe down and lube but some of the Glock copper grease was still in there.

Next time I make it to the range I’ll bring it again and try it out, but any opinions?

 

[CNobbe]

2 failures out of 100 with reloads makes me think ammo, not the pistol. If it extracted and ejected normally 98 times I'd think it's unlikely the extractor has a defect. Reused brass can be a culprit. For peace of mind it might be worth blasting a box of factory ammo through it and see what happens. I hate buying factory ammo too, but it's good to test with it and take the ammo out of the equation sometimes.

 

[sequins]

It sounds like your new gun has a tight spring and your low powered loads are about 2% unreliable as a result. Really right on the edge for minimum power plated loads I'm guessing?

Is your glock 19 used a bit? I bet it just cycles 2-5% easier from a used recoil spring and might have the same failure with a brand new spring.

Failure to elect with reloads is, for me, usually a low overall powder charge and ensuing slow cycle. (ED: When the symptom is 'perfect, in spec reloads' that don't eject)

 

[Jim Watson]

The load I like for hammer fired 9mms is spooky on ejection from Glocks.
You may need a heavier load for a rough new gun.

 

[Skylerbone]

Lock the slide back till next range day and let it take a bit of a set. I understand that spring cycles soften their resistance but it will compress to a shorter length given time.

It is your reloads in this case as the pistol is meant for full power loads, so if you intend to continue with your usual load I’d suggest a custom spring set up tailored to your particular round. Several of my 1911s for instance run 12 & 13 lb recoil springs rather than the “industry standard” 16 lbs.

 

[5-SHOTS]

Since it is a new pistol I think the cause is the strong recoil spring. Probably in both cases the slide did not retract all the way, the spent case did not touch the ejector and was partially rechambered. It happened to me a few times with .22 L.R. pistols. However, for greater peace of mind I would check the strength of the extractor, perhaps disassembling it, also cleaning the channel and reassembling it and I would check the internal surface of the chamber after having cleaned it.

 

[Zerodefect]

More powder.

 

[Hartkopf]

I agree with everyone else that it's a tight new gun and a weak-ish load. Clean and lube the gun and crank the charge up a bit. Lots of people like to break in new guns with WIN 124gr NATO. It's not that great IMO but it is a little warmer than your average ammo.

 

[cfullgraf]

My Glock 42 has ejection issues with my 3890 ACP reloads. The reloads work fine in every other 380 ACP gun that I have.

Factory 380 ACP works just fine in the Glock 42.

I suspect either the case sizing is a bit off for the Glock chamber or my reloads are borderline on power for the Glock.

It could be a similar issue with with your Glock 17.

But as an aside, my Glock 17 fires anything it is fed.

 

[12Bravo20]

Great advice about the ammo and new springs. Even though you have been using your reloads for a while in different pistols, it still can be causing issues with the G17 by being slightly under powered. I know because I had similar issues with my reloads and my first G17.

I had tailored my 9mm reloads to function in my Firestar M43, 9mm 1911, Kel-Tec PF9. They also worked great in G19s too. But they were slightly too weak for the G17. I was loading them with the minimum/starting load for my powder choice and plated bullets. I had to bump up the powder charge by a couple tenths of a grain to get them to work in the G17.

 

[trackskippy]

How old is the brass and has it been loaded a lot?

I shoot a lot of 9mm reloads out of my Glocks and heavily used/worn brass will give you all sorts of malfunctions. From a training standpoint, its actually a great thing, as you get to practice random, unplanned stoppages of all sorts.

What Ive found is, the constant wear on the rims of the brass from the extractor repeatedly ripping them out, tears them up and they arent always in perfect shape, and the extractor may not always get a good hold on them, and may well leave one in the chamber, as Ive had that happen on a number of occasions. Thats a fun malfunction to deal with too.

A quick way to sort out if its your ammo is to simply shoot a box of good factory ammo. I think you'll find the gun runs fine and extraction and ejection will be strong.

 

[Otto]

I have it a quick wipe down and lube but some of the Glock copper grease was still in there.

That copper grease is actually an anti-seize lubricant and should be left in place for the first few hundred rounds.
I would also suggest that you ditch the plated bullets. And above all, leave the gun in its stock configuration until the issues are resolved.

 

[Homerboy]

I’m loading 4.2 grains of HP38 in the 124 Grain bullet. The book calls for between 3.9 and 4.4 grains. I can bump it up a bit. I’m almost done with this batch of ammo.

The brass is on its second loading. I’m
Pretty meticulous about that.

I’m not ditching the plated bullets. I have several thousand left and we all know reloading components have gone through the roof. I have 1000 coated bullets that I’ll use eventually.

 

[Hartkopf]

I was impressed with my gen4 G17 because it would run really weak ammo (brass would almost dribble out of the side), all the way up to BuffaloBore 147gr +p+. It eats anything. The gen3 has the old recoil spring which might not be as forgiving.

If the gun hasn’t been cleaned, I would start there.

 

[Homerboy]

It was given a very quick wipe down before shooting it for the first time.

 

[Slamfire]

Two things, firstly oil your ammunition just as Clark Custom Guns recommends for 22 lr



Cheap 22lr ammunition is coated in wax, which under the pressures and temperatures of combustion, turns into a liquid. However, once the bolt opens, that liquid wax condenses into the action and gums everything up. Clark recommends oiling with reduces friction between case and chamber. And it works, I have literally shot tens of thousands of oiled 45 ACP cases in 2700 Bullseye competition. Function is more positive when the case does not grip the chamber.

these are the cases out of a P7. The P7 uses gas lubrication, via chamber flutes, to break the case loose from the chamber. Chamber flutes should be in each and every semiautomatic weapon, rifle and pistol, because it increases function reliability.



