Need a crash course on Glocks

[goon]

Can someone fill me in on Glocks?
I want to get a model 22, probably from CDNN.
What is the difference between Gen I,II,III Glocks and how do the differences pertain to the guns that fire the .40 S&W? Were there any changes adopted to handle the more powerful round?
How much should I be willing to pay for a used one?
Is it true that Glock sights are made out of polymer but that the night sights are steel?
Anything else that any of you know that might fit in here would be appreciated.
Thank you.

 

[BrennanKG]

I'm hardly a Glock expert but I'll give it a go...

Generation differences-
1st: smooth grips
2nd: textured grips
3rd: textured grips, finger grooves, and rails

I don't believe the generations reflect any changes beyond the frame changes, thus no changes for caliber power besides heavier slides.

From what I recall the factory sights are plastic, although it has admittedly been a long while since I owned one. Aftermarket night sights are steel, I'd imagine.

I'm not sure about pricing on used models.
I'd take a look on gunbroker and gunsamerica and see what the listings suggest.

Hope this helps,
B.

 

[Edmond]

Regular factory sights are plastic. Most aftermarket sights are steel. I say most because I haven't seen all of them. But one of the most popular night sights out there, Mepro lights, are made of steel.

Used prices are generally in the $400 area.

Extra mags, brand new are $18-20. New night sights start around $65.

B. pretty much summed up the differences in generation. There's also a difference in the number of pins holding the trigger assembly inside of the gun but that won't be an issue with you unless you're going to swap out parts. Some parts required for 2 pin or 3 pin guns are different.

I don't believe there are any firing differences. I believe the chambers are still unsupported for Glock .40 pistols.

 

[Minator]

Were there any changes adopted to handle the more powerful round?

to summarize the thousands of arguments and posts. It looks like the early barrels were just milled out to fit the .40 but... this is still under debate and no one can say for sure other than glock .

How much should I be willing to pay for a used one?

no more than $450 in perfect condition.

Is it true that Glock sights are made out of polymer but that the night sights are steel?

yep

Anything else that any of you know that might fit in here would be appreciated.
Thank you.

I dont know if you have ever fired a glock but you should excpect a few things right of the bat. First, its light even fully loaded so its going to be moving around signifigantly more than a metalic framed gun and its only going to get worse as you empty the magazine.

I could never get a descent grouping with my .40(G22),(G31)357sig, and 9mm(G17) fullsize glocks no matter how much I practiced. Yet ive qualifed with a 249 out of 250 with a .40 sig, .45 1911, and 357sig in my sig.

 

[CountGlockula]

Currently have Glock 35 and love it!

How much should I be willing to pay for a used one?
Is it true that Glock sights are made out of polymer but that the night sights are steel?

For a used G22, it depends on the generation. But I'd buy one for $400.
True: Glock sights are polymer and night sights are steel.

 

[Ilovemyglock]

I also have the Glock 22 40. cal. and i can shoot tight groups w/all 15 shots @ 25 meters. I have an insight M3X tactical light on it,and i swear it reduces some of "jumping around" as was stated....also firing a "hot" load such as a cor-bon powr' ball @ 135 grain helps with the bump of the gun.

 

[Mad Chemist]

Goon, why .40S&W?
If you're going to use it for gun-games then that makes sense, but otherwise why not 9mm?

 

[goon]

Thanks. I just ordered one from CDNN so we'll see what we see.
I have fired a couple 23's and a 34 before so I am not totally new to Glocks. I didn't find the recoil to be bad with them. OTOH, a .40 P-229 that I fired stung the hell out of my hand. Handgun recoil really is a subjective thing I guess.
Anyhow, thanks for all the info and insight.
Now I just have to wait for it to show up and go shoot some holes in some stuff with it.

As for the caliber choice, I also want to use it for carry in the woods.
Yes, I know that a .40 is not an ideal choice. I am not planning to hunt black bear or deer with it. I have checked out ballistics and gel tests and I can see that the 9mm with good JHP ammo is probably going to be just about as effective in a defensive situation against a human attacker but I would just feel a little more comfortable with a .40 loaded with FMJ in the woods. It is a compromise and some would argue that it is a poor one (they may have a point) but that is my logic.
I have never really shot revolvers all that well and for a gun that will mostly see range and light HD/winter CCW use, the 22 should stand in OK in the woods and better than a 9mm.

 

[lee n. field]

Can someone fill me in on Glocks?

Point, click, ka-boom.

(sorry that's the first thing that came to mind. Enjoy your purchase.)

