Dumb Glock Question

[sonofeugene]

Gun wont go off due to Glock "3X safe" design, but I share your superstition about Springs Under Tension being left for days, weeks and months. Like a Ruger transfer bar that stays between pin and primer if trigger not pulled.

I just WANT to un-tense a spring, can't help it. I put a Snap-Cap in the Glock and drop the hammer on it just because I don't want it stored with spring under tension and don't want to drop on empty chamber, even though IIRC Glocks says "no prob".

But consider that there are frequent "barn find" cars and trucks that have been sitting on their springs, often overloaded with other stored items and while the tyres maybe toast the springs are fine is they were OK when stored.

Ditto with antique furniture. I know a guy who reupholsters 100+ year old springs all the time, and the springs were under at least some tension all that time if they held in the wood.

I'm pretty sure millions of cops carry their Glocks cocked all day every day and not a single issue.

Now the fact that Glocks have no 'safety' once cocked has been blamed for a few NDs. I wouldn't want to be fumbling with a trigger lock on a cocked Glock.

Common superstition or belief. And competely unfounded. Whether or not a spring is stored under compression or not is a non issue.

[firfyghter]

G34 is in its holding cell since the G17's inventory is depleted and I didn't want a 19 for CCW. The G34 will be for home and hopefully there will be some G17s left when my 30 days are done!!!! This was truly another awesome and informative experience. Let's stick together and beat out the new trifecta of laws that just got intro'd!!!

[ar15robert]

Y Storing a 1911 style pistol with a loaded chamber probably isn't the best thing anyone can do. Carrying it in that condition safely isn't too difficult, but I don't think I'd store one that way.

Why is that?i store a 1911 for HD and its chambered safety on.I also have a glock20 but prefer that for camping so at home its empty camp its chambered.

[cowboy777]

firfyghter - I've carried a G30 as an EDC/CCW with the chamber loaded for 2 years. Just shot same gun for my CCW recert. No issues. BTW - I also have a 3.5 trigger upgrade. The key is to have a holster that TOTALLY encompasses the trigger guard. I run a Blackhawk CQB level 2 holster as well as an AlienGear IWB 3.0. Both holsters are very secure & comfortable and generously cover the trigger.

Why are you waiting 2 years to shoot your ccw weapon? Any home defense gun or ccw gun I have I practice with regularly and replace my defense ammo yearly.

[Bill Carson]

Welcome to the Glockside.

[firfyghter]

Welcome to the Glockside.

,

[CandG]

I just WANT to un-tense a spring, can't help it. I put a Snap-Cap in the Glock and drop the hammer on it just because I don't want it stored with spring under tension and don't want to drop on empty chamber, even though IIRC Glocks says "no prob".

Sooo.... I take it you've never field-stripped your Glock then?

[bk23103]

OP, I can appreciate your concerns. To echo the sentiments above, Glocks are carried daily by hundreds of thousands of police officers across the nation with one in the tube, for weeks (sometimes months, depending on qualification schedule) at a time without being fired and without issue.

Regardless, I simply don't feel comfortable leaving one with a round chambered as my bedside G22 despite being in my SV500 Speedvault. This is because I want to be awake and alert enough to consciously rack a round into my gun before using it.

[Mr.Caketown]

ty. After acquiring your Glock, you'll probably kick yourself for not having gotten one sooner.

Not all true , I bought a g17 and I much more prefer my m&p9 , xdm or even vp9 to the glock. It's not a bad pistol but better options out there , it's really the fan boys that keep glock alive

[CandG]

Not all true , I bought a g17 and I much more prefer my m&p9 , xdm or even vp9 to the glock. It's not a bad pistol but better options out there , it's really the fan boys that keep glock alive

Meh, the G17 is a pretty boring brick of a pistol in my opinion, especially when capacity-neutered in CA. I'll probably never buy one. Glock makes some great other pistols that very few others can compete with, though. My G29 is still my favorite pistol to this day. I can't think of a single other pistol that could compete with what it offers.

[peter95]

whatever other pistols can do, a glock can do as well.

Glocks have been around for years and have the rep to go with it. leaving a chambered round for years and funtion 100% reliably is basics.

[gtarifa74]

I had the same concerns back in the 80's when Glocks first came out. I thought keeping it with a round chambered was like storing a cocked revolver. The firing pin is only partially tensioned when there is a round in the chamber. As the trigger is pulled, the firing pin spring is completely compressed before releasing to fire - sort of like a slingshot or bow & arrow. There is no firing pin spring wear when storing a Glock with a chambered round.

