From what I've read and heard, Glock Kabooms are mainly in 40 S&W caliber guns and many times related to reloads. Am I right? Is the 40 the main culprit when reloaded or are there a lot of Kabooms in other calibers? I've got a Glock 20 in 10mm. Can I reload safely without changing barrels or some such?

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I reload for several glocks including the 20. The advice is not to use lead bullets in a glock barrel. I did that for a number of years, i.e. lead bullets, with no issues, but i did switch to kkm barrels. I think from memory glock advises againsts reloads, but i never paid any attention.
I would be careful on a couple of points. One, make sure you have a good crimp. two, make sure you keep the gun clean.
most of the kabooms have been related to the .40s&w which really increases pressure with bullet setback, i.e. not enough crimp.
The other item is cleaning. I think powder/residue buildup around that square rear end of the barrel if enough, prevents full lock up and firing out of battery.
With a UNLOADED gun, put the slide back just slightly to where it will fire out of lockup and pull the trigger. it will fire.
The other issue possibly is the alloy of a lead bullet going as fast as it can in a 10mm. You want the right alloy/diameter to avoid having to clean up leading.
As to using jacketed bullets it ain't no big deal, or plated. Just remember the crimp.

as to the kabooms i personally know of two. One where a guy i am pretty sure double charged the casings.
no two was me with a squib load. I had a bullet stuck in the barrel and fired another. It was an experience. blew off the front of the slide and cracked the barrel.
bought a new slide off a guy here and a replacement barrel, and am still using the gun.
no damage to me, other than having to throw away my shorts.

I had one with a reloaded 9mm in a 34 and have been present and looking at the guns during training sessions for four more:

Glock 23/.40...factory ammo

Glock 19/9mm....factory ammo

Glock 19/9mm....reloaded jacketed ammo

Glock 21/.45 ACP...reloaded jacketed ammo.

In addition my teaching partner had one with a 23/.40 reload with jacketed ammo.

As Ron stated, Glock has a design defect that allows it to fire slightly out of battery. This allows the slide to retract too far before the bullet exits the barrel and the pressure drops. The pressure seeks the weakest link which is the unsupported part of the case head. The .40 just happens to operate at the pressure range and have the largest amount of unsupported case head to make it happen the most but any Glock is really a time bomb...

The reason Glock dosen't want lead bullets in their guns probably has to do with lead buildup just in front of the chamber...if it gets dirty the round may not seat fully..but the gun will still fire...and K-Boom...

I have one Glock...a 19...and it is fed almost exclusively factory ammo...

Bob

Thanks y'all.

I had a Ka-boom in a G20 10mm, brand new, firing Double Tap hard cast ammo. Investigation by myself and a gunsmith appeared to show the gun - with a Lone Wolf barrel - fired out of battery, rupturing the case just above the head. That barrel would also not chamber Buffalo Bore ammo. I switched to a 6" Glock factory barrel, however, and my problems went away. Double Tap did tell me they had seen a bad batch of brass go through their production, however, and asked to have the ruptured case and the remaining un-fired ammo out of that box back, replaced it with new ammo.

Glock recommends against lead bullets because of their rifling, but pretty much all manufacturers seem to be against hand loading to the point of voiding the warranty of the firearm.

this is just me, but I feel like glock barrels are a little loose in the chamber which helps in chambering factory ammo which isn't all the same. But you do have a unsupported case at the six oclock position, if you look by taking a barrel out of the gun and positioning a round in it. The aftermarket barrels are at least in the kkm camp, tighter and better supported. I also switched to a heavier recoil spring and metal guide rod.
I push 200grain at 1200fps, which is the old norma load. And haven't had any problems. But i am pretty squeamish about making sure the reloads are correct.
A case guage is your friend, or not having one, running reloads into the barrel out of the gun to make sure they fit properly.

LOL. Thanks for the wisdom...

I had a Federal factory load where the case separated. Blew gas out the side and blew the extractor off. Problem was the ammo, was a known problem with that batch. No injury, gun held up and was easily repaired.

Odds are pretty small of any issue with good loads, I don't fret over it and have loaded and had a friend load 5,500 rds for Glocks on a Dillon 650 for me and he has done a whole lot more for himself.

Mike

My G20 Kaboom also blew the extractor off. It was reloads with brass I got with the gun, so unknown # of firings. The magazine few out the bottom and I was slightly injured. I use new brass now and a heavier spring to keep it in battery longer.

I've got a Gen4 G29; the chamber support looks better than I have seen on older barrels, pretty close to a KKM I have for the same gun. I am wondering if this is going to reduce the number of kabooms (Glocks will still fire out of battery though!).

Regarding reloads; I reload exclusively for everything including the 45 Super (G21 & 1911), some of the 45 Super reloads I've seen over at GlockTalk should make even the suicidal reconsider.

