View Full Version : Glock 19 shoots high.
I purchased a G-19 (Gen 3) a few days ago and out of the box it was shooting about 2.5 inches high at 20 yards. I installed a set of Heinie Slant Pro sights and it's still about 2 to 2.5 inches high at 20 yards. This is my second G-19 (my wife carries the other) and my fifth Glock overall. The rest of them have either Heinie or Defoor's Ameriglo tactical sights and they shoot point of aim at 20 yards.
I'm a Glock armorer and I can determine nothing out of sorts with the pistol. Good lock up when empty, chambers rounds like it should and locks into battery with no issues. I've got 400 rounds though the gun with no stoppages and I'll be keeping it. I've heard that G-19 and G-23 pistols sometimes have this condition and the armory at my former agency saw a few come through like this over the years. Our solution was to place a taller Heinie front sight on the gun, which I'll do next week when the new (.250) front sight arrives. In the past, Glock would simply tell us: "It happens." and offer to replace the gun. We never had any mechanical issues with the high shooting guns. Some of which were training guns with tens of thousands of rounds through them. Heinie is aware of this issue and actually has a program in place to sell a replacement front sight at a nice discount for people with this issue.
I'm posting this to conduct an informal accounting of people who may have had this issue. I'd like to see how often it appears.
Heavy Metal
12-23-10, 19:06
Higher front sight post?
Higher front sight post?
Already on the way.
My Glock 19 shoots low with standard height configurations. It drives me crazy. I have yet to decide on a sight set up.
To find out exactly what the problem is, take your other G19 barrel and drop it into the problem G19. If the point of aim does not shift with the swap, then you've excluded the barrel as the problem. Next, try swapping out your other G19 slide with the problem G19 frame and barrel. Switch things around enough and you'll figure out which part is out of spec, and you can replace it if desired. From pistols that I've worked on, usually it is the slide that is out of spec with points of aim that are off.
Well, I'm glad I'm not the only one. I mean, I hate it for you, but I can relate. I bought 2 G21's and one is darn near dead on, the other is two inches high. There is another thread on this. I kinda got the same response in that it needs to be shot a little more.
Look, I have gone over both of these pistols with a fine tooth comb, and I can find no indication of a wear problem that would give me evidence that it is in the frame of slide. There are no marks on the barrel, indicative of said, either. I have a couple of other pairs of pistols (different man.) and they were quite a bit more than 2" apart.
I did the math, and the front sight only needs to be just a hair over 1/100" taller to get it to POA/POI at 25yds. I am going to mic both front sights and see if there is a difference.
Not that it matters too much, but I use typing paper that I paint with black enamel and super glue to build up my front sights, and then file that down until I get to POA/POI. It is easy to remove if I ever want to. I only do this to target guns.
I've always had bad luck with Aftermarket sight screwing up the POI on glocks. I've gone to using Ameriglo Irons which match the factory sight dimensions exactly... only they're steel.
To find out exactly what the problem is, take your other G19 barrel and drop it into the problem G19. If the point of aim does not shift with the swap, then you've excluded the barrel as the problem. Next, try swapping out your other G19 slide with the problem G19 frame and barrel. Switch things around enough and you'll figure out which part is out of spec, and you can replace it if desired. From pistols that I've worked on, usually it is the slide that is out of spec with points of aim that are off.
I did some swapping around on mine, and it always came up the same. They both group so well that I will simply do a front sight adjustment. We are only talking about the thickness of a sheet.5 of copy paper.
Why would shooting high be something wrong with the gun? Part of getting a new gun is sighting it in.
My G17 and 19 shot low with the stock Ameriglo sights, so I swapped the rear sight out for the model made for the G21. Worked perfectly.
To find out exactly what the problem is, take your other G19 barrel and drop it into the problem G19. If the point of aim does not shift with the swap, then you've excluded the barrel as the problem. Next, try swapping out your other G19 slide with the problem G19 frame and barrel. Switch things around enough and you'll figure out which part is out of spec, and you can replace it if desired. From pistols that I've worked on, usually it is the slide that is out of spec with points of aim that are off.
I considered this, but the other G19 is a Gen 4. I was concerned about swapping parts between two different variants as the slide and barrel shelf on the Gen 4 are not the same dimensions as the Gen 3. I have not yet received armorer training on the Gen 4 guns and my information comes from a colleague who completed the course recently. He was told that it is not advisable to exchange parts between the two variants. If they were both Gen 3's, I'd be exchanging parts in a heartbeat to determine the issue.
I'm shooting the gun next week in training and it should put another 500 rounds through it. I'm not seeing any abnormal wear patterns and as long as this thing keeps devouring ammo, I'm content to swap the front sight and rock on.
Business_Casual
12-24-10, 06:48
Why would shooting high be something wrong with the gun? Part of getting a new gun is sighting it in.
