I guess my G26 is headed back to the factory...

[scatter]

I've been having extraction failures, resulting in type 3 jams. Seems to be about once every 100 rounds on average, but there have been times when they came in spurts. I have meticulously cleaned everything multiple times, swapped extractors and springs with my G17, and most recently put in a full new set of springs. Took it to the range today to see if the new springs fixed it and sure enough, two jams in about 150 rounds .

I have done enough record keeping on this problem to know that it is independent of mag and ammo--it has happened on all four of my mags, and while shooting WWB, AE, Blazer, frangible ammo at the Sig Academy, and Corbon JHP. The spent casings that get left in the chamber don't seem to be damaged in any way.

I got home today just barely too late to call Glock, but I'll be talking to them Monday. I just hope I don't run into problems getting it shipped back to me in Mass (I bought it in MD and moved here with it).

Even worse than the hassle of sending it off and waiting for it is the fact that I have lost confidence in the gun now, even though I really liked carrying it and I know they are supposed to be ultra-reliable.

Bleah. [sad2]

 

[saltydude]

I've been having extraction failures, resulting in type 3 jams. I know they are supposed to be ultra-reliable.

Bleah. [sad2]

Well, it's a machine like any other. You can't expect to make a million of them & all work perfectly.
I'm sure Glock will fix it for you.

How is it acting?
Brass just dribbling out, not getting thrown far, stove pipe?

 

[scatter]

How is it acting?
Brass just dribbling out, not getting thrown far, stove pipe?

Brass is ejecting fine, when it ejects. I've read about problems with bad ejectors on the Gen 4's, where you keep getting hit in the head with the brass. That's not happening with mine. It is a Gen 4 by the way. Probably got at least 3K+ rounds through it. It was problem-free until about 6 months ago. No mods other than a trigger polish and talon grips.

I remember the very first time time it malfunctioned, there was a spent casing lodged sideways across the ramp. That has never happened since, but it hasn't been reliable since either.

 

[drgrant]

So it gets stuck in the chamber and it rams the other round into the dead one? Ugh.

-Mike

 

[scatter]

So it gets stuck in the chamber and it rams the other round into the dead one? Ugh.

-Mike

Ayup.

 

[Cuz]

Have you checked the Extractor Depressor Plunger assembly in the slide? Make sure it's in correctly and the plastic piece is in good shape, and is the correct piece? I don't know if this is something you would have taken apart much or could have mixed up with any other Glocks you may own.

Just a thought.
-Cuz

 

[scatter]

Have you checked the Extractor Depressor Plunger assembly in the slide? Make sure it's in correctly and the plastic piece is in good shape, and is the correct piece? I don't know if this is something you would have taken apart much or could have mixed up with any other Glocks you may own.

Yes, several times. I've detail stripped the 26 and the 17 side by side several times and did a detailed part by part comparison. Never found anything different between the two, and the 17 has never given me a bit of trouble.

 

[Independence Arms]

Are you shooting it with mag extensions, or flat base plates? Reason I ask is, maybe after shooting 100+ rounds with a flat base, could cause fatigue, causing limp writing. You wouldn't have that problem with the 17, because there is a nice beefy grip to hold on to.
Just a thought, maybe it more a human error issue than mechanical malfunction.
Either way, good luck.

 

[Cuz]

Yes, several times. I've detail stripped the 26 and the 17 side by side several times and did a detailed part by part comparison. Never found anything different between the two, and the 17 has never given me a bit of trouble.

Did you install the EDP with the metal side in first? Just checking, as that is a common mistake.
-Cuz

 

[scatter]

Are you shooting it with mag extensions, or flat base plates? Reason I ask is, maybe after shooting 100+ rounds with a flat base, could cause fatigue, causing limp writing. You wouldn't have that problem with the 17, because there is a nice beefy grip to hold on to.
Just a thought, maybe it more a human error issue than mechanical malfunction.
Either way, good luck.

I wondered when that would show up. There are lots of reasons I know it's not limp-wristing. But even if I ignored them all, and all I knew was that it happens about once every hundred rounds and doesn't change frequency as I shoot, that would be enough to tell me the problem is elsewhere.

 

[scatter]

Did you install the EDP with the metal side in first? Just checking, as that is a common mistake.
-Cuz

Yes. But for what it's worth, I've read about guys who intentionally reverse the plunger just to see what happens, and have gone out and shot trouble-free. I haven't tried that and I don't recommend it.

 

[01SVTvert]

Does this have a LCI extractor or a non LCI extractor? Make sure the correct spring loaded bearing for that particular type of extractor. Also, did you look at the length of the EDP spring and has it ever been shortened? Make sure the coils are not riding over the spring loaded bearing.

