[Jason D]

Just watch any dink bag in youtube that starts sticking the guns in their mud gauntlet and they crap up just like anything else.

Keep them relatively clean, don't put them in the mud and you'll be fine.

 

[cciman]

Both and neither.

People make judgement in both directions without understanding the relativity - they base it on their personal experience, which is infinitesimally small compared to the overall historical, and number relevance. In addition they ignore their own contribution ( improper use, or maintenance,) and effect of ammo variables.

For examples:

"I have a gun that malfunctions every time I shoot it. That's 100% failure to me, no matter what the other millions out there are doing. Garbage"

Or

"I won't buy a Tau##$ because they are junk, and have poor reliability, even though I've never owned one."

 

[Laidback]

Of course,, here we go again.

I am at a class many years ago. A Glock fails. Everyone crowds around. It turns out that the owner bought it used, didn't know how to break down a Glock into parts, and had never cleaned it. Gee! This is like the guy who never changes the oil in his car. There are plenty of people like that.

So, someone gets 300,000 rounds through his firearm. Are you going to fire 300,000 rounds in your lifetime? It is like the person who buys a knife with a lifetime guarantee and assumes that the company will be there forever, and especially after civilization collapses. I have lifetime alignment with Firestone and used it 6 times. I had somewhat lifetime brakes with a company with multiple locations that went out of business - and still got my money's worth.

So, look at your firearms. Have you bothered researching which parts wear out and purchased spares? That is a lot better approach than worrying about the longevity of the firearm. Have you noticed how many gun companies have gone out of business and sold off their inventory of spare parts??

I think a lot of these discussions go sideways by either:

(1) an HK or CZ fanboy coming in demanding Glock users admit that those other brands are 100% as rugged and reliable as a Glock and also shoot better; or

(2) Glock fan saying no other gun but Glock is trustworthy at all.

glock is such a legend for reliability that it probably makes every other brand a little insecure. Sort of like ar-15 fans around ak variants. They tend to go out of their way to put the aks down and mention how ARs can have the same reliability with a piston, an HK design, etc. - and also be more accurate.

I’m just curious if you think the Glock mystique has been over or underrated at this point as other brands market themselves. I think it’s a bit underrated because every other major brand tries to claim it’s equally reliable and their users tend to parrot that

 

[MrPeanut]

Both

 

[DeltaFiveBravo]

The Glock 19.3 I've had for about 24 years has functioned almost flawlessly.

There is only one time I experienced a stoppage - a failure the eject (stovepipe). It was during a shooting class and I suspect it was caused by me (fatigue) as opposed to a genuine functional failure. It never experienced another stoppage after that.

I also experienced a number of misfires when I replaced the OEM connector with different Ghost connectors (Ghost Edge, Ranger, and Patrol). It has never failed to fire with the OEM connector.

This particular G19 has been used in several high round shooting courses without hiccup.

I have several different Glocks:
G19 (three)
G26
G42 (two)
G43 (two)
G44 (two)
G48

I shoot Glocks simply because they all have the same manual of arms. I don't have to change any of my techniques from gun to gun.

Of them all, my G48 has the sketchiest functional reliability, which I suspect is caused by the breech cut and tolerance stacking in the frame that allows the magazine to rock excessively from front to back which intermittently prevents the case rim from riding into the breech cut. It appears to be a failure to feed stoppage but it's not. It's a breech cut stoppage.

 

[Singlestack Wonder]

Glock’s reputation for ultimate reliability is well earned.

There‘s a reason manufacturers such as cz, hk, and others claim to be as reliable as a Glock.

 

[Deputydave]

glock’s famous torture tests have documented an insane level of durability. Submerged in the ocean for months, frozen under snow, in the hottest desert, etc. All they needed was to take it to outer space. But one thing this showed to the world that if it wouldn’t break or fail to perform under the most extreme conditions it would work for you.

The question is - is this legendary reliability over or undervalued today?

In the one hand - guns like the HK USP or mark 23 have had 300k+ rounds through many without a single repair or failure to feed. I would never not trust a usp just because it wasn’t submerged in the ocean for half a year.

On the other hand, I hear many say things like “cz is as reliable as Glock just better shooting” and I’m not really sure about that claim. I’ve known many czs to have issues (most of these were the target series and not duty grade guns, but these are also the most high profile guns they make).

Walther is a great brand but the PPK is notorious for failures. The 2011 is considered an elite handgun but only a staccato p is really built to have the durability needed in a Duty pistol.

So, what do you think?

Glock has produced a pistol that is usually reliable, solid, durable and simple. A Glock in 9mm or 45acp is capable of very high round counts. I know this personally because we had Gen 3 G21's in our training unit with 300K+ rounds on them (with regular maintenance).

If we are going to have a fair discussion, then Glock has had various issues over the years from nuisance to catastrophic. Various models have had mag issues. Some G19's had the slide fly off during live fire. Gen 3/4 G22/23 were plagued with the WML issue which in some cases had multiple G22's seize up during actual firefights leading to agencies dumping either the model or the brand altogether. Gen 2/3/4 40S&W models are not as strong or long lived as some other brands models in that caliber (HK, Sig and S&W for example). I know a competitor on another forum that has logged 240k rounds through his M&P40. I'd be surprised if a Gen 2-4 G22 could make it to that round count. The Gen 5 on the other hand may just be able to do it.

