[1GunLover61]

I have a 36 that I am not sure has ever been shot before. I have had it for over 4 years and know that it hasn't been shot during that time and it was purchased new. I decided to shoot about 50 rounds yesterday and the second or third pull of the trigger I had a failure to eject. I cleared it and went on. Then another, and another and a fourth and by then I was concerned.

Any thoughts on what I need to consider with this gun?

 

[smokey45]

Did you clean and lube it before firing?
s45

 

[cowboywannabe]

you will find many here have had 0 issues with their G36, while others have had nothing but problems.

many questions or causes will be attributed to your gun's malfunctions such as:

limp wrist, bad ammo, poor cleaning or maintenance, and a slew of other causes except that the gun is a lemon.

 

[rowdy115]

Lubricate it and then try some hotter ammo (assuming the malfunctions were coming from shooting range ammo). See if it does it with 50 rounds of defensive JHP rounds. Perhaps the gun is stiff from not being shot much and not broke in yet. If it runs fine on the hot stuff, try leaving the slide locked open over night on it also to help break in the recoil spring assembly.

I had a G36 before and it always ran great for me. Mine was bought new summer of 2014. I only sold it recently cause I'm fickle and wanted something else. Gun was fine though through about 500-600 rounds. Hope that helps.

 

[English]

you will find may here have had 0 issues with their G36, while others have had nothing but problems.

many questions or causes will be attributed to your gun's malfunctions such as:

limp wrist, bad ammo, poor cleaning or maintenance, and a slew of other causes except that the gun is a lemon.

The only thing to add to that, on the experience of others, is that Glock will say send it back to them, they will fire two shots and say there is nothing wrong with it. They will continue with this ad infinitum unless you take them to court with videos showing that you are not limp wristing and that the gun fails to eject or feed every few rounds.

I think Glock managed to engineer these strange malfunctions into the G36 before they did so with other models. There is nothing like learning from your mistakes and then repeating them.

I should also add that you are likely to spend more than the value of the G36 on the various ammo recommendations you are likely to receive which are supposed to cure the problem. When someone tells you to try something different, keep reminding yourself that a combat pistol should fire anything within reasonable spec. In fact, the G17 was originally designed to do precisely that on the basis that in time of war the manufacturing quality of ammunition was likely to fall.

English

 

[mbjku]

I am reading same issues about Glocks over and over... Anyway, besides Glock's are a bit finicky on ammo (known) you might need to properly clean and lube this stored for long pistol before shooting.

 

[cowboywannabe]

The only thing to add to that, on the experience of others, is that Glock will say send it back to them, they will fire two shots and say there is nothing wrong with it. They will continue with this ad infinitum unless you take them to court with videos showing that you are not limp wristing and that the gun fails to eject or feed every few rounds.

I think Glock managed to engineer these strange malfunctions into the G36 before they did so with other models. There is nothing like learning from your mistakes and then repeating them.

I should also add that you are likely to spend more than the value of the G36 on the various ammo recommendations you are likely to receive which are supposed to cure the problem. When someone tells you to try something different, keep reminding yourself that a combat pistol should fire anything within reasonable spec. In fact, the G17 was originally designed to do precisely that on the basis that in time of war the manufacturing quality of ammunition was likely to fall.

English

precisely. if a self defense gun does not work reliably with a broad range of standard factory ammo, it is NOT a self defense gun.

good comment!

 

[1GunLover61]

Thanks for the good suggestions. I don't think that I am limp wristing, but will clean and lube the gun and try some different ammo. This is just so different than my revently purchased gen 3 Glock 17!!!

 

[harold63]

Thanks for the good suggestions. I don't think that I am limp wristing, but will clean and lube the gun and try some different ammo. This is just so different than my revently purchased gen 3 Glock 17!!!

Take the cleaning and limp wristing seriously. 4 year old lube has a way of gumming up an extractor enough that it will not close and regrip the next round like it is supposed to. Also, the 36 is not as forgiving as a 17. There is much less grip to hold on to and you're shooting huge, lower pressure rounds. This gun has a shorter barrel and needs to fully cycle to spit the case out and pick up the next one. You need to be sure you're controlling the muzzle. I wouldn't even bother trying a different ammo until you rule these two things out, first.

FWIW, if your clean and lubed G36 won't run on WWB 230 gr ball, and you're sure you're gripping it, correctly, it may be time to let someone look at it, or at least, someone else shoot it and see if they get the same results.

 

[harold63]

The only thing to add to that, on the experience of others,

Here's my cue to go to the next post.

 

[Hoot1]

Take the cleaning and limp wristing seriously. 4 year old lube has a way of gumming up an extractor enough that it will not close and regrip the next round like it is supposed to. Also, the 36 is not as forgiving as a 17. There is much less grip to hold on to and you're shooting huge, lower pressure rounds. This gun has a shorter barrel and needs to fully cycle to spit the case out and pick up the next one. You need to be sure you're controlling the muzzle. I wouldn't even bother trying a different ammo until you rule these two things out, first.

