[gripnrip]

JUST GOT ON THIS FORUM TONITE DUE TO MY PLANNING ON PURCHASING A GLOCK 22C IN A COUPLE OF DAYS. I HAVE RELOADED RIFLE, SHOTGUN AND PISTOL AMMO FOR ALMOST 20 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER HEARD AS MANY CONCERNS AS THERE ARE ABOUT THE 40S&W IN A GLOCK! DOES 9MM HAVE THE SAME ISSUES WITH THE BRASS SWELLING? WOULD A DIFFERENT BRAND A OF HAND GUN BE BETTER THAN THE GLOCK IF I DEFINETLY WANT THE 40S&W CAL. ? THANKS FOR ANY HELP OR OPINION ON THIS!

 

[MikeG]

Welcome.

I think your 'caps lock' key is stuck, FYI.

Glocks have been documented blowing up (case head separations) in multiple calibers. Seems to get worse with the larger diameter cases, but I don't know of any statistical data to prove that. Whatever information Glock has, suspect they keep to themselves.

 

[wildhobbybobby]

The Glock in .40 caliber has historically had more than its share of problems. The Glock 9mm Models 17 and 19 are thought by many experts to be the best 9mm pistols available, but the .40's have had functioning and reliabilty issues. Quite a few large departments, such as Detroit PD, have gotten rid of the Glock 22 .40 and either gone back to the 9mm Glock or adopted a different brand of .40 such as the Sig.

The functioning problems with the .40 Glocks often manifest themselves when mounting a light or other accessory on the frame rail. Apparently the polymer frame, originally designed for the 9mm, flexes too much in .40.

Having said that, the vast majority of people experience no problems with the Glock 22.

The Sig P229 is regarded by people I respect as one of the very best .40's. I own a Glock 19 9mm, a Glock 34 9mm and a Sig P229 .40 and consider that I have the best of both worlds.

The Glock .40's are definitely harder on brass than the Glock 9mm's are. I reload my 9mm Glock brass and never have had a problem with a swollen case or anything else.

Another thing to be aware of with Glocks is that you must avoid the use of lead bullets in factory Glock barrels, due to the polygonal rifling. Lead bullets in a Sig work fine.

 

[gripnrip]

Thanks for the "caps" reminder, and thanks for the info on the glock 40...from what i have read tonite from you both, it sounds like i would be better off going with the glock 19 and stay away from cast bullets? i have a friend at the police department who can help me out on a good deal on a glock. i was thinking springfield xd, smith m&p, walther p99 and the glock. the officer that did our ccw class named these guns as very good and reliable, so i was just going from that..i have owned s&w 41 and 44 mags for years and a ruger 22. have never reloaded for semi automatic in handguns before and found this forum and started reading all the negatives about the 40 S&W. my officer friend was showing me his glock 22c the other day and had me talked into it until i found out about the reloading issues. So, from what i think i'm hearing from you guys is, that the 9mm is ok to reload and shoot in the glock with no problems as long as you reload smart, not start out with maximum loads? right? thanks for the help Larry

 

[gripnrip]

wildhobbybobby, would you mind sharing your best load on the 9mm for your glock 19? Thanks Larry

 

[unclenick]

Well, you never start out at maximum with any gun. There is a reason the lightest load in the list is called a "starting load". It's because you are supposed to start with it. Then you can work up, watching for pressure signs, either until you like the accuracy your load is giving you or your gun finds its personal maximum pressure based on one of those signs (then you back off 5% and call that your gun's maximum). There are lots of manuals with loads developed in commercial firearms whose chambers are too lose to be trusted in your gun.

I've never heard anything bad about the Glock 9's, but they seem to produce a lot of pregnant cases in the .40's, and I see these on the ground at the range all the time, waiting for someone to be fooled into picking them up with .45 ACP's by mistake. Regarding the polygonal rifling, though, lead is so much less expensive to shoot, that I would be looking at one of the aftermarket barrels with standard rifling right away. I would figure it would pay for itself pretty fast if I shot much.

 

[GBertolet]

If you do deceide to go with the Glock 22 in 40 cal, get the Redding G-RX die. It is a push through die that gets rid of the Glock pregnant bulge. I had a bucket of bulged 40 cal brass that I was ready to toss. After I used the die , they are all good now. Midway has the die for about $33.

 

[Doug in Alaska]

I agree with GBertolet. I've been reloading for my wife for years; she shoots a G27 (.40 S&W). I load only cast lead bullets for her practice sessions. However, I bought an after-market barrel with standard rifling. She uses the after-market for range work and carries with the original barrel and HydroShocks.

 

[wildhobbybobby]

wildhobbybobby, would you mind sharing your best load on the 9mm for your glock 19? Thanks Larry

I only use one handload in my 3 9mm's (a Glock 19, a Glock 34 and a S&W Model 76 smg). I use a 115 gr. FMJ with 4.5 grs. of Bullseye, and I load them by the thousand on a Dillon XL650 progressive press. These loads are used for practice and plinking.

For CCW I use the Federal 124 gr. Hydrashock +P+. There are better loads available now and I will probably switch to Corbon 115 gr. DPX+p when I can find some.

 

[Bill M]

I have not made a case study out of this but most of the Glock 40 problems (kabooms) I have read about were with factory ammo. Police issues mostly. Issues with the Glock 9's and 45's are much rarer.

I have owned Glock 40's but now only have them in 45acp and 9mm. There is nothing wrong with the Gock 40's that I can tell. For reloading, just don't try to see how much powder the case will fit. Just like the the 45. Over pressure loads are really stupid in the 40 and 45. If you got an after market barrel for lead bullets and did not push you luck on hot loads, everthing should be fine for the life of the gun. Some cartridges/guns have more "fudge factor" built into them. The Glock in 40 does not. All this means if you load sensibly, you should never have a problem.

