Glock Barrels

[wow6599]

It seems there have been a few posts/threads lately about Glock's current barrel situation.......are the chambers more supported than in the past. Well, I know they have made some improvements over the years, but are they "fully" supported like other guns in their class, i.e. S&W M&P.
Here are a couple of pictures of my G20 SF barrel and a Lone Wolf barrel. The picture isn't the best, but it does speak for itself.



Now, I reload and haven't seen any signs of a problem when using the Glock barrel, and I load 'em hot. Also, I haven't had any failures from the Glock barrel and I have had about 10 FTFeed (a little tap on the slide or flip of the wrist takes care of it) with the LW barrel - out of maybe 500 rds.
FWIW, the Glock's DOB is 11/11/2009.

 

[easyg]

Personally, I don't want more chamber support in my Glocks than they have right now (generation 3 models).

Why?

Because....

1) I have total confidence in my Glocks because I have shot 1000's of rounds through them without any problems whatsoever.

2) I clean my pistols, including the barrels, after ever range session.

3) I don't use bare lead rounds or reloads per Glock's recommendation.

4) More support and a "tighter" chamber will most likely negatively affect Glock's outstanding reliability.



Bottom line:

I don't really need reloads.
But I need a reliable pistol.

 

[KBintheSLC]

I have never had an issue with any stock Glock barrel in either of my three Glocks... even when using hotroded 10mm loads in my G20. This whole "unsupported" thing is blown way out of proportion by Internet "experts". Unless you are running reloaded brass 4 or 5 times, it is a non-issue.

 

[BMW2]

I have a model 20 and did notice a slight bulge in my brass when I first got it. It's a gen 3, not the newer SF. I found a Storm Lake barrel lightly used, for a good price so I picked it up as I use a lot of cast bullets for loading. I had one failure to go into battery in the first mag I fired through it and it has been nothing but reliable since. I agree though, that in general, Glock chamber dimensions contribute to their reliability. Worst case scenario, if you want a aftermarket barrel for using lead reloads or your concerned about brass quality, just swap it out when you carry if you don't trust it. It takes about ten seconds to swap the barrels out.

 

[Drail]

Full case support has never compromised reliability in any gun I have ever seen. A tight match chamber is only a problem with sloppy reloads or after firing hundreds of dirty rounds. I have Springfields with Wilson match grade barrels and they have gone over 750 rounds in an afternoon and never failed to feed. Not once. Of course you're talking about Glocks that were designed by a guy who though that he needed loose unsupported chambers to make his perfect creation reliable but has apparently changed his mind.

 

[Taurus 617 CCW]

I have heard (don't quote me on this) that the 9mm barrels have more support than any other Glock caliber.

 

[451040]

"This whole "unsupported" thing is blown way out of proportion by Internet "experts"."

Agreed.

 

[Steve C]

The issue with unsupported chamber is with Glocks in .40 S&W and to some extent the .45 ACP. The .40 S&W caliber while being larger is crammed into a 9mm frame and slide. Support of the cartridge has never been a recognized problem in Glocks chambered for 10mm and 9mm. Over the years I've read about dozens of Glock .40 S&W KB's a few .45 ACP KB's. Never read about any 10mm KB's though I'm sure some chuckle head has blown one up with a reload at some time.

You can't paint the whole Glock line with a problem that exists in only a few of its models. Its easy to be dismissive and say because there isn't a problem with some models that there is no problem with others.

There are enough Glock .40 owners that have had their guns come apart and enough reported incidents that include both reloaded and factory ammo that would indicate some problem with the chamber design, at least on earlier models. Glock apparently writes it off as "acceptable" loss as long as they can shift blame to the ammunition esp. if its been reloaded. If it was simply a reload or ammo problem you'd see a representative sampling of S&W's, Sig's and Beretta's in .40 S&W that would have KB'd as these pistols are also bought and used in large numbers by police across the nation.

 

[OrangePwrx9]

"I have heard (don't quote me on this) that the 9mm barrels have more support than any other Glock caliber. "

I'm new to Glocks, but not to handguns, reloading, or 9mm. Took apart my new G19 last night and dropped a cartridge into the chamber to see what everyone's talking about. Honestly, I don't see how the 9mm case could be supported any better than it is in the G19. There's barrel metal to within a hair's breadth of the casehead groove. Don't see any bulges on fired cases either. If this is a problem, it must be with other calibers.

Oops! Sorry for quoting you on that, Taurus617
Bob