45 ACP Question (sorta long, bear with me)

[Francis]

Hello, I recently took carry class with my wife. We took a snub nose, hidden hammer 38 S&W. She wants to go to street level class. So we looked into many weapons. (The 38 is not correct for the training) She decided on a Glock 26. I had not been a Glock fan. Shooting her 26 out of the box, has convinced me on the Glock abilities. 
I had gotten my son, who is on his way to SEAL training, a mil-spec 1911a1, as a back up (paranoid Dad). This 1911 has been back to the company 3 times. I am considering changing his to a Glock.
I read many "Old" post about the 45's in Glock, having problems. Are those problems still there? Is the sub-compact 45 as good as the full size? Any experiences are appreciated. Thanks.

[Savage]

Francis,
I owned a Glock 21 for about 7yrs. It was reliable and reasonably accurate. I traded it for a Sig 220 . I have owned a Glock 36 for about the same length of time. No problems with it after I removed the +1 mag extensions. Glock calls it a Sub Compact, although it's way to big to be called a sub compact in my book!
I have seen several mdl 30s at matches. The owners had good things to say about their pistols. For a service pistol, I think the Glocks are hard to beat!
Savage

[Ak.Hiker]

I own a Glock 36 and really like it. It is light and easy to carry. The Glock 30 looks like it may be an even better choice from the reviews I have read over the years.

[Alice Cooper]

I have an old g21 that has thumped over 200+lbs. of range lead back into the berm it came from.I may halfway clean it twice a year at most.you know the only problem I had with it? when I added an aftermarket part....the "clipdraw", which would bounce an empty back in the ejection port from time to time..I leave all my magazines loaded all the time, have for years,and they still are as stiff as when new...oh, the hgh cap 13 rd. mags are easy to load, but those ten rounders are a pain to get that last round in!

[GSD17]

The only problems off hand that I know of are:

The G21 and G20 (and IIRC, the G29 and G30), at one time had problems with light strikes on hard primers. This was caused by the cruciform on the rear of the trigger bar not being high enough and letting the firing pin go a tad early. GLOCK remedied this. Old trigger bars are marked 4256 and new ones are marked 4256-1.

The G36 had mixed issues when new. Alot of people were just having a tough time gripping it right, and alot of them were just jam-o-matics. GLOCK tweaked them a good bit, and new ones are good to go.

The new G21SF has had hit and miss problems with out of spec trigger bars that produce a very heavy and gritty trigger pull. I have not heard of a specific serial number range they are falling under, and as far as I can tell, they are just replacing them on a pistol by pistol basis.

Nothing terrible out there, new models have problems, and get fixed.

Those are of course the .45ACP pistols.

GLOCK also has a line of .45GAP pistols. The G37, G38 and G39. None have had any real issues that I am aware of.

[EDELWEISS]

I carry a G36 as my off duty gun.  When I bought it I was torn between the G36 and the G23.  We carry SIG Pro's (40S&W) on duty so my department would provide all my 40S&W ammo.  I think the G23 is about the perfect size for concealed carry AND shooting.  Its amazing to me how many guys I see carry the "minnies" but qualify with the extended mags.  Thats a little scary to me, if you need the extra grip to shoot paper seems like you might want it when the target shoots back...  Besides the longer barrel isnt a concealment issue, its the bigger grip that sticks out.

I actually thought about the 357SIG and the 45GAP, but frankly Im concerned how long the ammo will be available.  Its not like they are a driving force in the self defense class anymore.  Both have some good features but they just never caught on.

Anyway I ended up with the G36 for the caliber.  The 45acp is just more "comforting" to know its by my side.  The G36 is big enough without being too big.  I can slip a spare mag in my pocket if necessary and it wont pull my pants down.   My only real complaint is with the 8lb trigger we have to use; but thats because my department doesnt want to be a trend setter.  Since all the Big Glock users require the heavy pull we do too.  I suppose I should be glad they let us carry Glocks and dont require the 12lb pull...

[Bill T]

Runs like a top with any ammo. Accurate as hell. Disassembles and cleans in a snap. If there is a better .45 ACP pistol, I haven't seen it.  Bill T.



Don't forget extra mags.!

[Old Griz]

Hmmm . . . I've been carrying a 21 for 15 years now, and didn't know there were any problems. Fantastic gun. Dependable, accurate, what more could you want?

[Savage]

Had some light strike problems with my 21 with the aftermarket barrel. Turned out to be a combination of barrel fit and a burr in the firing pin channel liner. With good ammo and the factory barrel, it just kept on tickin! Glocks are kinda like an ugly woman, not much to look at, but get the job done in a pinch. I'm currently down to 3 Glocks these days, and find myself shooting the mdl 17 more frequently than any of my other guns. Kinda nice to be able to compete with a gun that performs so reliably with little maintenance. My beside gun is a mdl 22 with a light mounted, and the mdl 36 is my sometimes carry gun. All are working guns as they were intended to be. I break out a CZ,  a 1911,  a Hi Power, or maybe a Sig every now and then, but the Glocks are my "Go To" pistols. The 21 is one of the finest service pistols out there IMO.
Savage

[jstevens]

I carry a Glock mod 30 in .45 ACP everywhere.  I have shot 50 rounds a week through it for 3 years or so.  I have never had a malfunction, misfire, nothing.