Recoil Spring, Oal, Fat Ammo...

[Rikarin]

Dear smarter and more experienced Glcok owners...

I am in deep kimuchi... match is next weekend and I don't even have right set up. I'm gonna quit this shooting stuff and become a , er, er, gardener!

Please Help me figure thigns out....

My gun: G19 with Glockmeister competition spring with 3.5lb connector.

My load: VV320, 3.3gr, Zero147gr, mixed brass, OAL is 1.56 . 860-920fps

Ok, here's the problem.

I had 13lb spring installed before. But Matt Burkett noticed while triger is in pre-travel, slide moves back. So, I needed to change to longer spring, even though my ammo was happy using this short 13lb.

I bought another 13lb G19 spring from Glockmeister but it is still too short, almost an inch short than stock spring. So, I bought G17 spring (that is long, 32 coils) and installed on Monday and decided to cut back one coil by coil. My SAME ammo started to get stuck on the ramp, which I have seen before with stock 18lb spring. So, I started to cutting one coil by one. 2 coils down, stil getting stuck.

FYI, I like stronger spring as possible as gun cycles.

today, I cut another 2 coils... then what started to happen is EXAXT same batch of ammo started lock up the slide after get fed in the chamber. It seems like all of sudden my ammo got fatter.

I have nooooooo idea what to do now. Cutting spring? Shortening OAL? Climping more?

I want to keep OAL long as possible though

I really need to nail down my equipment and ammo this week...

Thank you so much!

[robomanusa]

put your 13lb recoil spring back in and use a reduced power striker spring, a reduced power striker spring will still light off winchester primers just fine.

or use a 14lb recoil spring instead, cutting coils is not the way I would fix that problem

[Mark Perez]

Put the stock assembly back in.

M

[MikeFoley]

GO with the stock OEM recoil assembly for this match and maybe forever. At least for now, you get reliability and later when you have time, test the springs. You should shoot the gun and get used to the timing before the match if you can. After you shoot it stock for a while, you may decide to keep it that way.

I feel hypocritical saying this, but the manufacturer built the gun to the factory specification for reliability. Without reliability, all the trick parts in the world won't help your game. The gun has to work 100%, for confidence and avoiding disasters, all you have to do is shoot.

[stingerjg]

I agree with fomeister on this one. Go back to the stock spring system. That should eliminate any problems w/ the gun. Idk if you have a case guage for your ammo. If not, its a good idea to get one, just to rule out the ammo.

[eric nielsen]

If your 147gr bullet is a hollowpoint, you're a little on the long side - guessing that you meant 1.156 for your overall length.

1.145" might be better. Catching on the feedramp is a classic sign of OAL-too-long problems. If the bullet is a roundnose, you should be fine all the way out to 1.160"

Agree with others - you shouldn't cut more than 2-3 coils off of any recoil spring, it will start to mis-behave badly. I don't know what guide rod you use or whether you use flat-wound springs [Glock] or round-wound springs [Wolff].

If you have to go lighter in spring weight then you also have to go to lower-gage, thinner wire springs. Wolff springs can be identified by the wire diameter of the spring. I don't know how Glock and Glockmeister tell their springs apart.

You should always test your Glock spring combinations by taking the EMPTY gun, pointing it straight up vertical, and slowly squeezing the trigger - making sure the slide doesn't back up prior to the trigger's break. IF it backs up, you need a heavier recoil [*feeding*] spring, a lighter striker spring, or both. Having the full-length recoil spring will help to keep it working at full strength when the slide is closed.

[TRG65]

You should always test your Glock spring combinations by taking the EMPTY gun, pointing it straight up vertical, and slowly squeezing the trigger - making sure the slide doesn't back up prior to the trigger's break. IF it backs up, you need a heavier recoil [*feeding*] spring, a lighter striker spring, or both. Having the full-length recoil spring will help to keep it working at full strength when the slide is closed.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

+1 on this advice

This test can make the difference between a happy match and coming back from the range with very sore fingers, and needing to buy spare parts to replace the ones that are missing due to the rapid disassembly of your gun. All because the gun fired slightly out of battery.

