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Glock 19 Gen 3 (from 2008) Erratic Extraction

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  • commandernavi

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    I bought a lightly used Glock 19 Gen 3 FDE built in around 2007-2008. It has only had 550 or so rounds through it according to the owner and I bought it naively believing that I would be avoiding all the recent Gen 4 G19 issues in so doing. Seems I was wrong.

    I shot it yesterday and got a ton of brass to the face and some of the cases even ejected to the left. I didn't have any failures, but the ejection wasn't super great so I am worried that failure is just a matter of time.

    The Glock looks in VERY good shape and I put several different types of ammo through it (all brass-cased and light 115 gr ammo). I have shot other pistols and never had the same problems so unless Glocks demand a special firm grip to work properly, this isn't it.

    I heard that BTF is a common issue for ALL Glocks and there isn't a single way to fix it. I am worried about trusting my life to it now and am really upset since I saved a long time for it and thought the Glock is the ultimate overall reliable handgun. :(

    Several questions:

    1) What should I do now?
    2) Will Glock service it?
    3) Does erratic ejection lead to failures?

    I'm a student with limited funds so replacing parts until it works isn't a great option.
    Lynx Defense
     

    country_boy

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    I run a gen 4 19 bought it new last month have 400 rds so far shoots fine, all the gen 4 issues were resolved years ago, not getting into a gen 4 discussion..
    What ammo are you using? Gen 1-3 are the same.


    Id call glock see what they will do, Im not a glock armorer but, could be a bad extractor
     
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    Dawico

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    Tear every part out of it and clean it. Little brass shavings or other debrit may be the culprit. Also make sure the ejector isn't bent or damaged (the pointy part that sticks up out of the lower).

    Cheapest and easiest place to start.
     

    London

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    There was a certain model extractor that did this. Call up Glock and see if you have it. BTF is not a common problem with all Glocks.
     

    SIG_Fiend

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    Weak/inconsistent extraction/ejection is a problem that most 9mm Glocks have of all generations. It has to do with the geometry and location of the components involved in extraction/ejection in relation to the shell, in relation to the ejection port sidewall. Basically, the simple explanation is that most 9mm Glocks function relatively fine, which is enough that most people never realize these guns are kind of on the ragged edge of proper extraction and ejection function. In many cases, the extractor actually momentarily loses grip of the shell, or at least slightly loses grip. Also, the ejection port sidewall that is lowered is a bit too high in relation to the position of the shell, extractor, and ejector, and has a bit too steep of a bevel. The angle of ejection sometimes causes the shell to slam in to the lowered port wall, causing the shell to bounce upwards significantly. This can sometimes be seen as a shell ejecting up and over you, in to the face, over the shoulder, or barely ejecting a foot or two away. Solid ejection in ANY gun from any manufacturer is going to have the shell flying at least a good 5-7 feet away.

    With gen 4 and later gen 3 models, there have been a number of different iterations of the ejector as well as the extractor. IIRC, I believe some people actually found that in some malfunctioning Glocks, the actual extractor cutout in the slide was not to spec, disallowing the extractor from achieving a proper grip on the shell. Glock also moved to a MIM extractor versus the previous machined extractor that was used for the longest time. While MIM can be done right, in this case there have been many people that have found them to have flashing and other production irregularities.

    For a gen 4 that is malfunctioning like that, first thing to check is the ejector. Is it the 30274 ejector (the number is stamped on the side)? If not, it's advisable to buy a new gen 4 trigger housing (~$12 at most places), as it will come with the 30274 (just confirm that number with whoever you buy from), as that ejector has been found to help some malfunctioning G4's.

    Also, in some guns, swapping the extractor spring loaded bearing out for the #SP01176 factory non-LCI version can sometimes help improve tension on the extractor.

    Worst case, the Apex Tactical extractors have helped a number of people fix the problem. They are $60 though, and some people have even found that with the Apex version they've actually had to do some very minor filing on a locator pad on the extractor to finally get it to achieve proper function. Commandernavi, if you ever happen to be in the Austin area, let me know, as I have a couple Apex gen 4 extractors I'm not using. I'd be more than happy to meet you at a range if you wanted to try it out and see if that fixes it, instead of taking a $60 gamble.
     

    SIG_Fiend

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    Almost forgot, here's a really good slow motion visual of what I described above, to really put things in perspective:

     

    commandernavi

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    SIG_Fiend, thank you so much for the good response and the offer! I am unfortunately in the Houston area and almost never head up to Austin, but if I do before the problem gets resolved, I will definitely take you up on it. Since my Glock is an older Gen 3, does that mean that I can't use the newer Gen 4 ejector, or is it still something that I can change out? Also, since it is a 2007-2008 model, the extractor isn't MIM so I am not sure whether I should replace it nor whether I even can replace it. Any thoughts?
     

    SIG_Fiend

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    Yep, the newer 30274 ejector will work in the gen 3's. I even tried one in my gen 2, and it actually made things worse. ;)

    To be sure whether yours is the extractor I'm talking about, basically all of the new ones with the MIM extractor have a "dip" in the side of them, versus being perfectly rectangular (if looking at the side of the gun) like the older machined extractors. Here's a good thread with photos:

    Dip vs non Dip Extractor photos - Glock Talk

    All the different extractor versions will work in any generation.
     

    commandernavi

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    Hmmmm. I didn't realize there would be much of a difference from those different geometries. I am also not sure whether my extractor has a good-looking edge to it.
     

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    commandernavi

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    Interesting. I just looked at some pics I took and the extractor looks different from either of the two. Mine is a lot lighter (gray) vs. black. Is this an even older version?

    Sorry about the poor picture quality as well. It was difficult to take a good in-focus shot and then I cropped them very poorly. :S
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