Guide Rods and Spring Weights for Glock?

[Eljay]

How many rounds, on average, before you change the springs?

Well, if I decide to get one that I could change the spring, then it would Lone Wolf then...



Hhhhmmm... The lure of the Lenny Magill marketing! Hahaha!

It's more by the calendar but my match gun it's probably like 2-3K and my practice gun it's like 5-7K. I think mine are from Glockmeister - you just unscrew the end, get a new spring on the rod, and screw it back together.

Glock recommends every 3K and normally you would just swap out the whole assembly. Which is cheap but not as cheap as just the spring.

A lot of people very rarely change their springs but if you want a gun to run trouble free doing it once a year at Christmas or your birthday or something (just so you remember it) and maybe changing out any other little small springs or parts you've heard of breaking can make sense.

[Lumpy8]

I could never understand that a major manufacture of a product such as Glock, Colt, Mossberg, or for that matter Ford, Chevrolet or Dodge spends hundred of thousands of dollars or even millions of dollars on research and testing, then the consumer comes around and thinks they know better by changing the style or design. My advice, shoot the damn thing and enjoy!!!

[floogy]

I would agree with the comments to leave it alone. Unless it's a 10mm running hot or a competition gun running really light, don't worry about it. I've heard of more problems caused by aftermarket parts than improvements.

[CandG]

I could never understand that a major manufacture of a product such as Glock, Colt, Mossberg, or for that matter Ford, Chevrolet or Dodge spends hundred of thousands of dollars or even millions of dollars on research and testing, then the consumer comes around and thinks they know better by changing the style or design. My advice, shoot the damn thing and enjoy!!!

You may not be able to imagine it, but it definitely happens. Glock supplies 10mm G20's and G29's with the exact same recoil springs as their G21/G30 .45acp counterparts. Which is utterly silly. Many people report that they work fine as-is, but just as many people report slides battering into their frames. Glock may have spent $millions designing those recoil springs for the .45's, but they didn't spend any money deciding to just use the same thing in their 10mm versions. So, it undoubtedly happens.

That said, I'm getting off-topic talking about models the OP doesn't own - his Glock 22 spring is probably fine as is.

[rodralig]

I could never understand that a major manufacture of a product such as Glock, Colt, Mossberg, or for that matter Ford, Chevrolet or Dodge spends hundred of thousands of dollars or even millions of dollars on research and testing, then the consumer comes around and thinks they know better by changing the style or design. My advice, shoot the damn thing and enjoy!!!

As far as I understand of product development - manufacturer R&D and production are focused on the average majority.

As human beings, we the consumers have different preferences - be it color, style, weight, etc. Some like a better trigger pull, a smoother recoil, a pink slide, etc. That is also where the fun and enjoyment comes in... Much more for me because I'm learning new stuff in the gun world - I get to know what works and what doesn't [for my particular shooting style, need, etc.]. Yes, I will make mistakes. Yes, I will make bad purchases, etc. but that in itself is also where the enjoyment comes from...

[rodralig]

That said, I'm getting off-topic talking about models the OP doesn't own - his Glock 22 spring is probably fine as is.

I'm currently saving up for a G17 (Blue Label purchase) so I can try it out a GSSF in Burro in November... And maybe a G34/G35 down the road...

Of course, still practicing as much as I can - I want to do the Glock some justice!

[Bill Steele]

A tungsten rod is quite a bit heavier than stock and will make a difference in felt recoil and muzzle flip. Felt recoil and how you react to it (or how it affects your shooting) is a pretty individual thing. The G20 slide is a little heavier than the G21 slide (measured in grams). The G20 slide definitely impacts felt recoil and slide velocity over its lighter sibling when shooting similar 10mm loads (using a conversion barrel in the G21 slide). A little bit of added weight up front can make a pretty big difference in how things feel. Truth be told, a ton of crappy comps still seem to help things mainly because of all the weight they add to the end of the barrel.

Changing spring rates can have positive (and negative) effects on function and how well you shoot a given gun/load. Changing spring rates, guide rod materials, etc. is probably best left to those with some mechanical aptitude and understanding of the dynamics involved, otherwise you are just playing blind man's bluff.

[Eljay]

I could never understand that a major manufacture of a product such as Glock, Colt, Mossberg, or for that matter Ford, Chevrolet or Dodge spends hundred of thousands of dollars or even millions of dollars on research and testing, then the consumer comes around and thinks they know better by changing the style or design. My advice, shoot the damn thing and enjoy!!!

Well, the fact is I do know better what I'm doing with the pistol than Glock does. How could they? They sell a gun that does a lot of things pretty well. If I can make a different set of compromises that makes the gun perform better for some more limited purpose, then I'm going to do that even if it makes it perform worse at some task I don't actually do with it.

And let us not forget the accountants. They're trying to keep their costs down and profits up. They spent zero money on those sights, which are frankly terrible. I'm OK with that because again, they don't know what I'm doing with the gun or what my personal preferences are. Likewise the trigger pull has been moving up over the years, apparently not because of engineering decisions so much as liability decisions.

I think Glock does a good job of making a gun that's a good value. But anything can be improved if you have flexibility in price point or in optimizing it for a narrower purpose than the general market demands.

I agree that this should be extremely low on OP's list of things to change on the gun, if ever, but it's not like there aren't people with good reasons to mess with "Glock perfection".

