Glock Kaboom Alternatives

[GunMac]

Everytime I see the Kaboom feature of the Glock discussed my trigger finger starts to get nervous. I have a Glock 34 with about 4000 rounds through it. It has a diet of reloaded ammo which is recycled 8 times before going to the recycle bin. The only problem I have had is occasional stove pipes when shooting weak handed. Definitely me and not the gun.

I think the Glock is a great gun but do not want to be a statistic. I would like to add the 21 sf model but have second thoughts.

Are there any better choices which eliminate the out of battery and unsupported barrel issues? I was thinking of buyinga Sig 226 and M&P 9 mm this year but wanted to be sure I wasn't overlooking another model.

Thanks,

Tom

 

[Scorpiusdeus]

P99? Although I do LOVE the P226.

 

[XDKingslayer]

Springfield XD

 

[UnTainted]

if you're worried about chamber support, get a match grade barrel from Bar Sto or one of the other good companies.

reading some posts below show that this would change the rifling used, and would help prevent the lead buildup some have speculated might contribute.

 

[mpmarty]

If you like the Glock, you'll love the XD.

 

[CountGlockula]

Buy a KKM, Lone Wolf, or any other aftermarket barrel.

 

[wally]

Aftermarket barrels won't help with the firing out of battery KaBooms, but definitely recommended if you shoot lead bullets!

--wally.

 

[Rod B]

Most of the Glock "kabooms" have been with the .40 S&W.

That said, I wonder how many of these were a direct result of calelessly loaded handloads?

 

[DENALI]

My friend, no Glock pistol has ever been proven to have fired out of battery, a defect that would be glaring and with ramifications that would pull every single Glock pistol out of circulation if proven true. There are in excess of 4,000,000 Glock pistols roaming the American landscape, and when you've established those kinds of figures, you can expect all kinds of irrational tales to sprout wings and fly. I won't waste mine or your time talking of case failure, just remember, every pistol is vulnerable to it.............

 

[LeonCarr]

Glock is not the only handgun that has a less than fully supported chamber.

Do some research and you will find out that the main reason that Glock has become the poster child for kabooms is due to reloading lead bullets in the .40, and the problems with bullet setback.

If you get a chance, take the barrel out of a Glock, take the barrel out of a 1911 that has been throated, drop a round in each barrel and see which one has the least support.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

 

[Scorpiusdeus]

So Glocks don't blow up? Oh wait, they do, but only with reloads... no, wait reloads and a couple of obscure ammo manufacturers like FEDERAL..oh and of course no lead....

Hmmmm.....

http://www.tacticalforums.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001138.html
The following safety advisory was received on 05/17/03 from NLETS (National Law Enforcement Telecommunication System). It's editted.
Warren Co. Sheriff's Office(TN) reports that on 05/16, while training at the range, 3 deputies were injured when 3 separate G22s exploded in their hands. Ammunition used at the time was Federal Classic 155gr. HI-Shok JHP (Lot #2-42W262 or 2-42N262). 1 deputy was taken to the hospital for minor injuries.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=334554

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vceh44UK-8I
http://www.thehighroad.org/archive/index.php/t-86558.html
http://www.stoppingpower.net/forum/...te&REPLY_ID=153911&TOPIC_ID=14681&FORUM_ID=31
http://www.thegunzone.com/glock/ppb.html
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1529000/posts
http://www.thegunzone.com/glock/kb-notes.html
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=82
http://glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=813538

Now go do a search on Sig Kaboom, XD Kaboom, Walther Kaboom, Ruger Kaboom, HK Kaboom and let's compare.


But Glocks are perfect, these are all just rumors and stories made up by Glock haters.

At least the fire under water.

 

[DENALI]

Prove to us, if you can, that Glock pistols fire out of battery. After you accomplish that, I would urge you to contact every product liability Attorney in the California directories and see who'll take the case for you....

