G34 changing striker spring

[PBA2]

Running G34 with minor loads and have just purchased the Jager polymer guide rod and 13# ISMI spring. I am curious about your experiences the 13# spring with regard to also changing the striker spring. It appears, looking through the other posts that many are, what do you guys say. A must? if so what are you using, the 4#?

[LT45]

I had light primer strikes with anything other than the stock striker spring...

[edison]

When I was using 4lbs and stock striker, I'd have to seat the primers really well. I had lots of light strikes with monarchs & blazers factory ammo.

[dirty whiteboy]

federal primers cure the light strikes, assuming they are seated.

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: The combo that is working for me still after 5000 rounds is 13lb ISMI recoil spring,4lb striker spring and a Lightening Strike steel striker. It goes bang with all primers including small rifle. Thanks, Eric

[G34 CORDY]

my setup has been 100% reliable so far, vanek classic grandmaster trigger with jager lightened striker, rp striker spring, 11LB ISMI recoil spring. I couldnt be happier right now with this setup. shot all kinds of ammo and not one light strike.

[Flexmoney]

Running G34 with minor loads and have just purchased the Jager polymer guide rod and 13# ISMI spring. I am curious about your experiences the 13# spring with regard to also changing the striker spring. It appears, looking through the other posts that many are, what do you guys say. A must? if so what are you using, the 4#?

A lighter striker spring may likely be needed, for safety reasons, when running a low weight recoil spring. (forget about actually striking the primer for a bit...there can be other factors involved there).

I'd suggest doing the 'unlocking test' to see where you are at.

[PBA2]

You will have to fill me in on the unlocking test? How do I perform it? I have installed the 13# ISMI on my OEM guide rod. That's all the farther I've taken it.

[G34 CORDY]

make sure the gun is empty first, cock your gun and pull the trigger and watch the slide. if your slide doesnt move then you are ok but if you pull the trigger and the slide moves your striker spring is over powering your recoil spring.

[PBA2]

OK. I gave it the test you mentioned by cocking and pulling trigger. It doesn't appear to even be close to moving the slide with trigger pressure. Now, does that mean it's good to go or is there something else to check or look for? And is there still a good reason to change the striker spring or no?

[Duane Thomas]

The classic test is, on an unloaded gun, to pull the trigger with the gun in battery, hold the trigger to the rear, point the gun upward, slowly hand cycle the action and see, as you slooooowly close the action, if the slide will go all the way into battery.

[G34 CORDY]

the gun should be good to go. the reason for the striker spring change is to lighten the trigger pull a tad. but if put in a reduced power striker spring you could get light primer strikes or not. i installed a jager lightened extended tip striker to do away with the light strikes. i havnt had one yet.

[Duane Thomas]

During the recent, and thankfully past, primer situation when I couldn't get my preferred Federals and had to make do what I can only, generously class as "lesser" primers, I did run both the ISMI 13-pound and Wolff 14-pound recoil springs with a stock firing pin spring to light off those nasty bad boys and never had a problem with my guns (G17 and G34) either failing to go into battery or coming out of battery during trigger pulls. Having said that, do I recommend this procedure? No.

From talking to other people, my sense is that whether or not the lighter-than-factory-recoil-spring/factory-stock-firing-pin-spring setup will cause problems is very much variable from gun to gun. Personally I like running a lighter-than-stock firing pin spring just for its effect on the trigger pulls. The possible extra safety hedge is a nice plus, but not the primary motivation.

BTW, I've never had a problem running either Federal primers in my handloads, or Winchester primers in my factory carry ammo with light fring pin springs.

[PBA2]

Never even thought about the extended tip striker option. Going to the range tomorrow to check some loads with the new 13# ISMI. Guess I'll see if that is going to work for me first and then sounds like the next step is 4# striker spring. Anyone use the competition pack from wolff?

[PBA2]

Finally got a chance today to try out the 13# ISMI and ran maybe 200 rounds. flawless in function, running 147g 3.5 TG.

