Got my first Glock today, the new rough textured finish model.

[His lordship.]

I was never a big Glock fan, shot a rented model 21 (.45ACP) in the early 90's, thought it was a good shooter though.  I decided to try the "Glock experience" and bought the model 17 with the rough textured frame yesterday.  The grip has a course feel to it, some people like it, others hate it.  I went with it to be different, and it gets hot in Texas in the Summer, so I felt I would have a more positive grip with this when I sweat, several police departments have also switched to this grip design too.

Have not shot it yet, but will initially fire it factory stock equipped, then will add a recoil buffer, grip plug, spare target barrel, and lighter trigger.  Plan to field strip it and add some oil and grease as I keep my guns well lubed.  I have heard of people running these guns almost free of lube, so I will go easy as it might function better that way.  Not sure if I will buy another one, seems these Glocks are addictive, as buyers own several.  Glocks are almost cult like with legions of true believers, so I think that influenced me.

Anybody have any suggestions on servicing and shooting these guns that are different from other semi-auto pistols?

[LocnLod]

Congrats on your first glock purchase.  Before you shoot it the first time, clean it like you would any other gun.  As far as lube goes, I use Miltec-1 or CLP and you can see the lube on the gun but it doesn't fly off or ooze out the back when you shoot it.  I shoot my 1911s with plenty of lube.  It might be a Glock but it still has metal on metal contact and you need to lube it. 

[His lordship.]

That was the weird thing about the Glock, when I field stripped it to oil/grease the rails, etc., it was pretty much dry.  Read the owner's manual and they said to take it apart and lube it before firing it, which I have done.  I bet a lot of people must take the gun to the range as is and shoot the pistol without lubrication.

[Savage]

Read your owner's manual. Most new Glock shooters over lube their pistols.
Savage

[muffindrvr]

yes i own 6 glocks a 20 a 21 a 30 a 29 a 17c and a 26.. you just need 3 drops of oil that all i use. one on each slide rail and one on the spring.never had any mailfunctions ....just my 2cents worth dave...

[His lordship.]

Muffindrivr...Yes, that is what the owner's manual said, to lube it just the way you do, they even had pictures showing where to put it.  I had heard years ago that some people were running them dry, I saw several of the police trade ins from 10 years ago that looked dry, and also had lots of play between the frame and the slide too.

Yes, I am too thinking about another Glock, not sure on what to get, but they are habit forming!  Might get 2-4 of em'.

[Ak.Hiker]

I own several Glocks and love them. You made a great choice with the RT 17. I was thinking of the RT for use in Alaska. In the fall and winter things at times get damp and slipery when in the field. The model 17 is thought by many to be the most reliable of all Glocks. Have fun with ammo selection. I find that the Fiocchi 115 FMJ load AP9 is hot and lots of fun to shoot. This load runs like a +P and hits hard. They also load a 115 JHP load AP9HP that is just as hot. A whole bunch of guys really like the low end 147 grain Winchester White Box JHP for use as a SD and deep penetration load. Lots of good loads to test out in the 9mm. As far as lube goes I go pretty light with my Glocks. I also think that they come with a break in lube that should not be removed until you run some loads through the gun.

[shot1]

Stay away from those re-coil buffers. The Glock is designed to not need one or Glock would have put one in. Springs are cheap so every 10,000 rounds just replace the spring. How long will it take you to shoot 10,000 rounds? Most people will never shoot that many. I have a 17 also. I have shot all kinds of ammo in it. Reloads and even cheap Wolf and have never had a jam. Matter of fact I have never seen a Glock of any sort jam. Read the owners manual. Three drops of oil is all it needs.

[His lordship.]

How are Glocks on shooting the Wolf ammo with the steel cases?  I stopped using Wolf in all of my handguns because the soot got into the many nooks and crannies, I only used Wolf in my Phillippines made Colt 1911 in .45 ACP as the insides were pretty smooth and plain for easy cleaning.

[Coup De Grâce]

Life is strange!  

Now that Glock's RTF2 finish is being pulled from the civilian American market, every serious Glock owner I know, all of a sudden, wants it.  

Personally I, too, consider RTF2 to be far superior to the standard finish on my other Glocks.  After using it for the past 2 months I'd like to find a way to get an RTF2 finish applied to all my other Glocks.  (Which, now, feel much too slippery.)  

[Savage]

Stay away from those re-coil buffers. The Glock is designed to not need one or Glock would have put one in. Springs are cheap so every 10,000 rounds just replace the spring. How long will it take you to shoot 10,000 rounds? Most people will never shoot that many. I have a 17 also. I have shot all kinds of ammo in it. Reloads and even cheap Wolf and have never had a jam. Matter of fact I have never seen a Glock of any sort jam. Read the owners manual. Three drops of oil is all it needs.

Although Glocks are about as reliable as a mechanical thing can be, they do indeed break, jam, or otherwise malfunction. I run a 17 & 22 in SSP and ESP classes of IDPA and ran a 21 in CDP for a few years. Not only have i experienced  malfunctions and parts failures on my own guns, I have witnessed many more both at matches and during police qualifications. Although over lubrication  is a common problem among new owners, I don't know anyone who competes with a Glock that lubricates exactly like the owner's manual instructs. For the occasional shooter, who shoots a couple of boxes of ammo in a session, following the owner's manual lube instructions is no doubt better than too much lube.
I have shot the new Glocks with the RTF finish, while they are nice, I don't feel any burning desire to have one. I did have the grip reshaped and stippled on my 21, which is what I would have done to my Glocks if the grip texture were a problem.
Savage

[wganz]

Glocks are a great tool. Just that some fan boyz have elevated them to a cult status on some interwebz forums and start flame wars with any that disagree. Care for it like any other quality firearm, feed it good ammo, and you can rely on it to keep you & yours safe. I had to trade G19's with my niece since her G19 came with the RTF and it was too rough for her hand to shoot comfortably. I tried to carry it IWB and it wanted to eat on the proverbial 'love handle' you get at the pleasant age of 55. So, Mr. Glock got introduced to dry wall screen one afternoon and it is now only a 'TF'. It shoots 100% and I trust it to handle anything that goes 'bump' in the night.

[Glock Doctor]

   So, when are you going to tell us what generation you purchased?  Straight or scalloped slide serrations?  You should definitely give you new Glock a good cleaning before you use it; and be sure to remove that gold paste around the connector reset bump on the rear of the slide, too.  (It's not a lubricant.)

I know what the owner's manual says.  In comparison to what's written I, also, run my Glocks wet.  As long as you keep the FP channel reasonably dry and remember to clean it out every 1,500 rounds, or so, you'll be fine.  I wipe the interior parts down with a light coat of oil.  Then I use grease underneath each slide rail and exactly on top of the FP cam on the trigger bar.   

I haven't had a jam or failure to feed of any kind in the last 8,000 rounds.  I'm, also, a big fan of the RTF2 finish.  I carry one all day long and have come to strongly prefer it.  Curiously so do many other, 'serious' Glock owners I know. 

[schuetzen]

Anybody have any suggestions on servicing and shooting these guns that are different from other semi-auto pistols?

Check out these videos...

Glock Cleaning Basics
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZf4mUM10Vc

Glock Cleaning 2 (Slide Disassembly)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VTIqAMPOco