 

[THE MACHINIST]

Rule#1 For Glocks "keep Your G&*^%$ Finger Off The G^&%$* Trigger. Rule#2 For Glocks Thou Shalt Not Use Reloaded Ammo.

 

[DougDubya]

A 9mm Glock is going to have to need some real "Bubba" handloads to make it Ka-Boom. Your 34 should be just fine as is. If it were the .40 caliber 35, then you might have some worry, but the 9mm is a fully supported chamber.

Even if you were worried, a Briley or Bar-Sto barrel would fix it for a .40.

 

[KBintheSLC]

Never had an issue with any of my Glocks so I cant comment. However, if you don't like them, a Sig is an excellent alternative. XD's are nice too but I don't care for the grip safety.

Lots of folks complain about Glocks... multiply that times about 150,000, and you get the number of folks that love them.

It's your choice. Either love it, or move over so someone else can.

 

[Scorpiusdeus]

Prove to us, if you can, that Glock pistols fire out of battery.

You're right DENALI, you're right. All of this is a figment of our imaginations.

I don't know, maybe it's just me, but when I choose a firearm, and I can choose between one that has a reputati... I mean "myth" involving KABOOMS and one that doesn't, I just go with the one that doesn't all other things being equal.

 

[mpmarty]

Glock is protected from having to live up to its problems simply because it provides so many pieces of its product to so many law enforcement and other government entities. Fire out of battery? You bet they can, just like any other pistol can if there is a high primer or a bit of debris stuck to the breech face. Will the striker fire before the breech is fully in battery? Yup, it can under certain circumstances. Did you know Glock made pistols with thumb safties in Europe? They won't bring them here because then every poor slob who had an ND could say "see it was all Glocks fault, it should have had a thumb safety".

 

[DENALI]

I'm sorry but you're confusing one for the other, or presenting one as the other! Have some Glock pistols KB'd? Yes! In the American marketplace, a firearm, any firearm that had been proven to be capable of firing out of battery wouldn't be here anymore. Virtually every other firearms manufacturer would have pummeled Glock into extinction, and the list of product liability lawsuits would be staggering to say the least.........Add to this the obvious intervention of the govenment, Glock would have been extincted long ago............

 

[DENALI]

Sorry MPMarty, that just doesn't work out. I've sat back and listened to this kind of thing many times. LEA's and LEO's only buy Glock's because there so cheap, Glock makes concessions no one else does, Glock gives two for one ect..ect..I've got news for you, Glock pistols hold there position in LE circles because time after time they've proven superior in competition against many other entries in the field. This would include, reliability, durability, accuracy, maintainability, cost of training, cost of replacement for component parts, and price. I promise you, if Glock's fired out of battery, S&W would just say so and then back it up in there advertising and good bye Gaston. It's that simple. And back to the original OP, you've got a nice pistol, just stay away from lead and disreputable reloads, you and your Glock will be just fine....

 

[GTSteve03]

Pick up an HK USP Compact. It's the polymer pistol Glock wishes it could be.

 

[Mr.510]

Open your eyes!

Proof that Glocks can and DO fire out of battery:

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

Can other autos fire slightly out of battery? Yes, most can and do and it's almost never a problem. It's a very real safety problem with Glocks. When you combine slightly out of battery, a chamber with a huge unsupported area, and a polymer frame you get catastrophic KBs that hurt people. Polymer frame + large unsupported case area = bad idea.

I was at CSI in Lynnwood two lanes down from a guy shooting a Glock in the mid-'90s. I hear, "bang, bang, bang, BANG aAAAhhhhhh!!!". I turn to look and see the guy's hand coming up to cover the huge hole his Glock's slide just ripped in his cheek. His safety glasses had deflected the slide down just enough to miss his eye. His glasses flipped forward as the slide hit and landed about fifteen feet downrange. I didn't get a very long look at his injury but I think the slide hit right at the bottom of his eye socket. I heard later from the range owner that he didn't lose his eye. There was a rumor circulating that the impact broke his cheekbone but I never heard it from a reliable source. The story of this early Glock KB is told in most of the local gun shops. Surprisingly the version currently told is almost exactly what actually happened, even a dozen or so years later.... and I was one of the few people that was actually THERE.

