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Old June 23, 2018, 10:21 PM   #1
hogwiley
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Is this normal for a new glock?

So I just got a new Glock 22. I was taking the gun apart to clean it before shooting it and I noticed on a part of the underslide of the slide the finish seemed real worn on the thin ramp like rectangular ridge that runs next to the firing pin safety (sorry I don't know if theres an actual name for it) The metal is rough, like it had been grinded. I included pictures. The half moon grooves are actually rougher looking in person than the pictures show.

So normally I wouldn't care about tool marks on a part of the gun I never see, except that this part of the slide obviously rides along parts in the frame as the slide cycles back. I don't remember seeing anything like that in previous glocks I've owned, and I looked at my current glock 23 and noticed this part of the slide is totally smooth with only slight finish wear(despite many hundreds of rounds shot through it). I also looked at pictures online and the part also looked completely smooth.

Is this normal in a new glock? Is this something that gets worn smooth after shooting many rounds? I don't really trust glock's quality control anymore after an experience I had with a previous glock that wasn't reliable, so im wondering if this is another example of poor QC. Because this rough spot rubs against parts in the frame im wondering if this will cause problems, maybe even down the road.

On the other hand maybe this is totally normal and I'm just being stupid. At this point I'm not sure what I could even do except shoot it and just hope it turns out to be totally irrelevant or wears smooth as its shot some.

I just don't want another unreliable 550 dollar gun shaped paperweight, and because this is part of the actual slide, its not like its something I could just replace.
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Old June 23, 2018, 11:12 PM   #2
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Old June 23, 2018, 11:24 PM   #3
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Just checked my gen 4 G19 and looks like it has similar marks and have never had one malfunction.
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Old June 24, 2018, 01:04 AM   #4
mr bolo
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I wouldnt worry about it, thats the part that strips a round from the magazine during cycling, the rough area has no effect on function it just rides over the loaded ammo in the magazine, a small drop of oil wont hurt.
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Old June 24, 2018, 01:17 AM   #5
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The function of the ridge is to strip and push the top round in the magazine forward to feed it into the chamber.
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...this part of the slide obviously rides along parts in the frame as the slide cycles back...
It does not touch any other part of the gun. I verified that fact with a cutaway pistol.

The finish is not worn, that ridge slides over the top round in the magazine when the slide cycles to the rear and therefore it will pick up marks from the bullet & cartridge casing. Most of the time the marks would be brass-colored marks but might appear silver depending on the bullet/cartridge material. The rougher the ridge is, the more the cartridge material will mark it.

The ridge is generally pretty smooth in the Glocks I've seen. I've never seen one that is anywhere near as rough as your picture shows. That said, I don't think it's going to cause any functioning issues and it certainly won't cause any wear to other parts of the pistol since it doesn't come into contact any of them.

The additional roughness will cause more friction as the slide cycles backward during recoil, but I don't think it's going to be enough extra friction to cause problems.

I'd send the pictures to Glock and see what they say.
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Old June 24, 2018, 02:37 PM   #6
hogwiley
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Thanks for the info. I will definitely send a few pictures to glock.

I suppose im being a little ocd about this. Its still annoying to me though as friction generates heat during longer range sessions. Its also something that could be annoying if youre a reloader since id imgaine shell casings could get pretty scuffed up. Then its something that could generate vibration, which probably isnt good for a gun. Not to mention theoretically it could help induce a malfunction as the rough surface as opposed to a smooth one could affect slide velocity or the movement of a newly fed round, although i admit that seems unlikely.

I dont know if lubing it would be a good idea as that would deposite lube on the newly fed round, which could wind up in the firing pin channel or other places i dont want it.

Probably all a non issue but ill be very interested to hear what the glock person has to say. I have a zero tolerance attitude with glock now thanks to reliability issues with the last one i bought and a relatives gen 4 g19 that is even worse.
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Old June 24, 2018, 03:40 PM   #7
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I would definitely want a read from Glock on it, however most of your concerns are not really things you need to be worried about.

