Diagnosing & Repairing Glock Pistol Problems

How to diagnose and repair your Glock pistol. Glock repair chart with common Glock problems, causes and corrections along with related procedures for repairing your Glock pistol.

GLOCK PISTOL REPAIR CHART

See Glock Maintenance for select repair procedures.

PROBLEM	PROBABLE CAUSES	CORRECTION
FAILURE TO EXTRACT (1)	Extractor worn, broken or missing	Replace the extractor
	Defective ammunition	Change ammunition
	Dirt under the extraction claw	Clean the extractor
	Dirty chamber	Clean the chamber
	Shooting with an unlocked wrist (limp wristing)	Lock shooting hand wrist
FAILURE TO EJECT OR ERRATIC EJECTION (INCLUDING STOVE PIPES) (1)	Broken or damaged ejector	Replace trigger mechanism housing with ejector
	Underpowered ammunition	Change ammunition
	Dirty chamber	Clean the chamber
	Shooting with an unlocked wrist	Lock shooting hand wrist
	Lack of lubrication	Lubricate
	Dirty gun	Clean
FAILURE TO FEED (2)	Magazine not properly inserted	Reinsert magazine
	Underpowered ammunition	Change ammunition
	Dirty magazine	Clean and inspect magazine
	Weak magazine spring	Replace magazine spring or magazine
	Dirty chamber	Clean the chamber
	Tight extractor	Replace or clean as needed
	Shooting with an unlocked wrist (limp wristing)	Lock shooting hand wrist
	Deformed magazine (magazine sides or lip deformed	Replace magazine
	Weak recoil spring	Replace recoil spring
SLIDE FAILS TO LOCK OPEN ON LAST ROUND	Magazine follower broken	Replace magazine or magazine follower
	Dirty magazine	Clean and inspect magazine
	Weak magazine spring	Replace magazine spring or magazine
	Worn slide stop lever notch	Contact Warranty Department if the replacement of the magazine and slide stop lever did not correct the issue.
	Dirty gun	Clean
	Needs lubrication	Lubricate
	Deformed magazine	Replace magazine
	Trigger pin inserted too far (left or right) Slide stop lever worn	This can cause the spring on the slide stop lever to bind. Check to see if the slide stop lever moves freely. If no, press the trigger pin slightly to the right until the slide stop lever moves freely.
	Slide stop lever damaged	Inspect and replace if necessary
	Underpowered ammunition	Change ammunition
	Shooting with and unlocked wrist (limp wristing)	Lock shooting hand wrist
	Improper grip	Tighten grip
FAILURE TO FIRE	Slide out of battery (DO NOT FORCE INTO BATTERY) due to: deformed defective round	Inspect and replace round
	Under powered ammunition	Change ammunition
	Damaged/weak recoil spring	Replace recoil spring assembly
	Damaged recoil spring tube	Replace recoil spring assembly
	Mating surfaces of barrel, slide and the receiver excessively dirty	Field strip and clean
	Gun dirty/obstructed chamber	Clean chamber
	Shooting with an unlocked wrist (limp wristing)	Lock shooting hand wrist
NO PRIMER STRIKE	Worn or broken firing pin tip	Replace firing pin
	Obstructed firing pin channel	Clear and clean the firing pin channel
	Spring cups inverted	Assemble properly
LIGHT, CENTERED PRIMER STRIKE	Hard primer (SMG ammunition)	Change ammunition
	Obstructed firing pin channel	Remove, inspect and clean firing pin and firing pin spring. Clean firing pin channel
LIGHT OFF-CENTER PRIMER STRIKE	Tight extractor	Replace
	Dirty gun	Clean
	Slide lock reversed or not beveled	Replace or reinstall the slide lock
	Weak recoil spring	Replace the recoil spring
INCONSISTENT TRIGGER PULL OR WILL NOT RELEASE	Connector loose in housing	Replace housing
	Pistol is excessively dirty	Field strip and clean
	Wrong trigger bar	Replace
	Connector needs lubrication	Lubricate
	Trigger bar is bent or damaged	Replace trigger bar
TRIGGER SAFETY FAILS TO RETURN TO ENGAGES (FORWARD) POSITION	Improperly stored in original box with trigger in full forward position (trigger safety fully depressed)	Replace trigger bar. When stored in original box, pistol must be unloaded, trigger in back position.
FIRING PIN SAFETY FAILS AS DESCRIBED IN THE MANUAL	Damaged, worn or defective firing pin safety	Replace
LOCKS OPEN EARLY	Improper hand position	Change grip
	Reverse tension on slide stop lever	Install lever correctly and perform field inspection for proper tension.
	Damaged slide stop lever	Replace

1. FTE = Failure to Extract or Failure to Eject.
   Failure to Extract and Failure to Eject have different meanings even though FTE is used for both terms.

   Extraction refers to the removal of the spent cartridge case from the chamber. If you have a spent case that it stuck in the chamber or your extractor is broken, you have a Failure to Extract.

   Ejection is where the spent case is forcefully thrown or ejected from the action of the gun. If the ejector is broken or the round is underpowered such that it does not have sufficient energy to drive the slide all the way to the rear you have a Failure to Eject. You can also have a Failure to Eject by “weak-wristing” or “limp-wristing” the pistol. One type of Failure To Extract is a stovepipe. A stovepipe is when the spent casing gets caught by the slide before being ejected from the gun. The empty case gets caught by the closing slide and gets stuck sticking out the side of the slide. It looks like a stove pipe. Stovepipes are associated with problems with certain ammunition or pistols that jam because the shell isn’t ejected properly.

2. FTF = Failure to Feed

3. The listed are intended as aids in diagnosing the cause and correction of problems observed when shooting. They are not intended to be inclusive or “catch-all” remedies. The actual remedy may consist of one or more of the above listed factors.

4. The primary source of information for the above table was the Glock Armorer’s Manual, 2009.