Glock 42 Really Hard to rack the slide

[Ronald_55]

One of the guns I got recently from an online auction is a Glock 42 .380. I bought it with a couple others because I wanted to try a Glock and the price was really good. Already had a .380 so ammo was already in stock at the house. It came with the box, test fire envelope, lock (wrong keys though..ooops lol), and one mag with Pearce mag grip extension. Looks totally new and was oiled really well. I am guessing was a backup gun maybe but no info from the source as to history. The only issue I have so far is that the slide is HARD to rack. I am not a weak guy and I have to work at it so much that I might not get the slide fully racked the first time. I can rack my other medium to small size semis just fine. Some are almost new and some are pretty worn in. 

Anyone else have this? Any chance maybe the previous owner swapped a spring out? Maybe all Glocks are this hard until broken in? Never had one before.

 

Thanks in advance for the input.

[gjohnsoniv]

Any kind of aftermarket back plate? 

[Ronald_55]

8 minutes ago, gjohnsoniv said:

Any kind of aftermarket back plate? 

Not that is obvious. I will have to look closer at home.

[monkeylizard]

That's not normal for Glocks. I don't find any of mine to be any harder to rack than any other semi-auto pistola.

[gjohnsoniv]

Only time my 43 has been hard was with one of those Clip It backplates, jammed it up like no other. 

If you can, you might also try disassembling it to make sure everything is where it should be. 

[Dane]

Too much oil on it.  Strip it down, dry it up and follow Glocks recommended 4 or 5 drips of oil. 

[Ronald_55]

Ok guys. Thanks for the advise. I will disassemble it tonight (hopefully) to look at the back plate and dry it up. The manual is in there so it should show me, but I will grab a look at Youtube on it too. Hopefully one of these is all it is.

[Garufa]

36 minutes ago, Dane said:

Too much oil on it.  Strip it down, dry it up and follow Glocks recommended 4 or 5 drips of oil. 

I can't wrap my head around that.  How would too much oil make it difficult to rack the slide unless the slide is coated in the stuff and you simply can't grab on to it?

[peejman]

I'd guess a "reduced recoil" spring set, improperly installed spring/guide rod,  or bent/damaged guide rod. 

[Dane]

25 minutes ago, Garufa said:

I can't wrap my head around that.  How would too much oil make it difficult to rack the slide unless the slide is coated in the stuff and you simply can't grab on to it?

I know.  But I have seen too much oil causing various Glock issues. 

[Ronald_55]

 

20 minutes ago, Garufa said:

I can't wrap my head around that.  How would too much oil make it difficult to rack the slide unless the slide is coated in the stuff and you simply can't grab on to it?

No idea, but I have seen seen some things cause problems that they never should have in other guns.

2 minutes ago, peejman said:

I'd guess a "reduced recoil" spring set, improperly installed spring/guide rod,  or bent/damaged guide rod. 

All in all, I guess I need to disassemble this anyway. For practice and to fix it. If I am still clueless, I will post pics. Hopefully the issue will jump out at me though (and hopefully that is not a spring flying across the room). Hoping if anything is damaged that it is not a ton to fix, but we will see.

[sybo]

Too much oil.................really........... messy maybe.....vapor lock? Lol

I've seen firing pin issues with soft primer strikes, but hard to rack a slide........

Edited March 15, 2017 by sybo

[peejman]

I saw too much oil gum up firing pin channels and result in light primer strikes in cold weather. It was 29 deg when we started the shooting portion of my HCP class. Two Sigs were DOA, one being the girl standing next to me. 

[Ronald_55]

Well I disassembled this last night quickly due to little time. I did not get to take any pics. Any way to know if the springs are the "reduced recoil" spring set? I did not see anything bent that I could tell and it was not full of oil inside. The backplate seems to match what I see online, though that is hard to tell. Anyone got a 42 that they can snap a backplate pic? Just to be sure.

I know I still need to clean it to make sure it is not the lube...just in case.

[chances R]

 

drop by a local gun shop and compare

[Ronald_55]

39 minutes ago, chances R said:

 

drop by a local gun shop and compare

Actually plan to do that over lunch today if work cooperates. I need to pickup something there anyway.

[Garufa]

What news?

[TNWNGR]

Does the Glock 42 uses a heavier recoil spring assembly to compensate for its slide mass? I realize that its a locked breach design but its RSA has to be strong enough to do a number of things during the firing cycle. That makes for a pretty stout hand cycling or chambering sequence.

[sybo]

I want to know the outcome of this thread.

[Old Man]

I recently bought my wife a glock 42 and she has a heck of a time racking the slide.  It is definitely harder than her Sig P238.

[Ronald_55]

Sorry to hold you guys in suspense. Work has made me crazy lately. I did get to handle one in a store and it seemed easier to rack than mine. Unfortunately, it was too busy in the shop to pop the slide off to compare to the spring I have in mine (no idea if I could visually tell the difference anyway). That is as far as I have been able to go with the 12 to 14 hour days at work. I still plan to strip it and clean it totally. Not sure if that will end up making any difference.

[Mamba]

For every solution there is a problem...or something like that. 

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2015/07/15/vickers-tactical-slide-racker-for-glock-42/

 

[mikegideon]

I bought my 42 new, and it broke. I forget the details, but it wasn't something I could fix. I sent it to Glock and they fixed it. I am not Glock shy either. I have six of them, and have taken them all the way down (striker disassembly, etc.). Mine had a failed part. It worked fine for a little while, and then stopped. They put some new parts in it and it's fine.

Call 'em up.

[SteveDude]

I inherited a Glock 42 that has the same problem. Anyone ever find a solution for it?

[DWARREN123]

Got a gen5 Glock 19 and it is hard to rack the slide. I figure some rounds thru it will loosen it up some..