[AFTII]

No it doesn't. a metal guide rod weight is probably immeasurable difference compared to the plastic one.(makes no difference) The only reason they exist is for the automatic variants of Glocks. Your wife is limp wristing, like you said. Minuscule weight added to the front of the gun isn't going to prevent muzzle flip, proper grip will.

How would you know? Have you tried one? No, that part of your "opinion" is conspicuously absent. Furthermore, you are not a Glock expert by any means. You are a self-professed Glock 19 expert. That's the only gun you'll ever need. Expert, yea right. Jack of all trades, master of none.

Depending on the Glock in question, a tungsten carbide rod can weigh over three times more than the stock plastic rod. Even a mouth breathing Troglodyte should be able to reason that adding approximately 1.8 oz of weight to the front of a firearm could affect its performance.

OP, the indisputable plus to having a stainless or tungsten carbide record spring guide is that it allows you to change out springs to a lighter or heavier spring when needed. In other words, it allows you to tune the ammo you are shooting to your gun.

[AFTII]

I could never understand that a major manufacture of a product such as Glock, Colt, Mossberg, or for that matter Ford, Chevrolet or Dodge spends hundred of thousands of dollars or even millions of dollars on research and testing, then the consumer comes around and thinks they know better by changing the style or design. My advice, shoot the damn thing and enjoy!!!

I never can understand why people don't understand that the products we are able to buy are driven by bean counters and lawyers and not engineers. Don't believe me?

If every Glock ever produced were perfect, as you seem to suggest, why are there 4 Generations?

Colt. Colt brought us the marvels of the Colt 1991 - because the 70 series, after surviving two world wars, wasn't safe enough for the educated populous of the 1990's.

You got me on Mossberg - simply because I really don't pay attention to Mosberg.

Ford spend millions developing the Pinto and made a conscious decision to let a design defect slip through because it saved it $2 or so a unit. And do you recall Ford cars spontaneously catching fire in the 1990s because the window switches shorted and caught fire? I do. How about the Firestone SUV tires that Ford recommended be run under inflated. Oops.

Chevrolet. Who can forget the $4.9 billion verdict against GM for locating the gas tank of its 1979 Chevy Malibu too close to the rear bumper - because fuel tank fires were only costing it $2.04 per car. Oops.

Dodge. My 2005 Dodge Magnum. Ahh, great car - until it rained. Then a design defect allowed water to seep into the transmission. Oops. Dodge never did fix it. Good thing I live in the freaking desert.

Hundreds of thousands of Remington 700 were produced with what had to be the best factory trigger ever. It was so good, it could be set too light. But lawyers found that to be a defect.

RJ Reynolds, among others, spent millions of dollars creating more addictive cigarettes. Is that the kind of engineering you are relying on?

In the state of KKKalifornia, we have a safe gun roster. Safe gun? Oxymoron?

BTW, why should you care what I do or don't do to my guns?

[AFTII]

Well, the fact is I do know better what I'm doing with the pistol than Glock does. How could they? They sell a gun that does a lot of things pretty well. If I can make a different set of compromises that makes the gun perform better for some more limited purpose, then I'm going to do that even if it makes it perform worse at some task I don't actually do with it.

And let us not forget the accountants. They're trying to keep their costs down and profits up. They spent zero money on those sights, which are frankly terrible. I'm OK with that because again, they don't know what I'm doing with the gun or what my personal preferences are. Likewise the trigger pull has been moving up over the years, apparently not because of engineering decisions so much as liability decisions.

I think Glock does a good job of making a gun that's a good value. But anything can be improved if you have flexibility in price point or in optimizing it for a narrower purpose than the general market demands.

I agree that this should be extremely low on OP's list of things to change on the gun, if ever, but it's not like there aren't people with good reasons to mess with "Glock perfection".

Damn. Beat me to it.

[Eljay]

Damn. Beat me to it.

It's all good.

[Eljay]

Another point re: the weight making a difference - if you really want to add weight to the end of the gun, add a tactical light. You'll be able to see stuff in the dark and they weigh around 4 oz with the batteries and it's all way out on the end.

And you know what? I use one for nighttime matches sometimes, same gun, same ammo, and I really don't notice any difference. I haven't specifically timed Bill drills or whatever but subjectively it feels the same.

Not saying it wouldn't to a newer shooter so something to consider as an alternative and worst case if you can't tell the difference, hey, you have a light.

[rodralig]

I'm learning a lot! Thanks guys!

OP, the indisputable plus to having a stainless or tungsten carbide record spring guide is that it allows you to change out springs to a lighter or heavier spring when needed. In other words, it allows you to tune the ammo you are shooting to your gun.

I agree that this should be extremely low on OP's list of things to change on the gun, if ever, but it's not like there aren't people with good reasons to mess with "Glock perfection".

How about a lighter trigger pull? I'm very much in love with my new gun's pull - Beretta PX4 in SA...!

This guy on eBay sells metal guide rods with ISMI recoil springs for $19 delivered.

Nice for the referral - would definitely check it out! Those by Lone Wolf and Glockstore are quite expensive.

Another point re: the weight making a difference - if you really want to add weight to the end of the gun, add a tactical light. You'll be able to see stuff in the dark and they weigh around 4 oz with the batteries and it's all way out on the end.

It would be nice if there is a tactical light with a built-in vidcam (Shot Trak). Wouldn't it be good when you need evidence in a self-defense situation?

[foxtrotuniformlima]

I run a steel rod in my G17 so I can tune the gun by changing the spring weight.

I also run aftermarket sights because the factory one suck.

I also run an aftermarket trigger cause the factory one sucks.