Glock hollow backstrap = spare parts storage [Archive]

one

10-26-09, 01:59

So I had a lot of time to kill last night and decided to run through the glock board over at glocktalk. I came across a thread where a poster asked "What do you keep in your Glock's hollow backstrap?" And it was met with several pages of pointless and sarcastic comments.

Except for one guy. He stated that he kept several small parts in the backstrap in a small ziploc style bag. Then secured them inside with a grip plug.

Not one board member there participating in the thread acted as if they even noticed the post. But it struck me as pure genius. Perfect place for a trigger spring, ejector, extractor, and maybe firing pin safety parts.

I'm going to sort through my spare parts kit this week and see what potentially critical items might be sequestered there for emergency use.

Might be this has all been discussed here before but I hadn't seen it and thought it was worth the time.

QuickStrike

10-26-09, 02:37

http://www.hometowncandy.com/jollyrancher-web.jpg

Lull in a fire-fight?

Tactical reload
whip it out! (the candy)
Om nom nom nom...

Just use a big marshmallow for the cap. :p

Rider79

10-26-09, 08:39

geminidglocker

10-26-09, 08:45

Interesting. How would this affect the operation of the pistol? I've heard varying opinions on the grip plug. I have seen a plug made to hold spare parts but I can't remember where though. Also, what about this idea that gas vents through that hole?

It likely would not have any effect on function. My "Hollow Space" is filled with epoxy so that I could do my backstrap reduction. :confused:

MarkG

10-26-09, 09:34

I hear Glock is coming out with a G17/22 that has interchangeable backstraps. Where are you going to keep your candy now?

Aristogeiton

10-26-09, 12:17

I have thought about using that space for parts before, but you can only fit a few small parts in there.

If your going to carry extra parts, you might as well have a small pouch that can hold bigger parts.

Then, if your going to have a small pouch for parts, maybe you should just carry an extra pistol.

I used to want to keep spare parts on my ARs too, but decided a lighter weapon would be better. Now I have a small pouch that carries a small cleaning kit and spare parts for an AR and Glock.

Having said all that, if you want to keep some small parts in your Glock, I doubt it would hurt anything. Granted, I am not a Glock expert.....so don't take my word for it.

Good luck! :D

moyler

10-26-09, 12:34

Although one always needs another spot to stow a Jolley Rancher, in the un-likely event you were to get a double feed in a fight, that "gap" is real nice place to stick your weak-side thumb into, in order to quickly and efficiently rip the magazine out prior to clearing the chamber and re-loading. YMMV.

ST911

10-26-09, 12:43

I think we had a lengthy thread about the merits and liabilities of the grip plugs.

There are those that put nothing in the gap, for good reason.

There are those that put one thing or another in the gap, for what they believe is a good reason.

That's about all the progress that will be made.

ChicagoTex

10-26-09, 17:21

I'd be concerned that putting a bunch of small, spare parts in the gap would rattle quite a bit, not something I really consider desireable in situations where I want to keep my (home defense) or my weapon's (concealed carry) position a secret.

Spiffums

10-26-09, 17:44

I keep belly button lint in mine.

awm14hp

10-26-09, 18:28

http://www.hometowncandy.com/jollyrancher-web.jpg

Lull in a fire-fight?

Tactical reload
whip it out! (the candy)
Om nom nom nom...

Just use a big marshmallow for the cap. :p

That is good stuff

Iraqgunz

10-26-09, 18:59

The purpose of the hollow backstrap is to allow crap to fall through. If you disassemble your pistol and then remove the trigger housing mechanism you will see where the hollow area is. Putting stuff in there isn't ideal IMHO.

ChicagoTex

10-26-09, 20:05

The purpose of the hollow backstrap is to allow crap to fall through.

Not saying you're wrong, but it always interests me how many different theories/ideas/claims people have for what the purpose of the hollow backstrap on Glocks are.

The one I've come to believe the most (though yours makes sense) is that it afford better leverage to pull out magazines that are, for one reason or another, stuck.

nickdrak

10-26-09, 20:22

Personally I see no merit in storing spare parts in the hollow portion of a Glock grip, unless you are one of those guys that feels the need to install aftermarket internal parts in your Glock. You may need the original parts/spares to get your Glock back up and running after an aftermarket internal part failure.;)

To me it makes more sense to run a plug. Whether or not it was designed to allow debris to fall out of the grip, it stands to reason that it is probably just as easy or easier for debris to find its way into the action of the Glock thru the same pathway, as it is to fall out. Im just sayin"....

