m4coyote Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 I purchased a new G20 about 18 months ago, and shot it yesterday for the first time. The shop where I purchased the gun did not have any 10mm ammo in stock, so I just put the G20 in the safe, and left it there until this week. I ordered several different kinds of ammo for it and went to the range with it yesterday. After a few shots from the first magazine the gun quit firing. I took it home, stripped the slide, cleaned all parts, and returned to the range, but still no go. After examining the gun, I determined that the trigger bar does not depress the striker safety plunger. I could see through the magazine well that the nub on the bar just barely touches the safety plunger, but does not depress it. I tested this by shaking the gun after pulling the trigger, and there was no rattle from the striker. I then released the striker upon an empty chamber, and manually depressed the plunger with a pen, and the striker then rattled. I am not advocating the defeat of any safety device, but will my gun function OK without the plunger? If all the plunger does is to act as a drop safety, then I will remove it until I get back from a hike in known bear country next week. There is not enough time to receive a part from the Glock Store or Lone Wolf before I leave. I am still waiting on parts from both of them that have not arrived in over two weeks now. Thanks for any advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaseyJ Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 New trigger bar is about 20 bucks anywhere on line just as long a s you buy a stock unit. I have heard of many people shooting their Glocks without the striker safety but I have not run like this. Most people do not do this to defeat the safety for that reason they defeat it to imporove their trigger pull. My reccomendation would be use another gun in bear country and if you cant use any other gun then take the plunger out and function test it. If it does not affect your function then you should be good to go but remember dont shoot a person with it the Lawyers will have a hayday with that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jman Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 My beater company Ford Focus runs GREAT without brakes. You just don't want to ride with me bro. Have your gun fixed by a pro and move on. Jim M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boz1911 Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 Take a gun that's gonna shoot if you need it to....even if you have to borrow one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glk21C Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 why don't you just contact Glock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4coyote Posted March 14, 2008 Author Share Posted March 14, 2008 My beater company Ford Focus runs GREAT without brakes. You just don't want to ride with me bro. Have your gun fixed by a pro and move on.Jim M Jim, I have been using Glock pistols for twenty years and this is the only one I've owned that has not functioned when I pulled the trigger. I can easily strip my Glock down to the last piece, all it takes is a 3/16 pin punch. I have no fear of replacing the original trigger bar with the updated one that actually works. This G20 is actually the only Glock that I own that is factory "stock", and it is actually the only one that does not go bang when I pull the trigger! I currently own a G19, G20, and G23. I have polished all pertinent contact points on the trigger bars, shortened the trigger take ups, installed 4lb striker springs, installed lightning strike strikers, polished the plungers, installed light weight plunger springs, and installed heavy weight trigger springs in both the 19 and 23. They have somehow managed to go bang every time I have pulled their triggers - for thousands of rounds! You can take yours to a "pro" if you want, but I feel no need to spend the money on a "pro" if I am perfectly capable of replacing the 4256 trigger bar with the updated 4256-1 trigger bar. The cost of insurance and postage back to Glock will far exceed the $15.00 or $20.00 that the updated part costs. I am just somewhat shocked and disappointed that Glock manufactured a pistol that just plain won't work, and apparently it is a common occurrence with the Glock 20 because they went to the trouble and expense of updating the trigger bar assembly. By the way, I just returned from the range, and my G20 actually runs great without the striker safety plunger! I ran 100 rounds of my nice warm handloads (180 gr. Hornady XTP over 10.6 grains of Blue Dot) with out a single hiccup, and the primer strikes on the brass are obviously more forceful than the ones from yesterday with the plunger installed. I only posted here with this problem because I wanted to see if it was a common occurrence for the trigger bars on G20s to be defective. I would stay out of that Ford Focus if I were you. It is not smart to drive cars that have no brakes! If I had to spend the $25.00 or $30.00 to replace the brake pads myself, then that is what I would do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 