Cracked Glock slide....

[Nik Habicht]

I broke a G34 slide in the same place as 9x45's cracked 17 slide -- right by the ejection port. That was the slide on my oldest 34, one I bought ~ 2000 -- on a two pin lower. A friend of mine and I surmised when comparing it to my 3 pin lower 34 from ~ 2006, that Glock actually redesigned the locking block between the two pin and three pin lowers, to take stress off that particular area....

[9x45]

9x45, I'm not a reloader, so do you know how your hot reload would compare with Winchester 127 gr +P+? I enjoy shooting +P occasionally through my fish gill gen 3 G17, and have about 150 rds of the Winchester 127 +P+ through my gen 3 G17 to date. Good accuracy with this load.

Also, aren't the G22, G31, and G17 essentially the same gun except for caliber? .Surely 357 Sig and .40 S&W are harder on the platform than your reloads, aren't they?

Thanks, great discussion.

The small frame Glocks (G17/G34/G17L/G22/G35/G24/G31) are all the same, except for: magazine, ejector, extractor, outside barrel diameter(40/357), breech tab width(40/357), and inside diameter of the slide bore(40/357), spring loaded bearing (LCI or non LCI), the locking block and slide stop for 2 pin versus 3 pin models. The 40S&W and .357SIG started out with a 3 pin block, where as the 2 pin 9mm was made for some 15 years before going to a 3 pin block. The cracks I experienced were all pre 2000 2 pin G17s. To clarify the number of pins includes the trigger assembly pin, because the locking block only has one pin, but is called a 2 pin model.

2 pin G17

3 pin G17

[IDCG]

So, your suggesting the 3-pin Glocks are less prone to slide cracking because of the 2-pin locking block.

Thanks for the thorough explanation.

[Nik Habicht]

So, your suggesting the 3-pin Glocks are less prone to slide cracking because of the 2-pin locking block.

Thanks for the thorough explanation.

I'm on that page as well. I suspect that the three pin lowers with the extended locking block place the stress at a different (stronger) location on the slide when the gun cycles....

My cracked 34 was a ~ 2000 2 pin model....

Glock replaced the slide under warranty.