Removing Glock Firing Pin Safety

[mini15]

Is it really that bad? The firing spin safety as in the one that rides bellow the extractor. While cleaning my pistol today I found that you could remove it and the gun functions fine without it. It makes the trigger a lot lighter and smoother/crisper too. Didn't need to introduce any aftermarket non OEM stuff either.

Some will consider this as blasphemy or horribly unsafe but if you think about it, there is still another safety to fall back on and other designs of guns e.g. 1911 series 70, never had this feature and people have carried these types of weapons as service guns without issue.

 

[Onagoth]

Coming from a guy who has fired over 10k rounds out of his glocks with OEM (modified) trigger parts, I can say that reliability is just as high with them as it is with the stock parts

Most 'aftermarket' trigger parts are actually OEM parts, just modified by bending, shaping or plating. Having said that, if thats not for you, you can achieve a lot by just polishing the stock parts. I would not run my glock without the firing pin safety spring. You can probably get very similar results by polishing the trigger bar and firing pin block in the right spots.

I'm not the designer of glock safeties....but it seems to me that a dropped gun could go off if the firing pin block spring is removed

 

[1glock2nv]

coming from a guy who has fired over 10k rounds out of his glocks with oem (modified) trigger parts, i can say that reliability is just as high with them in.

Most 'aftermarket' trigger parts are actually oem parts, just modified by bending, shaping or plating. Having said that, if thats not for you, you can achieve a lot by just polishing the stock parts. I would not run my glock without the firing pin safety spring. You can probably get very similar results by polishing the trigger bar and firing pin block in the right spots.

x 2

 

[C77]

The striker is partially cocked on the forward movement of the slide. The FP safety prevents it from inadvertently going forward and striking a primer.

I would not remove it, and I would not want to be on the range with anyone who had.

My G34 came with a garbage firing pin safety. The chrome was pitted and rough. I replaced it with a $2 stainless one from the glock store, made a significant improvement.

Works great. And it's safe.

 

[skip1600]

No I definitely would not remove one of the few safeties that the glock has, hasent there been reports of that causing the guns to double or triple uncontrollably

 

[mini15]

The striker is partially cocked on the forward movement of the slide. The FP safety prevents it from inadvertently going forward and striking a primer.

I would not remove it, and I would not want to be on the range with anyone who had.

My G34 came with a garbage firing pin safety. The chrome was pitted and rough. I replaced it with a $2 stainless one from the glock store, made a significant improvement.

Works great. And it's safe.

But you probably wouldn't mind standing next to someone with an ultra match trigger 1911 right?

Coming from a guy who has fired over 10k rounds out of his glocks with OEM (modified) trigger parts, I can say that reliability is just as high with them as it is with the stock parts

Most 'aftermarket' trigger parts are actually OEM parts, just modified by bending, shaping or plating. Having said that, if thats not for you, you can achieve a lot by just polishing the stock parts. I would not run my glock without the firing pin safety spring. You can probably get very similar results by polishing the trigger bar and firing pin block in the right spots.

I'm not the designer of glock safeties....but it seems to me that a dropped gun could go off if the firing pin block spring is removed

Well no **.

What I'm getting at is... is it really that big of a deal? A 1911 doesn't have that safety, could it happen (mechanically yes) does it ever happen enough for people to stop buying em, nope.

Apparently there is a huge double standard regarding this, almost everywhere on the net. SA guns without firing pin block okay, Glock without it, bad. People are forgetting that there is still another safety.


Logic is telling me that mechanically it's not a bid deal to do this, but people seem to think it is. Must be the Glock koolaid saying that it's okay not to have manual safety but you MUST have all three internal safeties.



As for non OEM parts, I'm no scientist but there are documented failures with them. Specifically titanium strikers/plungers. I'm no metallurgists but steel (which the stock parts are made of) is stronger then titanium. Overtravel/pre-travel can all be dealt with by training and proper triggering, anything else to do with springs and your compromising the reliability of primer ignition.

Doesn't matter if you or "some guy" can get thousands of rounds through without a problem, at the end of the day a steel part is stronger and a stock firing pin hits harder then some reduced power one. If any of which would fail, it would be the weaker or lesser power.

 

[MTLGUN]

1911 -grip safety, thumb safety, + firing pin safety in series 80. Hammer fired, so totally different mechanism.

Glock - striker safety. that's it. And in 2 US army trials it didn't work all that well. take your chances and gl.

 

[Onagoth]

If you want to base your opinion on what you've read rather than what you're being told, that's your business. For quite a while I had 2 glocks with upgraded triggers and never had a problem...I will trust my actual experience over anecdotes any day

As to using your gun without a fp block...that's also your business

But you probably wouldn't mind standing next to someone with an ultra match trigger 1911 right?




