G34 light strikes

[landry92]

I have a gen 3 G34 that I've had for two years. I have the Wolff competition spring kit that I installed and had no issues at all. I recently bought and installed a ghost 3.5 connector and suddenly I began having light strikes every 40-50 rounds which never happened in the past 2 years.

I also at the same time started using fioccho primers so that I could save my federal primers for some of my bigger matches. My question is do you think it is the primers causing the light strikes or the connector that I installed that is causing the problem when combined with the spring kit?

I shot the gun for 2 years with the spring kit installed and never once had a light strike. It seems that if it was the different primers causing the problem it would happen more often but I also don't see how the connector would start this issue either.

Any ideas?

[leewongfei]

I doubt its the fiocchi primers. I have never had an issues with them. it may be your spring to trigger connector. I would remove each aftermarket part and install different combinations of parts to see if it is the ghost connector or something else.

[dirty whiteboy]

I would start with just the trigger return spring, go to stock spring. But I would also test current set up with fed primers and not assume they will work also.

[rjstubbl]

It has to be the primers or it needs a new spring kit (worn out). I don't see why the connector would affect the strikes. I put a lightened striker in all my production guns and it solved the light strikes with the competition spring kits.

[Tuflehundon]

It is either the striker spring or the primers. The connector & trigger spring only have to do with trigger pull weight, not how hard the striker hits. How hard the striker hits have to do with the striker spring, and the striker weight (standard or lightened).

It's likely that the primers are to hard. Lots of people have issues running a light striker spring with a standard striker. You would either need to go with a heavier striker spring, switch primers, or get a lightened striker.

Edited June 26, 2013 by Tuflehundon

[darkvibe]

Worn striker spring could contribute. Also, although there are no real tests to compare them, I feel that fiocci primers are harder than federal.

[Tyro Shooter]

Light strikes / Glocks / Lightened Striker springs.

here is a list of a few things that we have found that may possibly cause light strikes

(either individuality or a little of each)

Firing Pin Safety plunger:

the channel must be clean. I mean really clean, if the plunger does not fall out from the force of gravity when you turn the slide over. . . it's too dirty,

If your FPS is having to be shoved out of the way by the trigger bar, it is possible it's not cleared when the striker sails by, this will slow the striker and reduce it's forward energy and cause a light hit.

Striker Channel and inside Breach Face:

this too must be really clean. if there is too much debris (unburned powder, carbon fouling, primer cup coating flakes, oil) inside the channel and caked on the inside of the breach face,

this too can cause the striker to not go far enough forward to get a good hit on the primer.

Spring Cups:

when you change to the Super Light striker spring and magic alloy striker. . .did you change out the spring cups??

too much debris (see list above) embeded in the spring cups will cause drag and slow down the striker.

Trigger Bar:

Did you get a wee too aggressive with polishing the "Birdshead" on the trigger bar?????

taking off any material from the trigger bar where it disengages the FPS can cause the FPS not to move up out of the way far enough and the striker will hit it on the way by.

Reloads:

Did you seat the primers all the way down? . . . On every load? . . . Did you check . . . . Every Load??

with the extended tip on our strikers it is possible to "Seat" a primer that is just a few thousandths high when it hit by the striker.

Factory Ammo (and their Primers)

there are some big name ammunition manufacturers out there that are working very hard at building a very bad reputation for their budget brand pistol ammunition.

they are using primers that will go "Click" about 4 times in 50,

Also be warned that any "Green" or "Lead free" primers have a shelf life of about 3 months

(After 8 years as a firearms instructor having to use "Green" ammo that whole time and I'm not impressed with the sales reps spin or stories to the contrary . . . .

25% failure rate after the 3-4 month mark)

Normal wear on the Striker:

8-10 thousand rounds, (this could be 30 years to most or just a good 3 months to others)

start to look for wear on the tip of the striker, is it chipped? is it worn down?

a striker that is not in spec, or worn down will cause light strikes.

Lightened Strikers:

Stainless Steel, exotic alloys or Skeletonized, when combined with a light spring they will greatly improve the trigger pull.

but you will still need to have enough force (mass) moving forwards, reliably hitting the primmer to set it off.

some times an exotic alloy (in pretty colors) with a 2 lb spring will not have that required amount of force to set of the primers every time,

so some times an extended tip is added, . . . . .

