Glock 19 or 23; 9 mm vs. .40?

[1Buckshot]

I have had my M19 for 18 years and have shot more than 20000 rounds of reloads through it including lead. No Problems at all. After shooting lead, I run a magazine of jacketed bullets to take the lead out before cleaning. I  know other shooters that shoot reloads exclusively with no problems also.Take care of them and they will last forever.

[fightingquaker13]

I have had my M19 for 18 years and have shot more than 20000 rounds of reloads through it including lead. No Problems at all. After shooting lead, I run a magazine of jacketed bullets to take the lead out before cleaning. I  know other shooters that shoot reloads exclusively with no problems also.Take care of them and they will last forever.

Good info on cleaning the bore after shooting lead. I just always took the warning labels seriously in terms of not shooting reloads. Why borrow trouble for what is otherwise the most reliabiable pistol I've owned? It seems that I could have given it a shot. I agree that you cannot say enough good about the absolute reliabilty of these handguns.
FQ13

[kmitch200]

Good info on cleaning the bore after shooting lead. I just always took the warning labels seriously in terms of not shooting reloads.

Actually it's NOT good info. You might get away with it in your semiauto, or you might not. Local PD bulged more than one SIG barrel doing this. 

This practice can lead to bulged barrels as the lead gets swaged by the jacketed bullet and has nowhere to go. You might get away with it, especially in a revolver because of the much thicker barrel steel, but don't fall for the old wives tale that you are actually removing the lead. At best it is getting smashed into every crevice/pore and now has a streak of copper over it.

DO NOT FOLLOW LEAD BULLETS WITH A JACKETED BULLETS IN SEMI AUTO PISTOLS!

The "don't use reloads" mantra is not just Glock but all firearms manufacturers.
Any firearm manual from any major maker will tell you to use factory ammo only. Blame the lawyers and their "it's not my fault" clients.

[WatchManUSA]

The advice you are getting is mostly personal preference of the shooter.  The best thing to do is go to a range that has the Glocks you think you want available for rental.  Shoot them both and run enough rounds through them to get a feel for how they handle, fit and shoot.  Maybe make a couple of rental visits.  Keep in mind that using factory ammo in the .40 S&W will be snappier than the 9mm factory ammo.

As for reloads, you can reload and use them in a Glock.  If you reload and shoot major power factor loads you will want to consider using an aftermarket barrel.

If you are a re-loader you can download the .40 S&W to a minor power factor and it will certainly shoot smother than a 9mm with factory ammo - IMHO.

As for lead bullets, never shoot lead though a stock Glock barrel.  The rifling does not like lead.  If you want to shoot lead get an aftermarket barrel.

[1Buckshot]

With so many Glocks in use world wide. Why would you think they would make a gun that would not shoot lead? Or better yet, Do you think many people are miss informed?

[Sponsor]

[PegLeg45]

With so many Glocks in use world wide. Why would you think they would make a gun that would not shoot lead? Or better yet, Do you think many people are miss informed?

Might not have lead bullets in Austria?....now I'm curious.


Don't know......design flaw?...........maybe...........

[TAB]

From my understanding, its not the leading that is the prob.  its the practice of shooting a FMJ after shooting lead to remove the lead fowling that is. 

[twyacht]

To the OP, if your "hell bent on getting a "G" gun, test drive them. They are a great pistol, regardless of caliber.
I love my M+P in .40 & my FN9mm.

Anyway, go try them, sometimes the right pistol finds the owner.

[ismram]

You guys can drink all the Kool Aid you want. Glocks are a good gun. They are not THE GUN! If they were,  they would never fail. I've seen Glocks jam, stove pipe, bulg cases with factory ammo. fail to lock back on the last shot, blow the mag out the bottom of the gun, double and triple fire.  I shoot competetion, I see problems with Glocks at about the same rate as just about every other gun that I see used. I am still searching for THE GUN.

[WatchManUSA]

The issue is the polygonal rifling used by Glock (H&K and Kah, too).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygonal_rifling

Quoting from Wikipedia:

"One suggestion of what the "additional factor involved in Glock's warning" might be is that Glock barrels have a fairly sharp transition between the chamber and the rifling, and this area is prone to lead buildup if lead bullets are used. This buildup may result in failures to fully return to battery, allowing the gun to fire with the case not fully supported by the chamber, leading to a potentially dangerous case failure. However, since this sharp transition is found on most autopistols this speculation is of limited value. The sharp transition or "lip" at the front of the chamber is required to "headspace" the cartridge in most autopistols.

Another possible explanation is that there are different "species" of polygonal rifle and perhaps Glock's peculiar style of polygonal rifling may be more prone to leading than the particular styles employed in the H&K and Kahr barrels.

Leading is the buildup of lead in the bore that happens in nearly all firearms firing high velocity lead bullets. This lead buildup must be cleaned out regularly, or the barrel will gradually become constricted resulting in higher than normal discharge pressures. In the extreme case, increased discharge pressures can result in a catastrophic incident."