Well no **.

What I'm getting at is... is it really that big of a deal? A 1911 doesn't have that safety, could it happen (mechanically yes) does it ever happen enough for people to stop buying em, nope.

Apparently there is a huge double standard regarding this, almost everywhere on the net. SA guns without firing pin block okay, Glock without it, bad. People are forgetting that there is still another safety.


Logic is telling me that mechanically it's not a bid deal to do this, but people seem to think it is. Must be the Glock koolaid saying that it's okay not to have manual safety but you MUST have all three internal safeties.



As for non OEM parts, I'm no scientist but there are documented failures with them. Specifically titanium strikers/plungers. I'm no metallurgists but steel (which the stock parts are made of) is stronger then titanium. Overtravel/pre-travel can all be dealt with by training and proper triggering, anything else to do with springs and your compromising the reliability of primer ignition.

Doesn't matter if you or "some guy" can get thousands of rounds through without a problem, at the end of the day a steel part is stronger and a stock firing pin hits harder then some reduced power one. If any of which would fail, it would be the weaker or lesser power.

 

[bollox]

I love Glocks , believe me.

But Glocks were never intended to have the trigger of a single action, in fact, quite the opposite.

What are you trying to accomplish?

You could just buy a 1911 (and put up with it's shady reliability. )

 

[shawn]

Single action =/= striker action

You are comparing apples to oranges and using that to make assumptions and decisions based on your "logic" which is based on a bad premiss.

Shawn

 

[Clobbersauras]

OP, you probably don't want t hear this but after seeing all your posts about your shooting , it needs to be said.

For someone that has shot 10,000 round in 6 months, you should know how to run your Glock trigger acceptably well without removing the firing pin safety.

If you don't, you really need to evaluate the amount of time and effort you are putting into your shooting.

Removing the firing pin safety from a Glock is a dumb move. Really, it is.

 

[TDC]

Coming from a guy who has fired over 10k rounds out of his glocks with OEM (modified) trigger parts, I can say that reliability is just as high with them as it is with the stock parts

Most 'aftermarket' trigger parts are actually OEM parts, just modified by bending, shaping or plating. Having said that, if thats not for you, you can achieve a lot by just polishing the stock parts. I would not run my glock without the firing pin safety spring. You can probably get very similar results by polishing the trigger bar and firing pin block in the right spots.

I'm not the designer of glock safeties....but it seems to me that a dropped gun could go off if the firing pin block spring is removed

It is not possible for a the striker on a Glock to "release" due to impact forces, nor is it possible for the striker to have enough energy to detonate a primer. The striker is not "half cocked" as so many ignorant people spout off about. The striker is under slight as in minimal tension when the slide is in battery. This slight tension keeps the striker retracted away from the firing pin hole and keeps the trigger/trigger bar in its forward most position. Unless the trigger bar is depressed all the way to the rear the "wings" of the sear have NOWHERE to travel but straight to the rear. There is nowhere for the sear to separate from the striker. In addition, the force the striker would impart on the primer is near zero.

OP, you probably don't want t hear this but after seeing all your posts about your shooting , it needs to be said.

For someone that has shot 10,000 round in 6 months, you should know how to run your Glock trigger acceptably well without removing the firing pin safety.

If you don't, you really need to evaluate the amount of time and effort you are putting into your shooting.

Removing the firing pin safety from a Glock is a dumb move. Really, it is.

I agree, learn to shoot and the rest is irrelevant...

TDC

 

[mini15]

If you want to base your opinion on what you've read rather than what you're being told, that's your business. For quite a while I had 2 glocks with upgraded triggers and never had a problem...I will trust my actual experience over anecdotes any day

As to using your gun without a fp block...that's also your business

I'm not trying to discredit your advice but reliable enough isn't my goal here, I bought the Glock because of it's reliability and combat worthiness.

Titanium parts by themselves do improve the trigger but the big difference comes from the lower powered springs. I'm running the stock firing pin spring and today during my ODPL practice I experienced three hard primers, one for each box of Barnaul ammo. One of them happened to be at the top of my first mag when I started the course. That right there could be the difference between you shooting someone or being the one shot. My odds definitively wouldn't have been better with lower powered springs.

The other two things people work on, over and pre travel can be eliminated with proper practice instead of introducing an unknown variable like an after market part.


TDC here is the only one talking facts and setting bias aside. And like I thought, there are other safeties to fall back on even if you disable this one.

 

[Rivalen]

The main problem I see with trying to improve a Glock trigger or as some say "make it 1911 like" is that you have to introduce a lot of aftermarket crap which has a much higher probability of being out of spec, not as durable, etc.

