Absolutely paramount. I saw weapons continue to function very well with 60,000 round plus in them (fully automatic too...which is a much tougher milestone for reliability than a semi-auto pistol) and saw the same design break with less than 100 rounds. A small sample size is exciting but insignificant as is replacement of broken parts while continuing to tote reliability.
Nice thread and makes me feel good inside!!
If you use them, things break. They are no different than anything else. I had an MP5, and it was shot pretty much every week for about 25 years. In all that time, it broke one roller retaining plate, and was still working fine until I took it apart to clean it and the roller fell out. Like the trigger springs on the Glocks, another $3 part and 5-minute fix.
I've had my Glock 19 for about a year, replaced the trigger bar assy twice, the connector twice and the block that holds the connector already. fired about 200 rounds thru it. They ain't all "perfection".
Hey, it happens, nothing is perfect. They all have lemons once in a while. I can attest to that, as Ive had my share across the different brands.
My first Glock, a Gen 1 17 I bought new back in the mid 80's, was nothing but trouble and went back to Glock three times, and they never did get it figured out. That experience drove me away from them for a long time.
Nowadays, I have a bunch of them, new and used, and havent had any problems. This 17 that just came back I really dont count, as its well beyond what most would be subject to.
You hear all sorts of things about problems people seem to have with them, and I have to wonder sometimes if it is the gun or the people.
I just bought a "used" 17 from a local shop I deal with all the time. The owner said it was a month old (he sold it new), had already gone back to Glock, because the boy who bought it, kept getting brass to the face all the time. The repair ticket was with it, and Glock had replaced all the parts in the slide, test fired it, and sent it back. He picked it up and brought it back the next day, still getting brass to the face, and traded it off for something else.
I bought it (got a great deal on it too), and as of now, it has a little over 1000 rounds through it (it replaced the one I sent in for practice) and not one piece of brass anywhere near my head. I dont think the gun was the problem.
I think a lot of the other issues you hear about, are people "improving" them, with all the (often questionable) aftermarket add on stuff. The only thing I do to mine, part wise, if they dont come with them, is adding a set of three dot night sights.
That, and with the Gen 3's, Ill stipple the grips (unless they are RTF2). The Gen 4's and 5's arent too bad, I just need something a bit more aggressive than what the 3's have.
Other than that, the stock factory is fine. If I get a good deal on one thats been improved (I picked up a couple like that), I replace those parts with factory.