Also gave it the .25 trigger job. not sure if it smoothed a bit or I just think it did Anyway going to try the spring group from glockworx next. hoping to reduce trigger pull a bit more. will this accomplish that or is that more a connector issue?

[Aircooled6racer]

Hello: I like changing the connector first. I use the Lone Wolf 3lb connector. It has better feel on the trigger for me. Thanks, Eric

[Duane Thomas]

Anyway going to try the spring group from glockworx next. hoping to reduce trigger pull a bit more. will this accomplish that or is that more a connector issue?

The easiest ways to seriously reduce trigger pulls are going from (1) a 5.5 to 4.5 pound connector, (2) a stock to lightened firing pin spring. Replacing both the heavy connector and heavy firing pin spring, in my opinion, is mandatory for a decent trigger job. Polishing up the relevant contact surfaces, in my experience, doesn't really take that much off the pull weight per se, MAYBE a quarter pound, but does do its bit to smooth out any hitchiness and grit in the trigger stroke.

Performing this work is EASY. The last trigger job I did on a Glock, just replacing those two parts and polishing up the contact surfaces, gave me a 2.75 pound trigger pull. I must admit, given how easy and inexpensive it is to do this work yourself, I do kind of wonder why so many people pay someone else $250 to do the job for them, when the final result is, in my experience, about the same.

[TimAustinTX]

I had light primer strikes with anything other than the stock striker spring...

I second that

[wurm]

I run a Wolf lightened spring in both my G34 and G35 and haven't had any light primer strikes with CCI primers in many, many thousands of rounds. Hearing all of the problems with the lightened spring makes me happy I got the Glocks that I did.

[wurm]

I just had to go and open my big mouth. I had my very first light strike this morning at a match in my G34 with the Wolff reduced power striker spring and CCI primers. Thankfully it happened after I had engaged all the targets and was just trying to make up a -1 hit. The primer looked seated plenty deep enough and I typically check my ammo pretty well so I don't think I missed anything. Time to keep a close eye on everything and start to consider my options. I had to go and brag right?

[shooterready]

James, I switched from CCIs long ago. It was just a matter of time for u

Federals give u safety factor.

[Duane Thomas]

Federal primers are the way, the truth, and the light. Definitely.

[RAZZ]

Please keep in mind that this is just my opinion--it's not worth much, and many here have had different results with this.

I bought two identical G34s for Prodction last year. I put Sevigny sights on them, and nothing else--just did the $0.25 trigger job. For most of the year I held out and shot them both stock. But eventually, after reading all the threads, I broke down and put a lightened trigger and a 13# ISMI recoil spring in one of the Glocks. This resulted in a number of FTIs on a couple of stages at a State match. Now I don't blame the light hits on the trigger, because I wasn't using Federal primers (found out about that after the match) but when I got home, I shot a bunch of practice sessions with both the modified and the stock gun side-by-side. I even had my lovely assistant switch them up and put them in my holster, so I didn't know which one I was shooting. And what I found was that FOR ME (my experience only), I shot absolutely no better with the lightened trigger and recoil spring. The results didn't lie. Consistently, string after string, the guns shot identical--sometimes on the distant stuff, I even shot better with the heavier stock striker spring.

So for me, I decided any potential for issues (and I know some guys have no issues with their modified set-up), wasn't worth whatever I was going to get out of a light trigger. I stopped chasing stuff around in the gun and just shot them stock. Took me to the top 16 at the Production Nats this year, so it can't be all that bad.

And again...YMMV

Edited November 23, 2010 by RAZZ

[GForceLizard]

I had some light strikes with the Vanek light striker spring. I switched back to the 4# Wolff. I loved the way the Vanek light felt. I prefer the 4# Wolff to the heavier Vanek or the stock Glock. YMMV and I can't tell the difference in striker springs during a match. I use the 13# ISMI recoil spring.

[hrt4me]

Thanks for the good reference info