Glock 34 light strikes?

[M1911]

Folks:

I took my Glock 34 to the range today and had a bunch of misfires with S&B ammo. The same ammo worked just fine in my Sig 239. The hits on the primers were a bit light on the 34. Any idea what might be causing this and what the solution might be?

Thanks,

M1911

 

[..]

Have you done anything to or cleaned the striker channel lately? When you field strip take the slide and shake it, can you hear the firing pin rattle? Does it cling like bare metal or dull thud?

Detail strip the slide, then use brake cleaner or gun scrubber to clean thoroughly. Nothing should be in the striker channel, no oil! It should be clean and dry.

 

[tc300mag1]

Check the striker channel i bet its full of crud .. if its a new pistol i would still check it could have some crud/grease in it from the factory.

 

[RON in PA]

What the other guys said, the stiker mechanism in the Glock is one of its weak points.

 

[gamegod86]

the stiker mechanism in the Glock is one of its weak points.

That has not been my experience. I have fired several thousand rounds through my 34 with zero FTFs. When I first got it, I intentionally did not clean it simply because I wanted to see how resilient it was. It went over 1000 rounds with no problems.

These guns are very good. Crud where it doesn't belong will create problems in any gun, Glocks being no exception, but they do seem to be more "crud resistant" than some others.

Like the others, I think the "dirt theory" is most likely.
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[..]

what gamegod said. The striker channel is not a weak point.

 

[SDC]

Ditto; the only FTF problems I've EVER had in my Glocks was ammo-related, because I was using surplus Czech 9mm with hard, hard, HARD primers. As long as your firing-pin channel is clean, and your spacer sleeve isn't cracked or burred, you should be good to go.

 

[Island Beretta]

The S&Bs sometimes carry some tough primers.. did you try another brand..Federal perhaps..?

While at it flush the channel with a cleaner- gun scrubber or brake cleaner should be good.. and spray with a metal protector.. this will evaporate and still leave the channel dry but protected.

Check the striker spring for flaking.. I have seen this happen as well..

 

[Erich]

I wish Glock told folks to clean out the striker channels every once in a while. I experienced light strike problems with my 33 (the .357 Sig blows a lot of primer sealant backwards, and some of it gets up into the channel).

I would agree that this is a weak point of the Glocks, as long as the factory literature doesn't make it clear that the channels should be periodically cleaned. I suppose their concern is that a lot of yahoos would be leaving oil up there (which would be of no help whatsoever). Also, the Glocks' larger rectangular striker (and its larger, rectangular striker hole in the breech face) probably provide a more receptive sanctuary for crud than is commonly found on pistols using smaller, round firing pins.

Still, since the striker-fired system doesn't rely on the mass of a hammer WHACKING the firing pin forward (but rather on the kinetic energy derived from the speed of the falling striker), the striker-fired system is more susceptible to crud-in-the-channel problems than a regular hammer-fired system would be. If the user is not notified that there is a potential crud build-up problem that needs to be periodically rectified (as we Glock users are not - at least in the factory literature that comes with the gun), a Glock user who shoots a lot may eventually find himself (hopefully at the range, and not when he needs the gun) getting light strikes.

Since this is not a problem with hammer-fired pistols (at least, I've never seen it appear as a problem in any of the literally thousands of hammer-fired pistols that have passed through my hands - I used to manage a gun store), I would agree that it is a weakness of the Glocks.

It's not a weakness that keeps me from using the Glocks, or that would make me disparage them in any way. It's just something that needs to be addressed. I frequently have to explain how to fix light-strike problems to Glock users I meet at the range, and I do so. The issue often comes up on the various internet boards.

I think Glock ought to consider explaining the issue to consumers in their factory-provided literature.

 

[..]

If you don't properly maintain your pistol you will have problems. Not every manual points out every thing in detail. It seems elementary and common sense if you shoot alot to detail strip the slide and clean thoroughly.

Over-oiling, crappy ammo and letting solvent in the channel during cleaning will cause you problems.

 

[M1911]

Over-oiling, crappy ammo and letting solvent in the channel during cleaning will cause you problems.

The gun wasn't over-oiled. I've used S&B ammo off and on for years. The same ammo (from the same box) worked fine in my Sig P239 on the same day. I've only shot the G34 a couple of times. I haven't soaked the firing pin channel in solvent. My first gun (which I purchased about 15 years ago) was a Glock 17. I own about 50 guns. I'm an NRA certified firearms instructor. I have a clue or two now and then.

Thanks for your, err, well, not help...

 

[Quack]

have you owned the G34 since it was new? do you have a lighter striker spring installed? how old it the striker spring (how many rounds)? i've had light strikes with S&B, but that was when i was clipping down my striker spring to find how many i could cut off, but still have good ignition.
also check to see that the tip of the striker is still there.

 

[Erich]

Well, .. , that's kind of my point. According to Glock-provided literature, one isn't supposed to tear the gun down beyond their limited field stripping.

I agree that proper maintenance of a Glock pretty much requires cleaning the striker channel - which Glock not only doesn't tell consumers how to do, it tells them NOT to do it (something along the lines of "any further work should be done by a Glock-qualified armorer").

Common sense says to follow the factory-provided instructions. Believe me, that's what the products liability cases universally hold.

My point is that the factory-provided instructions are insufficient to assist a Glock owner who shoots his pistol a moderate amount.

And I would not call detail-stripping a slide elementary or routine. I have NEVER had to detail-strip a slide on any of the many non-Glock semiautos I've owned over the years to clear out the firing pin/striker channels. If this is necessary (as it seems to be on Glocks), it should be pointed out in the manual - and an explanation of how to conduct the (relatively simple) operation should be set forth so that users can do it properly.

Fortunately, there are a large number of cognoscenti who are able to provide the needed info on "Why am I getting light strikes and how do I remedy the problem?," including a couple of Glock accessory dealers on the 'net.

M1911, it doesn't sound to me like you did anything wrong at all - crud just builds up in there over time. You don't need to clean the channel every time you shoot - maybe every 500 rounds to be safe.

This might be of interest: http://glockmeister.com/slidedis.shtml

 

[M1911]

have you owned the G34 since it was new? do you have a lighter striker spring installed? how old it the striker spring (how many rounds)?

Yes. No. Less than 500 rounds.

Erich: Thanks for the link. The photos and instructions were very helpful.

I cleaned the slide on the G34 and the striker channel was surprisingly clean. Not much crud in there at all. I'll try it again next weekend. I've put several thousand rounds through my G17, most of them the same ammo (S&B). I've never cleaned the striker channel on the G17 and never had any light strikes.

 

[Erich]

Hmm. Well, perhaps there was some crud in there that fell out that you didn't notice. Or, perhaps you need to get a new striker spring. Glock must occasionally send out a bad one, I guess.

Good luck with it, though. There's nothing worse than a pistol you just don't trust.

 

[Tim Burke]

I have several guns that will not work reliably with S&B 9mm. Coincidentally, they leave light primer strikes on the S&B primers. In the guns that work with S&B, the strikes are OK, but still shallower than on other brands of ammo.
I've never had this problem with their 45 ACP.