Yeah Deaf, I think the 9mm models are subjected to a lot less wear and tear ... but that's because that's what I've been told by various folks from various manufacturers.
I think replacing the recoil spring assembly can do a lot to help mitigate some potential issues that might result from increased battering as a recoil spring weakens over time and usage.
Also, over the years that I've been a Glock armorer and spoken with various folks from the company, the expected service life estimates related to some of the springs and other parts seems to have continually decreased. Maybe that's because as time's passed they've received increasingly more feedback from their LE users.
You don't think the Gen4 G22 was something they just decided to fiddle with developing one day when they were bored, do you?
I still prefer Glocks chambered in 9mm, myself, although my G27 has been a decent little gun for the last 10 years, all things considered.
When I recently decided to pick up a spare Glock subcompact, however, I didn't for a second think of getting another G27, but went right for another G26.
KBintheSLC, don't get too caught up in the measurement of chamber pressure. It doesn't tell the whole story by itself just as being a "limit" that's reached. How quickly the pressure spikes and reaches its peak pressure can tell us other things.
For example, in the Sig pistol armorer class the instructor happened to mention not to be surprised if we found the barrel ramps were peened (on each side) in the .357 guns, but that we probably wouldn't ever see it in the .40's. It was explained that the .357 developed its pressure spike differently than the .40 and that it resulted in more force being absorbed by the gun. In this situation under discussion it meant between the frame insert and the bottom of the barrel's feed ramp during recoil. he told us that if the peening became excessive in a gun we could file it down on each side so it was within normal spec again.
When I was discussing the .357's & .40's with different folks from Glock in the past it was often acknowledged that the .357's would generally experience more wear, sooner, from the recoil forces acting on the guns. (This isn't to mean the
felt recoil will necessarily be perceived by the shooter as being greater in the .357, though.)
Besides that, many of these guns will never be asked to shoot more than a few thousand rounds.
A surprising number of them in private hands may not see more than a few hundred rounds, if that.
Not everyone is inclined, or can afford, to spend time at a range.
When it comes right down to it, if I didn't think the G27 was reliable enough to meet my anticipated needs I wouldn't continue to own and occasionally carry it.