As for another concern - an accidental discharge, there are passive safeties that must be deactivated by pulling the trigger. There is a firing pin safety, which is a spring-loaded plunger that must be lifted to allow the firing pin to move forward to fire the cartridge. You can easily test that feature by removing the slide & pushing in that plunger with your thumb. You'll notice that the firing pin only protrudes when that plunger is pushed in. After you move the firing pin back, the plunger pops out & the firing pin will not move forward. In fact, Glock recommends that you test that safety feature when cleaning your Glock by pushing in the safety plunger with your thumb & shaking the slide. While your holding in that plunger, the firing pin should rattle freely back & forth. When you pull the trigger on a Glock, a lever pushes that plunger in. And that lever in the middle of the trigger must be pushed in to allow the trigger to move.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=glock+operation+video&view=detail&mid=F8EBE0ECC777413CEC91F8EBE0ECC777413CEC91&FORM=VIRE14

http://www.genitron.com/Basics/Interactive-Glock-Pistol

However, with no manual safety, the Glock can fire unintentionally if anything gets into the trigger guard since the trigger is light - around 5.5 lbs. People have been injured when shoving a Glock into a waistband or a soft leather holster, or not being careful to ensure that no shirt tails or drawstrings get into the holster. That safety lever on the trigger can be deactivated by clothing, drawstring or anything that gets into the holster. A Glock with a chambered round should either be in a quick-access lockbox or a holster that completely encloses & protects the trigger guard. I prefer Kydex because of the rigidity & close fit around the trigger guard.

This! how's that KoolAid taste?

[Beendare]

Good info here

This has been informative....... A buddy told me to always rotate my mags under tension every few months...which is still probably not a bad idea but it appears the springs in these weapons are pretty durable by the excellent comments.

I had the same concerns back in the 80's when Glocks first came out. I thought keeping it with a round chambered was like storing a cocked revolver. The firing pin is only partially tensioned when there is a round in the chamber. As the trigger is pulled, the firing pin spring is completely compressed before releasing to fire - sort of like a slingshot or bow & arrow. There is no firing pin spring wear when storing a Glock with a chambered round.

As for another concern - an accidental discharge, there are passive safeties that must be deactivated by pulling the trigger. There is a firing pin safety, which is a spring-loaded plunger that must be lifted to allow the firing pin to move forward to fire the cartridge. You can easily test that feature by removing the slide & pushing in that plunger with your thumb. You'll notice that the firing pin only protrudes when that plunger is pushed in. After you move the firing pin back, the plunger pops out & the firing pin will not move forward. In fact, Glock recommends that you test that safety feature when cleaning your Glock by pushing in the safety plunger with your thumb & shaking the slide. While your holding in that plunger, the firing pin should rattle freely back & forth. When you pull the trigger on a Glock, a lever pushes that plunger in. And that lever in the middle of the trigger must be pushed in to allow the trigger to move.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=glock+operation+video&view=detail&mid=F8EBE0ECC777413CEC91F8EBE0ECC777413CEC91&FORM=VIRE14

http://www.genitron.com/Basics/Interactive-Glock-Pistol

However, with no manual safety, the Glock can fire unintentionally if anything gets into the trigger guard since the trigger is light - around 5.5 lbs. People have been injured when shoving a Glock into a waistband or a soft leather holster, or not being careful to ensure that no shirt tails or drawstrings get into the holster. That safety lever on the trigger can be deactivated by clothing, drawstring or anything that gets into the holster. A Glock with a chambered round should either be in a quick-access lockbox or a holster that completely encloses & protects the trigger guard. I prefer Kydex because of the rigidity & close fit around the trigger guard.

..... There was a story a few years back about a box of loaded WWII 1911 mags found in a warehouse, and all of them functioned fine, despite being loaded for 60+ years at the time.

Are you talking about an XD or an EMP? Storing a 1911 style pistol with a loaded chamber probably isn't the best thing anyone can do. Carrying it in that condition safely isn't too difficult, but I don't think I'd store one that way.

[CandG]

This has been informative....... A buddy told me to always rotate my mags under tension every few months...which is still probably not a bad idea but it appears the springs in these weapons are pretty durable by the excellent comments.

Constant spring compression is actually NOT what wears them out. Repetitive patterns of compressing and decompressing them is what wears them out. So your buddy, in his attempts to make his mag springs last longer, is actually wearing them out faster. By the way, your mag springs are always about 50% compressed while unloaded anyways. The only way to take the tension off your springs is to disassemble your mags when you store them. No, I'm not recommending that you do that.

It's a similar concept to how turning a lightbulb on and off frequently will burn it out faster than just leaving it on all the time.

We have many members here who leave ALL of their magazines for ALL their firearms fully loaded ALL the time. After all, what good is a pile of empty magazines.

On the other hand, magazine springs are cheap. If you're really worried about it, just buy some spare springs so you can sleep better at night.

You should probably buy some spare springs for your car's suspension too, since they're under constant compression and prone to "wear out" as a result

[flyinverted]

I too am a Sig and a 1911 only person for the past 20 years. I too have finally bought a plastic Glock and maybe a couple more on the way. Please Google search the cops and others doing accidental discharges with the Glock and learn from their mistakes. Sure they have the safety, but there's more than just a finger than can engage the trigger safety.