Not a Ruger, but thought I would share. G27 Review

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modrifle3

Buckeye
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If you read my earlier post, you will see that after a several year break from the .40 S&W I decided to give it another shot. I just like the .40 . . . at least the look and idea of it. After this decision was made I started looking for a pistol and well what better than the iconic Glock that helped pioneer the explosion in popularity of this cartridge. I decided that I would replace my long since sold G22 with a newer Gen3. My original pistol was an early Gen 2 with the 90 degree extractor. After I purchased, through a generous layaway program at my lgs, I started thinking that the .40 may replace my faithful LC9 as a carry piece, but the G22 was just too big to replace that little guy. So next to the G22 was a nice little G27. For those that don't know the Glock family tree, the G22 is the full size, G23 is the mid and the G27 is the "baby" Glock. Let's just say this baby has a loud voice.

This review is going to be focused on the G27 since this is the gun I am now carrying. I picked up the pistol yesterday from Gander Mountain after searching for a Gen3 with a smooth finish. I say a smooth finish because there are two. One is very textured and rough, while the other is a smooth dark grey. I will say I am not a fan of GM pricing but they match anyone, so just find a price you like and pick up your gun.

First impressions are very good. I think a Glock is a nice looking gun . . . others don't, but its opinion. Slide to frame fit is nice and tight, but not too tight. This pistol is well build and well finished, as are all Glocks. I did not clean this gun, because new Glocks don't really need it. The factory ships the pistol nice and neat with their trademark copper grease/anti-seize compound they use. However, I did disassemble the little guy to check it out. Everything about the insides is similar the its big brother minus the two piece recoil spring which is very similar to what all Gen4 Glocks now come with. While apart I really wanted to check chamber support because there is a subculture dedicated to the demise of the Glock stating they are unsafe and will randomly explode if touched. Perhaps it's these killer crazy Glocks running amuck in the streets giving the liberals their anti-gun fuel. Seriously though I wanted an idea of how much support was seen in the barrel and I was surprised. Using a Federal 155gr round, I dropped it in the chamber and what do you know . . . full support. Just as my G21 has. So why do Glocks blow, who knows . . . maybe a full power 180gr round chambered 12 times before actually being shot and as a result the pressure triples because the bullet is shoved back to the point of compacting the powder . . . just a theory.

The ergonomics of this pistol is far from a Ruger. Rugers feel sexy, they fit your hand and make you just want to sit around and play with them. Glocks well . . . they have the standard Glockernomics. It works, but that's it. My biggest gripe right now is the grip is really just too short. It needs a ¼ added or it needs to come with a factory grip extension base plate. You can purchase the Pearson, but I was unable to find one local. You can hold it but the two finger grip is never been my cup of tea. My LC9 was only comfortable with the finger grip base plate on the mag. There are other options besides the Pearson and I will get to that. I also have an issue with the space between the top finger bump and the trigger guard. It really causes the trigger guard to dig into my finger.

So after I put it back together I headed to the range with a box of 155gr federal, 180gr Tula and 155 Winchester Silvertips. I also gathered two G22 mags with the Xgrip sleeves on them. I easily loaded 15 into the G22 mags and 9 into the stock mags, without the loader or any real issue. Only issue was trying to seat a new fully loaded mag with the slide closed. It was tight, very tight. I opened fire first with a 15rd mag with the sleeve on it. With this you could shoot all day . . . as you should, it's a full size grip, but you can't carry it very well with the 15 rd mag. So then I decided to try the 9rd standard mag. Let's just say with 155gr bullets, and the short grip . . . hold on. I would not shoot 200 rds at a time in this configuration. It's too abusive, especially on my top finger. Before you tell me to stop whining, let me explain. It's very controllable, but I would only practice as needed with the small mag. So after a few rounds I adjusted my mentality and hand a bit and realized this isn't that bad. Especially after I saw how this pistol groups at the standard 10 yrds I shoot at. Wow, the LC9 I carry can't even hold a candle. It took a good bit of time to learn the LC trigger, but love them or hate them, Glocks have a good striker fired trigger. I won't spend any real time on the trigger because, well its identical to every other Glock I have owned. It was then time to switch to the 180gr tula. I hate this Russian steel case crap, but its $12 a box at Walmart . . . what can I say. Not a single hiccup. Then to my Winchester 155gr Silvertips. This will be my carry ammo. Recoil is about the same as the federal fmj, maybe a little more snap. I see why people prefer the 180gr rounds . . . much smoother. Interestingly though there was no issues even during rapid fire, keeping all the shots in a 6" area. This is why the Glock is so famous. It doesn't do anything great, but does it all extremely well and that's a combat pistol.

