Is this an unsupported Glock Chamber?

[JJP161]

This is a picture of my Glock 22 Gen 3 RTF. Is this considered a supported or unsupported Glock chamber. I have found pictures of it saying both and honestly to me it looks the same as my Sig 229 .40. Thank-you with all the stuff I have read about the unsupported Glock chamber I want to make sure before I send any of my loads through it.

Joe

 

[David Sinko]

There is no question that the chamber of my Sig 229 DAK .40 is fully supported and the chamber of my Gen 3 Glock 35 .40 is NOT fully supported. Examined side by side there is no doubt that they are different. I guess the question that needs to be answered is how have the chambers of Sigs and Glocks changed over the years?

The chamber of my Gen 1 Glock 21 has FAR more support than does my Gen 3 Glock 21. It's clear that the chambers of the 21 have changed over the years, but I don't know about the .40 since I have only one of these.

The short answer to your question is yes, you have an unsupported chamber.

Dave Sinko

 

[Skip Sackett]

Glock 22RTF on left, M&P 40S&W on right. Do you see any difference?

 

[Maximumbob54]

And that's part of why I went with a 40c.

 

[JJP161]

Ok I see the difference now, I had just found some pictures online that were showing a bigger more obvious area indicated as unsupported and showing this one as supported. So that was where my confusion came. So how do I safely shoot reloads through a Glock or do I just not shoot reloads through a Glock? Thank-you

Joe

 

[Rule3]

Ok I see the difference now, I had just found some pictures online that were showing a bigger more obvious area indicated as unsupported and showing this one as supported. So that was where my confusion came. So how do I safely shoot reloads through a Glock or do I just not shoot reloads through a Glock? Thank-you

Joe

You can shoot reloads through a Glock, Just don't load them to Max levels. Keep an eye on your brass and look for bulging around the head area. If it does't bulge then you will not weaken that area. They sell special dies to remove the bulge but if you need that I think the brass is already weak.

Of course the easiest and worry free way is to buy an after market barrel. Then you can shoot lead and full power loads. Yes, I know some folks shoot lead out of stock barrels but they say not to.

Lone Wolf, Bar Sto barrels,

Lone wolf is a lot less $$.

http://www.lonewolfdist.com/Detail.aspx?PROD=978&CAT=238

 

[Skip Sackett]

Powder selection is K E Y to shooting reloads at maximum velocities safely from a Glock.

What causes cases to erupt in the unsupported area of a chamber? Um, pressure, right?
Sooooooo, what would I look for in powder selection when looking to load for a Glock? Um, low pressure at maximum loads!

Yep, and, if I had to suggest two powders that fit that bill, they would be SR4756 and Longshot. Now, there very well may be others. Accurate Arms #7 comes to mind, Power Pistol is another one, HS-6 might be too. VV N350, 3N37 (?) might be others, if you can find them.

Maximum velocity, lowest pressure.


There would only be one other factor in shooting a Glock that would cause a KB and that is cleanliness. You HAVE to field strip the slide and thoroughly clean it from time to time, concentrating on the firing pin mechanism.

Take a look at your data and see which ones of the ones I mention have the characteristics that I use as a guideline. YMMV BUT, if you follow my simple suggestions, I can help you from ending up with parts of your Glock embedded in your body!

 

[Titegroups]

It not that the brass isnt supported but not fully supported. And yes people reload brass fired from glocks without full support to full pressure all the time without incident including myself. And yes it would be much better to purchase a barrel that gives full chamber support that also has non-polygonal rifiling so lead can be more readily fired from it.

 

[scattershot]

Skip, I have heard for years that a Glock can fire out of battery. Can you confirm this? I've always believed that this condition is one of the "perfect storm" of conditions that lead to unintentional disassembly.

 

[Skip Sackett]

No, I cannot confirm it at all BUT, the design lends itself to it IF and that is a big word, IF, gunk and garbage get in the firing pin area and keep it from being able to move completely backward, out of harms way.