Jerry

I bought one of the first Glock 20s (if I remember right it was around 1991) made available to the public and LE. I've had over 20K rounds through it. All factory or "re-manufactured (training/qualifying)" rounds. No problems at all. I carry the original Norma load: 200 grain semi wad cutter at 1200 fps. That's what I practice with too.

Consider too many agencies are on there 3rd batch, Gen 2, Gen 3, Gen 4 of Glocks and it makes for a great used gun market.


Mike

I just purchased my Para Ordnance Executive Carry, so I gotta let my slush fund build up again. When it gets close I'm going to purchase a Gen 4 Glock 20.

I had one way back there myself. I don't recall the exact year. I've had my current one about a year and a half.

My buddy blew the mag out of his G 27 several times, before I showed him the unsupported chamber and explained the "smiley face". He had 700 shells loaded and his dad wanted the components. After using a dremmel to make a relief cut he pried the bullet out and dumped the powder. Shell 170 something blew up in his hand and he went to the ER. He told me "I had several catch fire, and I just threw them on the floor, don't know why that one blew up". After healing he stuck them in a vise to finish the batch. And no a bullet puller would not get a good enough grip to pull them out. Posted this before, but it is funny enough to repost.

Forgot to mention that when I switched back to a Glock barrel, I also went to a heavier recoil spring and a stainless rod. Glock chambers ARE "loose", and I am told this is by design, so that ammo is not as critical, and should even work when dirty in the field - to build/enforce a rep as military-police capable. My only experience with an after market barrel was the Lone Wolf, and I would NOT do that again. I would expect other brands may be a lot better, but I was advised by Buffalo Bore to stick with Glock barrels in Glocks, as they did when developing their 10mm loads.

I still don't like or really trust Glocks in 10mm, and I much prefer a manual safety in any gun/caliber, but by the time I sold mine I was confident it was a safe and reliable pistol, and it definitely has some very good points such as the magazine capacity and cost compared to other types. The 10mm is a potent cartridge, and I might like to have another - but it will be a 1911 type.

I haven't taken a guage to measure the differences, but i know a glock 21 slide will fit on a glock 20 lower. And a glock 20 slide will fit on the 21lower.
Now keeping in mind psi of a .45acp at 17k maybe a little more on +p rounds, vs. the operating pressure on a 10mm which is a lot more, it is food for thought.
That barrel better be a good one. Which is the reason i went to KKM barrels.
And the heavier spring and rod.
.357sig operates at pressure levels in the upper 30k range.
and i fired a ton of .357 through a kkm barrel in the glock 23 without issue. Which gave me some feeling of confidence in the 20 with the aftermarket barrel.

My load for my Glock 20 is 180 grain XTP's over 2400. When I first started shooting this load I had a lot of extraction problems. I went to a 22 pound recoil spring and it cured that. I always sort of figured with the slow powder things started moving when the chamber pressure was still too high for positive extraction. Maybe, maybe not, but it worked. I also replaced the plastic recoil spring guide with a SS one. I load new brass and don't reload it, one shot and done. Also, I never, never shoot someone else's handloads, never.

I'm afraid to even look at my Glocks now.

Stick with jacketed ammo, and you should be fine. It's the lead stuff that causes problems with the unique Glock rifling. Or, if you want to shoot lead, get a conventionally rifled replacement barrel.

There are no differences between a G20 and G21 frame, they are the same thing.

The comparison to 45 ACP pressure doesn't mean much here; the G20 came first and was designed specifically for the 10mm. The G21 in 45 was an adaption of the G20, not the other way around like most 1911s or others. Regardless, the frame doesn't take any of the pressure from the round.

I realize and knew what you wrote. My point being is you have a very similar or identical chassis, between both guns. The difference being the pressure and barrels. I believe some are dropping 10mm barrels in the glock 21. But i think a .45is more accepting of a loose chamber than a 10mm is.
one of my reasons for buying a glock 20 in the first place was the understanding they were purpose built for the 10mm, unlike a 1911 or something like that.

Most Glocks are ticking time bombs and if I were you I would sell all the Glocks you currently have .....quickly.


PS Send me a PM and I see if I can assist you in your dumping of your Glocks

Interesting enough, in lgs today talking to a three gun competitor, among other things.
He also blew up a glock 23 with a squibb load. Split a kkm barrel. put another one back in gun is still working.

10mms and .40s tend to be the main culprits.

I do not know the #s, but there are many times more 9mm Glocks than anything else, and they are seen worldwide

Example: The 2 Millionth Glock was at the 1999 SHOT show.

Due to sheer numbers I would expect to see a few 9mm guns come apart. Though I believe the %s are far, far less than .40s and 10mms, as in fractions of a single percent.

With all that said, GOOGLE 1911 KABOOM and you will have plenty to look at and read about, much like the Glock.

