GLOCK 21

[KINGMAX]

I have heard stories, seen pictures posted showing the remains of GLOCK 21's blown apart. Is this normal, or does the 21 blow apart more frequently than other pistols as a whole.

 

[10-Ring]

I guess I'm not gonna help squash the G21 'urban legend'. I had a 21c years ago that kb! in my hands after about 3000 rounds. Sure Glock fixed it under their warranty w/ only a few q's asked but the two of us were never the same

 

[Flatfender]

The Glocks in .40S&W seem to KB the most.

The 9MM have the least KBs and the 45ACP ones are somewhere in between.

I have 2 G21s with at least 5K each with no problems. All guns can KB with the wrong ammo.

 

[Dave T]

After carrying one or another 1911 through out my law enforcement career (except for the first probationary year) I became a civilian CCW instructor. Since Glocks were so popular I decided to give them a try, and because I was a fan of the 45 ACP and already set up to reload for it, I chose the G21 with a G30 for concealed carry. In 4 years I put 20,000 rounds through the G21 and a few thousand through the G30. I still have the G21 but who knows, it may blow at any minute. (smiley face goes here)

Dave

 

[Powder_Burn]

The most fair way to put it would be to say that guns without supported chambers KB more often than those that have supported chambers. Compare the HK USP & Springfield XD's to all of their competitors in the attached picture. The chambers in both of these guns completely reinforce the bottom side of the ammunition case so the danger of a ruptured case is reduced significantly. This is especially important for folks that use reloaded (weaker) brass or +P ammo on a regular basis. Also helps keep the gun in one piece if you get a double charged round or a barrel obstruction.



Unfortunately the G21 had light strike issues as well and that's a whole other story. If I was die-hard on getting a Glock, it would not be a G21. I have heard stories for years and the issues the Boise, Portland, and LA police have had would make look elsewhere for a .45

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1529000/posts

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

http://www.katu.com/news/story.asp?ID=83228

 

[Slvr Surfr]

Are these KBs related to newer G21s or possibly all G21s ?

I have a second Gen G21 that has been flawless for right around 2k rounds.

 

[Rexrider]

Use factory ammo and you will be fine. Although there are exceptions, most of the Glock KBs involved reloads. Of course that little tidbit always seems to get overlooked when Glocks are involved.

There are a LOT and I do mean a LOT of Glocks in use around the world. How long do you think Glock would be in business if KBs were that common?

I have seen pictures of all sorts of handguns that KB'd that were not Glocks. People only seem to worry about Glocks.

BTW, I am a proud owner of a Glock 21 and 19. A KB is the least of my concerns. Keeping them fed is much higher on the list.

 

[jeepmor]

thank you powder burn

that's a great collection of photos for comparing chamber support side by side. I suspect from those images alone, I'll be getting an H&K or Springfield for my next pistol.

One thing I have not seen mentioned or suggested is getting an aftermarket barrel that offers more chamber support than the Glock. I think KKM is one of the main aftermarket Glock barrels. Good peace of mind if nothing else. It's your hands and face, do with them as you wish.

jeepmor

 

[KINGMAX]

THANKS EVERYONE

Thank everyone for their .02 cents. A lot of great information. I have heard the term 'unsupported chamber'. The pics really showed how the support varied from barrel to barrel.

Thanks again THR members, as always

 

[hnm201]

Every single glock that I've seen loaded with double-charged ammuntion has kaboomed. That makes the tally exactly 1. I'll let you know when my Glock 21 or 30 explodes. Don't hold your breath.

http://www.glocktalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=583567

 

[gudel]

I bought nib G21, used G22 and new G22. none of them ever blow up. I'm a skeptic when it comes to glock blowing up without user stupidity's intervention.

 

[boomstik45]

Any gun can blow up, particularly when involved with a serious ammo problem. The famous "The Gun Zone" site that probably never misses a chance to publicize or report a glock Kaboom also reported one involving an HK USP .45. They even have pics of it. Go to www.TheGunZone.com and see for yourself. So do you still want to buy that HK or Springfield instead? This shouldn't be a sole determining factor. Do your own research. I don't rely on hearsay with things like this, nor should anybody else. I think one other reason that there are a lot of glock Kabooms is because glock still has about 70% of the law enforcement market tied up. And way too many of my law enforcement brethren remain largely ignorant of weapons, ammunition, and shooting in general. They only shoot at re-qualification time. Not to mention that departments will buy cheap ammo that's "factory reloaded" or simply just reloaded. Off to the range they go... Then combine that with someone who doesn't clean the weapon or allows something to get into/remain in the barrel (like gun oil) and you have another contributing factor. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a glock proponent per se, and don't believe glock is "Perfection". I do say that glocks are very solid, tough, durable, accurate weapons. Hell, they are probably more pure combat tools than many other kinds. But they have their place among other fine weapons, not above or below them. One thing is for sure, if the manual and warranty says don't use anything other than new factory ammo, don't do it unless you have an aftermarket barrel. 'Nuff said. Other than that, they're good guns. Just a matter of personal preference as to whether you like them or not.

 

[another okie]

I have seen two Glock KBs, both .40s and both due to reloads. I'm not sure of the exact sequence on the first, but on the second a round was loaded with primer and bullet but no powder and got halfway down the barrel. The shooter saw the shell had not ejected, racked in a new one, and pulled the trigger. He was not seriously hurt.

 

[fgr39]

I guess you could say that I blew up my 21, however, it was my own doing. I was shooting my reloads in a match, I had what I thought was a malfunction. I racked the slide fired the next round and the slide locked back. I tried to reload and could not get the slide forward. Turns out my malfunction was a squib, next round cleared it but also bulged the barrel. I went to the safe area smacked the slide forward pulled the gun apart checked everything. I got a new barrel and have put about 1500 rounds through it since. I was really suprised how well it took shooting the squib out. I now have the bulged barrel hanging in front of my reloading press as a reminder to pay attention while reloading.