Glock 19X broken striker

[Uncle Malice]

I've heard for years about broken strikers in Glocks due to their use of MIM parts. I never had an issue in mine.... until now.

During my usual dry-fire practice this morning, my 19X trigger didn't reset. I racked the slide... no reset. I thought maybe a spring broke to tried pulling the trigger forward manually... it caught on the safety... but depressing the safety popped right back. So I pulled the slide off to find this.

The tab on my striker broke off. Most of the issues I had heard about were usually with the tips breaking off. The gen5 strikers were even beefed up due to breakages. This shouldn't be happening. The gun has about 500 rounds through it from one class and maybe 1500 or so dry fires.

I called Glock to try and get a replacement and they said they would not send me one. They said I would have to go find a certified Glock armorer to get it replaced or just order one from Glock Store. This was my first attempt at ever using Glock customer service, which I had always heard good things about, but I have to say - this left me less than impressed.

I do live near(about 15 miles from) Glockmeister, so I called them. They said they would replace it for $55. If I wanted to, they could order a warranty replacement to avoid the charges, but it would take 7-10 days and I would have to make 2 trips.

So at this point, the gun is down and not functional. Glock won't send out a replacement part unless it goes to an armorer.

Everyone loves to dig at HK Customer Service but I've had nothing but stellar experiences with them.

I know this is a bit of a fluke. I'm NOT saying Glocks are bad - though I do wish they would start using forged parts. I still love Glocks, but this has left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth on their customer service.

[TunnelRat]

Eh, it shouldn't need to be a forged part. You know as well as anyone that HK uses plenty of MIM. MIM can be done well. Unfortunately it wasn't in this case. I have two Gen 5 G19s, one with 3k rds and one with 2k rds and many thousands more dry fires on top. I've had no issues. That in no way invalidates your issue, however. Sorry you're in this boat, although at least you can get a replacement elsewhere, which isn't always the case with some brands. I've never had to use Glock customer service and while my own experience with HK customer service was laughable, a number of folks such as yourself have had good luck. I have had issues with other manufacturers now wanting to send out certain parts for install. That includes CZ and most recently S&W, who always had no issue sending parts, didn't want to send me a trigger bar for some reason.

Out of curiosity, do you use snap caps?

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[Uncle Malice]

That's a valid point. HK does use some MIM, but it's always been done well in my experience.

It's definitely not a wide-spread issue - but it has certainly been reported in quite a few locations. I'm sure this particular part was just flawed - as even my G26 has way more rounds and dry fires on it, let alone my Gen 4 19. I guess the biggest complaint I have is Glock refusing to send a replacement.

I don't generally use snap caps with strikers because it's kind of a pain. But in this case, I'm not sure it would have helped. I can understand when the tips break... or the breach face breaks, but I don't think snap caps would have helped with the tooth on the rear.

I'll use snap caps in a hammer-fired gun if I'm just practicing double-action pulls.

[JDBerg]

Originally Posted by Uncle Malice:

I don't generally use snap caps with strikers because it's kind of a pain

I used to agree that using snap-caps can be a pain while dry firing.

Then a broken striker guide in my Walther PPS-M2, which was probably the result of repeated dry-firing without a snapper, convinced me otherwise!

[JN01]

That should be a warrantee issue. If Glock won't give you the part, Glock should pay for shipping back to them and repair it free of charge. I'd talk to someone else at CS.

[TailGator]

That should elicit from Glock a response that the part is being shipped overnight, with an apology, and a return box so that they could examine the broken part. I completely understand you being miffed. That is not something that should break, and the response you got was unacceptable.

Did Glockmeister say why it would take longer to due a warranty repair than the same repair at your expense? Is Glock even jerking around their own dealers and armorers now?

[Fishbed77]

That should elicit from Glock a response that the part is being shipped overnight, with an apology, and a return box so that they could examine the broken part

Agreed. I would call again and try to talk to someone else.

[TunnelRat]

Looking at it again on a computer I didn't fully appreciate how broken it really is. Yeah I'm surprised they wouldn't have you send the pistol in.

[JohnKSa]

They said I would have to go find a certified Glock armorer to get it replaced or just order one from Glock Store.

Glock's position is that if the striker or trigger bar are replaced, the engagement between the two needs to be checked by a certified armorer after the replacement is done to insure that the gun is safe.

So they won't send you the part, but if you can find an armorer, they will almost certainly supply the part to the armorer at no charge. That's why Glockmeister will do it for $55 if you buy the part from them or for free if you're willing to wait until they give Glock the serial number and Glock sends them a replacement part.

[Chui]

Offer to send photos (clear photos).

Re-request a part under warranty.


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[Tactical Jackalope]

Wow.

When I switched back to Glock a few weeks ago from HK. I had remembered issues with this with my local PD. So I was instantly looking for tool steel replacement parts for my Glock 19 Gen 3.

Yesterday when I saw this, I ordered them today from Suarez International.

I'm sorry Glock didn't do anything about it. Sad.

[Uncle Malice]

Got an update. I stopped by Glockmeister to have them call Glock for the warranty replacement.

Glock has refused to replace the part under warranty because the striker was polished from a 25 cent trigger job.