Exactly - I have had to use .250 and .235 fronts with 10-8 sights and Heinies never were POA/POI for me.
B_C
Why would shooting high be something wrong with the gun? Part of getting a new gun is sighting it in.
I have identical glocks with glock fixed sights, and the sights are the same. The elevation between the two is 2" on the target. I am not saying anything is wrong with the gun; it could merely be a tiny burr somewhere that I cannot see. Both of these guns group so well, I don't want to monkey with anything other than the front sight, at this present time.
Similar points of aim between your defensive pistols is important. If you ever have to do a precision shot, you don't want to have to be racking your brain on which point of aim is the particular pistol that I am using, and what Kentucky windage/elevation should I be doing.
Similar points of aim between your defensive pistols is important. If you ever have to do a precision shot, you don't want to have to be racking your brain on which point of aim is the particular pistol that I am using, and what Kentucky windage/elevation should I be doing.
I agree. Both of my Glock 17s shoot POA/POI at from 7 to 25 yards. My Glock 26 does as well. However, my Glock 19 is consistently 2-3 inches low from 3-25 yards so that I have to cover the POI with my front sight. I did a "bubba" fix by sanding down the stock front sight and now the gun is POA/POI at 25 yards, but still a bit low at 7. I have a set of standard height Ameriglo Defoors, but I'm thinking that if I go with the standard front, I'll have to get a rear that is higher than standard, correct?
Gutshot John
12-24-10, 10:23
I've never had a set of aftermarket sights shoot POI/POA. Some of this is ammo consistency, most of it is just plain annoying (seriously how hard is it to figure that out when designing a sight?).
In the end you just have to spend some time figuring out where a gun will shoot.
I agree. Both of my Glock 17s shoot POA/POI at from 7 to 25 yards. My Glock 26 does as well. However, my Glock 19 is consistently 2-3 inches low from 3-25 yards so that I have to cover the POI with my front sight. I did a "bubba" fix by sanding down the stock front sight and now the gun is POA/POI at 25 yards, but still a bit low at 7. I have a set of standard height Ameriglo Defoors, but I'm thinking that if I go with the standard front, I'll have to get a rear that is higher than standard, correct?
To raise your point of aim, you want either a shorter front sight, or a taller rear sight.....or both. The opposite if you want to lower your point of aim.
I've never had a set of aftermarket sights shoot POI/POA. Some of this is ammo consistency, most of it is just plain annoying (seriously how hard is it to figure that out when designing a sight?).
In the end you just have to spend some time figuring out where a gun will shoot.
I just slapped myself up side the head. I am so stuck on WWB for practicing, it didn't occur to me to try another man. It could simply be that one barrel likes WWB better than the other one. Dopey has shot rifles enough to know that.
30 cal slut
01-30-12, 09:03
Ugh. I have a Gen 3 Glock 19 that is all of the sudden shooting 6-8 inches high at ten yards. :eek:
The only mod I made that could conceivably make a difference is the Warren sights. But 6-8 inches?
I wonder if I dorked something (the slide? the spring?). I'm using the same ammo - WWB 115 gr. It's working fine in a similarly set up Glock 17.
I find this very unsettling. I'm putting in a call to Glock.
I'm posting this to conduct an informal accounting of people who may have had this issue. I'd like to see how often it appears.
I've owned six 9mm Glock pistols. Five had usable zeroes out of the box. But one G17, although it grouped better than any of the others, hit 2.375" high at 10 yards, 6.25" high at 25 yards, and 12.5" high at 50 yards.
I sent it back to Glock. When they test-fired it, it hit POI at 10 and 15 yards, so they sent it back with no changes. I put a taller Ameriglo front sight on it and now it hits where it should.
I'm glad I gave them the chance to assess and fix the problem. I'm glad to know Glock thinks it's OK to occasionally zero a 9mm service pistol somewhere between 150 and 200 yards. And I'm glad this pistol didn't end up in the hands of a rookie cop who didn't realize that he (or she) had a problem until it was too late.
So to answer your original question, yes, it happens, or at least it has happened to me. Best of luck getting your pistol sorted out. A taller front sight should do the trick, and Ameriglo's site has a handy calculator to help you find the one you need.
Okie John
Ugh. I have a Gen 3 Glock 19 that is all of the sudden shooting 6-8 inches high at ten yards. :eek:
The only mod I made that could conceivably make a difference is the Warren sights. But 6-8 inches?
I wonder if I dorked something (the slide? the spring?). I'm using the same ammo - WWB 115 gr. It's working fine in a similarly set up Glock 17.
I find this very unsettling. I'm putting in a call to Glock.
Warren dots, fibers or iron posts?
If you're shooting the fiber optic or tritium sights are you shooting the DOT or the tip of the blade?
30 cal slut
01-30-12, 13:35
tritium - dot on x.
which sometimes puts me a smidge high on my glock 17.
but not 6-8 inches.
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