 

[henchmen77]

It will work if you put it in backwards, that came up on my re-cert. for glock.

 

[scatter]

Does this have a LCI extractor or a non LCI extractor? Make sure the correct spring loaded bearing for that particular type of extractor. Also, did you look at the length of the EDP spring and has it ever been shortened? Make sure the coils are not riding over the spring loaded bearing.

It's LCI. I bought the gun new and all the parts were original, until after I started having problems and changed out all the springs with new factory ones. The bearing, plunger, spring and extractor are exactly the same as the ones in my G17, which has never had a problem of any kind.

 

[01SVTvert]

Swap out the entire EDP assembly from your known good gun and shoot away. Backplate not damaged near where the SLB sits?

If you have swapped extractors and then swap EDP assemblies and it doesnt run, I would assume damage to the bolface possibly, sounds doubtful due to the low amount of rounds though. Have you taken a good look at the chamber? possible a tiny bit of damage that is having a case stick now and then, but again, real rare.

 

[01SVTvert]

Swap out the entire EDP assembly from your known good gun and shoot away. Backplate not damaged near where the SLB sits?

If you have swapped extractors and then swap EDP assemblies and it doesnt run, I would assume damage to the bolface possibly, sounds doubtful due to the low amount of rounds though. Have you taken a good look at the chamber? possible a tiny bit of damage that is having a case stick now and then, but again, real rare. If you swap out the EDP and it is a no go I would send it back for repair. Make sure they know it is one out of 100, or they will rebuild and send it off after a short test fire.. Also, list what was done to it and I would swap back in the old springs and keep the newer ones.

 

[scatter]

Swap out the entire EDP assembly from your known good gun and shoot away. Backplate not damaged near where the SLB sits?

If you have swapped extractors and then swap EDP assemblies and it doesnt run, I would assume damage to the bolface possibly, sounds doubtful due to the low amount of rounds though. Have you taken a good look at the chamber? possible a tiny bit of damage that is having a case stick now and then, but again, real rare. If you swap out the EDP and it is a no go I would send it back for repair. Make sure they know it is one out of 100, or they will rebuild and send it off after a short test fire.. Also, list what was done to it and I would swap back in the old springs and keep the newer ones.

All good advice, thanks. Nope, no apparent damage to the backplate. I did remove the plunger and bearing and made sure they were exactly the same as my 17, including the length of the plunger itself. But I'll swap the entire EDP and run a few hundred through. Another member here has offered the use of a spare trigger assembly which I intend to try also. And I have checked the chamber for rough spots. I just did a visual and ran a Q-tip around in there to see if I could feel any snags. But I will check it again with a magnifying glass and a strong light to make sure.

I'm really torn here. I would like to know exactly what the problem is. But replacing parts one at a time and then putting hundreds of rounds through it each time to make sure it's fixed is going to take forever, and it would be out of service as a carry gun the entire time. On the other hand I could just replace everything and do it once--if it still jams, it goes back to Glock and if it runs through several hundred without a jam then it's fixed but I'll never know the cause. Frustrating. I've got my BUG on my ankle as I type (SW BG38SP) and that's probably all I will leave the house with this evening when we go to the movies. Not really interested in sitting on my 17 for a couple of hours.

 

[medbill]

I'd just send the thing back ask what was the problem then run the hell out of it, after I had another 1k through it I would call it good or get it back, sell it and buy another.

 

[scatter]

I guess my G26 is headed back to the factory...UPDATE Post #19

After several months of swapping parts, reading everything I could find on the net, hoping, and still getting sporadic FTE's, I finally bit the bullet and sent the gun in to Glock. I was using it in the Rob Pincus course at WPRC a couple of weeks ago and getting the same old malfunction every hundred rounds or so (this is a failure to fully extract, resulting in a sort of double feed where the fresh round gets rammed into the partially extracted spent casing, requiring me to rip the magazine out and rack the slide to clear it). Rob noticed that I was having problems and spent some time diagnosing it for me. Eventually he started collecting spent casings and noticed some weirdness that I hadn't caught before. Every now and then an ejected casing will look like this:

There is nothing visibly wrong with the chamber or the ramp, and everything has been detail stripped and cleaned meticulously several times in addition to the parts swaps. Not all of the ejected casings have this symptom, but when they do, they all have an abrasion of the same shape and in the same place as the one in the picture. I sent this picture to Glock along with some sample casings and a history of the problem. I've verified that they received it and am waiting for a diagnosis. Thought I would post this in case anyone else is having a similar problem (this is a Gen4 by the way). I'll update when I hear more from them.

