Glock NY 8lb. leaf spring with 3.5 connector

[seed]

Okay, I have read about this on more than a few occasions. It involves removing the standard coil trigger-reset spring found in the trigger mechanism housing and replacing it with an 8 lb. New York leaf spring (which also houses a pushing coil spring). This causes the cruciform plate to be pushed up, rather than pulled. The other part of the change is replacing the standard 5.5 lb. connector with a 3.5 lb. connector. The story was that if you did this, you would keep the trigger weight at 5.5 lb., while causing the reset to be stronger and preventing failure of the weapon due to breakage of the original pull coil trigger-reset spring. Sounded great. Only problem is that it didn't quite work out for me.

On my Glock 22, I tried it out. What ended up happening is that the cruciform plate was being pushed up so hard that it was resetting prematurely, on its own. It was bypassing the design feature of the regulating connector which acts to keep the cruciform plate down and out of contact with the firing pin tang. By design, the cruciform plate is supposed to stay down, until the groove on the under-side of the slide pushes the projection on top of the connector during cycling. When this happens, the connector is pushed away from the trigger-bar tab and the cruciform plate rises enough to allow the tang of the firing pin to make contact and complete the reset process.

But upon making the modification, the connector was not strong enough to keep the cruciform plate down. It would just pop up on its own, as soon as you let go of the trigger...even if the slide was removed or did not cycle (dry-firing). This made reassembly difficult and made the gun function very poorly...it just didn't work. So I changed it back in short time. In its original configuration, it works perfectly again.

My question is: what were the advocates of this modification talking about? It was nothing short of a disaster for me and I can't believe it ever works. Does anyone have a differing experience? Or how about a similar one? Thanks.

seed.

 

[jc2]

I believe Dave DiFabio is strong proponent of that setup (at least for his Glock 19)--and is knowledgable and responsible (a man you can trust). His site is down, but he posts regularly over on warriortalk.com. Why don't you pop over there and ask him for his input?

FWIW, I believe Glock recommends against that set-up.

 

[TN-popo]

seed...
Over the years I've tried the 3.5/NY1 combo in several different Glocks and have never had a problem with it. I've always went back to the stock setup however, just because I shoot better with that combo.
What made me try the 3.5/NY1 combo was the increased durability of the NY1 trigger spring over the stock spring (the only parts failures I've personally ever had with a Glock were a broken extractor and a broken stock trigger spring).
In the end, I think the stock spring's durability is fine (all parts can fail) and I shoot better with stock. Personally, I'd like to see Glock make a NY1-type trigger spring in standard weight...best of both worlds.
glocktalk.com has many threads on this topic.
Best.

 

[seed]

Thanks...I will look into it a little more. But I am always surprised to hear that others did not have problems. One more thing... Do you recommend switching to a Wolff trigger spring in the traditional set-up? Will it be more durable and less likely to break than the stock spring?

seed.

 

[TN-popo]

Wolff has a great rep, but I have no personal experience with their trigger springs...I'm a police armorer and have to stick with factory parts (except for sights).
Best.

 

[Blueduck]

Had all 4 of my glocks set up like that no problems at all

IIRC I think the combo Glock warns against is the NY II spring and the 3.5 connector.

 

[jc2]

It might be--I never really messed with it. I usually just drop a NY1 in and forget it.

At one time, one of the big Glock nternet vendors (Glockmeister?) had a table displaying the actual trigger pull of all the various combinations of trigger springs and connectors. If you can find it, seed, it might be worth looking at.

 

[Daniel Watters]

Which brand of 3.5lb connector are you using? Quality varies dramaticly. For instance, Alchemy connectors have been pretty bad about lacking appropriate tension and having improperly shaped contours.

 

[JohnKSa]

The only combination nixed by Glock in the armorer's manual is the 8lb connector with either New York Trigger spring.

There could be some confusion arising from the fact that Glock sometimes refers to the 8lb connector as the 3.5kg connector.

There are apparently 3 different connectors:

Minus marked. Competition--3.5lb
No mark. Standard--5.5lb (2.5kg)
Plus marked. Heavy--8lb (3.5kg)

and at least 3 different springs:

Standard Coil spring (5.5lb with standard connector)
NY (8.5lb with standard connector)
NY+ (9-11lbs with standard connector)

Here are the combinations in order of my guesses at the resulting trigger pull weight:

3.5lb connector & standard spring--4.5-5.5 lb pull
3.5lb connector & NY spring--5.5-6.5 lb pull
5.5lb connector & standard spring--5.5-6.0 lb pull
3.5lb connector and NY+ spring--6-7 lb pull
8lb connector and standard spring--8 lb pull
5.5lb connector and NY spring--8.5 lb pull
5.5lb connector and NY+spring--9-11 lb pull
8lb connector and NY spring--(11 lb pull?) GLOCK SAYS DO NOT USE
8lb connector and NY+ spring--(12-14lb pull?) GLOCK SAYS DO NOT USE

FWIW, I have never seen or heard of an 8lb connector for sale in the U.S.

 

[Brasso]

Works for me. That's how my 22 is set up.

 

[seed]

To answer Mr. Watter's question, the connector I used was a factory Glock (and so was the NY spring). I am amazed that no one else has reported problems. I mean, it wasn't even close when I did it...and yes, I did it right. I may try it again with different parts (I have a few 3.5 connectors and NY1 springs), or maybe I'll just forget about it. The main reason I wanted to do it was to take away what I saw as a weakness and the major achilles heel of the Glock design. We'll see.

