Glock 43

[Uncle Jimbo]

Grandson bought a new Glock 43 and wants to start reloading for it and then try using cast. So the question is, do they still have the unsupported chambers causing the cases to rupture. I have the necessary equipment to load 9mm but don't want to blow his hand off or worse.

Thanks,

uncle jimbo

[junkpile]

Best to just look at the barrel to see if the chamber is supported or not.

[dkf]

You are fine loading for it and it will take hot loads too. The whole Glocks and "unsupported chamber" deal is way overplayed.

[Virginia John]

The unsupported chamber is not your problem spot, the barrel is. I believe Glock warrens against using lead bullets for a reason. However, jacketed reloads should not pose a problem.

[Petrol & Powder]

It's like any other Glock 9mm. Have at it.

[FergusonTO35]

My Glock 9mm and .380 pistols were all made in the last few years and have chamber support as good as any other. Boolit fit is key with these pistols, along with good lubricant. I would be cautious with commercial boolits, they tend to be undersize and have a lube that is too hard. All of mine get along just fine with the Lee designs sized to .356 lubed with Randy Rat's Tac-X over 3.7 grains of HP-38 or Bullseye. Jimbo, I would be happy to send him a sample if you will provide me an address.

[Uncle Jimbo]

Thanks FergusonTO35.
PM sent.

[Walkingwolf]

Cast bullets can be driven at the same velocity with lower pressures. The problem is that semi auto cases weaken over time, almost all SA handguns have some unsupported case. Leading would not become a problem until higher velocities are pushed, which weakens the case faster.

Use moderate loads. Use .002 larger bullets instead of .001. Keep barrel clean. Use a case gauge, throw away cases that fail. Make sure that OAL does not interfere with lockup. Be very cautious charging cases. Make sure your loads are not prone to setback easily. Expand case just enough to get the bullet to seat. Possibly DIY a custom case flaring tool that only bells the case at the top by cutting down expander. What is needed is just enough bell to seat without opening up the case after sized. When done you should be able to see the outline of the bullet in the case.

People have shot cast for thousands of rounds out of Glock barrels without problems. IMO the problems are mostly from loading mistakes, and set back. Set back can be easily avoided in a Glock buy you will have to figure that out, I won't post it for liability.

[Spector]

I fired over 13,000 rounds through my Glock 21 over the years and was unconcerned because it fired a relatively low pressure cartridge. And I have been known to reload WCC cases up to 13 times with no problems and great accuracy.

Then came the day I had a catastrophic case failure at the unsupported area of the chamber. It destroyed the frame splitting into two pieces in my hands. I had admittedly thinned out in the grip area. I found all the pieces eventually and the barrel and slide seemed unharmed. My face was bloodied and my hands traumatized, but no digits were missing. Bruised and bloodied, but not missing. The case was on it 3rd firing and once I cleaned it up it looked great except for the hole in it that perfectly matched the unsupported area of the chamber. Had the weak spot in that case been turned up instead of down I may have never realized how close I'd come to disaster.

Fast forward to today. I have a Glock 41. It wears a KKM barrel with a supported chamber. I just bought a new pistol Saturday. A Springfield XDm 45 ACP compact with good chamber support.

I will never fire another round of reloaded ammunition through a Glock factory barrel. Period. In the past i had pushed 255 grain lead boolits to over 950 fps, not purposely. The cases bulged like Glock 40 S&W cases often do. The case that ruptured was just a standard pressure loading.

Ignorance was bliss...........until it wasn't. An explosion in my hands changed all of that. I dropped to my knees with eyes tightly shut and excruciating pain in my hands. My shooting glasses took the metal that would have been in my eye and my bleeding face took the rest of it.

Glocks are accurate and reliable. I routinely popped balloons with mine offhand at 100 yards. I certainly cannot say that if you shoot reloads down a Glock factory barrel you will experience what I did after 19 years of complete satisfaction.

But if you ever do experience a catastrophic case failure you will understand, with a new appreciation, why Glock says not to use reloads. If you want to continue to use reloads in an unsupported chamber then do so. Just understand the risks.

And yes I know there are risks in our choice to own and shoot firearms. I accept that. I just don't choose to tempt a visit by Murphy again needlessly when barrels with supported chambers are easily available.

Your choice........Mike

[FergusonTO35]

How old was your 21, Mike? I can't tell any difference in the amount of chamber support between my Storm Lake barrels and Glock OEM.

[dkf]

Double charge a case and it tends to make pieces of any handgun. A window at the head usually ends up with blowing the mag out the bottom and possible cracking the frame on a Glock. But yeah, I know, I know nobody ever makes mistakes and double charges (they usually use a fast powder like TG or clays) or otherwise screws up a hand load causing an issue or failure....always the guns fault.

[Plate plinker]

I have a new 43 with about 600-700 cast threw it. Shoots great.