My only concern with this Glock is the extreme amount of case bulge. Despite having an amazing amount of case support the bulge is way more than other firearms. This really makes me wonder what is going on. Granted Rugers have a generous chamber spec, but I am wondering if this Glock is really that oversized or if the headspacing is wrong and the support I see by headspacing on the case mouth is not what it actually has when in battery. I have not yet checked, but I will. It's accurate and I don't really plan to reload .40 so the chamber is not of a real concern yet. I would like to see an aftermarket barrel and compare.

In conclusion, this pistol gets a very big thumbs up from me. In fact I am carrying it right now. I think the fullsize mags are best at the range or in a double mag carrier on the left side. I am however thinking that the small Xgrip and a G23 mag will be carried in the gun. This gives approx. the same extra grip area as the factory 10 rd mag, but adds 3 additional rounds.
 

FergusonTO35

Hunter
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Sounds good. I have a Glock 26 on layaway and am squirming to pick it up soon. I have gen. 4 19 and like it very much. These pistols definitely have a learning curve to them. I've had the 19 for about three months now and have put about 500 rounds through it, I'm just now getting to where I can shoot it as well as the pistols that came before it. I also trimmed down the obnoxious finger bumps on the grip and heat textured them.
 

Mike J

Hunter
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I've only gotten to shoot a few Glocks but I like them.

You made reference to the exploding Glock myth. I don't really put much stock in it. I believe the newer ones have more case support than the older ones. Forgive me for not having a link but I do remember a thread a while back at over at thehighroad.org about the Glock chamber support & a couple of posters there said that the chamber walls were a couple of thousandths thinner on their .40 Glocks than those on their 9mm ones. I can't say it is true due to the fact I don't own a Glock or a set of calipers. Maybe someone who owns both could check it out.
 

modrifle3

Buckeye
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I put no stock in it. I will say this 27 has a large chamber but I think it will size out ok. I think at some point I may get a aftermarket barrel to try though.
 

FergusonTO35

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Some cartridges suffer from pressure spikes more than others. I suspect the .40 is one of them. I think the main reason for so many exploding Glocks is that there are just so darn many of them out there. Many of these will find their way into the hands of sloppy shooters and reloaders, and we're off to the races. I don't know how many people I've heard say that you don't have to clean a Glock barrel, even though each one comes with a cleaning brush and rod.

If you do get an aftermarket barrel I heartily recommend Storm Lake. My SL barrel will easily out shoot the factory barrel and requires less windage and elevation correction. The folks at SL are great to deal with. My barrel had a tight chamber. I e-mailed them and they responded very quickly. From the time the barrel left in the mail to when I had it back in my dirty mits was seriously five days and now it's shooting great.
 

modrifle3

Buckeye
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Thanks for the recommendation ... It was between them and Lonewolf. The factory barrel chamber is way too big for reloading. Case bulging is too hard on the brass and I figure I might as well reload.
 

FergusonTO35

Hunter
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Keep an eye on Gunbroker and Fleabay. Often times you can get them new for $100.00 or so. Also, if you want the barrel to match the finish of the slide you can have Jeff at J&N Guns in Idaho Cerakote it for you. He did mine and it looks great.
 

wingnuut

Bearcat
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Jun 11, 2012
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western mass.
my g33 I put in a lone wolf 40 to9 barrel it is really accurate, my M&P 40 has a 9mm storm lake 40 to 9mm barrel that also is very accurate both great barrels,i think the SL has a better finish on it but it was $60.00 more
 

revhigh

Hawkeye
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FergusonTO35 said:
Sounds good. I have a Glock 26 on layaway and am squirming to pick it up soon. I have gen. 4 19 and like it very much. These pistols definitely have a learning curve to them. I've had the 19 for about three months now and have put about 500 rounds through it, I'm just now getting to where I can shoot it as well as the pistols that came before it. I also trimmed down the obnoxious finger bumps on the grip and heat textured them.


You will be amazed at the accuracy of that 26.

I have one and its spectacular .... for ANY gun ... not just one with a short barrel.