Robb Jensen

10-26-09, 20:40

In the Glock armorers classes you'll hear that Gaston Glock designed it that way so that gunk falls out of the space. This doesn't make much sense even to a non-engineer as myself since the vast majority of the time for Police and Military that the gun lives in a holster muzzle pointed toward the ground......fill the void and sh** doesn't get in there in the first place.

ToddG

10-27-09, 08:21

I'm with gotm4 on this. The hollow space is there because there was no perceived need to fill it or make it solid. The old post ex argument was that it provided a "shock absorber" action to the recoil, making the guns easier to shoot. Now it's the "lets stuff fall out" claim.

Query #1: For people who've filled their backstraps to do grip reductions, are you seeing a higher incidence of stoppages because the backstrap is no longer hollow?

Query #2: For people who use a grip plug, when you remove the plug is there a lot of debris or fouling on the plug? This would indicate that there is, in fact, stuff flushing down the hollow space.

Littlelebowski

10-27-09, 08:30

I put in a grip plug because there was tons of lint and whatnot from daily carry in the area mentioned and the plug I use has a bit of contouring to supposedly help with reloads. Does it help? Probably not. Would I do it again? Probably not. I'm leaving it in there though.

geminidglocker

10-27-09, 11:19

My 26 has never experienced a single malfunction. 5000rds.+. It would be cool if Glock came out with an interchangeable backstrap, but until then my Glocks will be getting backstrap reductions and stippling.:)

GlockWRX

10-27-09, 16:15

I find it easier to believe that it's a water drain than a garbage disposal. That would be a good experiment; dunking a Glock with and without a plug to see how the water drained out of it.

As for parts, I know a guy that used to keep a trigger return springs in there. I think Glockmeister or LoneWolfDist used to have a plug with a couple of punches and things in it for doing a detail strip.

markm

10-27-09, 16:53

The void in the back makes for a great place for your thumb to grip the mag if you need to rip it out in the event of a double feed/cluster **** feed....

The hole in the back is an exact offset to the relief cut in the front strap.... also handy in ripping out a stuck mag. :eek:

Robb Jensen

10-27-09, 20:46

Eric Shelton

11-06-09, 04:10

Not saying you're wrong, but it always interests me how many different theories/ideas/claims people have for what the purpose of the hollow backstrap on Glocks are.

The one I've come to believe the most (though yours makes sense) is that it afford better leverage to pull out magazines that are, for one reason or another, stuck.

Drainage was the exact reason given at the Armorer's Course I attended today. Incidentally, it was taught by Dennis Tueller, and he's a great guy. It was great meeting him.

Eric Shelton

11-06-09, 08:29

Just letting you know what I was told, Dano. I find it hard to believe the plugs I've seen were water-tight anyway... The concern was hypothesized that in a cold environment like Austria (of course, to an Arizonan like me everywhere else is cold), any captive water could freeze, expand, and stop proper function of the gun. They made a point to say the Glock was designed for the Austrian military, so that's what the concerns were based off of, etc.

Keeping in mind that they hit the market around '85, and times/things change (see the thread in the Training forum), and they out-and-out said it in class, it strikes me as a reasonable explanation as to why the hollow area is there. Time and experience may or may not have shown it to be a good idea, and a plug may indeed be a better solution (I have one in my G19), but that doesn't change the story behind it's orgin. Now, whether it's misguided or not, I can't say...

ST911

11-06-09, 12:01

My duty gun rides exposed in sustained winds, gusts to 50-80+ mph, and in t-storms and blizzards. I've had my back to more than a few helicopters hot-loading patients. Not in sands like a desert, but plenty of dirt, silt, and the like.

I spend a good deal of time in backcountry, on ATVs, snowmobiles, sliding down hills, and doing a bunch of dirt and dust promoting stuff.

I've not found a plug to do anything for me yet. I suppose it's possible, but the debris I accumulate has been self-limiting. Anything beyond an initial layer seems to blow or fall back out.

Most consumers aren't buying these because they have a need to keep debris out. They're buying them because they have some compelling need to fill the empty hole.

