Are Glocks safe?

[foggbird]

I have a G19 and a long barreled G17 and like them both. I don't carry either one because the trigger is far too light. The trigger pull on both is about as light as the pull on my S & W revolvers when cocked. I wouldn't eve consider carrying a cocked revolver no matter what holster was used. I also have arthritis in my fingers and hands, and I don't want to be juggling a Glock while making a draw in an emergency situation. My 638, 12 or Charter .44 do just fine for me.

 

[adams484]

That Glock has the same safety mechanism your J Frame does.

Has anyone ever pulled the trigger on a semi-auto with a safety by accident or mistake? And then said, “Whew …. That was close!”

No sir I have not. Every time I have pulled the trigger on a firearm I expect a bang except when dropping the hammer on an empty chamber. And that sir is where people screw up.

 

[adams484]

Too many people equate manual safety to safe...

That Glock has the same safety mechanism your J Frame does.

Has anyone ever pulled the trigger on a semi-auto with a safety by accident or mistake? And then said, “Whew …. That was close!”

No sir I have not. Every time I have pulled the trigger on a firearm I expect a bang except when dropping the hammer on an empty chamber. And that sir is where people screw up.

 

[HEADKNOCKER]

"Are Glocks Safe?"
I carried a Glock 19 for many years that I got in the mid/late 80s
As Long as the trigger guard is covered when you carry & you practice trigger discipline you are good to go with the Glock or other striker fired pistols made by many other companies including S&W, My Shield, EZ & SD9 for instance
In fact that goes for ANY Firearm with a hammer or not
Here's My Upcoming Glock 19X

 

[alwslate]

You can shoot yourself in the leg with ANY gun if you are careless enough. I know two guys who managed to do so. One was practicing his fast draw with a normally safe gun, the old Savage single shot gun that looks like a single action revolver. The other made a common mistake, drawing a striker fired, cocked and loaded .25 auto from his jeans pocket.

 

[Darkenfast]

I will add my two cents here, long ago maybe 50 years I was going off duty and at my locker( I was carrying my Smith & Wesson Model 39 ) and just taking off my gunbelt when my Lieutenant who had his locker across from me when I heard a bang and the door of my locker which was open and hit with a richochet and the bullet struck me on my tieclasp very lightly and wound up in my hand, and as I turned to him he had a ragged hole down his trousers and a big chunk taken out of his right shoe at the heel. I turned to him shaking as I did so and asked him if this bullet in my hand was his and he stated "yes" as I handed it to him and asked him what had happened and he related that his New carry was a Glock. He is a veteran shooter and I could not believe he had an accidental discharge . He then stated that he was taking it out of his holster and it went off . He then with hands trembling ejected the magazine, pulled the slide back and ejected the round in the chamber, locking the slide back, I asked him if he had any injury and he said no, mean while a whole bunch of our fellow officers came down the stairs and asked what ha happened, well to conclude he had to fill our a form about and accidental discharge and told me later he brought back that Glock to where he bought it and instead bought a Model 39 like mine. Glocks are not safe no matter what anyone says , I know it takes training training and more training but still I will never want one or shoot one ever.

Presumably, an investigation showed that the Glock fired itself, right? As opposed to a finger or holster strap on the trigger somehow activating it as it was drawn? Also, I'm kind of curious how you've been dead set against Glocks since that incident "maybe 50 years" ago when the pistol was introduced in Austria 39 years ago and first imported into the U.S. in 1986 (35 years ago).

 

[Jessie]

And think about for a second. There’s only one way his Glock could have fired when he withdrew it from his holster…..his finger was on the trigger.
Not the guns’ fault.
Another negligent, not accidental, discharge.

 

[CMudrock]

I won't own any of the striker fired plastic fatties. My compact, thin steel 9x18mm pistols are DA/SA, Safe to carry with a HP round chambered & fit varying size pockets. Both Super Accurate & Reliable. See Photos.

(Russian Makarov - in Israeli Ergonomic- Magazine Button, Grips)
(Polish P64 mini-Makarov)

 

[rosewood]

I've always liked DA/SA Sigs for that purpose. YMMV.

What about 3rd Gen S&Ws? I really like the DA/SA on them myself. I do like Sigs also.

Rosewood

 

[Dirtman]

Both have their uses.

Buy the Glock and keep the J frame. Use them for different occasions.
I have a S & W 442 with a Crimson Trace laser light that I carry sometimes and a S & W 40 cal. Shield for other occasions.
My Shield is also my nightly TV companion.
I just bought another Shield. It is a S & W 9mm Performance Center with manual safety. I haven't shot it yet but I have done considerable dry firing and fondling. The P. C. grip safety is awful! Maybe I will get used to it when I get around to actually firing it.

 

[rosewood]

One thing about the striker fired, I am adamant about keeping them in a holster at all times when loaded. That trigger has to be protected. With a double/single with safety, I don't mind storing the gun on top of the dresser or what not without it being in a holster. I carry my da/sa with it off safe, but anytime it is out of the holster and not being used, the safety is on. Just feels better that way. You don't have to worry as much about picking it up and catching the trigger on something when it has a manual safety turned on.

That being said, I have carried both over the years and have settled on the 3913 as my all time favorite.