FWIW, if your clean and lubed G36 won't run on WWB 230 gr ball, and you're sure you're gripping it, correctly, it may be time to let someone look at it, or at least, someone else shoot it and see if they get the same results.

Now, that was an excellent answer. And chances are, the former will identify the problem, rather than the latter.

 

[mrsurfboard]

Small 45s aren't for everyone. Some people have trouble shooting them.

 

[cowboywannabe]

Small 45s aren't for everyone. So people have trouble shooting them.

I wonder if its the gun's grip that causes this? I've seen guys shoot RIA compacts and kimber CDPs flawlessly but have a G36 fail to extract properly.

 

[English]

Take the cleaning and limp wristing seriously. 4 year old lube has a way of gumming up an extractor enough that it will not close and regrip the next round like it is supposed to. Also, the 36 is not as forgiving as a 17. There is much less grip to hold on to and you're shooting huge, lower pressure rounds. This gun has a shorter barrel and needs to fully cycle to spit the case out and pick up the next one. You need to be sure you're controlling the muzzle. I wouldn't even bother trying a different ammo until you rule these two things out, first.

FWIW, if your clean and lubed G36 won't run on WWB 230 gr ball, and you're sure you're gripping it, correctly, it may be time to let someone look at it, or at least, someone else shoot it and see if they get the same results.

So you mean that the heavy recoil from the "huge, lower pressure rounds" is insufficient to operate the action. That is certainly an interesting concept.

English

 

[smokey45]

I wonder if its the gun's grip that causes this? I've seen guys shoot RIA compacts and kimber CDPs flawlessly but have a G36 fail to extract properly.

Metal frame pistols have less flex and tend to be more forgiving of less than good technique.
s45

 

[fastbolt]

I'm inclined to agree with the comments of 1911toGlock & mrsurfboard.

I've seen all manner of folks experience some occasional issues when shooting smaller & lighter .45's, both metal & plastic-framed models.

Generally, as an instructor and an armorer, I can't really disagree with the oft-heard observation that as .45's become smaller & lighter, they can become less tolerant of both shooter & ammunition influences.

Shorter slide travel, reduced slide mass, recoil spring assemblies using shorter & heavier (and often double) springs can all potentially add to the issues a shooter may experience which could contribute to a less-than-ideal shooting experience, too.

Now, start using ammo that's at either the under or over-powered end of the normal range, and then consider a lighter, overall weight ... but with the same "dwell time" of felt recoil produced by the .45 ACP (more "push" than "snap") ... and things can become interesting, and maybe not in a preferable manner.

I've used my fair share of budget line 230gr ball loads that exhibited some varying felt recoil and muzzle blast signatures. While that may not be enough to create problems for an experienced .45 ACP shooter, a lesser experienced shooter ... especially using a smaller .45 with which they may have even less experience ... may find the added budget ammo factor just enough to potentially add to some shooting/functioning issues.

If some G36 owner told me that he/she was having some functioning issues with a G36 he/she hadn't shot in 4 years, and he/she only shot a larger 9mm normally, I'd probably test-fire and examine the G36 for myself ... and then focus on identifying and resolving whatever "shooter" issues may be involved.

Also, I tend to stick to using major brands of American made ammo in my own guns. I've used some foreign made 230gr ball loads in some .45's, and while I remember a couple of them running normally, I also remember a couple others offering some variable felt recoil & muzzle blast from within the same 50-rd boxes. The last time some of our SWAT guys came back from an outside school and complained of repeated feeding & functioning issues in some well-made 1911's, it had involved a budget ball load that wasn't made by one of the big American brands. A change of ammo resulted in normal feeding & functioning.

Oddly enough, at about the same time, I'd been told by another instructor at another agency of some similar functioning issues he'd been experiencing with his agency's G21's, using the same brand of imported budget ball ammo. Surprise ...

You can always find a Glock armorer to inspect your neglected G36. Might be even better if your range had an armorer in attendance, so he/she could test-fire your G36 for themselves, and then observe you shoot the G36.

Just my thoughts.

 

[harold63]

So you mean that the heavy recoil from the "huge, lower pressure rounds" is insufficient to operate the action. That is certainly an interesting concept.

English

The G36 doesn't have heavy recoil. That was my point.

 

[1GunLover61]

Update: Today I field stripped the 36 and cleaned and lubed it properly and went back to the range and ran 6 clips through with no problems at all. I did make sure that my grip was firm too. Seems to be okay!

 

[harold63]

Update: Today I field stripped the 36 and cleaned and lubed it properly and went back to the range and ran 6 clips through with no problems at all. I did make sure that my grip was firm too. Seems to be okay!

Glad it worked out. Nothing more frustrating than a gun that doesn't work right. :wavey:

 

[Bamashooter2]

I had the same issues with my G36 when I first shot it. Came to GT to research the problem. Thought no way it was a grip problem! I EDC a G27 and have shot thousands of rounds with it. My mind said the .40 would have to be held at least as firmly as the .45! Wrong! After getting a firmer grip on the G36 she has performed flawlessly for me even with light reloads. Of course this was only my personal experience with my gun. Enjoy an excellent gun.