The Firearms Forum banner

Glock .40

1K views 3 replies 4 participants last post by  ral357 
#1 ·
I've heard from a couple of different sources that Glock .40 pistols were not built for the cartridge, but simply a redesign of their existing 9mm. The claim is that because of this, Glock .40s tend to wear faster than guns of the same caliber from manufacturers that built their guns around the cartridge. Glock enthusiasts - is this true? If so, does this also apply to their 10mm (was it purpose built or simply a redesigned .45)? If not, why does this "rumor" keep cropping up?
 
#3 ·
A lot of .40 S&W pistols are put up on guns that were originally designed for the 9MM. The .40 S&W is small enough to fit nicely in these guns with a slight reduction in magazine capacity. The .45 GAP (Glock automatic pistol) will also fit in a lot of 9MM sized pistols, again with a reduction in magazine capacity. IMHO the "rumor" about Glocks wearing out faster as a result of the .40 being put into a "too small package" is a product of the "I hate plastic guns crowd".
When Glocks first hit the market, the gun writers were saying they would be totally worn out by the time they've gone through about 5000 rounds of ammo. The comparison was made to the 1911, some of which have digested a half a million rounds of ammo and more. Since the original stories appeared, I've heard of Glocks having digested over 20,000 rounds of ammo and still not showing signs of wearing out.
 
#4 ·
The recoil impulse of the 40 is heavier than the 9. If all factors are the same with only caliber difference between two guns it's unrealistic to expect the gun firing the heavier recoiling round to hold up as well as the one utilizing the less punishing round. How much quicker the wear will be........depends on many factors but physics cannot be denied.
A good example is the Kel Tec Sub 2000 available in 9mms and 40. The rate of failure is higher in the 40 s @ w ones. Cracks are common, many users adding extra heavy bolts among other steps trying to mitigate the accelerated wear. No I am not saying Kel Tecs are on the same level quality wise as Gluck, it's just a good example that illustrates the increase in wear of the 40 over the 9.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top