[junkpile]

The unsupported chamber is not your problem spot, the barrel is. I believe Glock warrens against using lead bullets for a reason. However, jacketed reloads should not pose a problem.

I think Glock still says not to shoot cast in their barrels at all. I think it's more due to lack of facts than anything, though.

I have a G19 and a G20. Neither of these have a fully supported chamber. But, its also not a gross area of unsupport.

http://www.thegunzone.com/glock/glock-kb-faq.html
If you read through this article, it primarily addressed catastrophic failure on the high pressure cartridges, although 45 auto is in there as well, for some reason (maybe a little hotrodding?).

For 9mm, I wouldn't worry about it. I doubt you'll want to run much +P stuff through it, just given the size, and the ability for 3 fingers to hold onto it, so I'm in agreement with everyone else here: stick with standard loads and get to it. I also highly doubt it's got a chamber different than any other Glock out there.

If you're truly concerned about it, then throw in an aftermarket barrel. Given the typical 9mm pressures, though, I personally wouldn't be concerned.

[Uncle Jimbo]

I have a new 43 with about 600-700 cast threw it. Shoots great.

What are the loads you are using. Powder and bullet. Got some samples coming but will need to get a mold soon.

thanks,

uncle jimbo

[MtGun44]

Essentially all semiauto pistols using a dropping barrel design which is
similar to the 1911 have "unsupported chambers". This means absolutely
nothing unless you get a double charge or are planning on loading far
beyond the safe pressures for the cartridge.

Stay within normal loading manual recommendations and you will be
fine.

Bill

[FergusonTO35]

I find 9mm cast does best at around 1000 fps so that is what I stick with. Cases last forever too.

[Spector]

If you believe my Gen 1 Glock 21 was the victim of a double load then continue on your normal reloading journey. That's exactly what I always thought when I heard stories such as mine. Some dumb*** not paying proper attention while loading.

I can't swear that is not exactly what happened to me. The round was fired and the boolit hit about 1 1/2'' from my first shot. No way to check it for a double charge. I tore down the remaining loads in the box and they all checked fine as to powder charge. Doesn't mean I didn't mess one load up, but I do not believe that is what happened. I believe it was just a bad piece of brass. I cleaned that case spotless after the incident and could see no indicator that it was bad although if it was bad that evidence went out the mag well and into my face. It shattered the trigger into shards.

As I said every time I heard a story like mine I just knew it had to be operator error and that it would never happen to me, but it did. At first my shooting buddy thought I'd simply double loaded. He was not with me as I was alone at our range that pleasant day. Over time he began to suspect I was right about the cause and his 3 Glock pistols all got KKM barrels. I loved polygonal rifling as it was easier to clean up in my opinion. Sure wish Glock offered a fully supported chamber in one of their barrels.

This is what I believe happened. And my story is only meant as a cautionary tale. I don't know anything about the chamber support that Storm Lake barrels offer, but KKM barrels seem to offer better support than Glock barrels.

I removed the barrel from the new Springfield pistol before I bought it last Saturday just to see if it had chamber support as good as my carry pistol. I am very cognizant of that now.

We all make our own choices in life and what to make of Glock's warning not to use reloaded ammunition in their pistols is one of those. Springfield has the same warning in their pistol boxes. I ignore the Springfield warning as to my two Springfield pistols, but definitely heed that same warning in Glocks with original factory barrels. My Glock 41 sports a KKM barrel. Oh yeah. I just took delivery of 500 pieces of Starline 45 Super brass last week. I figure that may offer additional safety using 45 ACP loads. Sincerely...............Mike

[Lloyd Smale]

my 43 has a couple thousand cast reloads through it now without a bit of problem. even feeds the 105 lee like butter. All my glocks see about 95 percent cast reloads and ive never had a problem. I have a habit though of backing off a bit on my loads. I don't use the top end load out of a loading manual and usualy back off to the middle ground load. What ive found is the glocks that do bulge cases usually only do it with factory pressures and factory pressures are usually higher then even the top loads in a load manual. Back off a 1/2 a grain to a grain of powder and even unsupported chambered guns don't bulge brass.

[Spector]

I recall the load I used was between the starting load and the maximum load listed in my manuals. Right off hand I do not remember if it was Herco or Red Dot, but I think it was one of those two. My powder of choice had been for many years WIN 231. I don't recall now if I had loaded a Lee 230 grain TC or a 255 grain RF. I had worked with the 255 grain and 230 grain boolits quite a bit some years earlier and really pushed the heavier ones with HS-7. Bulged cases were the norm and fortunately recoil was more than I wanted so I quit that silliness after awhile.

They say God looks out for children and drunks and may have been watching over one stupid person as well. Me. I remember I had weighed the charge that ruptured the case that day about 3 1/2 years ago. My Lee measure was still set up for WIN 231, so I scale measured each of these powder charges.

