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slide lock/slide release wearing out


corey4

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i have a gen4 34, not quite a year old, 7000 rounds thru it, that i am on my 3rd slide lock/slide release. what am i doing wrong to wear this part out? the slide will not stay open after the last round has been fired. it's not the mags, that was determined tonight at practice.

i use a high grip, my thumbs are pretty high up on the slide actually. during USPSA practice tonight, i tried keeping an eye on my grip to stay away from the slide lock/release, but it didn't feel natural.

on a side note, i do not use the slide release on reloads with the slide locked back. i "power rack, sling shot" it, from what some people call it.

thanks.

EDIT:

also, i do not use the extended slide lock/release anymore since i do not use it to drop the slide. after i wore out that one, i put in a new regular slide release and have worn that one out too.

why do i think it am wearing out this part? the problem goes away after i put a new one in, for a few thousand rounds anyway.

Edited by corey4
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When you are off of the clock and you insert an empty magazine can you pull the slide back and have it lock without having to manipulate the slide lock?

It's still very possible that you have some inadvertent contact with the slide lock that is prohibiting it from functioning reliably. I had that problem with my Glock 34 until I changed my grip placement.

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In a dozen years and close to a dozen Glocks, I've never "worn out" a slide lock. As alma said---will it lock the slide

with an empty magazine cycling the slide by hand? If it locks when you operate the slide by hand, the problem is

somewhere else. You riding the slidelock, you rubbing the slide so it doesn't come back as far as it should, ammo

a touch weak or recoil spring a bit strong, bad grip----something besides the slide lock.

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I just had the same problem with a Gen 4 G34.. I too replaced the slide release without improving the problem, rechecked the PF on my ammo, and questioned my grip. I too experimented with recoil spring force. Nothing seemed to work.

I decided to replace all my Glock magazine springs with new Glock springs. Problem solved 100%!

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the slide will lock open on an empty mag by pulling back by hand, or if i shoot one handed. that's how i determined it wasn't my mags. took all 10 mags, loaded one round each, fired each mag one handed, each mag locked open. go back to 2 handed, slide stayed closed.

my ammo is remington and american eagle 115gr. recoil spring and guide rod is currently a jager extra heavy with a wolff 14#, but the slide still stays closed on last round with the factory RSA. i have a NIB 17 that hasn't been fired yet. tonight i'm going to swap parts and see what happens. we have our regional tri-state major match this weekend. perfect timing!

if it's my grip, which i'm sure it is, what do i do to fix it? like i said before, when i put new slide locks in, it works for awhile, but i'm obviously doing something. i'll try to get pics up later of my grip.

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Yeah, that definitely sounds like a grip issue. I used to have a similar issue when I still ran the extended slide stop. The palm area under my thumb would put just enough pressure on the slide stop to keep it from catching the slide on an empty mag. I swapped it with the non extended slide stop and the problem is pretty much gone.

I also adjusted my grip slightly as well, after watching a Todd Jarrett instructional video on proper handgun grip. Per his instructions your trigger finger when extended and placed against the side of the frame should be perfectly in line with your weak hand thumb.

Edited by bulldog009
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I recorded this quite awhile when I was trying to help someone else with grip issues. Might help.

Bottom line is I make it a point to ride my strong hand thumb off on my weak hand now.

Edited by alma
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sorry for the delay. i worked late last night and now i'm off to the match. i didn't have time for pics or to swap the slide release for testing. i'm just going to swap out the slide release from my NIB 17 have laying around for the match today and tomorrow. i'll try to get pics up tomorrow.

thank you for the input so far.

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i swapped out my "old" slide release for a new one.

saturday was my uspsa sectional match. i shoot in limited with my 34, and i didn't go to slide lock. there were always a few rounds in the mag when i reloaded. the idpa match on sunday was a different story. i use the same gun for both disciplines. the slide did lock back, but there were a few times it did not. i got into an argument with a RO because she wanted to give me a procedural for reloading when the slide wasn't locked back.

so at some point in time i must have developed a shitty grip.

9x45, i looked at the slide releases, and they appear to be the same, no discernible difference.

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I think the IDPA rule is empty magazine and empty chamber, not necessarily slide locked? Otherwise it would be reload with retention. Don't know that there is a specific rule against a gun not slide locking, unless they consider it unsafe or modified. Of course, in USPSA, you never want to slide lock.

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I think the IDPA rule is empty magazine and empty chamber, not necessarily slide locked? Otherwise it would be reload with retention. Don't know that there is a specific rule against a gun not slide locking, unless they consider it unsafe or modified. Of course, in USPSA, you never want to slide lock.

There is an IDPA rule forbidding you to disable a slide lock. I can find it if needs be.

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i didn't disable the slide release. i actually put a brand new part in like i did before, but i still had the issues. i just developed a shitty grip i guess and need to know how to fix it.

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I was locking the slide back under recoil because my thumb was hitting the slidestop. Problem was solved by replacing the extended unit with a standard one.

I have never seen a worn out slidestop.

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i still haven't got the pics yet, but my thumbs actually ride the slide. i'll try to get a buddy at work tomorrow to help me get some pics. at the uspsa match today, i did run the mag dry and it went go to slide lock a few times, with the gun staying open.

i'm just not sure why, even with the new part, i am having this problem lately. like i said, i guess i developed shitty a grip.

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I can't speak to what's up with your pistol specifically, but I service all the glocks for a smaller agency and the slide stop lever spring going bad is common. It's. a $5 part with the lever and spring, just can and replace. 3 in a year seems crazy, but my guys only shoot about 1500-2000 rounds a year.

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Deadcoyote, I've never heard of slide stops going bad in a couple of thousand rounds. My oldest G17 is coming up on 130,000 rounds and a slide stop spring went dead about 2 years ago(no wear on the stop), but that's running like 12,000 rounds a year. And all the guys I shoot with have never heard of that either. I wonder if something is going on with the newer Gen guns.

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Deadcoyote, I've never heard of slide stops going bad in a couple of thousand rounds. My oldest G17 is coming up on 130,000 rounds and a slide stop spring went dead about 2 years ago(no wear on the stop), but that's running like 12,000 rounds a year. And all the guys I shoot with have never heard of that either. I wonder if something is going on with the newer Gen guns.

I do not think it is a pistol problem.

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