Glock 36 / reliability issues?

[wareagle]

Guys: I've been trying to locate a used G 26, but keep finding nice G 36s. I really like the size and caliber., but the recent discussions on glocktalk about g36 relaibility make me a bit nervous about picking one up.

ANyone have any experience w/ the 36? If so, what's your take on realiablitly and CCW viability?

Thanks

[Guest GlocKingTN]

I would suggest asking DeeZee! He seems to be up to date on the Glocks! Try PM'ing him. He should be able to help you with that issue!

[Guest 10secL]

Ive got the 36. Love it. Bought it from a member here about a year ago. Shot 400 rounds through it so far without fail. Very, very easy to conceal and its a .45!

[wareagle]

Thats kind of what I figured. If you read too much on the internet, you start finding a lot of issues with FTEs withe the 36.

I really like the slim profile and the .45 caliber.

[Guest 10secL]

First time i shot a glock at the range was last year with this gun. I stovepiped 2 casings and coudnt figure out what was going on. Finally after talking with a few, and this being my first Glock. I figured out that I was "limp wristing" it the time the jam occured. Locked my wrist from there on out and there was no issues at all. Love the gun, and like you said the best feature is it being slim line.

I have an inexpensive Fobus holster. Long shirt and noone is the wiser that you are carrying. Recently I bought the Pierce +1 clip extensions. Even with the extended clip there is little chance of anyone seeing the gun.

I am thinking of getting the g30 as my next piece. Could have got a smokin' deal on one a few months ago but backed out in favor of an HK. Never went through with the buy and regretting the hell out of missing out.

Keith

[Marswolf]

My guess would be limp wristing. I've seen a LEO with his new G23 have this problem. Only happened when he shot it, not when I did or a LE buddy of mine shot it. A few minutes working with the guy "fixed the gun".

Glocks will stovepipe if you limp wrist. The solution is to not limp wrist.

[edit] Oh, I didn't answer the question.

ANyone have any experience w/ the 36? If so, what's your take on realiablitly and CCW viability?

The G36 is reliable, but I don't like any Glock for ccw. (You can all pile on now)

[James Yeager]

10secL,

When you added the magazine extender you increased your chances of malfunctions by 1000%. The problem is that extender didn't come with a longer magazine spring and the factory mag spring isn't long enough. YES it will work MOST of the time but you have sacrificed all of your rounds to get one more bullet. Engineers build guns and we somehow think we can change weights, angles, and springs tensions and the guns will just keep on working.

They won't.

[James Yeager]

The G36 is reliable, but I don't like any Glock for ccw. (You can all pile on now)

No pile ons at all. I have found that many inexperienced shooters are scared away by Glocks. It is a normal reaction for folks with little confidence to attach their fears to the equipment rather than their own inabilities and lack of knowledge.

[molonlabetn]

No pile ons at all. I have found that many inexperienced shooters are scared away by Glocks. It is a normal reaction for folks with little confidence to attach their fears to the equipment rather than their own inabilities and lack of knowledge.

The reasons that I don't carry a Glock are not ignorance, incompetence, fear or inexperience...

Simply personal preference.

Most of the new shooters whom I have known actually want a Glock initially, simply because the brand is a household name due to media exposure or vague opinion, and haven't been exposed to other options yet. So, I get them to rent & try one... then I hand them one of my XDs, Sigs or 1911, and with one more noticeably, usually their groups improve or they express greater comfort or control. Preference between handgun makes is an acquired taste... different people are in-expicably more naturally suited by certain characteristics and ergonomics... training simply makes a person more comfortable with their capabilities, regardless of the specific tools used.

[Marswolf]

I'm with you molonlabetn. I prefer something else.

What I find is that more experienced shooters just want something better than a Glock.

[Woody]

No pile ons at all. I have found that many inexperienced shooters are scared away by Glocks. It is a normal reaction for folks with little confidence to attach their fears to the equipment rather than their own inabilities and lack of knowledge.

Well said...

[James Yeager]

The reasons that I don't carry a Glock are not ignorance, incompetence, fear or inexperience...

Simply personal preference.

Most of the new shooters whom I have known actually want a Glock initially, simply because the brand is a household name due to media exposure or vague opinion, and haven't been exposed to other options yet. So, I get them to rent & try one... then I hand them one of my XDs, Sigs or 1911, and with one more noticeably, usually their groups improve or they express greater comfort or control. Preference between handgun makes is an acquired taste... different people are in-expicably more naturally suited by certain characteristics and ergonomics... training simply makes a person more comfortable with their capabilities, regardless of the specific tools used.

