2nd Gen Glock 17 recoil spring/rod problem

[larry0071]

My 2nd generation Glock 17 finally did it. I have been watching this E-clip that locks the front of the spring onto the rod get looser and looser as the groove in the rod got worn away, and it finally shit the bed.

I'm looking at Midway and notice that you can get OEM Glock assemblies for $7.99.
They also show WOLFF brand springs of various specs. What is the point of the WOLFF springs? Should I keep away from the aftermarket desire and just make my 15 year old Glock all Glock again?

I suspect the truth will be told that I should replace the 15+ year old part with an OEM Glock part and expect another 15+ years of service!

Midway Glock recoil springs:
http://www.midwayusa.com/browse/BrowseProducts.aspx?pageNum=1&tabId=9&categoryId=18341&categoryString=10636***10560***9140***18314***

[Robb Jensen]

I'd just replace the recoil rod assy with a new one from Glock, probably free if you call Glock. But usually these are about $5 or $6 bucks.

[Paul45]

As a cheap insurance policy, change it every 5000 to 6000 rounds. Keep an extra.

[boltcatch]

One of my G17 frame pins ended up slightly bent after only a few thousand rounds (3-5k, if I recall correctly) without changing out the recoil spring; I change mine out once a year or every 3-4k rounds now.

[SkiDevil]

One of my G17 frame pins ended up slightly bent after only a few thousand rounds (3-5k, if I recall correctly) without changing out the recoil spring; I change mine out once a year or every 3-4k rounds now.

BoltCatch is providing you with some good advice.

After firing thousands of rounds through my G-17 and owning the pistol since 1990, I finally managed to crack the frame, just behind the locking block. After shipping the pistol to Glock. The first question the Armorer asked. How often did I change the recoil spring? Answer: Never.

It was the opinion of the senior Armorer that the probable cause of the resulting crack was the lack of regularly replacing the recoil springs at intervals of no less than 5K rounds in EVERY Glock pistol. The pistol was repaired and returned to me completely rebuilt with NO CHARGE (Just my cost to ship one-way UPS $70). Very good service.

The pistol was still fully functional, before the repair. A Glock LE Rep. at one of the GSSF shoots caught the problem when he was inspecting the pistol. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known. I don't use as a Carry/ Duty gun anylonger but still consider it a reliable defensive gun.

Moral of the story. Buy a half-a-dozen springs and change-out regularly or at least annually (depending on how much you use the gun). Those springs are cheap. And if you go to a GSSF shoot they will give them to you for free.

Good Luck,
SkiDevil

P.S. I would stay away from the aftermarket recoil/ springs assembly. Most of the non-function and/or malfunctioning Glocks I have seen are usually "modified" or accessorized.

And think about joining the GSSF it only costs $50 to sign-up and shoot the first match. They will inspect/ re-build your gun and mags for free and you can purchase 1 pistol at LE discount with a coupon they mail you for less than $400.00.

[JonInWA]

SkyDevil's advice is excellent. Glock's current recoil spring assembly replacement interval is every 3K rounds. Frankly, it's probably not a horrible idea to simultanously replace your magazine springs at the same time.

If you stay with a Glock recoil spring assembly (which is what I'd recommend), get one of the new ones with a number "1" beneath the part number (both are molded on the back of the rear flange of the assembly)-the guide rod is stiffer and less susceptable to chipping or melting (after those 1K round-count firefights-the revised recoil spring assembly criteria was supposedly requested by a southern US LEO as part of their departmental order criteria-hey, it's overkill, but we get to benefit, as now Glock has pretty much standardized the assembly across the board in the standard and compact models {and possibly others}.

Best, Jon