Hi Glenn,
Then certainly you do not mean the Glock
Yes I certainly do and I say that after owning one for over 10 years now. I will admit, I do not shoot anywhere near as often as a lot of people here do but I know I've put a lot more rounds through mine than the average LEO has.
The Glock Model 19 utilized by the now defunct US Customs was not what you described as far as I can tell.
Not saying this isn't true but it is the first I've heard of it. The only large dept\group that I've seen any documented proof of consistent problems with a Glock 19 (or any model Glock) is the NYC police. Not so coincidently IMO, they are also the only large dept that I know of who ordered their weapons modified from the original design. Funny thing about Glocks, they are typically most reliable when they are factory stock as they were originally designed.
several changes in the design of the magazine that required each an every agent (I cannot speak to the inspectional side of Customs on this issue) who has had a Glock since they were first issued getting newly issued mags 3 or 4 times
Sorry but I'm going to have to call BS on that. There have only been 5 magazine changes in the 20+ years Glocks have been around. 3 of those did happen with in the last 10 years but I'm only aware of one of those being a "fix". The others were simply improvements.
internal problems with the pistols that required field or armorer modification, a small plastic internal part that breaks or cracks with some consistency, saftety concerns that required replacement or modification of the trigger group or associated parts, now yearly disassembly the firing pin/striker assembly and cleaning of the housng for that assembly because a design feature allowed for build up of brass in that area that can cause the pistol to malfumction as I have been informed after only hundreds of rounds, separation of metal parts from the polymer frame,
Unless you have some credible documentation that goes into more detail then I'm going to call BS on this too, at least as far as these being wide spread problems. Glocks are mechanical devices and just like all mechanical device, some will have problems or parts breakage. No weapon is immune to that but over all, Glocks have an excellent track record of reliable service.
replacement of the slide stop/release lever because it was considered too small to be reliability operated under combat conditions,
That's not a problem with the Glock, that is somebody's (or some groups) personal opinion or preference. The problem is, people try to use it as a slide release and that is not the way it was designed to be used but that said, the factory slide stop works and lasts just fine when used as designed.
Furthermore, I believe the rate of accidental discharges (mostly among inspectional personnel as was reported to me) rose significantly after the Glocks were issued. This was apparently partly due to the fact that in order to clear the weapon for disassembly (or even to make it safe - as per Glock) you have to squeeze the trigger. Just that fact alone, that the trigger needed to be squeezed in order to make it safe and disassemble the pistol, put up the red flags in my mind before Customs ever bought one of them. It goes against all the training we have had, over the many years I have been in service, and over the 14 or so years that I was a FI, concerning when the finger belongs on the trigger.
Huh, you are going to blame Glock for stupid operators?
! You do not "pull the trigger to make it safe" You remove the magazine and clear the chamber to make it safe. If some idiot is trying to disassemble a weapon without first checking to make sure it's unloaded than that's not Glock's fault. BTW, Glock is not the only gun that needs to have to trigger pulled to disassemble the firearm.
What you are calling ADs (accidental discharges ) are really NDs (negligent discharges). Just like that idiot DEA agent in the video that going around the net right now. He shot himself because he is an idiot, not because he was carrying a Glock.
Also the fact that you can also bend the frame as you reassemble the pistol, causing the slide to not go on correctly is another detraction.
That statement really makes it hard for me to believe that you have ever owned a Glock. It is flat out not true. You would have to be putting a
LOT more pressure on that frame then you would ever be able to justify in order to "bend" it to the point that you could not properly install the slide. I have disassembled\reassembled my Glock a lot more times than I can count and have never even come close to bending the frame or improperly installing the slide.
Under the stress of combat it is possible that you could make the pistol inoperable. Sure it is not likely that the slide will be off of the gun in combat, but a combat situation could arise when you are cleaning a weapon thereby requiring quick reassembly under great stress. I would much rather have one that went on right no matter how much I stress the frame.
Well Again, I say this is not a real issue or concern. Secondly, we are not talking about combat. Thirdly even in a combat zone, the likely hood of being attacked while you are in the process of cleaning your weapon is pretty low and lastly, it don't care what weapon you are carrying, if is in pieces in your hand when somebody starts shooting at you then I'm willing to bet you are going to have a hell of a time putting it back together but I don't believe the average person would have any harder time reassembling a Glock then any other gun and probably easier then most.
As stated earlier, no weapon is right for everybody. IMO, where possible, dept's should give their officers\agents a weapon allowance and certain parameters to stay within and then let them choose their own weapons. If they are using an acceptable caliber, can qualify and feel comfortable with it then that is all I would ask.
I am no Glock zelic. I like them and they work well for me but I realize they will not be right for everybody and they are not perfect. I just get tired of people slamming them simply because they do not like them. Any weapon deployed in any large quantity is going to have some problems. Sigs and HKs are no different but for some reason it seems like every time somebody hears about a problem with a Glock it becomes a big ol' "Glocks are nothing but trash" thread.
Just my $.02