Are Glocks unsafe ?

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Add On Safties, BUT:

If you're worried get a SAF-T BLOK, about $20, do a google search: a plastic insert that fits behind trigger precisely and is absolutely flat, does not protrude on either side. The whole right side of it is a button that, when pressed, springs it out of the way in 0.25 of a second if in an emergency. Move your finger a hair forward it's on the trigger. (or if the spring ever failed, just push the BLOK out). It's foolproof because it's the most rudimentary safety you could get for any gun - no mechanics (and they have them for some other brands): it's like having a big fat pencil stuck behind a trigger. You can also get (from Glock) heavier trigger springs cheap if you want a stronger trigger pull. Lastly, from other companies, an after market external safety is available - I think reasonably.

BUT: IF GLOCKS WERE UNSAFE HALF THE POLICE AGENCIES ON THE PLANET WOULD NOT BE USING THEM. THEY ARE NO DIFFERENT THAN REVOLVERS, WHERE THE TRIGGER-PULL WEIGHT PREVENTS ANYTHING BUT INTENTIONAL FIRING, AND THE GUN CANNOT BE FIRED ANY OTHER WAY BUT TRIGGER PULL. THEY ARE DESIGNED TO POINT AND SHOOT - AND SAFELY. THAT'S THE POINT

THEY ARE NOT UNSAFE - THEY HAVE EXCELLENT SAFETY RECORD.

What you are referring to with accidental shootings were likely a few caused by another company's holster that was faulty - the action of putting the gun in the holster caused a few discharges because some weird retaining trigger device malfunctioned, causing the trigger to be pushed and not retained. The holsters were recalled. This had nothing to do with Glock. Stay away from holsters for any gun with mechanical devices is my view.

I'm in NY State. If you have any doubt, call the New York City Police Dept and/or the NY State Police who both use them for their duty guns, (as well as other NY cities) or pick from a large number of other US state, fed, depts. They're not unsafe. These people aren't stupid.
 
Mattro started this thread because in another post/thread, I suggested an armorers course or some light reading for the "unsafe" crowd. I still stand by that suggestion! People get shot by Glocks accidentally due to "Human Error"! If one of you can site an actual incident that even shows "Mechanical error" than I will stand corrected but till that time.... Do some research on the matter (there are the coolest simple diagrams showing the way all 3 THREE Glock safety systems operate. There is NO stored energy in the Glock when in the "ready to fire position! The tiny spring that holds tension on the trigger bar is there to tension the trigger safety against the frame. I have been through these pistols in EVERY detail and on my Honor, I promise they cannot be fired without pulling the trigger!

TRIGGER SYSTEM
The “Safe Action” system is a partly tensioned firing pin lock, which is moved further back by the trigger bar when the trigger is pulled.
When the trigger is pulled, 3 safety features are automatically deactivated one after another. When doing so, the trigger bar is deflected downward by the connector and the firing pin is released under full load. When the trigger is released, all three safety features re-engage and the GLOCK pistol is automatically secured again.



TRIGGER SAFETY
As the first of the three GLOCK “Safe Action” safety features, the trigger safety prevents inadvertent firing by lateral forces on the trigger. Releasing the trigger will automatically reactivate the safety.

FIRING PIN SAFETY
The GLOCK firing pin safety is a solid hardened steel pin which, in the secured state, blocks the firing pin channel, rendering the igniting of a chambered cartridge by the firing pin IMPOSSIBLE. The firing pin safety is only pushed upward to release the firing pin for firing when the trigger is pulled and the safety is pushed up through the backward movement of the trigger bar. Releasing the trigger will automatically reactivate the firing pin safety.

DROP SAFETY
In the line of duty it may happen that a loaded pistol is dropped on the floor. Contrary to conventional pistols, the GLOCK drop safety prevents unintentional firing of a shot through hard impact. When the trigger is pulled, the trigger bar is guided in a precision safety ramp. The trigger bar is deflected from this ramp only in the moment the shot is triggered.

LOADED CHAMBER INDICATOR
The user has always been able to read important parameters off his GLOCK pistol at a glance.
Trigger forward = safety activated.
Trigger pulled = safety deactivated.
The pistol also shows the user whether a cartridge is in the barrel or not. The extractor also serve as a loaded chamber indicator on all GLOCK pistols – and this entirely without additional components. Visual and palpable extractor edge.


If I could have provided the Diagrams, I certainly would have. I am Very educated in the Glock pistols and I am not expressing an opinion here. I am simply Trying to educate those who refuse to educate themselves! I will not even try to teach on a subject I do not have an instructors knowledge of!
 
If you were to make an argument that they are more "unsafe" than other handguns.... it would have to be along the lines of:

1. They allow for VERY little human error before they will discharge (light trigger and short distance for trigger travel with no lever mounted trigger block safety)

2. The human born without error hasn't been found yet.


Those unable to do the math from there prove point #2.
 