Also Mark and fomeister have excellent advice. Kyle will probably say the same thing also. There is nothing wrong with the stock recoil assembly, as long as you can shoot it without problems. That said my wife and a family friend both use 13# springs in their glocks because they can't get a stock assembly to shoot reliably because of wrist strength.

[alma]

If it was running great before with a short 13 lb spring, go back to that.

A wolf reduced power (4lb) striker spring should fix the problem with the gun coming out of battery when you pull the trigger. I also has the added bonus of taking 1/2lb off of your trigger pull.

If all else fails, drop the factory recoil spring back in for now. My G19 runs great with that setup.

As for the hollow points not feeding, I have the same problem with speer gold dots. They will nosedive into the feedramp if I am using my old magazines. One fix for that would be to get a BARSTO barrel. They have a lower feedramp.

Hope you get it!

[Flexmoney]

On top of what I sent you in the PM (and what the good people here have said)...

Are you gauging the loaded ammo? All of it?

[Rikarin]

Thanks.

No, I haven't guaged ALL the ammo. I checked once in a while. My rod is stock since IDPA rule.

I think I will try those things in different combination

1) reloading with brand new brass I recieve today and guage all the ammo (yes I have case guage) eliminaiting too fat brass possiblity.

2) Shortening OAL. Its round nose FMJ even its 147gr but I know 1.156 is its bit too long side.

3) putting stock spring back.

4) using stock ammo.

I basicaly decided stop worrying about this spring that spring and as far as I made a gun cycles, I just shoot that with match. And Yes, I have back up factory subsonic ammo and can use them if everything goes to drain....

Bit too scared to change strker spring and will put another variable into the pot. Thanks for mentioning it.

I talked with Dillon and they said "no hot once fired brass from Glock" should be used for reloading because unsupported part of the brass expands and climping die can not climp that far down enough.

I don't even wear anything requires handwashing and I am so bummed I need to toss 600 brass I washed, rinsed, flatten to dry in sunny spot, case-lubed and ready to load. (cry cry) On top of that, I need to pull 300 bullets off....sigh sigh.

Oh well, learning process. And I will buy XD40. Even selling my hair! Respect my outoritai!

[George]

Agreed with these points.

- disasemble gun and gauge the ammo in bbl/chamber if OK, this is not the problem (probably never was).

- put the stock spring and guide rod back in.

- 1.156" OAL is too long for a 19 IMHO (too).

Additional thing to try if your reloads don't work with stock guide rod and spring: buy box of factory 124gr FMJ (good brand, not cheapest possible). If this works and your reloads don't, you now know what to shoot at the upcoming match.

BTW, when I ran a 147 in a 17 way back, it was at 1.14" OAL and it ran 100% all the time (in the 17, see below). It was also a SWC profile. I also never used anything but the stock spring/rod setup with 9x19 minor loads.

BTW, BTW I remember my Glock 19 choking on stuff that would run through my 17 with the greatest of ease. Longer OAL and bullet profiles other than RN seemed to be the issue and I have always had best luck in my 19 with re-loads that duplicate factory 115 gr JHP and 124 FMJ in length, oomph and diameter (bulged reloads are an issue sometimes).

--

Regards,

Edited April 29, 2005 by George

[Flexmoney]

Don't throw that brass out.

[Kevin Kline]

This is one of the nice things and the reason I bought ISMI's recoil rod. I also bought some of ISMI's springs. I can change springs weights back and forth EASILY. Well worth the money to me.

[alma]

Keep the brass!

I have shot through 100lb of once + fired 9mm brass.

Almost everything will shoot in a factory glock barrel. .40 cases are a lot more trubble but 9s should be fine.

Just case guage everything and save the tight ones for practice.

I run a 147g round nose bullet with 3.2 of TiteGroup at 1.149

It just keeps going and going and going...

[Mark Perez]

This is one of the nice things and the reason I bought ISMI's recoil rod. I also bought some of ISMI's springs. I can change springs weights back and forth EASILY. Well worth the money to me.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What is the rod made of ?