3.5 ghost connector + 25 cents trigger job is the further I went with a GLOCK. Aftermarket parts are mostly gimmicks and the best way to get malfunctions and problems with a perfectly working pistol. Learn to work the trigger and reset.

If you want a 1911 trigger, get a 1911. Striker safe action cannot feel like single action; they're different animals...

 

[Slavex]

Not quite, the firing pin on a Glock is cocked enough to light off rounds if dropped from the position it's in when the slide is forward. When the trigger is pulled the striker moves, but not much, and certainly not as much as it has moved during the slide going forward. The M&P striker is similarly cocked, and it moves about the same when the sear drops out of way.
A firing pin safety being removed on a Glock is about as smart as removing the one in the trigger.
Oh, and learn to shoot as TDC says, much much better than futzing with things you obviously shouldn't be.

It is not possible for a the striker on a Glock to "release" due to impact forces, nor is it possible for the striker to have enough energy to detonate a primer. The striker is not "half cocked" as so many ignorant people spout off about. The striker is under slight as in minimal tension when the slide is in battery. This slight tension keeps the striker retracted away from the firing pin hole and keeps the trigger/trigger bar in its forward most position. Unless the trigger bar is depressed all the way to the rear the "wings" of the sear have NOWHERE to travel but straight to the rear. There is nowhere for the sear to separate from the striker. In addition, the force the striker would impart on the primer is near zero.




I agree, learn to shoot and the rest is irrelevant...

TDC

 

[wicked_police]

The op could have his own sub-forum.....

 

[mini15]

Oh, and learn to shoot as TDC says, much much better than futzing with things you obviously shouldn't be.

I am learning to shoot, and like I've said I ran the pistol bone stock for a while and still now I'm foregoing the usual over/pre-travel/titanium parts.

Try and take it out yourself. The trigger really does feel better, it's like that predictable smooth DA pull on a double single gun yet it's a lot lighter because it's not a DA/SA.


Removing an OEM part isn't the same as introducing a non OEM part. I personally don't see how it makes the gun any more dangerous then a Series 70, especially since I haven't touched the trigger flange. If there is some unforeseen variable here (also the intent of the original question) I'm all ears.

I'm also wondering if the new cavity created by the absence of the plunger could result in decreased reliability due to a hole that is not susceptible to being plugged with crap.


I'm gonna go give it a try on my next days off.

 

[Onagoth]

I'm not trying to discredit your advice but reliable enough isn't my goal here, I bought the Glock because of it's reliability and combat worthiness.

Titanium parts by themselves do improve the trigger but the big difference comes from the lower powered springs. I'm running the stock firing pin spring and today during my ODPL practice I experienced three hard primers, one for each box of Barnaul ammo. One of them happened to be at the top of my first mag when I started the course. That right there could be the difference between you shooting someone or being the one shot. My odds definitively wouldn't have been better with lower powered springs.

The other two things people work on, over and pre travel can be eliminated with proper practice instead of introducing an unknown variable like an after market part.


TDC here is the only one talking facts and setting bias aside. And like I thought, there are other safeties to fall back on even if you disable this one.

Lower powered springs could reduce reliability, you are right about that. I run the following reduced power springs in my G34

- Firing pin block spring
- Firing pin spring
- Recoil spring

The trigger spring is STOCK. I have never experienced a light strike, but I am also running an extended striker. I've only ever had 1 FTE which I am not sure what caused it, it could have been a lightly charged . Ultimately, my ammo and springs are matched to work well together
My G34 is a competition gun plain and simple and I would not run this setup for anything but competition.

My G17 was recently restored back to original parts, because I am using it for IPSC right now. I noticed no difference in reliability between the two and both have a significant round count. I cannot speak directly to titanium parts, as i have none. Mine are high polished OEM parts. Trigger pull on the G34 is 2.75# and all safeties are in tact.

One other thing I noticed....you don't need aftermarket parts or even modified OEM parts to smooth out trigger pull. My G17 actually needed new parts because the OEM parts were producing a trigger pull below 5 lbs (wouldn't work for IPSC). This happened because its well used. As recommended above, a 25 cent trigger job goes a long way in improving trigger pull without removing safeties.

 

[Dsiwy]

I hate to say it but your money would be better served on ammo or a AA Glock kit.

The best Glock mod is learning how to shoot

 

[silverfoxdj]

I hate to say it but your money would be better served on ammo or a AA Glock kit.

The best Glock mod is learning how to shoot

Have to agree, Glocks sometimes take a lot of work (on the range) but it comes eventally if your determined to shoot it ...