 

[CWL]

Besides the cosmetic changes in grip and rail mount between generations, Glock modified the rail length to deal with a critical failure issue. Rather than officially addressing critical issues, they tend to add "upgrades" to newer guns.

GenI Glocks failed 100% when thrown at 4' height. The rail guides broke to the point where the pistol was no longer useable. Look up "DEA frisbee test". This was a design flaw that Glock chose not to ever publicize or publically address.

GenII Glocks had longer rail guides on the frame.

GenIII has rail guides a little bit shorter than on GenII but longer than GenI.

(Before anyone accusses me of being a "Glock Basher" let it be know that I own a G17 & G22.)

 

[Flopsy]

Latest versions have a little bump on the extractor to serve as a chamber-loaded indicator.

I've also seen some photographic evidence that the later .40 barrels have a more supported chamber, which is redesigned to help prevent kabooms. This isn't confirmed by Glock, but the photos seem to suggest this.

 

[goon]

Can anyone give me a ballpark serial number range of Gen I and II Glocks? Gen III should be pretty easily identifiable by the finger grooves and the accessory rails but to a Glock newbie like me, I am probably going to need some help with the others (which I won't have).
I just ordered an "early frame" 22 from CDNN today in like new condition (according to them) with night sights and two hi-cap mags. I wanted the early frame because in trying them out for handling at gun stores the early frame seems to point better for me. But I also want to make sure that I am not getting a gun that is overly prone to failure. They told me that they don't differ between the Gen I and Gen II, only between with or without finger groove. But I figured I would risk it and worst case scenario trade it back to them for credit toward another Glock. I have ordered stuff from them before and have no doubt that they will make any complaints I have good (they have before for me any many others). This is why I ordered from them in the first place.
Anyhow, a serial number range would be helpful.
Also, how is it possible that Gen I guns could have such a serious defect and not have it addressed or noticed until several years after they had been in production. Wasn't the G-17 adopted in like 1983? You would have thought that someone using them would have noticed the problems early on. Is there are recall on the defective ones?

Thank you.

 

[CWL]

Like I posted above, Glock never addresses critical issues regarding their pistols. They only add "upgrades" to newer pistols. If they don't admit to a problem, then there needn't be a recall. The Glock "KaBoom" is another non-recall issue with Glocks.

You should do your own search but may want to start here:

http://glocktalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=412093

 

[ugaarguy]

goon, I believe the 1st gen frame was phased out before the 40 S&W ever went into production. Even 1st gen 9mms are very rare in the US. They are easily distinguished - 1st gen will be stippled all the way around the grip frame; 2nd gen will have checkering on the front and back straps, and the stiplling will be contained to the sides, all of this molded in of course.

Safety Note; Sometime in the middle of 2nd gen production an additional frame block was added to all 40 S&W and 357 SIG frames to handle the additional battering from firing these cartrides as opposed to 9mm. A Glock Certified Armorer can tell you if you gun has it. If not they can be retro fitted easily, again, a Glock Armorer can do this. If you go to www.glocktalk.com and do a search you should be able to find much more detailed info.

 

[goon]

Thank you.
It is amazing the things that you don't think to ask before you buy a gun.
It never would have occured to me that this would even be an issue, but then again, I have never owned or even thought about buying a Glock before.
Guess I will have to wait and see what I got since CDNN doesn't distinguish between the two. The information that I am finding though is in line with what you said about the Gen I frame being discontinued before the .40 calibers came out in 1990.
Thanks again.

 

[SouthpawShootr]

I have a factory refurbished police turn-in G22 that I paid $400 for. It looks like new. I bought it at the height of the ASW ban and the gun came with 2 non-dropfree magazines. Never had a problem with it. Glockmeister.com used to have a bunch of information to explain the different frame and mag variants.

If the one you're getting is simply "used," then I would recommend getting a new recoil spring. Also, a nice reference to have is The Complete Glock Reference Guide. It takes you through everything from history to complete disassembly to function checks. Both the springs and the book are available from www.lonewolfdist.com. A few other places have it also.

You might also get an armorer to disassemble it and clean out the striker area. This can get particularly nasty with the common practice of dropping oil into the striker hole in the breechface (this is a big no-no, BTW). This is a must if you have any failure to fire malfunctions with your new (to you) gun. This can save you a bunch of money in shipping as well as several weeks timewise. Glocktalk.com also has a reading area in the general glocking section that has alot of good information.

I can't stand the factory plastic sights. Not really the fact that they're plastic, just that white outlined notch in the rear distracts me for some reason. I usually replace mine with Meprolights. Big dots, easy to see day or night.