Interesting Glock Malfunction w/pics

[echo19]

I am a firearms instructor and armorer for my agency. We were on the range last week and the officer who was running the stage had what she thought was a malfunction, cleared it, pressed the trigger and nothing. She performed another Class 1 malfunction drill and nothing. After assessing the trigger I noticed the trigger would not come forward. Ah, broken trigger spring. Nope! The trigger safety tab actually broke while it was inside the gun jamming the trigger in the fired position. Upon pushing the pins out, the safety tab fell out of the frame and the trigger was able to reset. I have never encountered this in the decades I have worked on Glocks.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/08/21/tuzy9azu.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/08/21/bazaze2e.jpg
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/08/21/7egetyru.jpg

[jpmuscle]

Intriguing. How many rounds on said weapon?

[echo19]

No more than 4,000 rounds through the Glock.

[mkaeding]

What model and manufacturing date?

[echo19]

I will have to get back to you regarding the manufacturing date. Its from a Glock 23, Gen 3, about 5-7 years old.

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF300T using Tapatalk 2

[ericl]

relatively low round count vs. age of pistol.....typical of most police firearms. However, the thing about police firearms, they are constantly carried outside in the elements. Out of curiosity, do you live/work in an area with extreme temperatures or extreme seasonal deviation? That appeared to be a small polymer part (correct me if wrong). While the Glock frame can withstand the extreme temps and deviations, I would theorize that such small parts are more likely to become brittle and break, especially small moving parts and probably more likely in the high pressure calibers. Just a theory. I am surprised this isn't seen more often. I imagine it does happen to varying degrees but goes unnoticed.

[ericl]

Due to this theory, I have considered replacing the stock Glock trigger mechanisms with aftermarket metal setups. Polymer is great for frames, that has been shown time and time again. However, moving parts and polymer, more questionable. But, how many MILLIONS of rounds get fired through Glocks (even in high pressure calibers) and this never happens? With the age of the pistol in question, it falls before any bad batch QC issues Glock had (and has since resolved). Sorry to ramble on.....I am off for the morning and already three Monster energy drinks in!

[echo19]

This is a Southern Arizona gun. It's still over 105 degrees this week so we do have extreme temps. I can see the tab breaking and falling the ground. The gun would still be able to fire it just wouldn't have a trigger safety. But in this case, it must have turned sideways within the frame for it to jam up the trigger. It's rather odd.

[uncle money bags]

Maybe the trigger was pulled hard without the trigger safety fully disengaged. This forced the tab into its stop with enough pressure to break.
Or while disassembled, the trigger bar was reset, and the trigger was pulled without relieving the tension first. This could have weakened the tab enough to fail later on. Especially if my first guess occurred while shooting after the gun was reassembled.

[Dos Cylindros]

Maybe the trigger was pulled hard without the trigger safety fully disengaged. This forced the tab into its stop with enough pressure to break.
Or while disassembled, the trigger bar was reset, and the trigger was pulled without relieving the tension first. This could have weakened the tab enough to fail later on. Especially if my first guess occurred while shooting after the gun was reassembled.

This was my first thought as well.

[TheBelly]

Glocktalk.com has a pretty extensive library of when Glocks were made. It's user supplied data, so take that for what it's worth.

http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1445829

[Tzed250]

I know things with moving parts can fail at any time, but that is quite concerning. Turned the gun into a brick. Now I'll be looking at my safety levers a little more closely.

[jondoe297]

Interesting. I'm an armorer as well, and I haven't seen that one before. I'll be keeping an eye out for it.

[Straight Shooter]

THIS...is whats called a "teachable moment".
ALL weapons can, and will, eventually break or malfunction.
Just where,when or how is the $64,000 question.
Thank God it happened on the range.

[Doc Safari]

I'm assuming the part that broke off is the part that butts up against the frame if the trigger safety is not deactivated during the trigger pull. Like if you dissassemble the pistol, then reset the trigger with the slide removed, the safety tab on the back of the trigger rests against the receiver.

The manual states that if you pull the trigger with this part butted up against the frame that damage could occur.

I wonder if the trigger was pulled a few times with the safety tab resting on the frame.

[echo19]

A couple of things: I don't see how the trigger can be pulled all the way back without deactivating the safety, unless it could not rotate into the back of the trigger and away from the frame. Perhaps it was impeded by debris? I usually use two fingers on either side of the trigger safety when I test it. I looked at the frame and it does not look like it had undue pressure where the safety hit the frame. All we know is the tab bent in some direction, entered the frame and was jammed against the inside of the frame until it broke off as I was disassembling the pistol. I just put this out to inform people of what can go wrong. Thanks for the opinions and keep them coming if you wish.

[ygbsm]

What does that?

Pulling the trigger with the slide off. Do it too many times and that's what happens.

[uncle money bags]

A couple of things: I don't see how the trigger can be pulled all the way back without deactivating the safety, unless it could not rotate into the back of the trigger and away from the frame. Perhaps it was impeded by debris? I usually use two fingers on either side of the trigger safety when I test it. I looked at the frame and it does not look like it had undue pressure where the safety hit the frame. All we know is the tab bent in some direction, entered the frame and was jammed against the inside of the frame until it broke off as I was disassembling the pistol. I just put this out to inform people of what can go wrong. Thanks for the opinions and keep them coming if you wish.

I have done this accidentally when shooting in gloves.
My finger was riding the side of the trigger and pushing it toward the opposite side, preventing it from firing. I recognized the problem right away and let off pressure and then re-squeezed correctly. I can see where some one may not react the same way, and just squeeze harder until the part fails, especially if they were under stress.

[Copis]

This.
Mr. Tueller mentioned it last year in the armorers class.


I'm assuming the part that broke off is the part that butts up against the frame if the trigger safety is not deactivated during the trigger pull. Like if you dissassemble the pistol, then reset the trigger with the slide removed, the safety tab on the back of the trigger rests against the receiver.

The manual states that if you pull the trigger with this part butted up against the frame that damage could occur.

I wonder if the trigger was pulled a few times with the safety tab resting on the frame.

[bluejackets92fs]

That is crazy. Like said, at least it was during training and not a self defense situation.

[Iraqgunz]

You may be onto something. I remember when I went through the Glock course there was a mention of certain trigger manipulations that weren't recommended but I can't remember what it was exactly.

I think it had something to with not manually pulling the trigger forward after disassembly when the trigger is in the fired position.


Maybe the trigger was pulled hard without the trigger safety fully disengaged. This forced the tab into its stop with enough pressure to break.
Or while disassembled, the trigger bar was reset, and the trigger was pulled without relieving the tension first. This could have weakened the tab enough to fail later on. Especially if my first guess occurred while shooting after the gun was reassembled.

[Iraqgunz]

I just saw your post. I did the course with him a couple of years back and I seem to recall this was one of the warnings.


This.
Mr. Tueller mentioned it last year in the armorers class.

[Robb Jensen]

I've broken 3 plastic GLOCK triggers in the last 26yrs. 1 trigger safety and the other two were the actual plastic triggers. The trigger should never be pulled when the pistol is apart unless there is resistance on the trigger bar to take the stress off the trigger safety and or frame. A GLOCK Armorer should perform a trigger safety test whenever working on a GLOCK.

[echo19]

I took apart the trigger and this is what I found:
The trigger safety broke at its blind pin
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/08/24/ta3y3upa.jpg
The trigger is also cracked near the trigger bar (Tool is spreading the cracked part)
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/08/24/puzy4yra.jpg