So FYI, if you've ever polished your Glock internals, you no longer have a warranty.

[CDW4ME]

Lone Wolf steel striker (not for Gen 5)
https://www.lonewolfdist.com/Detail.aspx?PROD=796451

[Uncle Malice]

Lone Wolf steel striker (not for Gen 5)
https://www.lonewolfdist.com/Detail.aspx?PROD=796451

What exactly am I supposed to do with that since I need a Gen 5? lol

[Uncle Malice]

Just to confirm, I called back Glock customer service today for the third time... after going to Glockmeister, just to confirm that they are saying that polishing the striker means it's no longer covered by warranty and they confirmed yes.

"You altered the part, so your warranty is void."

[TunnelRat]

Well that blows. I typically just polish the connector and the trigger bar and not the striker. On the Gen 5s I've actually not done it because they were smooth enough. Regardless of all that, unless you took a Dremel to it for polishing rather than a cloth or Qt-tip other manner that shouldn't be a factor. Unless you're just one hell of a strong guy.

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[Uncle Malice]

Yeah. I actually had a friend tell me that he had a similar issue where Glock denied the warranty claim. He didn't polish anything, just put a drop in trigger in it. Never touched anything in the slide, but the spring chewed through the liner and got bound up causing failures. They denied replacing the parts under warranty because the trigger had been changed.

This doesn't completely turn me away from Glocks. I still like the platform. It just changes my perspective. Based on what I had previously read, I was of the assumption that they had really stellar customer service. I've made it this long without ever needing their customer service because anything that I wanted to change, I just ordered and did myself. I guess this will be the same.

I think it's probably important for others to know Glocks position here though. ANY change to a Glock, whether altering OEM parts by polishing, or using drop-in after-market parts fully voids your Glock warranty.

Can you imagine if my transmission blew up and Nissan denied my warranty because I powder coated the brake calipers? haha.

[TunnelRat]

So if say your barrel blew because of a steel defect, they're saying the whole warranty is voided because of one part change? Jesus. In a way that sounds like a way to make people never use their warranties given how prolific the aftermarket is for their brand.

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[Uncle Malice]

Yep. If there has been any alterations to the gun, the warranty is void.

Did I miss the announcement that Ron Cohen is now running Glock?

[JohnKSa]

Wow, I gotta say that is a weird failure. There shouldn't be nearly enough force on the striker in that direction to cause that kind of failure and I can't see any obvious flaws in the steel. Is there any possibility that the part got dropped or hit somehow while it was out of the gun?

I don't see how polishing could cause that kind of a failure although it is pretty obvious that it's been polished way more than it should since you can see the copper strike coat showing through the plating in at least one spot.

Glock is very anti-polishing based on what I hear in the armorer courses. However, it does surprise me that they would deny warranty service on this kind of a breakage due to polishing being detected.

I typically just polish the connector and the trigger bar and not the striker.

Probably smart. The striker is the third most expensive part of the gun--frame-slide-striker. So it makes sense that modifications should be done to inexpensive parts rather than the expensive ones.

[JDBerg]

https://us.glock.com/own/warranty

Glock only gives a limited one year warranty on their guns to the original retail purchaser, so three of my four G’s are out of warranty anyway. I’m still going to keep owning & shooting these guns anyway.

I’ve had my guns serviced enough times to know that dryfiring a striker fired gun without a snap cap can eventually cause the cracked striker guide problem I mentioned earlier with my Walther PPS-M2, which did not disable it before it was discovered and fixed. And it can also cause striker failure that the OP is showing on his 19x.

[Uncle Malice]

Wow, I gotta say that is a weird failure. There shouldn't be nearly enough force on the striker in that direction to cause that kind of failure and I can't see any obvious flaws in the steel. Is there any possibility that the part got dropped or hit somehow while it was out of the gun?

I don't see how polishing could cause that kind of a failure although it is pretty obvious that it's been polished way more than it should since you can see the copper strike coat showing through the plating in at least one spot.

Definitely wasn't dropped or anything. As for the copper, that was intentional - based on Johnny Glocks tutorials. This one in particular - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTSTg6dBt5c

I agree that the polishing didn't cause the failure... it APPEARS to me that there's a pretty significant bubble in the MIM. It looks to me like you can see where it fractured around the outside edge there but the inside was always gapped. I'm not a metalurgist or anything though, so I can't really say for sure.

It's a pretty wild break, for sure. I understand the tips breaking sometimes... but for the whole lug to snap off... it was obviously weak from the get-go.

[JohnKSa]

As for the copper, that was intentional - based on Johnny Glocks tutorials.

The plating is much harder, slicker and corrosion resistant than the copper strike coat. Anyone telling you to polish off the plating all the way down to the copper isn't your friend.

[Uncle Malice]

Not to the copper, past the copper... to the actual steel. The reason you see the copper up top is because I didn't go that far down up there as there's no engagement that high up. Below it is all bare steel.

[Nathan]

To me, it is Glock not owning up to a part in their guns...not really a surprise.

They also down own up to their design increasing AD risk....Remington trigger lawsuits, here we go!...probably not...