Gen 5 Glock grip cut-out - purpose

[Lohman446]

If this did not bother so many people I would never have really noticed it.

The purpose, I am told, is to help remove stuck magazines.

Is this actually a problem? I mean has anyone had this occur without causing it and if it is common how does one replicate it for training purposes?

My guess is it has more to do with the various sport uses. I'm just curious.

[pblanc]

Sometimes with a double-feed malfunction it can be difficult to strip out the magazine unless you can get really good purchase on it.

[TunnelRat]

Failure to extract is the more correct description than double feed, but pblanc has it. It's a real concern and something that is typically covered in a training course. It's pretty rarely replicated for sport purposes.

As to why Glock did it, with older Glocks you could pinch the sides of the magazine floorplate and accomplish the same thing. The flared magazine well makes this much more difficult to do, so the fix is to add back in a cut that was actually there on Gen 2s as well.

[JMag1]

Better placement would be on each side of the bottom grip panel.


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[TunnelRat]

True, but then you're reaching into cutouts in the flaring. I'm not sure how well that would have worked, might have been fine though. I can use the Gen 5 cutouts, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't like to grip by the sides more.

[Mackie244Bud]

JMag1 Says,

Better placement would be on each side of the bottom grip panel.

He beat me to it.
For once Glock should have taken this idea from Sig's P320.
On the sides rather than on the front or back of the grip assy.
Sig also moved the cutout towards the rear or back of the grip so it does not impact your palm and your fingers can wrap around the grip.
When I grasp the P320 the backside grip opening is at the lower part of my palm and not felt, the front does not even see the tips of my fingers.

The Glock has the opening right under the gripped fingers.
I guess that's better than in the palm and just impacts a pinky finger.
If it really bothers you I have seen replacement Mag baseplates that fill in the half circle opening.

P320 OD Green 0.jpg

It seems that to some it is bothersome but to many it is not.
I guess it's just a personal thing relating to your grip.

As Lohman446 says;

If this did not bother so many people I would never have really noticed it.

The thought was put into his head where it probably never would have been!
The power of suggestion...LOL!

Mackie244 / Bud

[TunnelRat]

For once Glock should have taken this idea from Sig's P320.
On the sides rather than on the front or back of the grip assy.

Yea again idk how well this would have worked with the flared magwell. Might have been fine. SIG's version is certainly nice, though they're not the first people to do this. A number of manufacturers have done this over the years.

[pblanc]

Failures to extract result in a fired cartridge case stuck in the chamber. Unless it was the last cartridge in the magazine, another unfired cartridge gets stripped by the slide and jammed against the head of the fired case in the chamber.

This particular malfunction has rightly or wrongly often been categorized as a "double feed" malfunction. I agree that for this particular scenario the term "failure to extract" is probably more precise. But a failure to extract does not always result in an unfired cartridge jammed against a fired case, for example if the failure to extract occurred with the last round in the magazine.

But that is not the only type of double feed malfunction. A bad magazine can cause a double feed resulting in an unfired cartridge in the chamber, and another unfired cartridge is jammed against its head. This occurs when the magazine lips allow a cartridge to pop out of the magazine when the slide hits the rearward extent of its travel and then strips off a second cartridge behind the first. This type of double feed is undoubtedly less common than the failure to extract, but it does occur.

Both types of "double feed" malfunctions are dealt with in the same manner and it is not immediately obvious to the shooter whether the cartridge in the chamber if fired or unfired. Here is a short article and very short video describing how to deal with a double feed malfunction:

http://www.nrablog.com/articles/2016...feed-stoppage/

When shooting, it is not always obvious what type of malfunction has occurred. Note that in the video the shooter first tries to clear the malfunction with a quick tap-rack which does not work. The shooter then locks the slide to the rear which eases some of the pressure on the magazine, strips the magazine, clears the pistol of the fired or unfired cartridge by racking the slide three times, reinserts the magazine (or preferably a different loaded magazine), racks the slide to chamber a round, and shoots.

The article says that the slide must be locked back before stripping the magazine. Not all agree with this. For example, this is a good video on how to deal with malfunctions of all types by Clint Smith who does not recommend locking the slide back first:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfyULpEhmug

[TunnelRat]

Fair enough, my point was simply what most people call a double feed is more accurately described as a failure to extract. In my experience a true double feed is relatively rare.

[scsov509]

As to why Glock did it, with older Glocks you could pinch the sides of the magazine floorplate and accomplish the same thing. The flared magazine well makes this much more difficult to do, so the fix is to add back in a cut that was actually there on Gen 2s as well.

I actually have the same cutout on several Gen 3 Glocks as well that were all former duty weapons, so it isn't a feature that was completely discontinued after the Gen 2's.

One other reason Glock used to incorporate this feature that hasn't been mentioned is that older magazines that aren't fully metal lined sometimes don't drop free. I know I've still got several of these kicking around in my stash and that sometimes in range sessions I'll have to manually remove those. So there are reasons you might want the cutout besides just clearing a malfunction.