Personally, I'd get a Glock in 9mm but that's just me. Nothing wrong with it in 40.

 

[gripnrip]

Wildhobbybobby, thanks so much for the load data, would you mind telling me where you get the best price on your 115FMJ bullets? And thanks Billm for the advice! I have decided to go with the Glock 19, I have already ordered my dies and some 115gr bullets. I appreciate the help since this will be my first ccw weapon and my first semi auto handgun! Larry

 

[Tang]

Two Glock 23's, 3 G27's and 1 G22, and not one has had these mystical function problems. There are two types of people, those who like Glock and those who to refuse they are better than the **** 1911.

On top of the .40's, I have to my credit a G32, G26, and a G30.

The reason you hear about more problems with them than anything else, is because there are more of them in use. Glock owns 80% of the US Police market.

Now to really piss you haters corn flakes, I bought myself a nice Sig 229, with night sights and two barrels (.40 and .357 Sig). Loved that gun, soooo accurate. Then one day I started practicing with my carry rounds. Speer Gold Dot 125gr .357 Sig. The .357 Sig is supposed to be the most reliable feeding pistol cartridge ever introduced, and in a Sig pistol you would expect perfection right ? WRONG ! It was one jam after another when trying to use hollow points in it. After that I no longer trusted my life with it, so I let it go be someone elses problems.

I shoot pistols weekly. After literally THOUSANDS of rounds from dirt cheap crap bought at gun shows, to Blazer Aluminum, to Winchester Rangers and Double Tap, I have yet to have one failure, of ANY kind in my Glocks.

I'm not denying the lack of support at 6 oclock on the .40 calibers. But the .357 Sig is fully supported. If you want pictures, I'll be glad to post them showing the differences in the .40 and .357 chamber support.

 

[2Bits]

#1 DO NOT SHOOT other peoples reloads, especially do not shoot lead bullets in your GLOCK pistol!!! We reload and I have put over 5,000 rounds of reloaded ammo out to shoot in our Glock 9mm, 40 cal and 10mm caliber pistols.

Now I have one .40cal Glock pistol that has had over 6,000 rounds put down the barrel and I purposely have never cleaned that gun what so ever.....FACT!!! The only thing I have done to this pistol is oil or grease it once every 1000 rounds. It has NEVER JAMMED or given me any problems at the range when firing bullets throgh the pistol.

 

[Leosniper]

I shoot a Sig 226 in a 40 cal and have used reloads almost exclusively. Never had a problem. Always heard that the Glock was the most reliable handgun available in all calibers however, a Glock is not for me. I agree with Tracer about shooting other peoples reloads. When starting up a new load with a new bullet, I will load up a mag (10 rds) and load up then manually feed each round as quickly as possible noting any possible hangups. If the load is a hair too long, I make adjustments on my seating die then continue accordingly. I also recommend using a crimp die. This seems to be the finishing touch to all my reloads rifle and pistol. I highly recommend.

 

[pioneer461]

I'm not a Glock fan (former owner) but I am a huge .40 S&W fan. Check out the Springfield XD / XDm, or Smith & Wesson M&P pistols if you prefer the striker fired platform.

For what it's worth, the Glock I owned was a .40, model 27. I never had any ammo problems with it, but I do have issues with their engineering and design.

 

[jaybirdjtski]

I have two Glocks, a 26 and a 30. Never had a problem of any kind. When reloading, I always make sure the round will feed, chamber and extract, like you would with any semi auto. If you are worried about the case not being fully supported you can buy an aftermarket, match grade bbl that fully supports the case
http://www.barsto.com/

I shoot my reloads, mostly, and load to factory specs. I would trust my life to either of my Glocks. If you shop around there are pretty good deals floating about and there are tons of accessories for Glocks.

Like one post said, you hear of problems because there are so stinkin' many Glocks out there and many people who simply do not know how to shoot them properly.....limp wristing, etc.

 

[m141a]

I shoot the glock 23, and carry it often as a defensive advantage

The only thing Besides shoot the G23 I have done is put the 3.5 connector in it, to lighten the trigger.
the gun has NEVER hiccuped, never KB'ed....it just runs and runs.
I have the G19 in 9mm too, but if my choice for use was 9mm, I would personally go with the S&W M/P 9c, or Full size XD9.

Nothing wrong with the G19, I just prefer those to over the glock in 9mm.


I'd purchase another Glock anytime.

 

[gunchamp]

I own a 17 and a 20. Both fantastic and have never jammed or miss fired. Glock builds one of the most reliable handguns out there.

 

[2Bits]

461.......Now let's not be bashfull about your feelings, tell us all why YOU feel the way you do ok. My wife shoots and carries a model 27 Glock and uses our jacketed reloads too! Now having something like 7 or 8 Glocks (lost count) I can honestly say, those "ugly plastic" pistols have never given either of us so much as a stovepipe, hangfire or whatever in a JAM.

Now I can NOT say that about my Colts, Kimbers, Springfields or even our Sig Sauer pistols. Something certainly does have to be engineered properly in order to get the kind of service we and others have received while shooting their GLOCK pistols. I too like very much the route that Springfield has taken with their new "Plastic Pistol" love the idea of the 3 different grip sizes, sure makes fitting one's hand a lot more simple.

 

[tnekkc]

The Glock 22 is an excellent pistol.
I handload very hot.

The G22 stock barrel may have a chamber with a feed ramp that intrudes .235" and the case web is only .180" thick.
It may have a chamber diameter in the rear that exceeds the max tolerance of the registered SAAMI drawing for the chamber: 0.4274" + .004" tolerance

So when working up a load in a G22, look at the fired brass for guppy belly pressure sign.

The aftermarket barrels have better case support.