Call Glock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4coyote Posted March 15, 2008 Author Share Posted March 15, 2008 Flexmoney, Thanks for the reply. I will call Glock on Monday, and let you guys know what they say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jman Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 Flexmoney,Thanks for the reply. I will call Glock on Monday, and let you guys know what they say. That works. Hope you get it running soon. Jim M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Boudrie Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 Glock is very generous with parts, but will not send parts to anyone who is not a certified armorer. Tell them you can have a Glock armorer fax his certificate so Glock can ship the part to him (I expect they will be willing to do this for free if you convince them that is indeed the problem part). I'll fax them my cert and we can meet at the Hopkinton club for the install, no charge. Rob Ooops..... I frequent two forums, and thought I was on the one for local shooters when I posted this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jobob Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 Glock had some problems with G21s which had a too short trigger bar, or the part of the trigger bar that depresses the firing pin safety plunger. I would suspect that, since the G20 is the same frame and uses the same trigger, that is your problem. Call Glock. Don't mention removing the plunger again, or you will get the Flex Hex! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4coyote Posted March 17, 2008 Author Share Posted March 17, 2008 OK, I just got off the phone with Glock tech service. Their suggestion and reply was exactly what I expected it to be - Box up the gun and send it in. I asked about the time frame for the repair, and was told it could be up to sixty days. I ordered the 4256-1 revised trigger bar, and will install it myself when I get back from my photo trip. Lugging the S&W 629 Mountain Gun again is not all that bad. For me, the mathematical solution to this problem is simple. $50.00 - $60.00 for shipping and insurance (plus risk having another gun being ripped off by UPS or Fed EX) and up to a two month wait, or take fifteen minutes to punch out the three pins and do the work myself for a total cost of less than $15.00 (shipping included). I just wish that Glock would have installed a trigger bar in my gun that would have worked in the first place. On the bright side, it is not a tough problem to solve, and the part was very cheap & easily available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bayoupirate Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 Darn Lawyers!!! Glad you could get it running again yourself. I own a G20 and the only things stock are the slide and, nope that's it just the slide. Everything else has been changed out for aftermarket, tuned, polished and/or Dremeled. It does rock! even in 40S&W Ye-Haw! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jman Posted March 17, 2008 Share Posted March 17, 2008 I just wish that Glock would have installed a trigger bar in my gun that would have worked in the first place....On the bright side, it is not a tough problem to solve, and the part was very cheap & easily available. That would've been to easy. Couple links to look at for parts.. http://www.ombexpress.com/category~cat~426501612.asp and... http://glockparts.com/store/item/idyp/Trig..._-_G-20_21.html Glockparts in particular describes the "new improved version" for the G20. Good luck! Let us know how it works out. Jim M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4coyote Posted March 18, 2008 Author Share Posted March 18, 2008 Jimmy, Thanks for the links! Express Police Supply sure has great prices on their Glock parts! $7.95 is hard to beat, but they don't specify if the G20 trigger assembly is the updated one or not. I ordered it from glockparts.com yesterday because they did specify that it was the updated unit. I will give you guys an update when the new part arrives. Bayoupirate, You are most certainly right about the lawyers. They seem to take all the fun out of it! I plan to add a Lightning Strike lightweight striker, and do the same trigger mods on this G20 that I did on my G19 & 23. Joe D sure gave some excellent tips about Glock triggers, and I followed his instructions to a "T"! Have you guys had any experience with Bar-Sto barrels? I am thinking seriously about ordering one of their units for the G20. The one that requires fitting is of the most interest to me, because I would rather be able to adjust the barrel hood to slide tolerance myself. Is there any accuracy to be gained from the Bar-Sto, and is it fairly reliable for function? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4coyote Posted March 21, 2008 Author Share Posted March 21, 2008 The 4256-1 trigger bar arrived yesterday morning, and installing it and re-installing the safety plunger took all of about ten minutes. I took the G20 to the range yesterday, and it now runs as intended. Thanks for the help guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuz Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 (edited) You can take yours to a "pro" if you want, but I feel no need to spend the money on a "pro" if I am perfectly capable of replacing the 4256 trigger bar with the updated 4256-1 trigger bar. The cost of insurance and postage back to Glock will far exceed the $15.00 or $20.00 that the updated part costs. I am just somewhat shocked and disappointed that Glock manufactured a pistol that just plain won't work, and apparently it is a common occurrence with the Glock 20 because they went to the trouble and expense of updating the trigger bar assembly. Does that mean you can't just call Glock and ask them to send you the correct part? Would they do that? Or do they need to have you send them the gun? -Cuz. Oops, never mind. I should have read further before jumping in with my post... Edited March 21, 2008 by Cuz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cuz Posted March 21, 2008 Share Posted March 21, 2008 For me, the mathematical solution to this problem is simple. $50.00 - $60.00 for shipping and insurance (plus risk having another gun being ripped off by UPS or Fed EX) and up to a two month wait, or take fifteen minutes to punch out the three pins and do the work myself for a total cost of less than $15.00 (shipping included). I just wish that Glock would have installed a trigger bar in my gun that would have worked in the first place. 15 minutes!!! What are you going to do??? Stop for coffee between each pin removal? -Cuz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4coyote Posted March 24, 2008 Author Share Posted March 24, 2008 Cuz, I hear ya! I was kind of slow about the process, but I am glad my G20 is now functional. I did notice however, that there is a very fine line between working and not, when it comes to the G20 trigger bar. The little punch mark or indentation on the nub which depresses the safety plunger is the only thing which allows the bar to remain in alignment enough to depress the plunger. As it is, my G20 trigger bar and the new G20s that I looked at last week, all barely touch on the chamfered edge of the plunger. All it would take is a slight amount of wear on the bar in this location and the gun will not shoot. The sad thing is that this is a wearing location, because this indentation rides against the inside of the slide during the recoil of each shot. My G19 and G23 both do not exhibit this characteristic. Their bars hit the plunger about right in the middle. At this time, I am not sure how comfortable I am with this discovery, and am thinking about selling the G20 and looking at an alternative for the 10mm round. I love the G20 for its capacity, size, and weight, but I do not like to skate on ice seemingly this thin when it comes to carrying a pistol for self preservation from things that see me as lunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico567 Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 "JimmyM"- thanks for the links. I'd been looking around for someone who had the #4256-1 trigger bar for my G21, and I got one ordered from Glockparts.com, since they specifically state that the trigger bar for the G20 & 21 is that number. Mos sites list the trigger bar assembly under a number ending "4417" but do not distinguish the earlier from the later part. I suspect that 4256-1 is the only part Glock is selling now. I also appreciate what "m4coyote" has to say about the interaction of the parts in this case (the plunger, striker, and trigger bar). The question is, does the new trigger bar cure this? I noticed after disassembling the slide that there is a burr on the front edge of one of the corners of the grooves machined at the front of the striker. After examining the parts, I can only conclude that this is due to this same interaction...specifically, in this case, of the striker and the plunger. When my new trigger bar comes in, we'll see how my G21 runs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m4coyote Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 Rico567, So far, the 4256-1 trigger bar has cured the problem with the plunger, but I still had a few light strikes as of last Friday. Last week, I ordered a Wolff six pound striker spring, and the Wolff solid steel guide rod, along with the 17, 19, and 22lb recoil springs. The new trigger bar definitely has resolved the plunger striker conflict, although the amount of contact by the nub on the trigger bar to the safety plunger is still rather minimal. The Wolff 17lb "stock" rate recoil spring obviously has quite a bit more tension than the stock Glock recoil assembly. Hopefully, the Wolff recoil assembly should assure proper lockup of the slide & barrel, because the stock unit would fail to completely return to full lock up. With the stock recoil assembly, I noticed that even though the the slide would need a nudge to fully return forward, the trigger would still release the striker. In my opinion, this condition seems like a recipe for a KB! With the slide not in full battery, there is obviously less support for the cartridge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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