Glock ejects to face

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spazzymcgee

spazzymcgee

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I just bought a brand new Generation 4 Glock 19, and the spent casings eject erratically, and sometimes directly to my face. I fired about 150 rounds without any change in the gun's behavior. I called Glock, and the tech told me to use higher grain bullets, as I was using 115gr. target loads. I had no idea Glocks required 124gr. and up to function. The tech said that mine had all the newest parts, and that all I can do is use heavier bullets. Has anyone else had a similar experience, and had the gun wear in over time? Any suggestions? I'd rather not have to switch to heavier bullets. Thanks for your time.
 
I have a gen 3 G17 and have only had it happen a few times (out of many thousands of rounds). I normally wear a hat so it fell on the brim. It happened very early after I bought the gun. I remember it because I was thinking how happy I was to have the hat on!

I shoot a lot of 115gn ammo and haven't had a the problem with it in the last 10 years. I would suggest trying some other 115gn ammo to see if you get the same results. Please don't take offence, but I would also make sure that you have a good firm grip. Glocks are susceptible to limp wristing and a loose grip could cause this as well.

It could also be a problem with the gun. I definitely wouldn't rule that out. I've never heard great things about Glock customer service. Hopefully you can get it figured out. Keep us posted!
 
Well known and common problem with Glock extractor. Typical response by Glock employee to blame issue on something else like ammo.

Google this issue and you will see plenty of advice on how to polish your Glock extractor, or advice on replacement to use.
 
It is so common that it even has it's own name...Brass To Face or BTF

I have a friend who is heavily into Glocks (I think he has 15+) who just got a new Gen 4 G24. First time out to the range and he is getting BTF every 4-5 rounds, which is a bit odd as many usually don't start until they get to 1k+ rounds.

The Factory fixes have included changing the ejector to changing the extractor and now to using heavier bullets. They are all really bandaids to a basic design choice by Glock to improve feeding cases from the magazine under the ejector.

The most reliable fix I've seen, 4 friends, has been installing the Apex Tactical Specialties Glock extractor...it is even better if you also lower the left side of the ejection port

Has anyone else had a similar experience, and had the gun wear in over time?
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It isn't going to get better with time. If anything, it is going to get worst. The reason it is coming back into your face is that the case isn't being controled by the extractor after is comes out of the chamber. It is then bouncing off the front of the ejection port.
 
Common problem with G19s. They are supposed to have fixed the Gen4s but you still get them once in a while. I suspect the Gen5s will come with a face shield.:D
 
I just fired 50 rounds of 124gr. NATO spec ammo, and it functioned flawlessly. I'm thinking that the tech guys at Glock were right. They both also said that it would wear in to the point that it would feed 115 gr.
 
3 Gen 4s from first run to December 2013.... All BTF. All no longer in my possession. Sold all of my holsters and mags to head off temptation.
 
My gen 3 19 had stovepipe issues and brass to the face. I sent it back twice to Glock and they finally installed a new extractor and ejector. So far so good.

My nephew bought a new 30S and immediately had brass to the face. I think they are having q/c issues with their extractors being outsourced as I have been told.
 
Don't believe any stories from Glock about faulty outsourced parts. All Glock parts meet design spec. Unfortunately, their design is the problem. This has been a problem since my Gen 1 G17s.
 
yeah my 2nd gen 17 9mm hits me in the forehead all the time, but since I have 4 17round mags grandfathered in in California, its ok.

be safe
 
I fired a few mags through a .45 glock over the weekend and the brass either hit me in the face, hit the underside of the brim of my hat (short brim boonie), or landed on top of my head. The gun was brand new and had just returned from Austria to fix a mag release issue. This made learning IPSC a little more interesting!
 
On march 20th i brought a new glock21gen4. Three days later i took it to the range to
try out with factory ammo. Winchester 185gr target. All the spent shells where thrown
to my head. I called glock and they said it was the recoil spring and not the extractor or
anything else. Four days later fedex dropped off a new recoil spring. I have installed it
but have yet to fire the pistol due to the weather. They didnt ask for the old spring back.
I hope thats the problem. I dont like to spend alot of money being retired. Seems like
no matter what firearms company it is these days theres some problem. Years ago there
seems there was less problems for whatever reason.
 
Anyone that reloads and has worked up a load from minimum power knows the impact low powered rounds have on ejection patterns. The Glock tech was probably right.
 
It's a common issue. From time to time, a spent case hits your face, hence the importance of wearing eye protection. This problem, of course, has nothing to do with ammo nor with any specific manufacturer. I've often suffered this problem with autoloaders other than Glocks.
 
Yep, brass to face. Happens to me too occasionally with my gen 4 G19. One thing I would not do is start tinkering around with the gun and turn something reliable into a paperweight. God forbid you ever need the gun in a self defense situation. The last thing you will think about is brass to face.
 
Last edited:
Lord Palmerston said:
It's a common issue. From time to time, a spent case hits your face, hence the importance of wearing eye protection. This problem, of course, has nothing to do with ammo nor with any specific manufacturer. I've often suffered this problem with autoloaders other than Glocks.
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Exactly. I've never had any semi-auto pistol that didn't occasionally throw a piece of brass back at me.
 
Thanks for all the input, everyone. This gun isn't just throwing brass at me, it's having failures to extract, and extracting to the left and such. It ran like a top with 124gr. ammo, so I know that's a factor.
 
This gun isn't just throwing brass at me, it's having failures to extract, and extracting to the left and such.
Click to expand...

Send it back to Glock. They should be able to fix it.

I sent in a new g4-19 that wouldnt extract and they sent me back a new gun after attempting multiple different parts and combinations.
No issues at all with the replacement gun.
 
The techs at Glock told me that they test the guns with 124gr. ammo, and that if it runs with that, they won't do anything about it. So I feel like sending it back would get me nothing considering that it ran very well with 124gr.
 
spazzymcgee said:
The techs at Glock told me that they test the guns with 124gr. ammo, and that if it runs with that, they won't do anything about it. So I feel like sending it back would get me nothing considering that it ran very well with 124gr.
Click to expand...
Keep in mind, their 9mm pistols are designed around 9mm NATO which is 124gr.
 
I have a Gen 4 G19, about a year old. I've only run a few hundred rounds through it, but it's been mostly 115-grain, brass cased target loads. I had one (clearly ammo-related) failure when I ran some steel cased ammo through it, but it's otherwise been flawless. Maybe I just got lucky, but it seems to me that your G19 ought to run with 115-grain. Know any Glock armorers who could take a peek?
 
No gunsmiths around here that I know of. I think I'll try putting some more 124gr. through it, to see if it will break in.
 
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