As for those who have done it, why did you do it and how much of an improvement do you feel it has made? Thanks.

seed.

 

[Brasso]

I did it to get rid of a potential weak link in the stock trigger spring and to add some more weight to the trigger.

I've never seen a glock that this didn't work on. If you installed it correctly and those kinds of problems I would be concerned with that particular gun being out of spec some how.

 

[JohnKSa]

seed,

That's quite a common configuration--I have seen it recommended on the web, and even spoken to at least one gunsmith that prefers that combination.

If you're trying to imply that the combination of the NY spring and the 3.5lb connector always (or even often) results in an unworkable gun, then you are mistaken. You are the first person that I have ever heard of with the problem you describe.

Perhaps there is something unusual about your pistol or perhaps one of the parts you were sold is defective.

Offhand, from your description, it sounds like there is a problem with the connector in your pistol. Has it been modified in any way? I would replace the connector and try again.

 

[seed]

I'm totally inspired to try it again now... When I first did it, I had high hopes and felt utterly disappointed when it didn't work. I will try it in one of my other Glocks (probably my 19). If it works in that one, I will try it in my 23 and 26 next. And then, the 22... Not tonight though... Gotta go to some party... But I can't wait to try it now... I may even order some more parts just to make sure that the ones I got were the correct ones (although I am almost positive they are). I gotta say though: I am truly amazed that NO ONE else had this problem. That's very good news, by the way. Thanks for all the input and keep it coming if you have anything to add. This thread has been quite valuable to me so far.

seed.

P.S. Anyone have any problems with the pins being loose after making these modifications and or multiple detail-strips?

 

[JohnKSa]

pins being loose after making these modifications and or multiple detail-strips

The plastic pins will loosen up if you detail strip the gun a lot. You can squeeze them a tiny bit to make them slightly out of round and they'll stay put. You really don't need to detail strip your pistol very often.

I'm not sure trying it in another pistol will work if there's something wrong with the connector...

 

[seed]

I will use a different connector (I have three others). As for the pins getting loose, I am more concerned about the metal pins. Obviously, if they get loose, it is because the housing got worn. What can you do about that, if and when it happens? Thanks again.

seed.

 

[Brasso]

The glocks they had out at the armorer schools have been detailed stripped hundreds of times and still work fine. I wouldn't really worry about it.

 

[seed]

Well, I did it on my G26...and it worked! I noticed that the trigger would sort of go a little forward after it was tripped and before the slide was cycled, but it did not prematurely reset like when I did it on my G22 (early 2nd gen, with the old shouldered locking block, by the way). Boy did it feel different from the standard set-up. The initial take-up was not as different from the second stage as it is with the standard set-up. And it felt much heavier until it suddenly breaks at a surprising light finish (compared to the 5lb. connector feel). It felt completely different from the familiar Glock standard trigger feel...and in the end, I just didn't really like it, except for the 3.5 break. So I put back in the original trigger spring, but left the 3.5 connector. And I really liked how that felt. So that is how it remains. Next up for the 3.5 lb. connector with the standard trigger spring, my other Glocks (23, 19, and 22, in that order).

So in the end, all's well that ends well. I will keep an eye on the trigger spring and replace it after I don't know how many rounds. And I will also keep an eye out for a NY type of 5 lb. spring and or modify the NY1 spring. That is, when I am not being typically lazy. So you people were correct of course, although I am still mystified as to why it did not work in my G22. Oh well.

seed.

P.S. Does anyone have any experience with using a Wollf standard-type trigger spring? If so, what was the pull weight? And how long do they last?

 

[Beren]

My Glock 17 is set up with a NY1 spring (8lb) and a 3.5lb connector. Both Glock factory parts. No problems, except it's slightly more tricky to field strip. I'm not sure whether I like it more or not, but I haven't given it an extensive beating yet. I might try the standard spring + the 3.5lb connector.

My CCW firearm, a Glock 32, is factory standard except for a Glock extended slide release and night sights.

 

[Bix]

I recently switched to the same setup in my 34. So far, I prefer this feel to the stock (3.5 connector, standard spring) setup.

I have not experienced the problem you are describing, seed, but I have been experiencing premature slidelock. The slide will intermittently lock open with ammo remaining in the mag.

At first, I figured it was a grip issue, but I don't think it is. I've experimented with the grip and gotten the same results. Plus, I put right around 4800 rounds through the gun before changing springs and never experienced premature slidelock. One or two magazines after changing the spring - whamo. More significantly, I notice that, under some circumstances, the slide release moves very slightly when I manipulate the trigger. Never noticed this before changing springs. Mebbie I just reassembled it wrong?

 

[seed]

This is a long shot, but maybe the spring of the slide lock somehow got positioned above the top pin of the locking block (between it and the locking block). It should be under that pin. I actually had to use a toothpick through the hole in the frame to make sure it went under that pin. If not, then you could try to pull up the spring on the slide lock (after dissasembly, of course), so that it has more tension which will keep the slide lock down until it is pushed up by the follower in the mag. To play it totally safe, you could get a new slide lock, which shouldn't cost much.

Other than that, I can't think of why this is happening. But I will brainstorm and maybe I can come up with the answer...maybe. Of course, someone who knows more than me could probably do a better job of helping you out. I will get back to you if I think of some other possibilities.

seed.

 

[Brasso]

If you put the pins back in, in the right order, you shouldn't have a problem.

When it goes back together the pins go in in this order:

1. Locking block pin
2. Grip pin
3. Trigger pin

They also come out in that same order.