The extra friction will not generate enough heat to be an issue, especially in comparison to the heat generated by the cartridge firing. Any minor vibration caused by the small machine marks will also be a non-issue compared to the vibrations generated by firing and other parts movement.

It's true that this will generate some additional wear on the cartridge casings, however I think most of the wear is actually going to be on the bullet since that seems to be where the rail makes contact most with the round as the slide moves backwards. I don't think you're going to notice any significant additional wear on the cartridge casings, based on what I see when I cycle a round through a cutaway pistol.

Your concern about the extra friction potentially causing function issues might be valid. I can't see it being an issue in normal circumstances; but with very light loadings, maybe when the gun is also very dirty, there's some very small potential that the roughness might slow the slide enough to cause problems.

I would not lubricate the rail with oil or grease. That's not an area of the gun where you want much lubrication. You could try a dry lubricant like Hornady One Shot that evaporates completely leaving a dry film lubricant on the surface. I don't know how much difference that would make--I tend to think that the lubricant would wear off pretty quickly.

I think it's worthwhile to let Glock know about the issue to see what they think, but I really think that it won't cause any problems. If I were my gun I would send Glock the pics more from the standpoint of an FYI/I'm curious about this, than from the standpoint of worrying about if it's going to be a problem.
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Old June 24, 2018, 04:30 PM   #8
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I have never seen anything like that on a Glock. Usually it is very smooth/slick.
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Old June 24, 2018, 06:50 PM   #9
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Jusr checked my G19 g4. Mine doesn't look anything like that (a bit over 1,000 through mine at this point). There is some wear on mine, kind of a shine, but no obvious tool marks. I know that others have already said that it's not anything to worry about, and I believe them, however, those have to be the worst tool marks I've seen on a modern semi, ever. YMMV, of course.

I'd call Glock and see if there's something they can do.
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Old June 26, 2018, 05:11 PM   #10
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"Thanks for the info. I will definitely send a few pictures to glock."

So what did Glock have to say when they saw the photos?
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Old June 26, 2018, 05:35 PM   #11
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I guess I have a different question. How does it shoot/function?
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Old June 27, 2018, 07:43 PM   #12
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I still haven't had the time to call Glock during business hours. I'll be sure to update once I have. Probably tomorrow.
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Old June 27, 2018, 08:31 PM   #13
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As of yet I don't know how the gun functions. I imagine the likely worst case scenario is that it results in the gun being slightly less reliable in some circumstances. Which might actually suck worse than the gun experiencing frequent malfunctions right off the bat. Since I already own a glock that is mostly(but not entirely) reliable. The last thing I want is another one of those.

I'm going to wait until I talk to glock before I shoot it. In the event the answers to my questions don't give me a warm and fuzzy feeling about the gun, I might not even bother trying to test its reliability before requesting they do something.

If I was likely to shoot the gun a lot it wouldn't matter, but I'll more than likely shoot it just enough to break it in/test reliability, then only rarely after that. I'm already familiar with glocks and how they shoot(and how I shoot them). The gun is more of a home defense/insurance/zombie apocalypse type of gun. I'm not going to be carrying it or competing with it. Its just there in the unlikely event I ever need it, so I'd rather not have doubts about it.
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Old June 28, 2018, 05:46 AM   #14
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I'd appreciate it if you'd keep us posted on what Glock says. My G19 does not have those marks, IIRC. (I haven't disassembled it to look, but I've had it apart enough times to have looked at that part in the past.)
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Old June 28, 2018, 09:30 PM   #15
hogwiley
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I talked to Glock on the phone and sent them an email with a photo today. I haven't heard back from them yet.
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Old June 28, 2018, 10:00 PM   #16
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I would question the manufacture if I found that on my brand new gun.
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Old June 29, 2018, 03:05 AM   #17
roadrash
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Looks pretty typical to me and should not cause any issues.
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Old July 1, 2018, 11:33 AM   #18
lee n. field
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hogwiley View Post
So I just got a new Glock 22. I was taking the gun apart to clean it before shooting it and I noticed on a part of the underslide of the slide the finish seemed real worn on the thin ramp like rectangular ridge that runs next to the firing pin safety (sorry I don't know if theres an actual name for it) The metal is rough, like it had been grinded. I included pictures. The half moon grooves are actually rougher looking in person than the pictures show.


