Okay, so I’m going to pick up a Gen 2 Glock 19 in the next week. It’s very low mileage, very clean, no wear anywhere that I could find on a basic field strip. I’m basically looking for any recommendations on what I should look out for as far as parts replacement, any warranty stuff it should be sent in for, etc. Sorry if this has been covered before, my search didn’t turn up anything.
I would certainly like to know as well since I just picked up a used 2003 vintage G17 with unknown mileage. I will be replacing the magazine catch with a Vickers one but I want to know what else needs to be replaced.
Have a certified armorer go through the guts of the gun to look for problems. I wouldn’t replace anything on it outside of stock parts until I knew I had a need for the “upgrades.”
When I buy a new Glock I upgrade the following items before I even shoot it: sights, Vickers TD mag catch, grip plug. If it is a 19 or a 26 I will also change out the trigger with trigger bar to a smooth trigger as I despise the serrated trigger.
I’m testing out a Vickers slide lock but I use the “slingshot” method so I’m not sure I’m getting the full potential out of it. It is a nice addition though and a shit load better than the factory extended.
I’d personally replace the recoil and trigger springs, no question.
Otherwise check for wear and proper function.
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Things to look at on a used Glock -
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The mags (often the most neglected part of a used gun deal). Make sure they lock up tight and that there is no flexing of the mag body and that they fire well with no failures to feed.
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Extractor. It is hard to tell if an extractor needs replacing visually but if you are getting consistent FTEs then consider it. Fairly easy to do.
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Recoil Spring Assembly. With the gun cleared and the magazine removed, point the pistol upwards and retract the slide. Release it slowly - does the recoil spring assembly put the gun into battery on its own? For a second test, Aim in a safe direction, depress the trigger. With the trigger still held rearwards, rack the slide, keeping your finger on the trigger to prevent it from resetting. Slowly let the slide forward with the pistol pointed against the ceiling so it has to work against gravity. Does it return to battery ?
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Firing pin lug and trigger bar engagement. Regrettably you will need a Glock armorer (or someone with the orange engagement inspection slide plate). Over time the face of the firing pin lug and the rearmost element of the trigger bar wear away against each other- this helps contribute to making the trigger “nice” but over time they can become too worn away causing a runaway trigger. If your trigger is too light and you feel like you are having trouble controlling the reset, this is likely the cause.
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firing pin function. With the magazine removed and the pistol rendered safe, aim in a safe direction and squeeze the trigger. With the trigger rearwards, shake the glock up and down. You should hear the firing pin moving freely in the firing pin channel. This is a good thing. Then rack the slide to reset the trigger and shake the gun again. You should not hear any movement - this is good and indicates that the firing pin safety is functioning.
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Locking block. On the 9mm ones I seriously doubt you will have a problem but worth checking anyway.
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Check to see if the gun has been excessively lubed. This is often a problem, particularly on the slide. I would be especially suspicious if the firing pin does not seem to be moving freely in the firing pin channel. DO NOT LUBE THE FIRING CHANNEL FOR ANY REASON!
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Frame pins; make sure none are cracked and that they do not walk out of the frame under fire.
I am probably forgetting some but thats not a bad start.
I am a certified armorer for what it is worth but we are a dime a dozen these days!