One of my carry guns is a Gen. 4 Glock 19 that I purchased 14 years ago. The gun itself continues to run flawlessly, and I have replaced some pins, trigger springs, recoil spring assemblies, etc. in the gun over time. However, I would estimate that I am easily approaching 18,000-20,000 rounds through the gun at this point. I am thinking about replacing every component in the gun with the exception of the slide, barrel, and frame just to be safe, but realistically, how long can I expect to get by without the frame failing or the slide cracking somewhere? I have heard claims as high as 100,000+ rounds to get to such a point, but I have not been able to independently verify such claims. Should I continue to have this gun in my carry rotation, or should I retire it in favor of a new Glock 19 and relegate it to range use?

Long before the gun frame fails due to recoil you would probably notice cracking or odd FTF or other running issues. I have never heard of any Glock suddenly fail spectacularly at the range or while using for Self-defense and these guns are regularly employed as serious service weapons in Europe. I’d not worry about frame failures and just keep practicing with your EDC. A high round count is a point of pride and not something to worry about for your privately owned Glock 19.

If you regularly replace springs and wear parts like extractors and such, I'd guess the frame, barrel and slide will run 200K - 300K rounds before you get a fatal crack or it just plain wears out. This is assuming you don't let abrasive dirt and such build up and the gun gets cleaned and lubed properly on a regular basis and you shoot ammunition of a premium/factory nature. I think a lot of folks run their semi autos too dry which contributes to wear and tear - use a premium CLP and replace springs etc. at the recommended intervals and don't worry about it.

VooDoo

X ray it to see any fine cracks.

tailgunner wrote: Sun Dec 08, 2024 11:00 am X ray it to see any fine cracks.

Cool idea. Where could one get that done?

VooDoo

VodoundaVinci wrote: Mon Dec 09, 2024 11:33 am

tailgunner wrote: Sun Dec 08, 2024 11:00 am X ray it to see any fine cracks.

Cool idea. Where could one get that done?

VooDoo

Airport security?

VodoundaVinci wrote: Mon Dec 09, 2024 11:33 am

tailgunner wrote: Sun Dec 08, 2024 11:00 am X ray it to see any fine cracks.

Cool idea. Where could one get that done?

VooDoo

While not x-ray, old-school machine shops used a process that I think was called Magnaflux to detect cracks in ferrous metal parts.

VodoundaVinci wrote:If you regularly replace springs and wear parts like extractors and such, I'd guess the frame, barrel and slide will run 200K - 300K rounds before you get a fatal crack or it just plain wears out. This is assuming you don't let abrasive dirt and such build up and the gun gets cleaned and lubed properly on a regular basis and you shoot ammunition of a premium/factory nature. I think a lot of folks run their semi autos too dry which contributes to wear and tear - use a premium CLP and replace springs etc. at the recommended intervals and don't worry about it.

VooDoo

I clean and relubricate all of my guns after shooting them, and after thinking about things and reading this thread, I am going to replace everything aside from the frame, sights, slide, and barrel, and keep carrying the gun.


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