Why are Glocks so reliable?

[denfoote]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by badgerarms:


In the cosmic order of Firearms Religion, Browning Would be God, Pedersen Jesus, Ruger, and Colt might be the in the running. I'd have to make Glock and Kalashnikov Saints.[/quote]

Then, forgetest thou not Saint Nikolay of Makarov.



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Yeah, I got a permit to carry,it's called the friggin Constitution.---Ted Nugent

"Glock 26: 17 rounds of concealed carry DEATH comming your way from out of nowhere!!! THAT'S FIREPOWER, BABY!!!"

Taurus 605: Five hits of .357 MAG that will just ruin your day, Scumbag!!!!

[RickB]

Where did Glock get it's reputation for reliability? Glock owners/proponents tout it as if it were law, but I've never seen it. Admittedly, I don't shoot in "combat", and I'm not a cop, but I see a few Glocks in USPSA and IDPA competition, and they are no more or less reliable that anything else. I consider such competition to be virtually "ideal conditions"; how can the gun perform better in duty (or hiking)environments?

[Country Boy]

I don't own a Glock, and this doesn't answer your question as to WHY they are reliable, but it is one example of their reliability.

In one issue of the Shooting Times, a gunwriter was testing a Glock through 10,000 rounds. He dropped it in mud with the barrel taped and chamber empty. He then quickly wiped it off, and shot it with mud slinging everywhere, no malfunctions. He then covered it in sand with the barrel taped and chamber empty. He shot it with no malfunctions. He put it in a plastic bag (chamber empty) put the plastic bag in a milk jug of water, and froze it overnight. He then smashed the ice on the ground, racked the slide, and shot to slide lock, no malfunctions. He parked his one ton pickup on the top of a Glock with a full magazine and an empty chamber. A couple hours later, it fired with no malfunctions. Whenever the gun became hot from extended firing, he would simply lock the slide back and toss it in a pail of water to cool off. No malfunctions throughout 10,000 rounds of 9mm ammunition.

Why are Glocks reliable? I don't know, they just appear to be. Like I stated originally, I don't own a Glock, but if I was going to be in conditions where I wouldn't be able to maintain my handgun, I believe a Glock is what I would choose.

[edfrompa]

I would prefer a 3913tsw s&w stainless, very accurate, no KBs, reliable. Or if you want to go heavier go with the 4513tsw. same as above reliability. Just plain awesome!!

[Peter M. Eick]

If I were to add my 2 cents, the reliability factor is due to a good magazine design, good feed angle on the cartraige and a slightly oversized chamber that allows more dirt/bent cartraiges in reliably. Mike out a spent glock round and compare it to an H&K round and you will see what I meen.

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P229 Sport and 357 SIG, H&K P7PSP and 9MM, Dual Perfection!!

[Badger Arms]

Saint Makarov. Saint Glock. Yeah, I agree.

[viper]

Which gun would be the the Virgin Mary?

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Let's just hope we don't get Gore'd in November.
I don't know about everyone else, but I'd much
rather get some Bush.

[Boston Tee Party]

well now, isn't that a silly question?
of course they are reliable! why you ask?

why does the law enforcement seem to be going that way... they work, they work good!

i would say something about they weight but everyone else has already said they are light.

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"Liberty is always unfinished business"

live free or die

[dreadnaught]

Brother denfoote speaketh the truth. get your Glock on!

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[jtduncan]

Viper said almost everything right.

Glock uses the KISS formula of design.

The Glock design has been carried forward to each and every Glock model. No matter which Glock you pick up, they all shoot the same ruling out minor differences in recoil.

Consistent application of a proven design.

From an engineering point, that yields better refinement and reliability to the user.

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The Seattle SharpShooter - TFL/GT/UGW/PCT/KTOG

[Earl Tash]

Glock 21.
Mine.
Around 5000 rounds threw it....
I quit counting a while back n still shoot alot..

Only failure was from Freedom munition ammo with no dang powder in them....

Dont buy that brand ammo!!!!!!

[44 AMP]

zombie thread this is!

Not the record, but up there, with the last post previous to today being over 23 years ago!

let it go, bro...

[44caliberkid]

If you are dropping your firearm and don’t want to clean it you should probably not own a gun and consider something else.

[Nathan]

I find this funny since it was posted in 2000. In 2000, Glock was probably the best gun for reliability reputation.

Today in 2024, it seems like Glock has stood the test of time, but there are many others making boringly reliable and cheap guns.

The OP’s weight concern is interesting because 2024 vs 2000, has not yielded any weight differences in same size guns. There were many small and light guns developed, but it seems like we are on a bounce back. We went from g17/g19 to g26 and Kahr sized gun to something more like p365 and Shield Plus size.