Truthfully I wish I did believe I just double charged that case like a bonehead. I could count myself as very fortunate to have only lost a pistol. God I loved that pistol. I had carried it for 19 years. Glock was my brand and I thought I would die carrying that pistol. My shooting buddy still cannot believe I am starting to transition to Springfield.

Please don't think I am denigrating Glock because that is not the case at all.

And if someone else was posting my story here I suspect I would think.....poor guy just doesn't want to think he made the mistake. I don't want anyone else to experience a catastrophic case failure like I did. It can profoundly affect your thinking. I recall deliberately going back to the range shortly after that with a handgun just to get back up on the horse again.

Make what you will of my story. It is not meant to scare people away from Glocks. If it ever hit the fan I think I would want to be equiped with a Glock 21 again. If it was loaded with factory loaded ammunition to either civilian or military spec. Even with lead boolits. Well over 12,000 lead boolits went down my Glock tube and I was happy as a clam with lead.

It's just the cases that worry me and I now opt for more chamber support and with the 45 Super cases a thicker web. By the way. I believe that Glock of mine would have fed driveway gravel if I'd loaded it into cases. grin. I sold the barrel, slide and magazines to a fellow last year as they were all still good.

I failed to mention I had cut my grip down to take Glock 30 mags. The fatter I got the harder it became for me to conceal. And I had thinned the grip the day I bought it and installed a Hogue Hand-all Eventually I cut the hollow off the back of the grip and re-contoured it with dyed black epoxy to resemble a 1911 grip before they went to the 1911A. A standard Glock frame may not have split in two pieces, but the trigger would have shattered in either case. While it blew the magazine out the bottom of the grip and disassembled it I found all the pieces and it was fine except it broke the little polymer plate that locks the magazine bottom into place.

Suddenly I am tempted to buy the parts back I sold. Buy a KKM barrel and try to find a Gen 1 bottom. My nephew bought my son's Gen 1, but I know he will not sell it to me.........Mike

Forgot to mention I always carried, and still carry, Federal Hydro-shok 230 grain loads.

[tek4260]

Hell Spector, I believe you. I'm not here to bash a Glock in this particular post, but it's apparent to everyone that is honest about the situation that they have less chamber support than similar semi autos. I've heard that they have quietly increased it from the earlier handguns, so the Kabooms are less of an occurrence nowadays. It was a dangerous way to gain reliability in my opinion.

They still don't have the chamber support of a 1911. My BIL was shooting his Glock alongside my 1911, and it was obvious which brass came from which pistol by the bulge in the case. This was with factory loads. I'd never let him shoot my 270gr SWC over 5gr of Unique in his Glock after seeing the brass from factory ammo.

[FergusonTO35]

Could it have just been one single piece of bad brass that had a weak spot at just the right place to cause a KB? Stuff happens. 13000 rounds successfully fired in one gun tells me you are a competent and careful reloader.

My little Kel-Tec P32 has a huge unsupported area behind the feed ramp. All cases fired from it show a little bulge. I have run some pretty warm loads in it but I am not going to do that anymore. Awhile back I loaded up some Lyman 31-077 over a mild charge I had used successfully with other boolit designs. After firing some rounds I found all the empties had a classic guppy belly. The rest of the rounds were disassembled as I could have learned that lesson the hard way. From now on I'll start super low and use only moderate loads in any gun with low chamber support.

[Artful]

I'm loading coated cast (heavy 147's) in my wife's 43 without issue - so far I think she's fired most all of the first 500 I loaded without issue.

[Petrol & Powder]

You are fine loading for it and it will take hot loads too. The whole Glocks and "unsupported chamber" deal is way overplayed.

/\ Completely agree /\

There's nothing wrong with Glock chambers.

[Papercidal]

I think I'm at about 4,500 through my little 43 most of it being my cast coated 156gr bullet and I've never had any leading or any other issues. As for the glock bulge myth I've been shooting and reloading for glocks for a couple decades and have yet to see it in 9mm or .45

[str8wal]

I have the necessary equipment to load 9mm but don't want to blow his hand off or worse.

If factory loads won't blow up the gun, I don't see why your reloads would, and long as they are within book.

[JoeJames]

A little bit off the thread, but I got in a Ghost transfer bar for the 43, and figured it went in as easy as it did on my 21 NO!. There is a little trick to replacing the bar that I did not pick up on until I'd watched several youtube videos on the subject. For awhile I thought I had a $400 trot line weight until I watched the videos. Got it down to 4 pounds now.

[Moonie]

The unsupported chamber is not your problem spot, the barrel is. I believe Glock warrens against using lead bullets for a reason. However, jacketed reloads should not pose a problem.

Please read the sticky entitled "The truth about glocks and cast". Also note all gun manufacturers warn against using reloaded ammunition...