Grip:

yeah , I've seen it happen,

A poor grip and bad follow through, could be another cause.

Striker springs: (Finally back to the original subject)

a 2lb, 3ld, 4lb, 5lb, 6lb or what ever the local garage smith has fabricated (well i read once on the internet that this guy . . . . .)

the fact is that there is some variation in tolerances in all Glocks, that means sometimes a lightened spring will just not get the job done with your striker every time.

Our recomandation is to try (on a clean gun) the different weight springs with your setup and the primary ammunition you plan on using.

[landry92]

I'm going to try it out for a few hundred rounds with only federal primers and see what happens and if the problem continues I'll take the ghost connector out and try another set up that may work better. Possibly the glockworx competition spring kit and race connector will maybe work better together instead of mix and matching a wolff spring kit and ghost connector.

[landry92]

I'm going to try it out for a few hundred rounds with only federal primers and see what happens and if the problem continues I'll take the ghost connector out and try another set up that may work better. Possibly the glockworx competition spring kit and race connector will maybe work better together instead of mix and matching a wolff spring kit and ghost connector.

[JBP55]

I would say hard primers but first install all new springs like the current ones and shoot the pistol. Two years is a long time on springs if you are shooting the pistol.

[stickboy44]

I'm going to go with hard primers...I have been down this road

[newmexicocrawler]

Leave all striker springs as original....I replace them 2 times a year, cheap insurance that I don't have a light primer hit in a match

[rrickysee]

I going with dirty firing pin channel and old wolf springs. I quit using wolf springs. They would last a season without needing to be replaced.

[Snapple]

I'm voting it's the primers

[Kraj]

I would start by replacing your springs with a new set of the same ones and take it from there. Are they 2 years old?

[goat68]

You will need to either put the stock striker spring back in or get a lightened striker. You will need a lightened striker for more reliability even if you change out to a new set of reduced power springs. Or you can buy a bunch of springs and do some testing. Springs are cheap but it's easy to get confused once you get experimenting.

The other option is to go with softer primers.

[frankie]

use federal primers and your troubles are over

[bountyhunter]

I have a gen 3 G34 that I've had for two years. I have the Wolff competition spring kit that I installed and had no issues at all. I recently bought and installed a ghost 3.5 connector and suddenly I began having light strikes every 40-50 rounds which never happened in the past 2 years.

Any ideas?

The new disconnector changes the point at which the striker tab releases from the trigger bar. The disconnector can also alter the height of the trigger bar which influences it's position with respect to the firing pin blocking plunger.

Your light strikes are from one of two causes:

1) The striker releases farther forward (less striker spring deflection) and it no longer has enough energy for 100% ignition.

2) The striker is releasing with the trigger bar at a position where the firing pin safety plunger is not fully raised and the striker is bumping into it coming forward.

The Glock trigger system is easy to screw up with aftermarket parts.

EDIT TO ADD: a reduced mass striker does increase strike energy and will typically resolve a "marginal strike" condition. A stronger striker spring will too, at the cost of heavier trigger pull. And softer primers obviously would help as well.

Edited December 29, 2013 by bountyhunter

[dskinsler83]

I went out today and took 100 9mm and 100 40 I loaded with CCI primers on my 550, myself and Gilbert ran both guns with the striker mods and 4lb striker spring and did not have one failure to fire or light strike. :-/ I am frustrated and am working to get any issues resolved folks and I do apologize.

[bowenbuilt]

With one or 2 light strikes it is sometime caused by failure to seat the primers hard enough to make them most sensitive. One moment of inattention when priming in 100 will cause what seems to be a light strike. Make sure all primers are seated hard for maximum sensitivity. Even hard primers seated firmly enough will go pop everytime.

[dskinsler83]

Yep! I put full body weight at end of stroke on my 550 to a solid mount on an anchored bench

[Ethanolguy]

another vote for hard primers . I too want my cake and eat it too with light trigger and reliability, but unless I use federal primers it doesn't work. I am waiting for my glockworx lightened/lengthened striker to see if that helps with other brands of primers

[Rob01]

It will. I just put a Zev Ultimate trigger with the lightened/extended striker in my 35 and no light strikes anymore that I got from hard primers in the past.

[Ethanolguy]

Good to hear that, I have heard mixed results with lightened strikers