Reloading for a Glock 22 (.40 S&W)

[Eagle103]

I don't want to start a big can of worms here but I've got a line on a Glock 22. Doing some research it looks like there are some who say you shouldn't reload for them because they have a partially unsupported chamber resulting in occasional "Kabooms". My CCW instructor believed it was more of a problem with the earlier models. Others say they should be fitted with a barrel with a fully supported chamber, especially if your shooting reloaded ammo. It seems that Kabooms with .40 S&W, particularily in a Glock, have taken on something of an internet urban legend status.

I would like to know if anyone here actually reloads for a stock one and if they've had any problems. Please save any anecdotal evidence for another thread. Thanks.

 

[dmftoy1]

I don't have any evidence but I'd suggest giving George at keadbullets.com a call. Last time I talked to him he was telling me about how much lead he's put through his glocks and seemed to have a pretty good handle on what you need to do if you want to go down this road.

Have a good one,
Dave

 

[trickyasafox]

i shoot lead and rainer plated through my g23. i get a little leading, but nothing detrimental. i use middle weight bullets and medium charges. nothing fancy but it all works and cycles fine. have over a k of the rainers through a stock g2 glock and about 200 lead. the lead are hard cast with a really soft gooey lube from a company called excel based out of canada.

 

[Murphster]

I shot over 2,000 rounds of reloaded 40 S&W through my Glock 22 (c). Never a problem of any kind. I used Star 180 grain fmj over 6.0 grains Unique. I bought and used once-fired brass (cheap). But after I shot it, I left the brass on the ground. So the brass was never fired more than twice. (I think Star may have gone out of business. As I recall, the bullets were similar to Rainier.)

 

[Clark]

CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The High Road, nor the staff of THR assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.

I have a Glock 22 that got case bulges with loads just over max book loads.

Then I TIG welded up the feed ramp and re cut the chamber and feed ramp

The case support was .235" with a web .180", leaving .055" of thin unsupported case wall.
After welding and re cutting, I have case support to .180", and I can feed any bullet, so I don't know why Glock cut the ramp so deep.

Now the most powerful load I can shoot in my G22 is a 44 mag max load, 200 gr 15.5 gr 800X.

Because the 40sw is a smaller cartridge than the 44mag, the pressure and velocity are much higher.

What does it all mean?
The G22 40 S&W is a powerful gun capable of much, but benefits from an aftermarket barrel with better case support.

 

[Khornet]

Lord knows how many

rounds I've fired from my unmodified G22, but suffice it to say I bought it in '93 along with 2 boxes of Winchester ammo.....and that's the last ammo I ever bought for it. I ain't blowed up yet, neither. Go ahead.

 

[Kimber1911_06238]

If you reload at light or factory ammo levels, reloading wouldn't be any more likely to cause a KB than any ammo you bought off the shelf. If you're that worried about it, have someone check the gun out just to be safe.

 

[HSMITH]

I have reloaded and shot well over 10K rounds for my G22, every single round has been at least factory power levels and some well above factory power levels. People that blame reloads for blowing up Glocks are either ignorant to the facts or don't know how to reload properly.

 

[BeJaRa]

I would think if you keep the loads under factory specs you should be fine. I personally would not use lead as the plated bullets are so cheap. I have shot Raineir plated thru a G23 with no problems. I bet that most kabooms in a Glock could be traced back to a reloader error and not just the fact they shot reloads

 

[Eagle103]

I would stick with plated bullets loaded under max so from what you guys are telling me it shouldn't be any problem. I'll probably go ahead with it then. Thank you for the replies.

 

[Zippy06]

Hi,
I bought my G22C, this summer. Great gun.
Bought the conversion barrel(www.topglock.com). .40 S&W to 9mm. Still a great gun.
I shoot about 300/mon. .40.
About 500/mon. 9mm.
All reloads.
The original G22C barrel is 4th generation. MY brass, does not have, the bulge above the ejector rim. Some brass, I got off of Ebay, have the bulge. And the stricker mark. Some I keep. Some I scrap.
I load medium. 155gn Rainier and 5.1gn Titegroup.
Have fun. Be safe.

