Glock 19 Question...

[thefinder808]

Ok, so I'm pretty embarrassed by this but I'll ask anyway. So while watching the Breaking Bad finale I decided to do a detail strip and clean of my G19 as I do every few months if needed. I got it all cleaned up and was putting everything back together but when I was putting the firing pin safety plunger back in the tiny spring somehow got caught down in the hole and tried to turn sideways. I had already pushed down on it before I realized what had happened and now the spring is very slightly bent. I tried to straighten it as much as I could and I put it back in. So today (first time shooting it since then) I fired maybe 50 rounds through it and then whammy...it actually malfunctioned.

I was happily shooting away and then "click". I pulled the slide back and noticed that the mag was empty, but the last (empty) casing was still in the chamber. This has never happened to me before, the ammo was fairly old and it was Winchester White Box. I fired it maybe 40 more times (this was a rifle shooting day, didn't have much 9mm with me) and no more malfunctions. I've never had this happen before, I've got about 3500 rounds through the G19. So could the slightly bent firing pin safety plunger spring be the culprit? I'm going to order a couple more in the next few days and replace it anyway because it makes me nervous, but just don't know what the symptoms are. Thanks guys for your help.

TheFinder

[dieewigeteufel]

It could be the spring, but it could just as easily be a bad round too.

Edited September 10, 2012 by dieewigeteufel

[Guest bkelm18]

I don't see how a slightly bent firing pin safety spring could cause a FTE.

[Guest nysos]

I was happily shooting away and then "click". I pulled the slide back and noticed that the mag was empty, but the last (empty) casing was still in the chamber.

I don't see how a slightly bent firing pin safety spring could cause a FTE.

I don't see how it could prevent your gun from cycling either. Since the last case was still in the chamber, did it fire? Was it a squib load or very underpowered load?

If there was an issue with the firing pin safety, you might experience no strikes on the rounds when pulling the trigger. I would try out some other ammo.

[Karnage]

Probably a bad round. It doesn't sound like a firing pin safety problem.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I'll side with the bad round theory.

I had my share of problems with two G19's last weekend concerning going into battery. i had several brand new

nickel brass cases dragging out of the magazine, and getting stuck before getting there. No regular brass cases

did that, but that doesn't tell me anything, yet.

Full charge behind 147 grain Golden Saber. When they got into battery, they fired just fine. I'm wondering about

some kind of deformity in the rim of the case maybe dragging that particular case into a pinch point. A loaded

unfired round looks like it is scraped pretty bad as it makes its attempt into the chamber. Same result in two different

g19's, one with steel guide rod, the other stock, otherwise equal in performance and history.

Is there really a problem with nickel brass, or did I just get a bad batch? I

Sorry if I hijacked this thread. Kick me in the knees. I'm old!

[mikegideon]

I'll side with the bad round theory.

I had my share of problems with two G19's last weekend concerning going into battery. i had several brand new

nickel brass cases dragging out of the magazine, and getting stuck before getting there. No regular brass cases

did that, but that doesn't tell me anything, yet.

Full charge behind 147 grain Golden Saber. When they got into battery, they fired just fine. I'm wondering about

some kind of deformity in the rim of the case maybe dragging that particular case into a pinch point. A loaded

unfired round looks like it is scraped pretty bad as it makes its attempt into the chamber. Same result in two different

g19's, one with steel guide rod, the other stock, otherwise equal in performance and history.

Is there really a problem with nickel brass, or did I just get a bad batch? I

Sorry if I hijacked this thread. Kick me in the knees. I'm old!

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/744135/egw-4-hole-chamber-checker-max-cartridge-gage-9mm-luger-38-super-40-s-and-w-45-acp

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I don't think that would have helped, Mike. The stuff will drop in the chamber, but it ain't making the angle change

when coming from the magazine. The funny thing is that I haven't changed anything that would make sense.

I'm beginning to think it's a bad batch of nickel plated brass with something weird going on at the rim. The used

brass I have, nickel and regular once fired, doesn't appear to be a problem.

[DWARREN123]

May wish to check the extractor. Bent/bad firing pin safety spring may have had an effect on how the extractor can move.

[Guest FIST]

The only way I could see a safety plunger spring causing issues would be 1. It sticks and doesn't allow the plunger to move freely and in turn restricting the striker from dropping, or 2. It's so lose that the safety plunger doesn't engage causing a rapid fire.

I've been wrong more than once but just can't see it causing an extraction or a failure to lock the slide back. Really sounds like a bad round that was under powered or didn't expand the case causing pressure differences.

[TnShooter83]

I too can't see it being the spring. I think maybe the extractor didn't pull the case out of the chamber.

That or the slide didn't come back enough to eject the case. I'd still replace the spring since it has been know to turn sideways (on installation) and cause the pistol to fire when the trigger resets. More than likely you'll not have any problems the way it is now. But I'm kind of paranoid when it comes to things working right when it comes to safety parts.

Edited October 4, 2012 by TnShooter83