REV
 

MountainWalker

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Don't sell your LC9, still a great carry piece and you won't get much for it. I have had a Generation #2, G27 for just over 20 years. The first time I shot it, the little thing shot so well that I thought to myself that it could be that one gun, if a person could only have one gun. Well, two decades later bullet technology has now made the 9mm Luger a viable choice for self defense. The 40 is good, but the 9 is just about as good and good enough for a person who is very likely never to need to deploy a CCW weapon. I think that there is actually less pressure with the 180 gr loads at 900-1000 fps, and less chance of case bulging cases. Midway is good about listing ballistics and I always like to check out and look for stuff that is standard pressure. The Hornady Critical Duty and the Federal HST are both right at 1,000 fps, within the realm of standard pressure. Both of these cartridges have excellent test results: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjrenK4N_qY or: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWy2AB_AQYo
 

Rei40c

Blackhawk
Joined
Feb 16, 2012
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MountainWalker said:
The Hornady Critical Duty and the Federal HST are both right at 1,000 fps, within the realm of standard pressure. Both of these cartridges have excellent test results: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjrenK4N_qY or: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWy2AB_AQYo

I just got a G26 gen 4 last week but I have yet to shoot it, I'm super excited about it though.

Speaking of the Critical Duty in the 175 grain 40 SW version is was the softest shooting self defense round I've fired in the .40 and I went through several of the most well known brands testing it. I'm unsure if the fact I was the most accurate with it was a function of the round itself being more accurate or that it was surprisingly enjoyable to shoot.

I've since moved to the 180 grain HST, I don't think the Critical Duty quite lived up to the hype in performance but is still excellent. But for it's shooting characteristics I'll always remember the Critical Duty fondly. If you ever hear someone complaining their self defense .40 rounds are beating them up, suggest that one to them.
 

modrifle3

Buckeye
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I added the factory extension mags and for my hands it's a whole new gun. I tried several aftermarket types but the Glock OEM is spot on and you get a extra shot.
 

MountainWalker

Single-Sixer
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modrifle3 said:
I added the factory extension mags and for my hands it's a whole new gun. I tried several aftermarket types but the Glock OEM is spot on and you get a extra shot.
Interesting, do you have link with picture of the OEM extended magazine? I know that some actually increase length of the entire grip, not just the front of the grip. I think a person needs to shoot them side by side at the range with targets to make sure that the extension is really shooting better. Fondle factor can really be deceiving, feels better but does not shoot better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdqIhmu9Fuk&list=PL7A3EDDBBE4AC37D1
 

modrifle3

Buckeye
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Just google glock 10rd g27 magazine. It just makes the gun comfortable. I tried 3 others before going this route.
 

modrifle3

Buckeye
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So as I mentioned in my earlier review, case buldge on the G27 is rather large. I believe i know why. The chamber is actually tapered, even though the .40 is a straight wall cartridge. This is done to enhance feeding and is most likely the reason, Glock has a no reloads stance. The 9mm is a favortite thorugh out the world and takes a different approach. The catridge is tapered, but the original chamber design was for a steped profile. It is only in the modern age we see the taperd chamber. Luger's original design added in manufacture, but also smoothed chambering, will still allowing for very good accuracy.

This taper chamber idea mixed with a poorly supported chamber is part of the reason you see case head failure in reloads. Since Glock now manufactures barrels with full chamber support, the expansion is not an issue except in cases sized multiple times. It also means reloaders have to buy a special set up unless their reloads are Glock specific. With a fully supported chamber, case rupture is not a great concern because it would happen in the chamber, not at the ramp, so venting down the ramp would not occur. I actually marked and measured a fired case to see where the web is in relation to exposed case. On my barrel there is no part of the case exposed, only the solid brass base.

I don't really believe the tapered chamber is needed, because most aftermarket barrels don't use it, however it insures positive trouble free function. Granted this is a theory as I can't accurately measure the taper, but here are the measurements of factory new and fired catridges that supports this idea.

Factory round size:
Federal Aluminum
At the bottom of case at web: .421

Tula Steel
At the bottom of case at web: .419

Winchester Slivertip Brass
At the bottom of case at web: .421

Fired Case
Federal 155gr Brass
Front of case: .425
Max rear swell: .432 (I am certain this is not due to unsupported chamber issue, because the swell is below the marked area of the case that is below the ramp. Also the case spins freely when put back in the chamber.)

Rear of chamber measured at .435
 

modrifle3

Buckeye
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Interestingly I pulled saami specs for a .40 chamber.

.4284 plus .004 ... Perhaps someone can help me here but isn't a Glock outside saami specs???

Also the actual sammi chamber spec calls for a taper

Front: .4243
Rear: .428
 

modrifle3

Buckeye
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Also I spoke to KKM and I believe this is the barrel I am going for. Rep said they use saami chamber specs. I am curious how this will function because it seems like the 10mm glocks don't function that well with a tighter barrel.
 

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