Rosewood

 

[CH4]

Glock 26. Perhaps the finest all around pistol I have ever carried. Accurate, reliable, easy to conceal. Truth on the holster issue. I prefer an OWB and this specimen by Sam Andrews is one of the best you can have on your side.

And your selection of mags with capacities ranging from 10-33 rounds is very cool.

 

[crazyphil]

Are Glocks safe? That kinda depends on what end of the Glock you are on,
doesn't it? I thought it safe enough to give my only Glock, a Model 22 .40
caliber, to my granddaughter who liked it.

 

[adwjc]

I will add my two cents here, long ago maybe 50 years I was going off duty and at my locker( I was carrying my Smith & Wesson Model 39 ) and just taking off my gunbelt when my Lieutenant who had his locker across from me when I heard a bang and the door of my locker which was open and hit with a richochet and the bullet struck me on my tieclasp very lightly and wound up in my hand, and as I turned to him he had a ragged hole down his trousers and a big chunk taken out of his right shoe at the heel. I turned to him shaking as I did so and asked him if this bullet in my hand was his and he stated "yes" as I handed it to him and asked him what had happened and he related that his New carry was a Glock. He is a veteran shooter and I could not believe he had an accidental discharge . He then stated that he was taking it out of his holster and it went off . He then with hands trembling ejected the magazine, pulled the slide back and ejected the round in the chamber, locking the slide back, I asked him if he had any injury and he said no, mean while a whole bunch of our fellow officers came down the stairs and asked what ha happened, well to conclude he had to fill our a form about and accidental discharge and told me later he brought back that Glock to where he bought it and instead bought a Model 39 like mine. Glocks are not safe no matter what anyone says , I know it takes training training and more training but still I will never want one or shoot one ever.

I agree with the other two posters who took issue with this post. There are too many unanswered questions here to properly make a judgement on this incident. Is Teaneck a place where a lieutenant, who is a "veteran shooter" can just go out and buy a Glock (or any other gun) and decide he is going to carry it? Did he undergo any transition training prior to carrying the Glock?

if he discharged his pistol just taking it out in the locker room, what would have happened if he ever had to draw that pistol to shoot it?

Also, why do you think the Model 39 is so safe? A user needs to be trained to properly use a Model 39, particularly how to decock after firing. We had countless boobs that were caught carrying a cocked 39 in their holster after a full week of training, and of course we had idiots holstering revolvers that were cocked too. Furthermore, the Model 39 was not drop safe, the Glock is.

 

[c.w.]

unless I missed this helpful hint in this lengthy thread, no one has suggested this...why fear an AD or ND at all...holster pocket your Glock (or other) striker fired carry gun with no round in the chamber...loaded magazine; it is called Israeli Draw...this procedure can be found online and explained better than me. Many will disagree, but it seems to be safe and sane for me.

 

[alwslate]

Carrying a Glock with no round in the chamber is carrying an unloaded gun. You are hoping that you have a chance to use both hands to load your gun in an emergency. Hope seems like a poor strategy when your life is on the line.

 

[kbm6893]

I have several striker fired weapons. 4 M&P pistols, a Ruger LC9S, and I just bought a Gen 2 Glock 19. All of them have safeties except the Glock. The Glock was bought because it is an NYPD gun from when I carried one and nostalgia got the better of me. It has the NY2 trigger, which is about 11 pounds. I might switch to the NY1 trigger which is 8 pounds. It will be a range gun only.

Strikers are lighter and smaller so they get carried, but I will never feel as comfortable handling a striker fired weapon as I do a gun with a hammer.

 

[WR Moore]

unless I missed this helpful hint in this lengthy thread, no one has suggested this...why fear an AD or ND at all...holster pocket your Glock (or other) striker fired carry gun with no round in the chamber...loaded magazine; it is called Israeli Draw...this procedure can be found online and explained better than me. Many will disagree, but it seems to be safe and sane for me.

The Israelis did this because when they became an independent nation, their armaments were the leftovers from both World Wars and what could be smuggled in during the British Mandate. There was only one way to come up with a standard practice with that wide variation of weaponry: empty chamber.

It's apparently still in practice due to tradition. Just because it's a tradition doesn't necessarily make it good idea. Just exactly what does one do if the support hand is otherwise occupied when you need a functional firearm? The world's military forces have acceptable casualty rates. What's yours?

 

[Troystat]

Maybe the answer if you do not want to use a holster is to carry it with no round in the chamber. I know that makes it very slow to use in responding to a situation.

 

[captmikem]

Some one tell me why a 1911 has 4 (FOUR) safetys and a Glock has NONE.

You are incorrect here. A Glock has THREE safeties.

1. Trigger Safety. To fire the pistol, the trigger safety AND the trigger itself must be deliberately depressed at the same time. If the trigger safety is not depressed, the trigger will not move rearwards and allow the pistol to fire.
2. Firing Pin Safety. the firing pin safety mechanically blocks the firing pin from moving forward. As the trigger is pulled rearward, the trigger bar pushes the firing pin safety up and frees the firing pin channel.
3. Drop Safety. The trigger bar engages the rear portion of the firing pin and prevents the firing pin from moving forward. As the trigger is pulled rearward the trigger bar lowers down the safety ramp and allows the release of the firing pin.

After firing, as the trigger is released, all safeties automatically reengage.