Others may want debris protection or a mag-guide. You want a plug? Buy a plug. It isn't my money.

misanthropist

11-06-09, 12:40

I'm actually HIGHLY considering sending both my G17 and G19 to www.southpawcustom.com for the Sevigny Speedway magwell which is Production USPSA legal!

http://www.southpawcustom.com/speedway.htm
http://www.southpawcustom.com/images/ads/06.jpg

Hmmm...now THAT's interesting. A mod which fills the hole (which I don't really care about) while at the same time leaving the "thumb on the mag spot" for cluster****ery, and also gives a fast, gamery magwell.

But doesn't affect the utility of the gun as a fighting piece the way a 1911 magwell...might, I guess, I never thought about it.

But this is really interesting and if you wanted you could do it at home with epoxy and a die grinder.

HMMM!

ST911

11-07-09, 02:41

This is exactly the kind of adversial penis waving dribble that turns off professionals from posting here. I am happy your glock accoutrement to you medic outfit hasn't yet failed you.... considering your primary tasking isn't putting extra holes in the opposition after said helo taxi, not surprising. it was a bit disconcerting for the two fellas in the last 8 yrs, which i know of, when they discovered they were carrying a 9mm dive weight on the objective. For some the vast expendature of $3 usd is worth it.

I sent you a PM.

Iraq Ninja

11-07-09, 05:54

Just because Gaston designed something doesn't mean it is right. Remember the original Glock storage case with the hole in the middle? It resulted in more than a few NDs...

Something that lets gunk fall out, lets it fall in too.

May be a good idea for water ops, but that is about it.

ToddG

11-07-09, 10:19

My read on the issue, as someone who doesn't shoot Glocks very often:

Many people report running their Glocks without a plug, even in wet/cold/sandy environments, without problem.
Many people report running their Glocks with a plug, even in wet/cold/sandy environments, without a problem.
Some people have reported problems running without a plug in wet/cold/sandy environments.
No one has reported having a problem due to a plug.

Adding all that up, it seems to me that at worst the plug is just a waste of a few dollars, and under some circumstances it might be the difference between bang and click. Cheap insurance, IMHO...

RAM Engineer

11-07-09, 10:25

Anyone used this Nowlin plug that is lanyard compatible? Any alternatives to it?

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=23971/Product/TACTICAL_LANYARD_PLUG_for_GLOCK_reg_

thopkins22

11-07-09, 10:42

I don't have much to offer on the subject, other than the fact that I own, shoot, and carry Glocks which have plugs. My experience, usage, and level of training has already been surpassed by folks on both sides of the argument in this thread, so take this with a grain of salt.

I'll admit that I initially bought one because Larry Vickers said that Glocks should wear a butt plug. I don't engage in too much hero worship, however it's painfully obvious that when it comes to setting up weapons he's forgotten more than I'll ever know...so I tried it out.

I won't speak to the reliability aspect because my gun isn't being blasted by sand/ice/rocks/coral/candy during .mil/leo operations.

I bought the Slug Plug and found that on my G19 it extends beyond the heel of the grip like the M&Ps do. It prevents my hand from being pinched during hurried reloads and also provides me with a little bit more real estate to hang on to. It also acts as a mag guide of sorts. Without the plug I never grabbed the front and rear of the magazine to strip a stuck magazine during malfunction drills anyway, so I don't feel like there is a loss of functionality there. For a cost of $5, I can't see a problem with it.

misanthropist

11-07-09, 15:04

Selftest

11-08-09, 00:17

A buddy of mine carries a Glock 22. He was giving it a full cleaning one day, and he found a dead tarantula in there. He wondered how many days it lived in there before it died. Got a little squicky about having a ****ing arachnid take up residence in his pistol.

He plugged it the next day.

thopkins22

11-08-09, 00:46

Any thoughts on the Speedway?

Is it in fact a solution in search of a problem? I can't get past the "man, what a smart idea" stage so it seems good to me...but I don't have the stones to do mine without hearing somebody more experienced say, "yeah, good idea!";) Here you go. Clearly not everyone more experienced will like it. But then again, some more experienced people don't really like your Glock either....

I'm actually HIGHLY considering sending both my G17 and G19 to www.southpawcustom.com for the Sevigny Speedway magwell which is Production USPSA legal!

http://www.southpawcustom.com/speedway.htm
http://www.southpawcustom.com/images/ads/06.jpg