OK, let me get this out of the way right off the bat. I carry a Glock pistol during about 95% of my waking hours. My police duty gun was either a Glock 21 or a Glock 17. A Glock 26 or a Glock 19 in 9mm are constant companions in my off-duty hours. I like Glock pistols. But are they perfect? Not a chance.
I’ve broken almost every Glock I’ve ever owned. No manufacturer is immune from this reality: If you shoot the gun enough, it will break. A gun is a mechanical device and it can fail at any time. I liken it to a car. Even if you buy the best car in the world, eventually it will break down.
I’ve been a factory-certified Glock armorer since 1997. In my job as training officer at the police department, I inspected and maintained more than 75 Glock pistols carried by my officers. I also taught at one of the largest shooting schools in the country, seeing hundreds more Glock pistols in my students’ hands each year. I’ve seen Glock pistols break in every conceivable manner. Don’t tell me “Mine has never broken!” That’s because you don’t shoot it enough. Put 10,000 rounds or more a year through a single pistol and see what happens.
Yes, they will break. But one of the reasons why I like the Glock so much is that they are easy to fix. Many of the common parts breakages can actually be prevented with some routine maintenance. In this article, I’m going to explain what parts I see break most often, and what you can do to either prevent or fix the breakages and get your gun up and running again.