Is this normal in a new glock?

On the other hand maybe this is totally normal and I'm just being stupid.
I got (bought) a new slide from Glock a few months back, for my Gen 3 Model 19. With this thread in mind, I checked it yesterday. I do not see marks like that on mine. (New part, but who knows when it was made.)

But, I can't see that it's going to make one bit of difference in how the gun works.
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Old July 2, 2018, 10:52 AM   #19
hogwiley
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So I did hear back from Glock. They didn't say that the grooves were normal, because they obviously aren't(I had specifically asked that question). Only that they have seen it before and it shouldn't cause any problems.

So there you have it. Guess I'm stuck with it as is.
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Old July 3, 2018, 01:04 AM   #20
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That's pretty much what I expected them to say, and I agree with them.

You're not stuck with it. If you can't live with it, you can always sell it and buy another gun. Just check the rail before you buy it.
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Old July 3, 2018, 09:17 AM   #21
hogwiley
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Thats pretty much what i expected them to say as well. Id be inclined to agree with the assessment. The glock armorer said hes seen it many times before.

The thing that bothers me is the fact on other glocks i looked at this part was smooth as glass, almost polished looking, which is what youd obviously want in a part that rides over the nose of the bullet.

I could obviously look at the spent casings and the slide itself after a range session to see what effect, if any, its having, but then the value of the gun just plummeted should i decide to sell it. An unfired gun is more valuable than a fired one. I know when i see an almost new gun for sale saying something like less than 200 rounds through the gun i automatically wonder what problems they had with it. So if i shoot it, im keeping it.

Edit* I'll add that full size .40 caliber glocks aren't exactly in high demand at the moment if I wanted to sell it. The market is saturated with cheap police trade in glock 22s. So I would be taking a big hit.

Last edited by hogwiley; July 3, 2018 at 09:37 AM.
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Old July 3, 2018, 09:41 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hogwiley View Post
Edit* I'll add that full size .40 caliber glocks aren't exactly in high demand at the moment if I wanted to sell it. The market is saturated with cheap police trade in glock 22s. So I would be taking a big hit.
True, though you chose to buy it.

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Old July 3, 2018, 11:39 AM   #23
hogwiley
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This is true. You warned me too.

I like everything about the glock 22, and the glock 23. When they are properly made. It's just that Glocks QC cant be trusted anymore. It really is a coin toss with them now. Almost like buying a 1911.

People blamed the gen 4 design changes for their more recent problems, but I think ultimately its just cost cutting and a slide in the quality of their engineering and manufacturing. I feel like once they established their reputation they decided to find out just how cheap they could go before it began to noticeably affect the reliability of their guns. They crossed that threshold around 2010 and seem to be straddling the line ever since.

To be fair to Glock, Sig seems to have done the same thing once their CEO Cohen took over, but they still charge premium prices. At least Glock hasn't resorted to useless bling on their guns to keep sales going the way Sig has.


Oh well, first world problems eh.
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Old July 3, 2018, 11:52 AM   #24
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To be honest I personally have had far fewer QC issues with Glock than S&W or SIG, and that's over a dozen Glocks over the past 8 years and probably as many SIGs and more S&Ws. QC isn't a given these days.

In the end the test is if it affects function. If it doesn't then it's annoying but luckily unless you disassmeble the pistol and stare at it as you fall asleep you shouldn't notice it too often. If it does affect function then call Glock and tell them so. If I remember correctly you got it at Blue Label pricing, so at least you're not out too much. That doesn't excuse the lack of QC of course.

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Old July 3, 2018, 11:53 AM   #25
mr bolo
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since most Glocks are smooth in this area, it looks like the person that did the final finishing or deburring and machining skipped the last step and let it pass Quality Control, because it's not common

it's more of a cosmetic flaw than function, but a smooth surface would be nicer.
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