I recall in the mid to late 1990s, "Super Face" was an issue with guys running .38 supers in 1911s.

I think that those bugs got worked out though, as you rarely even hear the term these days.

Glock Kabooms are certainly a real thing, but I have seen exceptional amounts of rounds through G19s and serviced the same guns. Never once did I see one of the 9mm issued guns have a catastrophic failure.

The odds of having a catastrophic failure are phenomenally low, especially in a 9mm. With that said, in my G35 USPSA limited gun, I run a KKM barrel since I shoot lead.

I never had an issue running lead in a stock .45 barrel. For one thing .45 is a low pressure round, and the .45 barrels are hexagonal, not polygonal, though I cannot tell you how that makes a difference.

I will continue to shoot Glocks with no fear of catastrophic failure.

So far so good.....

+1 on what Mackay said

The significant difference is pressure; higher pressure of the 9mm and 40 needs a harder lead bullet than the 45. I think a lot of the "lead bullet issues" in Glocks are from people running soft swaged lead in 9s and 40s, those are too soft for anything above light plinking loads.

Any factory Glock barrel will shoot lead with no issues though, if the bullets are the correct size and hardness. I usually get better results from factory Glock barrels than aftermarket, because of the better finish in the Glock bores.

IIRC, I think the 9 and 40 barrels are hexagonal, and the 45 barrels are octagonal. Both are polygonal, "poly-" meaning "many". Although none of the Glock barrels are truly polygonal, they are round bores with flat lands. Some HK bores were true polygonal, like the P7, with all flats and no round surfaces.

None of that really matters for lead bullets though, if they fit right and are hard enough for the pressure.

I'm going to live on the wild side. Ordered a G 17 and will be shooting lead through it. The caveat is hard cast and powder coated. Also will be cleaning after each range session.

I can buy copper FMJs for $108 per 1,000 (9mm). For me, why shoot lead?

Even if I have to pay for lead, for $108 will cover bullets, primers and powder for 2000 rounds.

Lead is nicer on steel too.

You must cast your own. $108 is for 1000 124 gr. FMJ or JHP bullets. I have not found a place where I can better that price on 1000 lead bullets for 9mm.

http://missouribullet.com/details.php?prodId=316&category=5&secondary=8&keywords=



http://missouribullet.com/details.php?prodId=117&category=5&secondary=8&keywords=

http://missouribullet.com/details.php?prodId=51&category=5&secondary=8&keywords=

Yes, been casting for decades. With a Lee 6 cavity mold you can cast around 1000 an hour.

I've got thousands of Missouri Bullet Company bullets in my basement right now. I generally buy them directly from the guy who casts them. I've recommended them on here many times. They are a top-notch outfit.

I used to cast my own bullets, and am still set up to do so. MBC is so good and inexpensive, that I can see little reason to do so anymore unless it's something for a Sharps that they don't cast.

The guy's business has really expanded since I started going there. He has an amazing setup, not far from Kansas City, yet out in the boonies.

FWIW, I've owned several 10's over the years, including a Glock 20 back when they first came out. Then I didn't have a 10 for many years. When I got this one, I promptly started shooting twenty-year-old reloads in it, along with sundry assorted old ammo. It has never bobbled. Never failed to fire. I can't say that about many guns. It's in my gun box right now along with about 60 rounds in mags.

$88 per thousand for FMJ or $89 per thousand for JHP 124 grain at Precision Delta with free shipping if you buy 2000. I get the 115 grain FMJ for $83 per thousand.

That's where I get mine. I mine by the 1000 though.

Okay, let's review and summarize. The Glock Kabooms are due to a flaw that allows them to fire out-of-battery. There's a lot of stuff about changing barrels to avoid bullet setback due to the high pressure nature of the .40, etc. But the bottom-line is the culprit is a design flaw that allows the Glock to fire out-of-battery.

So why are there not more Kabooms with 9mm? Certainly there must be about as many 9's out there as 40's. I can see where 10mm and 45 ACP Glocks would be far less popular and thus not as many have Kaboomed statistically. But why aren't there as many 9 Kabooms as 40's? The 9 is a high pressure round too, especially in the best defensive loadings.

Repeating it doesn't make it true. Pick up any Glock and check for yourself, they will only fire when the barrel is locked into the slide (in battery). Yes, the slide can move rearward very slightly and still fire, but the barrel and slide are still locked together at that point.

Interesting thread. I'm going to buy a Glock 17 now.

You won't be disappointed. If you're not accustomed to the striker fired system, though, it takes a little effort to get used to. Once done, though, it's a great platform. I recommend also purchasing the SIRT practice Glock for dry fire drills.

because the shorty .40 sucks...

get a 17 dude, you will be fine some tests had 50,000+ rounds on a 17 at one time or another, I wouldn't bother with a glock or anything in .40 cal..