 

[e5shepss]

Links and Pictures

I am new to reloading, and I don’t have firsthand knowledge of a failure like that, but I have been halfway sort of looking into it.

I have included links below to the only pictures and sites I could find.

(Actually I met a guy at my local gun-dealer who said his had gone KB w/ reloads, and he had sent it back to Glock claiming factory ammo, thereby getting a new weapon. He was an attorney, so I didn’t put too much faith into his story. )

Anyway, I carry a Glock 22 for duty, and when discussing reloading with my dealer, he vehemently advised against it. To the point that I think if I had tried to buy a reloading press right then he might not have sold me one. He pointed out a notation in one of his reloading manuals that advised it is unsafe to reload for the .40 Glock due to the unsupported casing. ( I think it was a Hornady Manual, but I can’t remember.)

When looking for actual incidents on this issue I could find very little, and none of it what I would call hard data. I mostly find positive (NO KaBoom, ) first person anecdotal experience, which is unhelpful in locating a verifiable incident since these failures are obviously very rare.

Causes (that I found on the internet or were told,) are reported to include the following:
Unsupported case
Over crimping the brass
Under-crimping the brass allowing the projectile to move back during chambering and increase pressure

I am new to reloading, and I do not claim any of those are right or even possible, but they have made for some fascinating arguments amongst some of my reloading friends.

I am planning on buying an aftermarket barrel for mine to use at the range for practice. Mostly because I was only issued 2 eyes and 10 fingers, but also so I don’t have to explain to the Government how I blew up one of their pistols. (Probably more paperwork than a mortgage.)

Here are the links I could re-find.


http://www.thegunzone.com/glock/g21kb3.html

http://www.thegunzone.com/glock/g21kb3.html

http://www.thegunzone.com/glock/glock-kb-faq.html

There are links on the right side of this page for failures of other weapons.

http://www.thegunzone.com/glock/glock-kb2.html

http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=76759

 

[the pistolero]

Actually I met a guy at my local gun-dealer who said his had gone KB w/ reloads, and he had sent it back to Glock claiming factory ammo, thereby getting a new weapon.

I wasn't sure you could do that sort of thing...I recall reading the manufacturers had ways to tell if you were shooting reloads through the gun, something like powder burn pattern analysis? Or was I misinformed?

 

[Eagle103]

When looking for actual incidents on this issue I could find very little, and none of it what I would call hard data. I mostly find positive (NO KaBoom, ) first person anecdotal experience, which is unhelpful in locating a verifiable incident since these failures are obviously very rare.

That's why I wanted to know if people here are reloading for it successfully.

I hate to derail my own thread too much but I think Jim Watson basically nailed it in one of your links. Basically he says that an "unsupported" chamber leading to a case rupture (usually just blowing the magazine out) is a different animal from a "Kaboom" which blows apart the chamber and barrel. Kabooms almost certainly are a result of substantial overcharges and other handloading mistakes and since the .40 is already operating at high pressures it's less forgiving. In other words a Glock and it's "unsupported" chamber don't have much to do with it. Even the less serious case rupture appears to be caused more by handloading mistakes than the gun itself. I think it's all too easy for some to blame the manufacturer (Glock) for a problem than to blame themselves for a screw up.

Bottom line is I believe those of you who have safely reloaded and shot thousands of rounds through your Glocks above all other opinions.

 

[Rico567]

I've shot thousands of reloads through my other Glocks, and when I pick up my new G22 tomorrow, I have every intention of shooting thousands through it, as well. I am one of those who shoot plated (Rainier) bullets, and avoid lead.

As a note, many, if not all gun manufacturers have something in the owner's manual about not shooting reloads. In today's litigious USA, this is just a CYA move, in my opinion, and has nothing whatever to do with the safety of reloads. MY reloads, at any rate, are as safe as any factory ammo made.

 

[BeJaRa]

I bet many more problems occur from shooters having a baddly lead fouled barrel in a glock than from the unsupported chamber.

 

[e5shepss]

I wasn't sure you could do that sort of thing...I recall reading the manufacturers had ways to tell if you were shooting reloads through the gun, something like powder burn pattern analysis? Or was I misinformed?

