Glock 22 RTF2 (Gen 3)

[Cannon_fodder11b]

So I'm a new glock owner thanks to my awesome fiancee who bought me a Glock 22 RTF2 for my Birthday. Only issue is how realible is the plastice guide rod and spring assembly? I took the weapon apart and was kinda awed by the plastic guide rod and spring. Is this something I should replace often?

Im not new to hand guns, I have own a SW .357 686+, Springfield Arms XD9, and a Sig P220 (Western German date codes say it was made in 1989)

As a new Glock owner what are the pro's and cons of this weapon system?

[COJAM]

I believe Glock recommends to change at 5k rounds. I have a G22 RTF3 and a G19. I have a lone wolf SS guide rod in the G19, just because I wanted to try it out.I cannot tell a difference.Some people will chime in with the Glock is "Perfect" answer, I don't bow down to any gun manufacturer. Steel is better in some application and vice versa with polymer/plastic. No solid info on this but just a guess.I think Glock chose the plastic either for weight reduction or cost savings, maybe both. Gen 4's have steel in them now, supposedly for recoil reduction.At $20 try one, at least you'll have a back up part. just my 2 cents worth.

[Cannon_fodder11b]

Sweet. Thanks for the prompt reply. When I saw the guide rod and spring assembly was plastic I was curious how tough it was. Gonna head to tacoma to go break it in. Will add a pics soon.

Anyone other tips/hints parts replacement or upgrades advised? I've read that basically replacing the mag release is a standard practice. Might have to research more and figure it out. I have yet to practice dropping mags and reloading drills with it....Gotta wait for the holy terror 2 year old to PTFO.

[D. Christopher]

Congratulations on the new Glock. The Gen 3 G22 is a highly tested, very reliable pistol and should serve you well. I'm not sure if it will be a duty or carry weapon, or if it is just for fun. First thing you should do, especially if it is going to be used for self-defense is to fire several hundred rounds through it to verify reliability. Target ammo is okay and it is wise to use the lowest powered ammo you intend to use to verify that it will function with weaker loads such as WWB, Federal, and Remington, but don't be surprised if the pistol doesn't cycle reliably with weaker ammo in the first few hundred rounds. (If you have problems, be sure to document what ammo, what magazine, and the exact type of problem you encounter so you can be sure it is resolved after the gun is broken in.) If the pistol is to be used for self-defense you should fire as much of the exact ammo intend to carry to verify function and reliability, although defense loads usually don't have as many problems with new Glocks as the weaker target loads.

Regarding what parts to change? I strongly recommend that unless you have a very specific reason to change something and know exactly WHY you are doing it, you don't change anything until the pistol is broken in and you verify that the basic stock pistol is reliable. Any problems in the initial stages should be carefully diagnosed and use Glock's excellent customer service to make sure you have a good pistol with no defects. If you start changing things before you have established the reliability of the pistol it makes things a lot harder to diagnose.

Glocks aren't perfect and they certainly aren't perfect for everyone, but a Gen 3 Glock is one of the most reliable pistols you can buy. Once you have a thousand rounds through it and know you can trust it and know what you like and don't like about it you can address any problems from a standpoint of KNOWING what works and what doesn't FOR YOU. An aftermarket recoil spring assembly is a waste of money, and an extended magazine release has no business on a defense or duty weapon. Gen 3 Glocks have billions of rounds through them and Glock has a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn't. Don't be fooled into thinking a metal part is always superior to a plastic part. Study up and you'll find that many reliable Glocks have had failures and reliability problems from metal wearing against plastic when it was designed for plastic against plastic.

I hope you really enjoy the new G22. Shoot it a lot and learn what works for you. Then only change parts when you know how, and exactly why you are doing it. Good luck.

[Cannon_fodder11b]

Shoot it a lot and learn what works for you. Then only change parts when you know how, and exactly why you are doing it. Good luck.

Good Advice! I plan on breaking it in this weekend and getting a feel for how it handles. Mainly I will be using it as a conceal carry weapon.
I plan on swapping out my Sig P220, and hopefully if the feel of the glock is as comfortable on the firing line as it is currently is in my hand, I have no qualms about using it as a daily carry self defense weapon.
I picked up some target ammo, and some Golden Sabre to use as defense ammo. I plan on Firing off some of the defense ammo to get a feel for how the weapon and defense ammo handle.

I have done a few weapon draws and magazine changes to help break in the new Galco inside the belt holster I got with it. Magazine release seems difficult to reach but I'm sure that just operator head space and timing. I've just been so used to manipulating the mag release on my P220, Its gonna take some training to get proficient with the smaller mag release.

[D. Christopher]

If you are going to carry it then I would re-emphasize what I said earlier about not changing any parts until you get at least 500 to 1000 rounds through it and convince yourself that you have a good, in spec, reliable pistol that doesn't need any attention from the factory. By that time you will know if everything works for you and your hands.

Do some serious research regarding extended slide locks and extended mag releases on duty weapons. Having to break your grip slightly in order to reach a mag release is not the end of the world. If you have to pull your pistol in self defense and the mag drops out and leaves you with a single shot pistol it might be the end of YOUR world! Only you can decide what is best for you, but carrying a full sized Glock IWB with an extended mag release can lead to this exact problem. Do you really want it to be that easy to drop a mag? Statistically what is more likely to happen to you? Needing to change magazines in a gunfight and not being able to with the factory mag release? Or having to pull your pistol and having the mag drop out because the extended mag release was bumped inside the holster while you were carrying?

Shoot it as much as you can, train hard, and be safe. Oh and take that fiancee to dinner and buy her something nice!

[GTO]

Rule of thumb, every time you add aftermarket to the internals of a Glock you run the risk of reliability problems.

The guide rod will still run even if the tip breaks off. (where it "would" fail) In 40 change it more often then 9mm (worn spring).

The parts are CHEAP and proven.



.

[Cannon_fodder11b]

Thanks for all the info as a first time Glock owner I could not be happier.
Took a little getting used to the grip rubbing against my hip, but its all better now, just took a little application of some black coban, and all is well.

[D. Christopher]

The only time I don't feel comfortable now is when it's NOT rubbing against my hip! I hope you enjoy yours for a long, long time. Thanks for your service SSgt.

[darr3239]

The only failure I ever heard of with a Glock guide rod, was a malfunction on the part of the operator. On putting the slide back onto the frame, after cleaning, the guy was successful mating the front frame rails, but missed the back two. It jammed the slide on the frame when he pulled the slide all the way back. We manhandled it to get if off, which is normally successful, but this time the plastic rod inside the spring broke in half. Not a big expensive deal, but the gun was out of action until the rod/spring assembly was replaced.