Jerry,
I liked the article. Thanks for the information and I believe it will be a great help to many shooters. It's very true that Glocks and 40 can be problematic.
Thought I would come out of my plastic cave to add a couple of points. 
Glock also changed the design of the frame to incorporate a third pin in the locking block to make a "stronger" frame. It will still peen the slide to a point and then stop. The 40 is a high pressure round.
Being a glock shooter, shooting a 40 glock in USPSA is very doable. I've reloaded and fired 15-20k over the past few years and have set up many friends 40 guns (and reloading) without a single problem.
It boils to using your noggin and realize the shortcomings of the glock 40.
- Use a better barrel with good chamber support. I can fire 40's through my kkm barrel and take the brass and it will drop into a case gauge. That's a good chamber!
- Only use good brass. I only fire brass about 3-5 times and I am really pick about the manufacturers head stamps. Some are known to have weaker 40 cases.
- Use a sane bullet and powder. Don't push the envelope to get max power. I have factory loads that are 200+ power factor. Do I try and reload to that level. NO, NO, NO! I aim for 168-170 which is perfect for USPSA. Very doable.
- Be a very CAREFUL reloader. Have a good crimp to prevent set back, check your oal and powder charges frequently.
Is the glock 40 for everyone? No. But it can be a reasonable gun and set up, if you take the proper precautions.
Hope that helps. Look forward to seeing you at the Croc.
Trey
Thanks for your comments, Trey.
My article was deliberately provocative ... I thought. I expected to hear from people who were determined to take my name in vain. Instead, I find an expansion on the theme from someone who really knows what he's talking about (and who regularly outshoots me!)
I was very much concerned when, while I was running the Functional Test Bay at the Multi-Gun Nationals last month, I met a Glock Owner who was interested in IPSC competition, but was reluctant to get started because (in part) of the high cost of ammunition. When I suggested that the volume of ammunition used in IPSC justified reloading his own ammo, he was reluctant to do so based on:
(1) Glock recommends you NOT use lead bullets(!!!), and
(2) Glock says that shooting reloaded ammunition "will void your warranty".
His words.
I encouraged him to come out to some matches and talk to some "Real Glock Shooters", but I didn't see him at the last match on the Albany range. That was disappointing, and I suspect that this was partly because I couldn't speak with real authority, not being a Glock shooter.
Perhaps you, or other Glock shooters, could find the time to address these two points in future comments.
BTW, I offer you my personal commendation for wading through this entire Geek-Length Post. I just hope you're not the only one who "Read The Whole Thing"
Jerry
I have experrienced a Kb. It was not fun!! I can still remember my feelings when I looked down at what had been a very nice Ruger Six Gun. The 45 Colt that was. I was all by myself on the range trying a few different cowboy loads/bullets, etc., when it happened; the 2nd shot from a 5 round loaded cylinder. After I saw that the top three chambers had no outer cylinder. Then I looked to see if someone had joined me on the range. Thankfully, no one had. I was still alone.
I was finished shooting one shot ago.
When I got home I went to my loading file for that gun and that day. I had changed bullets and adjusted the seating depth and in doing so had almost certainly double charged a case. I went through essentially the same steps I had when actually loading the cartridges. Yep, a Dillon R550 can easily double charge if one tries to gain a little time by rushing into feeding cases before one should.
I have a sign hanging on my R550 that cautions me to perform adjustments to all aspects of reloading ONE CASE AT A TIME!!
Charlie, I feel your pain.
Well, actually I don't but it sounds good. Thankfully, you didn't feel any pain either and it sounds as if you were lucky enough to not be standing where the teeny-weeny fast-moving metal pieces were flying. Thank God for a strong back-strap on the Ruger, eh?
Incidently, I received an email from Dean Speirs who wrote the stuff which inspired this article. With any luck, he'll let me post his comments on this website.
With bad luck, he will fall asleep before he comes to the part in my reply where I ask him for permission to post his comments.
He's like me. He tends to write TOO MUCH to go into a "Comments" section. That's as far as the similarity goes, of course; he's a master-class writer, and the casual comments he offers are a lot more interesting than mine.
Cross your fingers, and hope for the best. That would be when I can cut&paste his email as a separate blog article.
Hi Jerry,
Thank you for this interesting topic. I am actually debating if I should buy another glock due to all the kb! stories.
I hope you don't mind, but I found a couple of incorrect data on this article. Mainly the Glock 21 is not .40S&W, but in .45acp. Also the Glock 22 is not .45acp, but is .40S&W
I don't know if Glock actually fix the unsupported chamber issue. I have a third generation glock 23 (.40S&W) and there still appears the unsupported chamber.
Prehaps this is changed in the forth generation pistols?
I also have a Bar-sto .357sig barrel for the Glock 23, and the barrel is not fully supported. In fact, it seems to be exposed about 2mm more than the Glock factory barrel.
Thanks again and cheers!
cw
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