When this thread bounces back in 2048, what will we be shooting. Will we continue incremental change? Will gun bans alter the market? Will we all be walking around with a PCC full auto slung across our front?

For me, I’ve made huge changes. My ccw in 2000 was a s&w 640. Today it is mostly a 340!

[PzGren]

IF you shoot enough, you will eventually experience any gun having a reliability issue. Locking block in my Glock broke around 60,000 rounds, the gun still worked but the accuracy noticeably suffered. Another Glock had the extractor chipped but that had been caused probably mostly by me.
Heck, I even had my Python freeze up with Hansen Prvi Partizan .357 Mag when a case split and the front part lodged itself into the forcing cone and locking the cylinder solidly in place.

[jmr40]

I realize it's a 23+ year old thread, but a lot has changed in 23 years. Glock is now on their 5th gen and there are a lot more Glock models to choose from.

First of all, reliability and durability aren't the same thing. There are a lot of guns that are reliable as long as they are clean. At least for a few rounds. Glocks have proven to work long term even when neglected and abused. There are a couple out there with 300,000+ rounds through them with minimal small parts replacement.

If you are dropping your firearm and don’t want to clean it you should probably not own a gun and consider something else.

There are a lot of situations where a gun has to be picked up after abuse and work. In the real world this is something to consider. I can't find the original article but google "Glock 21 torture test". Some guys spend several months trying to destroy a Glock. The original article was lengthy and all I can find now are little segments and Youtube videos of each test. Not everything in one link or I'd post it.

[44 AMP]

There are a lot of situations where a gun has to be picked up after abuse and work.

Not in my life.

Some situations, yes, I can see that. Military combat and police, yes, for the rest of us, I wouldn't say there is a lot of that likely to happen.

I got out of the military before the Glock existed, and have never been and will ever be any kind of cop, so for me, and, I suspect a lot of people, its just simply not an issue. If it is for you, then by all means get what you think will take the abuse and continue to function.

People laud Glocks for running well, but I think that, considering the design team had over 70 years worth of semi auto pistol use, in all conditions, to study before they even began design work, they ought to run well.

[Polinese]

Glocks aren't heavy they're just unbalanced

[stuckinthe60s]

bingo.

[Webleymkv]

I question the notion that Glocks are more reliable than other comparable pistols and such has not been my experience. I've owned and/or shot semi-automatic handguns made by Colt, CZ, Kel-Tec, Taurus, Walther, S&W, Ruger, Beretta, Springfield Armory, Sig, Star, Izhevsk, Astra, Norinco and probably a few others that I can't remember and Glocks are, in my experience, no more or less reliable than anything else. I've shot four Glock pistols that I can recall which were, in order, a G23, G36, G34, and G22 and of those four, the G23 and G36 both malfunctioned either in my hands or the hands of their owner while I was present with new factory FMJ ammo of reputable brand (Fiocchi and Winchester IIRC). I am of the opinion that, if you buy a new pistol from a reputable maker, feed it normal factory ammo of good quality, and perform basic maintenance on it, you're much more likely to have a reliable pistol than an unreliable one.

[5whiskey]

I actually believe that Glock had the market cornered on affordability and reliability when this thread begun 24 years ago. I believe other manufacturers have come up to Glock standards overmthat time, and now most any quality semi-auto pistol is quite reliable and accurate. I don't think I've had any failures in my CZ P01 that weren't attributed to my reloads (definitely should plunk test before you load 1k rounds... but that's my fault). I've got 5k plus rounds through it now. Might be edging more toward the 10k direction, but I know I'm not there yet.

[reynolds357]

Originally Posted by Godspeed

I am looking to buy an auto to take backpacking (ie gets dropped in the mud). It needs to be reliable in the face of abuse, (without cleaning) and must be lightweight. First I looked at Glocks, but they are quite heavy.

Why are Glocks so reliable?

Does this reliability extend to other polomyer framed guns? eg taurus 145?


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Best Regards,
Godspeed

They are so reliable because they are so simple. They are also a "loose" fitting weapon.

[jetinteriorguy]

[QUOTE=Godspeed;105110]I am looking to buy an auto to take backpacking (ie gets dropped in the mud). It needs to be reliable in the face of abuse, (without cleaning) and must be lightweight. First I looked at Glocks, but they are quite heavy.

Why are Glocks so reliable?

Does this reliability extend to other polomyer framed guns? eg taurus 145?


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Best Regards,
Godspeed[/
Delete

[JohnKSa]

Reliability has mostly to do with design, very little to do with the materials used. What polymer gets you is light weight, completely corrosion proof and often some flex that can help or hurt reliability depending on the design and the circumstances.

[veprdude]

Just think. When this was originally posted, Clinton was in office. There may be board members here born after this thread was created.