Glock marketing has created an image of the brand (I say that to their credit). They have been aggressive in the LE community and it's paid off. It is often thought that Glock is the 'most popular' pistol in LE. This isn't true, it simply has the most market share at this time. The average LEO doesn't really care what brand is in their holster as long as they can qualify with it. But again, Glock marketing is top notch.

So the long and short of it is that Glock is a solid pistol but the 'Perfection' mantra is simply a marketing logo.

You mentioned HK and specifically the USP model. Pound for pound I'd put it above Glock in several categories such as overall durability, inherent strength and possibly reliability. Glock is superior in terms of simplicity and general availability of parts. As an example, a USP 45 can shoot 45 Super out of the box with no modifications. Glock would require some modification and I personally don't believe it would hold up as long as the USP shooting that caliber. And as you mentioned, Federal Ammunition's USP 45 test pistol went almost 300k rounds without any spring changes or other internal fixes. I don't believe a Glock 21, as good as it is, would go to that round count with no spring changes or internal fixes. Though it would be interesting to see a head-to-head test.

Glock is a great brand for when the space alien nazi ninja zombies attack. But honestly, so would HK, Sig and S&W with various models.

 

[rayzer007]

I think Glock is a very good gun that was well marketed. You see the results of both factors. That's the conclusion of the matter.

 

[Planter21]

I can make my two Glocks, a 42 and a 26, FTF by holding then very lightly.

I don't do this anymore. It's not safe to shoot a firearm unless you have proper control of it.

 

[Twhite15]

But whatever gun you want since it’s your decision. But I will note that I had a Glock 23 gen 4 and had nothing but malfunctions. And several of my buddies same thing. My gen 3 was fine and my gen 5 also fine. My gen 4 I got it when they first came out and it had flaws. I blame myself for getting the gen 4 early since in the life cycle because I usually will not get first production since I wait and see if the design is proven. It’s ok since they corrected it. Hasn’t turned me off from glock but all
Companies have these issues

 

[Schrag4]

I think most Glocks will prove quite trustworthy for most people.

I also think the same thing can be said for most polymer striker guns from any of the major firearms companies. Most people will never need to or have cause to know how much abuse their particular pistol can or cannot take.

(In the end, they are all still only machines, not magic. Any of them can fail. I've had two Glocks with reliability issues).

Pretty much this. The only thing I would add is that IMO Glock has this reputation not because they’re much (any?) better than most modern handguns, but because they got there before most other manufacturers did. It’s not the 80s anymore, though.

 

[kahrcarrier]

Glocks work, not much debate worthy in that.

That said, I'm usually using another brand for carry, although I have carries Glock in that past, and would carry again without hesitation.

A lot of good guns out there. Pick one or many.

 

[RichardB]

delete

 

[rustybaker138]

My Glocks have shown to be fine pistols all down the line the 26/27 frame just doesn't agree with my hands. I Have bought, traded, and sold a bunch of handguns over the years.
I have over the years got set in my ways.
Single action revolvers Rugers One
Double Action Revolvers S&W One
Semi-Auto Pistols Glocks Severa 9, 40, 45.
1911 Rock Island, & Kimber right now one of each.
Single-Double Beretta 92FS One.

 

[racer88]

A lot of good guns out there. Pick one or many.

Many. I choose many!

 

[dla]

I bought a G19 in the early 90s. It was my first pistol with a nitride finish - it did not rust. It did not care whether it was run wet or dry. I put 7k rounds through it and then gave it to my oldest. He carried it everywhere and did not clean it. About a year ago he started having light strikes, so he gave it to me to check out. I cleaned it - the striker channel was full of vegetation, dirt and brass chips. No rust. 30oz loaded. No broken parts. 30+ years. I think I paid $250.

IMO the Glock design was the second seminal event in pistol design history - the first being the 1911. But the Glock design has spawned far more.

 

[MathewJohnson]

But whatever gun you want since it’s your decision. But I will note that I had a Glock 23 gen 4 and had nothing but malfunctions. And several of my buddies same thing. My gen 3 was fine and my gen 5 also fine. My gen 4 I got it when they first came out and it had flaws. I blame myself for getting the gen 4 early since in the life cycle because I usually will not get first production since I wait and see if the design is proven. It’s ok since they corrected it. Hasn’t turned me off from glock but all
Companies have these issues

Yes, I recall that initial problem that I believe was due to the recoil spring assembly being too rigid but was subsequently fixed and resolved. I've put hundreds of rounds through my G19 Gen 4 without a hiccup.

 

[LeonCarr44]

This year my to me from me Christmas present was a Glock 17 Gen 5. I took it out of the box, checked the bore to make sure it was clear, loaded it, shot a 50 round qual with it, 250/250 with no malfunctions or adjusting the sights. There are very few handguns that I will stake my life on out of the box. The Glock is one of them, along with HK and the old school Ruger P-Series autos.

 

[Deputydave]

I think I paid $250.

I'd say you got your monies worth many times over

 

[Twhite15]

Yes, I recall that initial problem that I believe was due to the recoil spring assembly being too rigid but was subsequently fixed and resolved. I've put hundreds of rounds through my G19 Gen 4 without a hiccup.

That’s what they said. We got the improved springs from Glock and they still jammed. But again they definitely eventually fixed it.