Originally published at Notes from the bunker…. You can comment here or there.
First off, happy birthday to John M. Browning. Easily this countries most prolific firearms genius.
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Couple people have asked me about what spares Im getting for the Glock (or GLOCK if you prefer, which I don’t.)
First off, I try to err on the side of caution. I have had 100 year old guns that never skipped a beat and still had their all original parts. I’ve also had some stuff that was made in the last twenty years that came apart like a Whitewater alibi. Some parts or more prone to breakage than others. Some parts are more prone to getting lost than others. I try to keep all this in mind.
I haven’t broken anything on my Glock yet but, interestingly, the missus has. The trigger springs seem to be the most common thing to break when a part decides to go south. The gun will still function, you’ll just have to push the trigger forward with your finger to reset it for the next shot. I hear that if you swap out the standard coil spring for one of the heavy “NY trigger” units you’ll never have a problem since the NY units are nigh indestructible. She has also managed to break a recoil spring assembly. Again, gun continues to function, just makes disassembly a bit trickier since the spring is no longer captive. Gun Breaking Juju is one reason I try not to let her shoot my stuff and insist she have her own. She even managed to break the magazine release on her Kimber 1911. Right in half. But I digress….
I order all my Glock stuff from the folks at Lone Wolf Distributing. If its gotta do with a Glock, these guys have it. OEM and aftermarket parts, as well as some very cool accessories. Theyre in Idaho so you know they take the whole gun thing seriously. I also recommend The Complete Glock Reference Guide as the best resource Ive found so far. Tells you everything you need to know about your Glock and has very valuable info like parts interchangeability between models and lists of what parts are or are not common to all pistols. Its a tremendous aid in deciding what parts to keep on hand. I cannot overemphasize how valuable this book is if you plan on riding out Ragnarok with your Glock. Detailed disassembly directions, parts diagrams, part interchangeability charts, a very interesting torture test section (they shot it out of a cannon…try that with your 1911), serial data, technical data, tool recommendations, troubleshooting guide, inspection guidelines, etc, etc. Seriously…get the book, I promise you won’t regret it.
At the moment, Im trying to keep at least a half dozen of each part that I feel we need. We have enough Glocks that if we were not able to get any more tomorrow we’d need at least a half dozen copies of a part to last indefinitely across our stable of Glocks.
Parts currently inventoried include: Firing Pin Springs, Trigger Springs, Magazine Catch Springs, Depressor Plunger Spring…hell, every spring thats in the gun really. Channel Liners, safety plungers, slide lock springs, recoil spring assy., connectors, trigger housing with ejector, etc, etc. Most of these parts are less than $5 ea. All parts are stored in small ziptop plastic bags with their name, part # and quantity clearly written on them. The whole pile is then stored in a Pelican case with a couple xerox sheets of parts diagrams, part lists, and that sort of thing.
Basically, other than a frame, slide, barrel and extractor, all the other parts cheap and easy to stockpile affordably. I wont pick up a half dozen extra slides or barrels but I may get two extra barrels (threaded and with cut rifling).
While I love my P35 and my Smith & Wessons, no gun is easier to maintain and keep running than the Glock. If theres anything on it that can’t be replaced by simply ‘dropping in’ the correct part with no fitting whatsoever..well, I dont know what it would be. Sure, it has absolutely no personality, charm or soul. Compare a Bic lighter to a Zippo, or a Bic pen to a Waterman….one has character, history, charm and personality…a soul. The other has nothing except raw utility value and uncommon reliability and convenience. I have some beautiful HiPowers that I love to shoot…but I would never dream of letting one sit wet in a holster for a few days, drop it on a concrete floor to test its resistance to damage, or let it bang around in a backpack full of assorted gear. The Glock, however, like the Bic pen or lighter, gets the rough treatment without a second thought from me about ‘collector value’, ‘old world bluing’, ‘case colors’ or ’smooth walnut’. Its a tool in the most literal sense.
Anyway, they are the AK47 of the handgun world. Hate ‘em if you want, but have one anyway.