After seeing that first hand I will NEVER own a Glock and I will NEVER fire a Glock. There are so many nice guns that are so much safer. Why take the chance?

Yeah, I know.... somebody get the popcorn!

 

[DougW]

Anyone ever look at the sheer number of Glocks out there and the ratio of failures to the number of Glock pistols in use? I would bet that there have been more 1911 failures than Glock failures. And don't think for a second that there is ANY mechanical device produced in the tens of thousands that are totally fool proof.

 

[stevereno1]

Don"t believe all of the anti-Glock garbage that you read on here! You have 4000 rounds without a problem. That says it all! People on here Hate the entire Glock platform, and wish everyone to carry a 1911, CZ (fugly guns), or a sig. A 1911 takes a LOT of work to make it reliable(look at the cost between springfeilds "G.I." 1911, vs. their "carry" guns). If you were to take a stock 1911, and make it a "shooter",You'd drive yourself nuts, and spend over $1000, in order to carry a 2 lb, single stack, 7rd auto. $50 more for the scrimshaw "ELVIS" grips!

 

[tabsr]

HK??

Have not read any KB with the USP or USPC?

 

[R&J]

Replies To Some Quotes...

"I was at CSI in Lynnwood two lanes down from a guy shooting a Glock in the mid-'90s. I hear, 'bang, bang, bang, BANG aAAAhhhhhh!!!'."

*****

You offer no particulars--like what ammo was he shooting? 99% of all Glock KBs I have tracked down, point to an ammo problem.

I don't know why it's so darned hard for some people... Stock Glocks, as delivered, are not suitable for shooting reloads. That's it! So don't!

An integral part of a Glock's legendary reliability and performance is the firing chamber/barrel component. The chamber's tolerances are a wee bit loose, to assure function in environmental extremes. The polygonal barrel rifling squeezes a bit more velocity from a given ammo.

Remember those Uber-Precise German Lugers, that failed miserably at the Russian Front? Your Glock will cycle under water!

The inverse to all this is, the OEM Glock chamber allows expansion of the casings to the point where they shouldn't be reused. With continued reloading, the case walls get thinner and, in particular with higher pressure loads, can fail. The barrel rifling, though efficient, is prone to lead fouling. No secrets here. Glock is totally up front about it. Use factory OEM ammo, either copper jacketed, plated, or coated.

If you insist on shooting reloads with a Glock, invest in an aftermarket barrel, suited to naked lead bullets, and with tighter chamber specifications.

I have a friend with a 1st Gen G17 and G20, He shoots reloads exclusively--with aftermarket barrels. About two years ago, as luck would have it, he blew up his Ruger Blackhawk. Clearly, he had miscalculated with that reloaded ammo! Bob's 47 years old, and this was a first! The blast broke the gun's back, and a piece of the cylinder penetrated the lane partition!


"After seeing that first hand I will NEVER own a Glock and I will NEVER fire a Glock."

*****

But you still don't know anything, other than a final result.

That would be like me saying I'd never fire a Ruger revolver, based on what happened to Bob.

That's like saying you'll never drive a Saab, because you saw one destroyed in a traffic accident once.

It may be how you feel, but it's irrational.


I think the Glock is a great gun but do not want to be a statistic. I would like to add the 21 sf model but have second thoughts.

*****

I own three Glocks and have rented others. YTD, I've fired over 33,000-rounds with Glock pistols, without one mishap. This includes +P, +P+, and other high performance ammos (such as .40 S&W and 10 mm Double Tap).

I keep a G21 with LaserMax and SureFire X200B by my bedside, and I sleep very well, knowing it is there. The gun has over 10,000 rounds through it.

--Ray

Anecdotal: Bob sent the Blackhawk to Ruger, with an honest explanation of what happened--and they replaced it! Yup. They sent him a new gun!