My GEN 3 19 is 15 years old, is their worthy spring upgrade out there? Any noticeagle improvements?
I have a Gen 3 G19 that is an "E" series, 2001 frame. If the rate of rail breakage is 0.0188%, those are pretty good odds it won't happen.For the OP, do order part #2317, Slide Lock Spring.
The original springs used ~15 years ago had a breakage-prone narrow body. If the old spring breaks just right, a piece of the spring can get stuck in the frame, requiring the frame's replacement.
The upgraded spring has a full-width body and isn't known to break (usually).
There's something else to mention and it's found in this excerpt which I currently can't find the original reference on Glock's websites. I know it used to be there somewhere. Perhaps it was taken down.
"2002 Frame Upgrade – Rear slide rail
The GLOCK Corporation has identified a problem with a very small percentage of GLOCK pistols produced between September of 2001 and May of 2002. The specific problem that has been identified is the potential of breaking a rear frame rail in pistols manufactured during this time period. Within the specific range the breakage rate has been less than 0.0188%. So, while the actual percentage of rails reported broken is within any accepted manufacturing tolerance, it is not an acceptable situation to the GLOCK Corporation. It is also important to note that under most conditions GLOCK pistols will continue to function with three rails. A routine maintenance check after each time the pistol has been taken out and used would immediately indicate if there is a problem.
We are, therefore, concerned that a limited number of customers will not get the product we have promised them and what we have always delivered, the very best pistol on the market, in short, a GLOCK.
For these reasons, we have made the decision that in the interest of customer service, replacement frames will be offered to anyone who has a firearm in this range and decides to take advantage of this offer. The replacement frames will have identical serial numbers to our customer's original firearm except the numeral 1 will be added as a prefix. If you believe your firearm is within this range, please call 1-866-225-4098 to take advantage of the ultimate in customer service.
Nothing less than the best for our customers is acceptable to GLOCK and, as always, we will continue to work towards Perfection.
It appears that only serial numbers starting with "E", "GSSF", or "USA" (American Hero’s Commemoratives) are affected. In general, the chronological serial number set that has the prefix letters of "EKA" through "EVR" inclusive appear to be the affected Glocks, regardless of caliber. Three letters precede three numbers on a plate forward of the trigger guard on the underside of the polymer frame. However, some aberrations to this generalization have been reported by GTers. Reports are that the affected Glocks were manufactured from September 2001 to May 2002. So if you bought (or won a GSSF Glock) an "E" or "USA" series Glock in September of 2001 up until the present day, you might have an affected Glock. Unfortunately, Glock has not published a list. Hope this helps, but again, if you are responsible enough to own a gun and can read this, you are smart enough to check for yourself by calling Glock."