Um, yeah, like I said, I didn't put too much faith in his story. He seemed a little too proud of himself for me to want to hear the details.

Eagle 103, sorry if I misunderstood the intent of your post and sidetracked it,

I would like to know if anyone here actually reloads for a stock one and if they've had any problems. Please save any anecdotal evidence for another thread. Thanks.

When I first read it, I thought you were also looking for information on the KBs as well.:banghead:

I agree that Jim Watson is most likely correct, but the warning regarding a specific weapon in a reloading manual still gives me pause, as does the lack of data available.

The overwhelming positive experiences using reloads vs the rare and difficult to verify KBs certainly don't seem to indicate a rampant problem, especially considering the tremendous popularity of the Glock Pistol. It stands to reason that if there are more of the weapons in service, there will be more of any malfunctions reported.

 

[dakotasin]

eagle- i started w/ a glock 35, which is a 22 w/ a little longer barrel and slide. i have never put factory ammo thru it, and my handloads are warm-to-hot (easily make major power factor for competitive shooting).

my brass gets that glock smile, but no troubles and certainly no kabooms.

 

[Eagle103]

Eagle 103, sorry if I misunderstood the intent of your post and sidetracked it......When I first read it, I thought you were also looking for information on the KBs as well.

No problem. At least you got to see first hand the difficulty in trying to determine if it's OK to reload for a .40 Glock by doing internet research.
I really appreciate all the feedback.

 

[Eagle103]

my brass gets that glock smile, but no troubles and certainly no kabooms.

Are there some brands of brass that are less susceptible to the "glock smile"? Does it occur less as the brass gets work hardened from successive resizing?

 

[Zippy06]

#1 What is "Glock smile".
#2 I bought my G22C a few months back. It has a 4th generation barrel. The round is fully supported.
#3 I buy brass off of Ebay. The sellers all claim "once fired". But you never know. Comparing wall thickness of .40 to 9mm. You can see a difference. .40 being thinner. I didn't measure them. Just load them up and shoot. Some .40 being shot 3-4 times. Haven't found any split cases. Yet.

 

[frenchwrench]

I have 3 Glock 40s ,23 ,27,22. I have shot nothing but my own reloads which is upwards of 10,000 rounds. No problems even with resize and reloading (4 times) the used brass. I use all Winchester components. Enjoy yours.

 

[mmc45414]

I load 155g Rainers over 7.3g of Longshot. This is the starting load for the heavier 165g bullet but it has a seat of the pants feel of factory 155g ammo, but they only clock about 1100fps from a 4” gun. This is a slow powder and has to be very low pressure. I have probably shot 3k of this load, I am sure it is not stressing the brass.

 

[Clark]

CAUTION: The following post includes loading data beyond currently published maximums for this cartridge. USE AT YOUR OWN RISK. Neither the writer, The High Road, nor the staff of THR assume any liability for any damage or injury resulting from use of this information.


After getting my above improvment in G22 case support, I have experimented with LONGSHOT:

LONGSHOT "Hodgdon Basic Reloader's Manual 2002": LONGSHOT 6.0 gr.,
1.125", 4", 200 gr. HDY XTP, 954 fps, 32,500 psi

At 12 gr. the OAL springs out to 1.160", 12 gr. blew a small hole in case.
Looks like extractor pulled head loose from weld to case body, +100%
extra powder

What does it all mean?
1) With good case support, 12 gr Longshot and 200 gr [double charge] will barely fit together and cases the case to fall apart, but still not as much power as with 800X.
2) Once the case support is fixed, Glock 22s will not kaboom with even atomic loads.

 

[HSMITH]

5.7 Universal, 180 FMJ, WSP, loaded to 1.135. Same batch of 20 mixed commercial brass loaded with a U-die that is reported to 'overwork' the brass. I loaded and shot those cases 15 times from a stock Glock 22. The load is NOT light, the pressures are NOT low, and there were no problems at all.

Glock smile, work hardening the brass, overworking the brass with a U-die, all of it internet BS. Stop reading the gunzone, stop believing the internet BS that is passed as fact without ANY supporting information, and start shooting your Glock 40.