There is NO stored energy in the Glock when in the "ready to fire position!
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There's some. Glock says it's not enough to fire the gun, but the striker spring is compressed about half of it's total compression length by the slide action. The trigger pull does the other half of the compression.

Regarding human error. Based on a poll done on another forum, a whopping 70% of people who have an accidental discharge do so because they first intentionally put their finger on the trigger. Obviously the fact that the gun went off meant that they obviously deactivated any manual safeties first. (Gun defects/parts breakages were a separate response). In other words, in the vast majority of unintentional discharges a manual safety wouldn't have helped at all, the only thing that would have helped was not putting finger to trigger.

Trigger snags and accidentally getting a finger into the trigger guard accounted for only about 6% of accidental discharges.

These arguments usually focus on the 6% as being the big issue. They're not. The big issue is people who intentionally do something ill-advised. No amount of manual safeties can prevent that.
 
They're Unsafe when handled by Unsafe shooters.

As far as more occurences:, they're more prolific than a lot of other models. What pick up truck has been in the most accidents? The Ford F series, why? Cuz Ford owners are dumb?:D No, because there's more of them on the road.
 
Something funny just came to mind, people rely on common sense to handle knife, because there are no safety. With gun many people rely on safety device instead of common sense.:)
 
Glocks are unsafe! As a previous poster mentioned, humans are fallible and make mistakes while a mistake with most items are easily rectified a mistake with a deadly weapon has serious consequences. Knowing this, why would Gaston put only one external safety on the pistol? then make the trigger pull 5.5lbs? then require that the trigger is pulled too allow take down of the pistol?
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How many external safeties should a firearm have? Just when a firearms designer thinks he's created an idiot proof system, the system creates a better idiot.

If you want a heavier trigger pull, Glock offers 8 and 11 pound triggers. "Problem" solved.

Adding a safety to a Glock would defeat the purpose. The weapon was designed from the ground up to be as simple as possible. Detailed, it has like 34 total parts. Simplicity yields reliability because the theory of probability tells us that the more parts there are (external safeties, grip safeties, magazine disconnects, ect.), the more things there are to go wrong.

It is harder making the pistol go off by accident than some would have you believe. And it isn't difficult to make it even more difficult. Put it in a holster that was designed for it. You don't have to buy a $100 Blackhawk thigh rig if you don't want. I have mine in an el cheapo Uncle Mikes. I used to carry it without the thumb break, but one day I was walking down some railroad tracks and I tripped on a tie that shifted as I stepped on it. The pistol went clattering across the rocks. It never went off, but I decided to carry it with the thumb break fastened from then on. I was worried the thumb break might get caught in the trigger guard and cause the pistol to go off while being re-holstered, so I cleared the pistol, triple checked the chamber, then spent about half an hour trying to slip the pistol in from every angle and intentionally cause it to fire while being re-holstered. With this particular holster, it proved nearly impossible. The angle required to even get the thumb break into the trigger guard is so awkward and unnatural that it wouldn't be feasible to imagine it ever occurring. And even with the thumb break in the trigger guard, I just couldn't get it alone to place enough force on the trigger to cause the pistol to go off. Is it possible? Probably. But unlikely enough that you would have to be either incredibly unlucky, or a very special kind of stupid.

This argument is retarded. There's always a better idiot to defeat any safeguard and it wasn't worth it to Glock to complicate his design to appease them. Most of the world's problems these days come from stupid people being allowed to continue polluting the gene pool. Maybe if these morons start shooting reproductive organs off by pulling pistols with their finger on the trigger, it will give humanity a fighting chance...

At any rate, if you don't trust yourself with a Glock, don't own one. It's that simple.
 
all this safe talk. Honestly. It's stressfull. A gun really doesn't require a saftey. And if you feel the need to have one, do you REALLY think you should have a gun? I mean, you're only going to pull the trigger if you're at the range, or your going to shoot somoene..you play with your gun THAT much that you'd need a saftey? My XD only has one physical saftey, the grip. (I dont really believe in trigger saftey, or why it was even made..I can't see being effective). But I'm confident in myself enough, that even tho theres one in the chamber, and 12 in the mags, I know my gun is never a toy, and should only be held when at range, or when life threating event is to accure. Or if I'm cleaning it, or taking itout of holster to go into safe :cool:

But hey, in the end, I think honestly, we should have a saftey on our toasters! what if we accidently push down on the handle and the toaster comes on, it oculd catch something on fire!!
 
Haven't read through the whole thread yet, but that phrase shocked me first, then made me laugh:

when someone is mishandling the gun in a minor way
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:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Is pulling the trigger unintentionally "minor" mishandling of a gun? What is major if I may ask you? Putting a cartridge in a vise and hitting it with a hammer?