No confirmation, BUT, I personally don't think THESE Glock barrels are that dangerous. Maybe Generation 1 was but, not this UNLESS you double charged it or something.

Also, I do know how some folks clean their firearms. Quick wipe down on the outside, shooting jacketed stuff makes the inside not too bad looking so, keep on shooting.

Glocks are great weapons, tools. They just need some TLC from time to time.

 

[tappedandtagged]

No, I cannot confirm it at all BUT, the design lends itself to it IF and that is a big word, IF, gunk and garbage get in the firing pin area and keep it from being able to move completely backward, out of harms way.

No confirmation, BUT, I personally don't think THESE Glock barrels are that dangerous. Maybe Generation 1 was but, not this UNLESS you double charged it or something.

Also, I do know how some folks clean their firearms. Quick wipe down on the outside, shooting jacketed stuff makes the inside not too bad looking so, keep on shooting.

Glocks are great weapons, tools. They just need some TLC from time to time.

With an UNLOADED Glock, dry fire it and keep the trigger depressed. While depressing the trigger, shake the gun back and forth. You should be able to hear the firing pin freely moving inside. If it does not, you need to remove the back plate, take the firing pin out and clean the pin/spring as well as the firing pin channel.

I check my duty weapon in this manner each time I clean it. And I clean it each range session.

 

[Skip Sackett]

And you will be safe shooting that Tactical Tupperware for years and years and years and years and....you get the drift!

 

[shawn mccarver]

This is a picture of my Glock 22 Gen 3 RTF. Is this considered a supported or unsupported Glock chamber. I have found pictures of it saying both and honestly to me it looks the same as my Sig 229 .40. Thank-you with all the stuff I have read about the unsupported Glock chamber I want to make sure before I send any of my loads through it.

Joe

That is an unsupported chamber. I cannot say for sure that is a Glock barrel.

 

[Innovative]

Skip ......

The upper picture is a factory .40 Cal. Glock, Gen3 barrel. The lower picture is an aftermarket stainless .40 Cal. Glock barrel, made by Bar-Sto.

The factory Glock, Gen 3 barrel is unsupported. The BarSto is much better (but expensive).

If you cut-away the side of each case, you'll see that the Bar-Stow barrel essentially supports the case 100%

 

[JJP161]

Powder selection is K E Y to shooting reloads at maximum velocities safely from a Glock.

What causes cases to erupt in the unsupported area of a chamber? Um, pressure, right?
Sooooooo, what would I look for in powder selection when looking to load for a Glock? Um, low pressure at maximum loads!

Yep, and, if I had to suggest two powders that fit that bill, they would be SR4756 and Longshot. Now, there very well may be others. Accurate Arms #7 comes to mind, Power Pistol is another one, HS-6 might be too. VV N350, 3N37 (?) might be others, if you can find them.

Maximum velocity, lowest pressure.


There would only be one other factor in shooting a Glock that would cause a KB and that is cleanliness. You HAVE to field strip the slide and thoroughly clean it from time to time, concentrating on the firing pin mechanism.

Take a look at your data and see which ones of the ones I mention have the characteristics that I use as a guideline. YMMV BUT, if you follow my simple suggestions, I can help you from ending up with parts of your Glock embedded in your body!

Hi Skip,
As always thank-you very much. I will give the Longshot a try with a Hornady 180 gr FMJ-FP. I will start at the bottom and work up slowly. I may also try the Accurate Arms #7.

tappedandtagged,
Thank you I will have to add that firing pin check to my regular routine, thank you for the great tip.