I teach people to shoot nearly every day of the year. Glocks are more simple to use and are easier to teach. Less buttons and levers make the learning curve easier. Your dislike of Glocks and preference for Sigs and 1911s is a Freudian steer where you are pressing your likes and dislikes onto the shooter. This is why mental health professionals must be undergo therapy to keep from putting their issues onto their patients.

Firearms trainers should too.

[James Yeager]

I'm with you molonlabetn. I prefer something else.

What I find is that more experienced shooters just want something better than a Glock.

More experienced? Really? More experienced than whom?

"Something better than a Glock"? Is there someone here who would like to have a shooting contest against me with my factory Glock 19 with XS Sights?

[molonlabetn]

I teach people to shoot nearly every day of the year. Glocks are more simple to use and are easier to teach. Less buttons and levers make the learning curve easier. Your dislike of Glocks and preference for Sigs and 1911s is a Freudian steer where you are pressing your likes and dislikes onto the shooter. This is why mental health professionals must be undergo therapy to keep from putting their issues onto their patients.

Firearms trainers should too.

Not to be argumentative, since I do respect that you deal with training issues regularly on a professional basis; but it seems to me that the singular nature of your bias towards Glock IS exactly what you are accusing me of...

The few chances I have had the opportunity to help someone find what works for them, I did NOT try to steer them away from Glocks... but simply allowed them to make an intelligent decision with all of the facts, features and differences readily available to compare and understand. I don't dislike Glocks... I simply have no use for them when so many other models work better for me, personally, and am not ashamed to admit that when asked. I have also shot with a few folks who took to the Glock grip-angle more naturally than the other pistols... For them I bear no criticism.

If I was biased, I would never suggest to a new shooter that Glocks were suitable. The opposite of that is veritably true.

However, what you describe is like suggesting that only those vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions, ABS, and traction-control are practical for every single person and application. When, in fact, reality dictates that specific roles require specific solutions.

Regards,

[James Yeager]

Glocks and cars with automatic transmissions are both easier to use when people are shooting at you. This has nothing to do with my opinion. It is a fact.

Glocks, or any gun that doesn't have levers and switches, are more simple to operate and require less cognitive thinking diversion and this is multiplied under stress. When you retain more of your critical thinking skills you allow yourself to consider tactics and not merely the operation of the gun.

There are many levels of mastery when it concerns disciplines like shooting and defense. Many folks are "conciously competent" with their shooting. That means as long as they are thinking about it they can do it. The higher level of mastery is "unconscious competence" and this is the level you are at when you no longer have to think about your weapons manipulation. It is easier and faster to get a person to that level with a more simple design of gun.

This is not my opinion or ego. This is a scientific fact.

[Marswolf]

Well, I work on the Federal level. After about 20 years in the field and then retirement for a few years, I was asked to un-retire after 9-11. The people I deal with use SIGs, Berettas and H&Ks for handguns. We've got a lot of experience. But Glocks are certainly considered adequate for local law enforcement. And I do specialized training work with local LE that carries Glocks.

I've carried them. They are very reliable. They feed properly and go bang. With practice, they can be accurate. Shell casings extract OK as long as you don't limp wrist. They have the right combination of price, reliability using standard loads and the lack of a safety that makes them decent duty weapons. But they are not the super guns some people act like they are.

And I would never, ever, recommend them to the public for a carry handgun.

[Guest DeeZee]

Well, I work on the Federal level. After about 20 years in the field and then retirement for a few years, I was asked to un-retire after 9-11. The people I deal with use SIGs, Berettas and H&Ks for handguns. We've got a lot of experience. But Glocks are certainly considered adequate for local law enforcement. And I do specialized training work with local LE that carries Glocks.

I guess local law enforcement isn't "experienced" enough for Sigs, Berettas, and HKs huh.

I've carried them. They are very reliable. They feed properly and go bang. With practice, they can be accurate. Shell casings extract OK as long as you don't limp wrist. They have the right combination of price, reliability using standard loads and the lack of a safety that makes them decent duty weapons. But they are not the super guns some people act like they are.

You carried them, they are reliable, they feed properly and they go bang when you need them to......you forgot to add that they WONT go bang if you don't press the trigger. As for limp wristing, any auto loader is prone to limp wristing, and until you can give me some factual data stating that Glocks in any caliber are more prone to limpwristing than other brands, I'm gonna have to say that's a crock.

And I would never, ever, recommend them to the public for a carry handgun.

But you WOULD recommend a firearm with external safeties that most people would forget how to use in a time of crisis huh........hmmmmmm I still don't get that one. Even with proper training, why would you even NEED the safeties for a carry gun........maybe we shouldn't carry one in the pipe, that would make it safer huh.