And by the way, I think Glocks are perfectly safe.
 
No Glocks are as safe as the next pistol, the owners are unsafe. I've owned 2 glocks,(G22 and G27), and carry a glock 27 for ccw for the last eight years and have never had an issue. Remeber treat every gun as if it were loaded always point it in a safe direction and by god check and make sure the gun is empty before you clean it, handle it or pass it to someone else.
 
when someone is mishandling the gun in a minor way
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It struck me as a really stupid thing to say when I typed it. But I was too tired, or too dim to think of a better way to word it. Please concentrate on the premise, not my inteligence.

Basically I'm thinking misdemeanor negligent handling, instead of felony negligenct handling. Any poor handling is bad, but having the trigger slapped inadvertently while unholstering or reholstering, etc. I've seen poor handling where the guy deserved to shoot himself, then I've seen poor handling where it should not have made the gun go off.

The leo with the glock in the pocket had put it in his front pocket because all he had on was sweat pants, off duty, going to get carry out pizza for his family. He had his wallet and gun in his front pocket. He was fumbling around for his wallet and BANG, a shot to the thigh.

Not very bright to have the gun there, but it wasn't what I would consider grave negligence.

So, in cases like this, is the Glock more likely to go off unintentionally?

Good responses on this one...
 
Glocks

My first glock (17) was a gift in the mid 80's. Sense then I have bought nearly every model that came out. I always have the trigers replaced and the pull adjusted to around 2 lbs. I'm a veteran and a CA bail agent that carries ccw most of the time.
Never had an accidental discharge. Safety first please.
 
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"glocks are unsafe because people are fallible" Hmmm let me finish this one...
Pencils misspell words, Cars make people drive drunk, and Spoons made Rosie O'donnel FAT!
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I understand your point, and I even agree somewhat, but.....

Pencils have erasers for a very good reason....because the pencil maker knows that humans make mistakes.

And cars have come a long way to be more forgiving of human error....
Remember when you could actually start an automatic while it was in "drive" and your foot was on the gas pedal?
Who knows how many injuries could have been prevented....

Remember the days before safety-glass, when jagged shards of glass sliced up folks during wrecks?
Remember when the steering column wasn't designed to collaspe, and folks were impaled on it during wrecks?
Remember the days before the engine was designed to drop under the occupants in case of a head-on collision, instead of landing in their laps?
Who knows how many lives might have been saved....

A table-saw does not NEED a blade-guard so long as the operator is very careful....but I still X-ray folks every year who have removed or disabled the guard on their saw....many lose their fingers.:(

Now that I"ve thought more about it....
Why does Glock and XD even have the trigger-safety?
After all, if all you have to do is keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot, then bother with the trigger-safety in the first place?
Why not just create a DAO pistol with a 4 lb. trigger?
 
Like Driving:

(Re: trigger safety need: trigger safety is there so the gun will ONLY fire with a trigger pull, not when dropped etc., it's like a revolver. It releases a safety already on.)

If someone is highly anxious about ADs, one option is not to CCW, not that that is a guarantee but it cuts down on time you're around the gun. It's like driving though, most accidents are caused by driver error, and you can have mechanical aids to help avoid mistakes, but...... it's ultimately you and the other driver. Guns are safer, (absent a felon and you in a gun fight), it's just you you need to concern yourself with. If you drive you already accept a far greater chance of serious accident than using a gun. But if carrying a gun, or even ranging one, drives one to distraction -attempting some impossible quest for absolute safety - buy pepper-spray or a big stick. I'm serious. I carry a gun because I feel much easier around those dark streets out there; but if I was thinking all the time about an AD, I wouldn't bother. I'd be more of a nervous wreck than the BGs make me.
 
I need - no I demand - that all of you concerned about Glock safety go out and sell your Glocks, right now, every one of them!

I expect to be able to buy a barely used Glock for $100 within weeks, if not days... There are a number of models I want to add to my arsenal... SO all of you whiners get out there and do what is right..

Sell that *&%^$(#@ GLOCK, NOW!
 
So, in cases like this, is the Glock more likely to go off unintentionally?
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If he pulled the Glock trigger all the way, it is likely that he would have pulled a DA pocket-revolver trigger too. So I still think it's a safe gun.

And I also think that it was pretty stupid of the guy that he had the gun and the wallet in the same pocket and fumbled around like nothing could happen. LEO or not that was just dumb.

I don't know if I even believe all the horror stories with the sub-compact Glocks going off in the pocket. The trigger is lighter than on a DA pistol/revolver, but it's not THAT light. There's also the trigger safety so it can't go off if you just slip on the edge of the trigger. Your finger would have to be inside the trigger guard (where it shouldn't be in the first place).
 
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