Gen5 Barrel Bulge/Warp

[Reds_Dot]

I have a G17 Gen5 that I have been shooting in Carry Optics since November of 2020. I have right around 14k rounds on it. 

 

It is stock aside from the optic-cut. I mean stock. Stock RSA, stock trigger, stock striker/striker spring, stock extractor, etc....

 

I recently started having unusual feeding issues and jams. This weekend the slide started locking back (past where the slide-stop makes contact) on every shot. After taking it home I discovered there was a subtle but significant bulge in the barrel. There are no obstructions. I've never had a squib or double charge and typically they result in more severe damage. This gun has lived on 132-135pf 147gr ammo it's whole life. 

 

I have an email out to Glock to see what they say. I was curious if anyone here has had a similar experience. I have 3 Gen 4 Glocks with well over 50k rounds each that have lived similar lives with no issues so this was a bit of a stunner to me. 

[AHI]

If it's bulged you have had a squib at some point. Or some other barrel obstruction. If you look on the inside you can probably see what has happened.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 14, 2022 by AHI

[RePete]

^^^^^^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^^^

[Sarge]

1 hour ago, RePete said:

^^^^^^^^^^^^This^^^^^^^^^^

This again. Squibs do not always cause "more severe damage" and can easily go unnoticed.

[Sinister4]

Squib you did not notice for sure, barrels do not puff out on there own

[Reds_Dot]

Phantom squib it is, I guess. I'm just trying to sort out how/when it happened then. That gun ran through 2021 PCC/CO Nats without issue. It got parked after that then I ran it for the first time at the GFDS postal match locally right after Thanksgiving. That was the first time I had issues with it. Right on the first stage I shot. That was a feeding issue; a double feed. I stripped the mag and one round fell out then I had to pull the other round out of the chamber. However that was a fully formed round that came out. Not a case and powder. After that it seemed to run okay. I parked the magazine after that because I thought it was the culprit of the double feed. I don't recall having any mystery mikes or unusual pops/bangs/poofs. Typically this thing runs like a sewing machine. 

 

It was at a subsequent match that I had feeding issues again with a different magazine then another. The issues seemed to get steadily worse. I have been running a different gun for the most part since December so this G17 hasn't seen much regular action. It was 5 rounds into the first stage on Saturday the slide started binding up. So after a phantom squib does the damage get worse without effecting accuracy?

 

Well, it would seem the slide and the rest of the pistol escaped without issue. I am on the hook for a new barrel then. Time so see who has OEM Gen5 barrels in stock. 

 

Edited February 14, 2022 by Reds_Dot

[ima45dv8]

You can use your slide as a gauge for the outer diameter of your barrel. 

Remove the barrel and insert it backwards into the slide (crown first through the same hole). 

If there's an actual bulge the slide will hang on it.  

[AHI]

A cleaning patch left in the barrel can cause your issue.( Just one example)

Had a bullet brake into once. Half stayed in barrel other half hit target. More than one way to get a squib damaged barrel. I can not tell if you have a bulged barrel from your picture. That's why I have said IF.

Edited February 14, 2022 by AHI

[Braxton1]

I had a customer bring me his well-running 34-5 for a detail cleaning.  When tearing down, I saw the "second smiley" on the barrel like pictured, but his was fainter.  I didn't give it much thought at the time, because usually the first symptom of a bulged barrel is "stops every time" like the OP describes.  When I ran a bore brush down the barrel, I felt the usually amount of resistance to the brush, then the resistance went to zero for a few millimeters, then it came back.  That was the second alert.

 

His squib was visible from the inside, as the bullet had no resistance flying past that unrestricted zone and left a discernable carbon ring inside.

 

When I asked if he'd had a squib, he could only remember having a jam that he cleared after it sounded funny.

 

When doing the test that Mark (ima45dv8) suggested above, the bulge could be detected, but like I said, it was close enough to the chamber that it didn't catch when the slide was fully to the rear.  Even though it still ran, we went ahead and replaced the barrel with a KKM, just to be on the safe side. 

[Nolan]

17 hours ago, Reds_Dot said:

This gun has lived on 132-135pf 147gr ammo it's whole life. 

 

 

Coated, plated or jacketed bullets?

 

It could have been a stripped jacket left in the barrel rather than a traditional squib.

 

Nolan

[Reds_Dot]

On 2/14/2022 at 10:34 AM, ima45dv8 said:

You can use your slide as a gauge for the outer diameter of your barrel. 

Remove the barrel and insert it backwards into the slide (crown first through the same hole). 

If there's an actual bulge the slide will hang on it.  

 

On 2/14/2022 at 10:36 AM, AHI said:

A cleaning patch left in the barrel can cause your issue.( Just one example)

Had a bullet brake into once. Half stayed in barrel other half hit target. More than one way to get a squib damaged barrel. I can not tell if you have a bulged barrel from your picture. That's why I have said IF.

 

It was bulged. No "If". I don't use patches.

 

On 2/14/2022 at 1:11 PM, Braxton1 said:

His squib was visible from the inside, as the bullet had no resistance flying past that unrestricted zone and left a discernable carbon ring inside.

 

 

Definitely a carbon peppering inside the barrel at the bulge point. 

 

On 2/14/2022 at 3:51 PM, Nolan said:

 

Coated, plated or jacketed bullets?

 

It could have been a stripped jacket left in the barrel rather than a traditional squib.

 

Nolan

 

Coated bullets its entire life.

 

 

Well, I'm not sure what caused the phantom squib but all the evidence points at that. I called Glock and sent them the barrel. They confirmed it was bulged. $125 later they sent me a new barrel. So, I am back in business.