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stroo wrote:If you are going to reload for a Glock, don't use lead bullets. There is something about the barrel that can cause lead to build up and lead to problems.

I heard this somewhere -- there's something about lead that wears out the barrel rifling. I'm more concerned about the cases bulging. I'll ask the guys over in Reloading, too.

>f you are going to reload for a Glock, don't use lead bullets. There is something about the barrel that
>can cause lead to build up and lead to problems.

Its the polygonal rifling in glock factory barrels that can be a problem. Apparently, they are more likely to lead up than conventional rifling and people who want to use lead in Glocks generally install aftermarket barrels for that reason.

Reason for no lead in Glocks: Polygonal rifiling. It creates a tighter seal on the projectile than does conventional rifiling. Therefore, the softer projectile (lead) will tend to leave more traces of itself in the barrel than will the harder projectiles (copper jacketed). Over time, the lead deposits could lead to a partially obstructed barrel and, hence, the dreaded "Kaboom"

Glock manuals that are supplied with new firearms advise against lead bullets.

There are people who shoot lead through polygonal Glock barrels. I don't; that's what aftermarket barrels are for.

I have tried quite a few pistols for carry over the years (since the 80s). The reason I settled on the Glock was primarily reliability, weight, capacity and ease of cleaning. There are some fairly light double stake 1911s on the market now, and the triggers are better than a Glock, but I still have some reliability issues. If the thick grip on a Glock is something you can deal with (feels natural to me now and I have small hands), and you can get used to the trigger (mine has 3.5-lb disconnect and NY Spring) then I think a Glock is the way to go. It does not have a manual safety to flip off, but I think this is a training issue. We all know if you put your finger inside a trigger guard the gun can go bang. The only thing I would add to a Glock if I were Gaston, is small grip safety like the one the Springfield XD has. I suspect most Glock owners are not inclined to agree, but IMHO it would add a measure of safety when reholstering or if the piece was dropped, etc.

Reliability – Since the mid 1980s, I have been to a number of the high speed low drag schools you often see articles about in gun rags and I have been competing in one form or another for almost as long (IPSC, IDPA, GSSF, etc.) So, I have seen many, many rounds go down range from many different types of pistols and the Glock seems to me to be the most reliable. That is not to say other pistols cannot be reliable, the Glock just seems to be supremely so, and I feel the number one attribute of a carry piece is reliability. Although I love 1911s, it is the one model I have seen and experienced the most malfunctions with. It is not that a 1911 can’t be reliable; I just think it takes a little more tuning. Also with a Glock, if you have a double feed, you can remove the magazine from the gun without having to lock the slide to the rear. On many other pistols you cannot. I have experienced only two problems with a Glock 23 that has probably 10,000+ rounds through it. One was a weak magazine spring that failed to move the next round up fast enough on occasion. This was cured by going to strictly Wolff +2-lb mag springs on my carry mags. The other problem, on this same piece, was a chipped extractor. I don’t really know how it got chipped unless it was in practicing malfunction drills, but it still worked with all kinds of ammunition except aluminum cased Blaser, where it would simply pull off a chunk of the rim on about every third shot and give me a double feed. IMHO, the order of reliability is; #1=Glock, #2=Sig, Beretta and H&K, #3=1911s, and #4=all others. Browning Hi-powers I have owned and shot have been very reliable, but you just don’t see that many. Note: guys who are serious about carrying and carry a 1911 will usually get it to the point it is very reliable, but the guy who buys one (box stock) then shows up at a shoot or school seems to have multiple problems. In my experience 1911s seem to get screwed up by bad magazines more often than most other guns. In fact a 1911 mag that gets shoved too far into the pistol can really lock up the works.

Weight - The Glock is just about the lightest pistol (high capacity or not) you can carry. Over a long day, the extra ounces make a big difference. In a very cold or very hot environment the Glock is also less likely than an all metal gun to disagree with your skin temperature when retrieving it from a glove compartment and sticking it in an IWB holster.

Capacity – The Glock has a fairly respectable magazine capacity, especially when compared to a single stack 1911. BTW, I am one of those who thinks a good 40 caliber round can do everything, if not more, than a 45 caliber round can do. So, to me the Glock 40S&W seems the perfect set up.

Ease of Cleaning – I have never owned a firearm (and I have owned many) that was as easy to completely disassemble, clean and put back together. This is where a Glock really shines. I can break it down in less than two minutes to its smallest pieces, scrub it all down with Simple Green and hot water, and then lay it out to dry. Later I lube up the right areas with Weaponshield and Tetra grease, but it back together in less than five minutes and I am good to go. The Tennifer treatment keeps anything from rusting due to my type of cleaning, carrying everyday against my skin, or occasionally exposing to a nasty wet environment.

An added benefit of the Glock is that many modifications or improvements (nothing too radical) can be done by the owner even if they are not a qualified gun smith, but have some mechanical aptitude. Aftermarket parts abound and there are tons of free instructions on the internet. The modifications I have made to mine are MMC adjustable night sights, a grip plug (improves reloads), a Lone Wolf adjustable trigger stop, rounded corner of sharp mag release button, and polished trigger/disconnect parts. That’s about it except for the 3.5 and NY trigger combo.