[Marswolf]

But you WOULD recommend a firearm with external safeties that most people would forget how to use in a time of crisis huh

No. I recommend not using the safety and disabling it if possible. My USP is a variant 3 - decocker but no safety. I never recommend using a safety in a carry handgun. But I do recommend a gun that can be decocked and recocked and is SA/DA - or a good DAO handgun.

It doesn't have to be a Glock to get rid of the distractions. And there are better and safer choices.

[Guest RN MEDIC]

Folks, there are all sorts of guns out there, like cars, and all sorts of people with preferences. I found myself shooting better with something that I have confidence in. For you, if that's Glock, then get one and all the ball ammo you can afford. Learn you gun then get to a good quality class taught by James Yeager, Tom Givens, or someone of that quality. Carry your firearm the same way in the same holster at the same location. You can't go wrong with ANY of the good quality well made guns.

The first thing James and Tom tell people to bring to class with them is an open mind ready to listen and learn. That's all I ask for here. There is NO gun and NO gun company that hasn't had a problem with a production run of guns sooner or later. That can also happen with my preferences, but that's why you use a quality gun from a reliable dealer with a good warranty. Get your gun and shoot the poo poo out of it with good ball rounds AND put enough of the rounds you carry through it to assure reliability. There are a lot more things to do, but you'll get that in Yeager's class.

In this case, I know what you mean about the Glock 36. I love the feel also, and the grip is slim enough to conceal well. To me, just because it won't accept high capacity mags of the model 21 is not enough reason to omit it as a possible selection. Don't limp wrist it, or any semi-auto for that matter or naturally there might be a problem from time to time.

New shooters listen to too many people who insist that the gun they love is the only gun to have. I will say, though that as a person who has introduced a lot of people to handgun shooting and helped a lot of people to transition from revolver to semi-auto, it is MUCH easier for people to transition to a Glock than most any other semi-auto. Next easiest to me is the Springfield in that, though it does have the trigger and grip safety, neither of them require conscious effort to disengage before firing. Other than that, there is the cocking indicator and loaded indicator, but neither of them must be dealt with for firing. Some people who I send in to get a Glock, come back with the Springfield instead as it just feels better in their hand and as a result they feel they shoot better with it. Neither is good or bad/right or wrong, just different.

I tell my friends who are considering a firearm for defense that "whatever you do, do SOMETHING" as it's not getting any safer out here with all these criminals that SHOULD be in the pen but who are standing next to us in checks out lines at stores, etc. Don't ever forget that the bad guys are out there, and the trouble with most of them is they look AVERAGE. Nothing about them to indicate that they pose a true/real danger to anybody till they strike, just like a cottonmouth who won't warn before striking either. They are just as deadly, however, and proper care should be observed.

Hope I've been helpful to someone.

Respectfully, RN

[Guest DeeZee]

Amen RN

[Guest 10secL]

10secL,

When you added the magazine extender you increased your chances of malfunctions by 1000%. The problem is that extender didn't come with a longer magazine spring and the factory mag spring isn't long enough. YES it will work MOST of the time but you have sacrificed all of your rounds to get one more bullet. Engineers build guns and we somehow think we can change weights, angles, and springs tensions and the guns will just keep on working.

They won't.

I did not know that! Good info. I kept extended clips for range use only. They other 2 stockers I got are for carry only.

Thanks for the tip

Keith

[Guest Archimedes]

I recently bought a 36 and not a single problem after about 500 rounds.

I also bought the extenders, but I didn't really like them.

They worked fine and I liked the way the stippling matched in the front, but I just didn't like the rear.

In the end, it just wasn't worth the trouble.

If capacity is your problem, go with the 30....I had one of those too and the only malfunction I ever had was from faulty cartidges.

I've found that the 36 is very accurate for it's size and I can't even tell I'm wearing it most of the time....Oh, I use one of Uncle Mike's neoprene IWB holsters.

~Archi

[shaftbass]

I had a 36 also and I liked it. The reasons I sold it are because I wanted the extra capacity of the XD-45 and I liked the way it felt better.

That being said, I'd own another 36 again.

[James Yeager]

....Oh, I use one of Uncle Mike's neoprene IWB holsters.

Consider a quality lesther or kydex holster. While the neoprene holsters are comfortable they do not allow one handed reholstering and they do not hold the gun securely. If you were to fall down or be knocked down the gun would most likely go sliding across the ground.

[Marswolf]

Agreed. I have one of those neoprene holsters that was given to me. It's in a box somewhere. I personally like leather better than Kydex. Kydex gets uncomfortable after a while, but I do keep a paddle one in the car trunk for unexpected use.