Hey, Guys, Thanks for your replies. Here's what I've learned so far:
Barrels on all Glocks are cold-rolled, and mandrel formed. The rifling on Models 20 and 21 is OCTAGONAL; all other Glocks are hexagonal.
There have been reports that some Glocks have been made with sub-standard steel; and this is considered to be
one of the factors in several kaBoom! explosions - particularly in regard to the Models 20 and 21.
Reloading kaBoom!'s seem to occur with much greater frequency with two particular pistol powders: Accurate Arms #5, and Vihta Vuori #N350; OR their bulk powder equivalents in other commercial ammunition.
I'll take my best guess, here, and say that it looks like the ignited powder's, 'pressure curve' may spike excessively; consequently, these two powders aren't going to show up on my Glock reloading bench any time soon.
Lead bullets are a definite, 'No-No!' in any Glock factory barrel. The combination of a pronounced chamber leade, (the sharp shoulder at the front of the chamber) polygonal rifling, and lead bullet sizes that tend to increase by as much as .002" ALL contribute to rapid, excessive chamber pressures in the Glock pistol.
Something, else, seems to be happening, too: Watch your reloads and repeatedly chambered factory rounds for, 'Bullet Set-back.' There are reports that as little as 1/10th " can more than double standard chamber pressures.
Finally, 'A CLEAN GLOCK IS A SAFE GLOCK!' In spite of those silly ads about: mud, gravel, snow, and auto abuse torture tests, the fact is that too many Glocks have a demonstrable tendency to fire out-of-battery; AND dirt exacerbates this problem. (Sounds like something in the, 'Safe Trigger' setup needs to be redesigned.)
Does this mean that we should, ALL, rush out and sell our Glocks? No, not at all. This evening I talked with a fellow NRA instructor who has many more years' experience at firearm training than I do. He has assured me that the ONLY pistols that stood up to daily abuse at his public range are the Glocks. He, also, mentioned the bad luck he's had with several other brands of pistols! In his words; 'The Smith & Wesson autos will be the first to go!' (THIS from an S&W fan!)
He is, just, one more in a growing number of people I trust who have, now, told me that they have shot thousands and thousands of rounds through their Glock pistols without a problem! The important point seems to be, 'YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING; AND THE USUAL RULES OF CAUTION CONTINUE TO APPLY!'
Every Glock pistol is a tool and should be treated with the care, caution, and necessary prior knowledge necessary to use any mechanical device safely.
In my humble opinion, if Gaston Glock wants to be remembered among future generations of gunmen with the same fondness as John Browning, Sam Colt, and Dan Wesson, then, he would do well to stop procrastinating and improve the present Glock trigger mechanism into a truly, 'Safe-Action' design without any tendency, at all, to fire out-of-battery, and lose that partially supported firing chamber thing!
These, 'plastic gun' quirks have been around long enough, now, to be known as historically, well-recognized, design flaws. Americans use firearms and reload ammunition more than any other society on the face of the Earth. It's about time for Glock design and manufacturing to catch up with the rest of us!
Oh, by the way, I'm keeping my Glock 21's; I shoot them very well; and I like how they look and feel. It intrigues me to be able to fix, just about, anything on a Glock without spending a small fortune at the gunsmith's the way I used to. I was able to talk my wife into marrying me, in the first place; so I should be able to fool her, some more, and get to keep my Glocks!
Thanks again, guys, your comments have given me the confidence I was looking for; and, trust me, I will be extra careful at the range.
Regards, 'AA'