 

[ColdDayInHell]

What Gen is it?

And that sucks, it sounds like an extractor issue. The Gen 4's are notorious for doing this and most people file it down a little bit. My G36 did the same thing around the 15 round count break-in (Most will say Glocks don't need to be broken in but I found that to be untrue). Good Luck!

- - - Updated - - -

Sorry, I just noticed the dates. My shells look the same as your picture. It seems like the ejector is clipping the spent case. Update the thread to let us know how you made out. Glock has great customer service, even to MA.

 

[stumpg26]

I had a similar issue with my G26. Replaced the guide rod and have not had a single problem in 500 plus rounds. Shells are ejecting into a neat pile now and recoil is lighter. Hope the problem gets fixed for you.

 

[scatter]

Well I got the gun back from Glock, 12 days after sending it in. There was no information included to tell me what they had done, other than the work order itself, which just said:

INSPECTED
UPGRADE
MEETS FACTORY SPECS
TEST FIRED SAT

So I called them and asked. Turns out they just replaced the extractor, despite the fact that I sent them a detailed description of the problem, including the fact that I had swapped out the extractor with another Glock and it didn't fix the problem. Sure enough, I took it to the range yesterday and got the same stupid jam three times in about 250 rounds, and the spent casings have the exact same defect as they did before.

Now I'm getting pissed. It cost me $70 to send the gun to them, because they require it be sent overnight or next day. Then they sent it back to me with 2-day delivery. Well, they're going to be paying for this one I can tell you that. The saga continues.

 

[Rick1987]

Wow that sucks man. Have you called glock about it not being fixed?

 

[Queen Bee]

My suggestion is to go out, sell that 26, and get a 2007 or earlier glock 26 gen 3.

Both me and my friend won't touch any gen 4's due to glocks QC going down the tubes.

 

[scatter]

My suggestion is to go out, sell that 26, and get a 2007 or earlier glock 26 gen 3.

Both me and my friend won't touch any gen 4's due to glocks QC going down the tubes.

But I'm too stubborn to do that! And I really like this gun, for some reason. Well, other than the fact that I can't rely on it, I mean.

The problem is still there. I shot about 250 rounds last Friday and got 3 jams, and the spent casings are still dented. Called them today and told them they didn't fix the problem. They said they replaced the extractor, shot 5 mags through it and it worked fine. I reminded them that I sent in a very detailed description of the problem along with the gun, and made it very clear that they would need to shoot a couple hundred rounds to have any confidence in the repair--which they did not do, apparently.

I took a really hard look at it this weekend and noticed that there is brass residue, a streak of it, on the lower surface of the ejection opening on the slide. I'm convinced that the casings are being yanked out of the chamber properly, but are hitting the slide on the way out. Most of the time they make it out (brass is landing in the right spot; I've never been hit in the head or face with it), but sometimes they don't and they get reloaded in front of the next round. I talked to Glock again today and they agreed to send me a new ejector to swap in (I've swapped in all of my G17 parts to no avail, expect for the ejector, because it's not interchangeable). If that doesn't do it, then I will be completely out of ideas and will have to rethink things. Wish me luck.

 

[cekim]

There aren't too many things that can be wrong, have you considered changing the recoil spring yourself?

 

[ColdDayInHell]

There aren't too many things that can be wrong, have you considered changing the recoil spring yourself?

This. I never hear of the G26 having problems that Glock can't readily fix. This should be an easy fix.

 

[scatter]

There aren't too many things that can be wrong

I know! This is frustrating the hell out of me. I'm pretty good at diagnosing and fixing mechanical things, but this has got me flummoxed. And what makes it even worse is that the problem is so sporadic that even if I get it fixed, I won't have any confidence in it until I've put a thousand rounds through it. One of the reasons I bought it was because it was supposed to be so reliable!

have you considered changing the recoil spring yourself?

Yes, one of the first things I did was order a new set of factory springs and swap them all out.

 

[ColdDayInHell]

Could it be the ejector? What number is on it?

 

[drgrant]

My suggestion is to go out, sell that 26, and get a 2007 or earlier glock 26 gen 3.

Both me and my friend won't touch any gen 4's due to glocks QC going down the tubes.

2007 or earlier? Where was that number pulled from?

All the newer Glocks I bought were built after that date, and I only ever had problems with a couple of the Gen4s, which got resolved, and my G26Gen4 worked fine from day 1. I also have a newish Gen3 G34, works great.

I do agree though that there has been evidence that their QC is slipping- they're probably falling into the same trap Sig, Kimber, etc, are.

I feel bad for the OP, it looks like he is getting the run-around. These intermittent problems are the worst to diagnose, too.

-Mike