Thank you everyone,
Joe

 

[JJP161]

I have reviewed the load data for Longshot with 180 gr Hornady FMJ-RN. Please keep in mind these rounds will be for my M&P .40 and my Glock 22 (gen 3). I have some conflicting information and the rounds I have tried so far haven't worked that well for me. So with concern over shooting my Glock with factory barrel and wanting to avoid any issues what Longshot Data should I use here and what is the max load I would want to shoot out of the Glock and out of the M&P? Thank-you

Hornady Reloading Manual
Longshot 4.8gr - 7.5gr @ 1.125"

Lee and Hodgdon both say
Longshot 6.5gr - 8.0gr @ 1.125"

With that in mind I have already loaded and shot 2, 15 round loads of the longshot with my M&P .40.

180 gr Hornady FMJ-RN Longshot 5.9gr @ 1.125"
180 gr Hornady FMJ-RN Longshot 6.4gr @ 1.125"

Honestly neither load worked very well. They both cycled and fired smoothly but accuracy was all over the place. So what recommendations does anyone have for me? Thank-you
Joe

 

[Skip Sackett]

Joe,
Are you the same one that was having accuracy problems with heavier bullets in your M686 with a scope?

Personally, you are using too low of a charge with too slow of a powder to get optimum performance. Up the powder charge, if you are not recoil sensitive, or change powders to one that will not give you the velocity this one does thereby causing less recoil.

You ARE NOT going to cause a problem with your Glock and Longshot powder UNLESS you stray outside of published data. Then, all bets are off. Neither of you firearms are going to give you a KB if you go to a faster powder BUT, I would stop short of going too fast. HP-38/W231 would be my cutoff for the firearms you have.
You will not get the velocity from that powder but, neither will you get the recoil either.

With that in mind, from those two firearms, what kind of accuracy are you looking for? Combat accuracy? Pie plate @ 25 yards? 1" at 25 yards?
The latter being a stretch for either firearm in the stock condition coupled with a "normal" shooter.

 

[jepp2]

Here is the Glock bulge I encounter. It is not a result of lack of support, instead it is the result of a generous chamber (that is what makes them so reliable). It is well forward of the portion of the case that lacks support for the feed ramp cut out.



The picture that follows shows the result of a round being fired out of battery.



And at last, the lack of chamber support and how it appears on the case after firing.

 

[JJP161]

Hi Jepp2,
Thank-you for sharing the great pictures. For a newbie that is a big help.

 

[JJP161]

Joe,
Are you the same one that was having accuracy problems with heavier bullets in your M686 with a scope?

Personally, you are using too low of a charge with too slow of a powder to get optimum performance. Up the powder charge, if you are not recoil sensitive, or change powders to one that will not give you the velocity this one does thereby causing less recoil.

You ARE NOT going to cause a problem with your Glock and Longshot powder UNLESS you stray outside of published data. Then, all bets are off. Neither of you firearms are going to give you a KB if you go to a faster powder BUT, I would stop short of going too fast. HP-38/W231 would be my cutoff for the firearms you have.
You will not get the velocity from that powder but, neither will you get the recoil either.

With that in mind, from those two firearms, what kind of accuracy are you looking for? Combat accuracy? Pie plate @ 25 yards? 1" at 25 yards?
The latter being a stretch for either firearm in the stock condition coupled with a "normal" shooter.

Hi Skip,

That was not me with the M686, I'm the newbie with the 45 acp and the SR1911. I'm not sensitive to recoil, I actually want a round that will perform as close to possible as my duty rounds, Winchester Rangers, 180 gr JHP. I only started with those loads because that was the starting grains in my Hornady Manual, with a max of only 7.5 where Lee and Hodgdon but say 8.0 gr.

Hornady Reloading Manual
Longshot 4.8gr - 7.5gr @ 1.125"

Lee and Hodgdon both say
Longshot 6.5gr - 8.0gr @ 1.125"

I currently have Longshot, HP-38, Accurate #7 and some Unique. So I am open to trying HP-38 or AA #7 I just want to make sure I don't have any issues after hearing so many stories about KBs with .40 S&W Glocks.

As for accuracy I would like 2-3" groups at 25 yards.

Thank-you,
Joe