I think Rikarin wants to keep it SSP legal.

[eric nielsen]

Forgot to say that using mixed brass will give you inconsistent crimp. The different brands sit in the shell-plate differently. Even just one brand once-fired will measure different [more crimp] than the same brand with 6-8 firings on it [less crimp].

Drop-test the ammo in your actual barrel and then check any *fat* rounds for crimp at the front. You want at least .001" of crimp just to know that it's there, my humble opinion. I use .002" crimp for everything, and check it each time I change brands of brass. I only run mixed brass for practice.

If the crimp looks good then you may have brass bulge in the rear of the cartridge, but I really doubt that is an issue. And if you like the Glock, I don't see how you could possibly like the XD, it's like a Beretta with a square trigger guard.

[DougCarden]

I think that adding a Lee factory taper crimp die and substituting it for the Dillon crimp Die will take care of any ammo problems. I have loaded some really skunky 9x19 brass out of my MP5s and running it through those dies produce 100% reliable ammo FWIW DougC

[Rikarin]

Oh my god, I figured it out

Ok, I noticed Glock's chamber entrance where ammo shits is very oval. I mean vertically 0.05 fatter in diameter. So, the brass I once fired become orval. Then, I reload using them. Then I chamber check and longer diameter of the ammo is horizontal, it doesn't fit at all. But I rotate it 180degree, it fits. I talked with Glock and they said I ruined the chamber and need to send it back.

Holy crap! Gotta come up with back up gun! Now! Don't wanna buy new chamber at all because I am already dtermined to move to XD40.

Thanks for the help.

( and yes yes, double loads of a high pressure ammo must have caused this Flexmoney and others you can totally spank me on this.

[robomanusa]

ruined the chamber, lmao, that was good one

[Flexmoney]

Rikarin,

I think we need to see some pictures. (If you could take some?)

- Show some of your bulged brass.

- Show your chamber/ramp.

- Show some loaded rounds.

- Show some loaded rounds inserted in barrel (bareloput of the gun)

[BritinUSA]

Ok, I noticed Glock's chamber entrance where ammo shits is very oval.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've heard about shitty ammo but this is ridiculous.

[Duane Thomas]

A wolf reduced power (4lb) striker spring should fix the problem with the gun coming out of battery when you pull the trigger. I also has the added bonus of taking 1/2lb off of your trigger pull.

Actually, the reason that part is called a "4 pound" striker spring is that it takes about two pounds off the trigger pull. Stock Glock trigger pull weights vary among guns, but it's a good expectation that a piece running the "5.5 pound" connector will come in around 6 pounds. Switching to the Wolff striker spring will indeed take that down to 4 pounds.

In my Glock 34 with 3.5 pound (hah!) connector, out-of-the-box the trigger pulls went 5.75 pounds. Installed the Wolff striker spring, it did what it was supposed to do: took two pounds off the trigger. Suddenly my 5.75 pound trigger pulls were 3.75 pounds. After 4,000 rounds and immense amounts of dry fire, that's worn-in to 3.25.

[Rikarin]

Oi! Thank you.

A wolf reduced power (4lb) striker spring should fix the problem with the gun coming out of battery when you pull the trigger. I also has the added bonus of taking 1/2lb off of your trigger pull.

Actually, the reason that part is called a "4 pound" striker spring is that it takes about two pounds off the trigger pull. Stock Glock trigger pull weights vary among guns, but it's a good expectation that a piece running the "5.5 pound" connector will come in around 6 pounds. Switching to the Wolff striker spring will indeed take that down to 4 pounds.

In my Glock 34 with 3.5 pound (hah!) connector, out-of-the-box the trigger pulls went 5.75 pounds. Installed the Wolff striker spring, it did what it was supposed to do: took two pounds off the trigger. Suddenly my 5.75 pound trigger pulls were 3.75 pounds. After 4,000 rounds and immense amounts of dry fire, that's worn-in to 3.25.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Duane Thomas]

Yer welcome.