So, see if a light coating of oil helps get the cases out of the chamber. The next thing to do, is clean under the extractor. Jimmy Hoffa may be there, and you have to scrub him out! And check the extractor tension. I know how to do that in a 1911, don't know how to do that in a Glock. But weak extractor tension will cause stove pipes. A worn extractor blade will leave rounds in the chamber and drop them during extraction, leading to stove pipes. .

Let me explain what the real function of an extractor is: it is to hold the fired case against the breechface. The force of combustion should be enough to press a cartridge case hard against the breech face (the word is should). An extractor pushes the rim in the opposite direction and that little bit of tension, keeps the case in place, during extraction. If extractor tension is light, cases will fall off the breech face and cause stove pipe jams.

Yes, the extractor will yank a case out of the chamber, but this is hard on that thin piece of steel. And it will wear the thing out, or break it in time. Case yanking should be a rarely occasional thing. Or you will be replacing extractors soon.

 

[9mmepiphany]

don't know how to do that in a Glock. But weak extractor tension will cause stove pipes. A worn extractor blade will leave rounds in the chamber and drop them during extraction, leading to stove pipes. .

Let me explain what the real function of an extractor is: it is to hold the fired case against the breechface. The force of combustion should be enough to press a cartridge case hard against the breech face (the word is should). An extractor pushes the rim in the opposite direction and that little bit of tension, keeps the case in place, during extraction. If extractor tension is light, cases will fall off the breech face and cause stove pipe jams.

The Gen3 Glock extractor was designed to have very little tension on the case rim...just enough to hold the case against the breech face as it is being extracted.

Once the case mouth is free of the chamber, it is basically "floating"...the only thing keeping it from dropping out is the inserted magazine...if you remove the magazine the case will fall out the bottom of the frame as soon as it leaves the chamber. This "floating" wil be ejected if it hits the extractor correctly. If not the returning breech face/slide will kick it forward to bounce off the front of the ejection port. This then kicks back into the shooter's face...this Glock function is commonly termed Brass to Face (BTF)

 

[Slamfire]

This then kicks back into the shooter's face...this Glock function is commonly termed Brass to Face (BTF)

My NM 308 Win Garand ejected brass directly to my forehead. If the brim of my cap slipped, and left a gap, I would arrive home, and see circular, and semi circular cuts from the case necks on my forehead. And, there was a little blood.

Such is life.

 

[Riomouse911]

With all Glocks I do a quick slide stripdown, I run thinned down q-tips through the channel for the extractor plunger and a regular one for the striker channel and safety plunger hole. I then put it back together and lube per Glock specs. Every once in a while ill get some left over grit out of the channels, there may be a bit in your gun, too.

I also break all my autos in with 150-200 full power rounds. One gun I put together, a Glock 17 with a factory Gen 3 frame/aftermarket slide build, still has a habit of lower-trajectory ejection that will occasionally bounce one off my noggin. (It shoots well, though.)



This new gun/pre-shooting routine may or may not help, but it’s worked for me and my hoard of 9mm Glocks.

Good luck, and stay safe.

 

[Homerboy]

I did catch 2 or 3 ejected brass right to the bill of my baseball cap.

 

[Rock185]

Sounds like new recoil spring and light reloads, just over a thousand FPS? I use quality full power ammunition in my guns. Ammunition that has functioned reliably in any and all of my semi-auto pistols and carbines, even if brand new, is the Winchester and IMI 124 grain NATO...

 

[gunmechanic]

Clean the gun throughly and try .Also load up a hundred full power reloads and re test .I am not a glock expert but i had a similar problem with a kit gun and it turned out to be lower power reloads but after several hundred rounds of factory amo and a good cleaning it ran every thing i put in it

 

[Pat Riot]

Brand new gun? I would ruin a couple hundred more rounds through it then see how it goes.
Both my new G34 Gen 3’s had a couple of extraction issues each when new with factory ammo. They both have run great since the first 2 or 3 hundred rounds. I bought one in 2019 and the other in 2020. You can only get Gen 3 Glocks in California.

 

[JERRY]

Never judge a semiautomatic reliability based on performance with reloads.

 

[Alllen Bundy]

If the problem is that the slide is not moving fast enough to eject the round, you may have issues caused by multiple sources of friction. As has already been mentioned, you may have excessive friction between the cartridge and the firing chamber. Brass shell cases expand after firing. Are you absolutely sure that the shell case OD is within spec when you reload?

The recoil spring will weaken with use, so a new recoil spring needs to be stronger than necessary so that it will have a sufficiently long lifespan. You can try to weaken the spring a bit, or increase the powder load.

If the malfunction occurs more often when the magazine is fully loaded, I'd first look for sources of friction such as such as the stripper rail. Polishing the stripper rail on my P365 made a huge improvement. The slide rails may be adding excessive friction and more break-in time may be necessary. The disconnector on my P365 first needs to overcome the trigger spring force as it moves up the ramp on the slide and then it adds drag as the slide moves rearward over the disconnector. Again, more break-in time would help.

Also, make sure that the extractor is moving freely. As it is still new, who knows how much manufacturing crud there could be around the extractor? Solvent cleaning and relubing couldn't hurt. Make sure that there is still sufficient spring pressure on the extractor. You could even have an out of spec extractor spring.

As this is a new gun you can't overlook any possibility. Having worked in manufacturing most of my career I can honestly say that if there is a way for an assembler to screw up an assembly, they will find a way to do it.