Glock 17 Gen 5 RSA Replacement Interval

[davidjinks]

I’ve been doing some internet searches and I cannot come up with a definitive answer on replacement intervals for the Gen 5 RSA, specifically in 9MM.

I’ve read anywhere between 2k up to 10k. Anyone here have a solid answer?

TIA!

[ndmiller]

Could never find a solid answer myself.

Everything I've read centers on 5K rounds, but realistically on my Glocks, I used to change when I cannot remember the last time I did it and/or notice slow cycling or any malfunctions. Now it's somewhere around 5-10 cases of 9mm bought/fired, essentially once a year. Now on New Years Day (after chicken nachos), I change RSA's, batteries in smoke detectors and red dots, along cabin filters in all the cars. So inexpensive to change, can't justify counting rounds or getting caught with a malfunctioning gun or dead battery in a red dot.

[ViniVidivici]

What did Glock say? Call, they might tell you.

I would guess 5,000, as the gen2/3 was 3,000, and the gen4 dual is 5,000.

[L-2]

I can give you a "solid" answer, but it will pretty much just be me as to what I've learned after attending three Glock Armorers courses over the years. I don't have anything in writing and if I do, I'm not going to look for it in a lot of old paperwork and manuals.

In the course, the instructors said the rule-of-thumb recoil spring assembly (RSA) replacement intervals were:

3000 rounds for the single spring RSAs (as in many Gen3 or earlier); and
5000 rounds for the dual spring RSAs (as in a Gen5).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK-5Fw3yjcM
There's also a Glock RSA test as shown in this Youtube vid I found.
The instructor(s) said not to generally use this RSA test on "large" frame Glocks.

In my experience, occasionally a brand new Glock with the dual spring RSA won't pass the test when new. Sometimes the RSA actually benefits from some amount of break-in. The new RSA may actually be a bit "sticky". Sometimes another new RSA will be fine and the sticky RSA would just be thrown away, unless an individual wished to put a few hundred rounds through that one RSA just to determine if it would work better after shooting whatever round count.

There was originally no specific round count replacement interval but many departments/agencies wanted a, more or less, firm number for the Glock RSA as to replacement. In actual experience, many 9mm shooters are easily getting 15000 rounds and beyond. The above RSA test was also begun to be taught in Glock Armorers classes.

Also, be aware or note, a specific Glock might be issued to a LEO. Some departments/agencies, for example, will only shoot, maybe, 100 rounds/year, while another might shoot 400 rounds/year. I know of no departments/agencies which bar a LEO from shooting a duty gun on one's own, off-duty, for personal practice; and similarly, there wouldn't be any duty to report how many rounds for some type of log/record.

Therefore, one Glock might only have 1000 rounds during the 10 years issued to a specific LEO, while another LEO might have 50,000 rounds in a year (probably then on his 3rd or 4th RSA).

[09fatbob]

I've always been told to just take the weapon out of battery and if it doesn't snap back into battery change the rsa

[C-grunt]

I can give you a "solid" answer, but it will pretty much just be me as to what I've learned after attending three Glock Armorers courses over the years. I don't have anything in writing and if I do, I'm not going to look for it in a lot of old paperwork and manuals.

In the course, the instructors said the rule-of-thumb recoil spring assembly (RSA) replacement intervals were:

3000 rounds for the single spring RSAs (as in many Gen3 or earlier); and
5000 rounds for the dual spring RSAs (as in a Gen5).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UK-5Fw3yjcM
There's also a Glock RSA test as shown in this Youtube vid I found.
.

This is the answer I remember as well, but I dont have it written down. My armorers manual just says to do the test and replace if it fails.

The test is described like shown in this video but the manual says to hold the gun at 45 degrees upward.

[ST911]

5000rds is the number.
12:00 is the test.
Change per both.

[davidjinks]

Thanks everyone!

[PLCedeno]

What's interesting is that the armorers at most GSSF matches are reluctant to change the RSA no matter how many rounds you say the gun has. They seem to rely on the 12 o'clock test more. Though giving the puppy face and saying please a few times seems to also do the trick.