{"id":127046,"date":"2020-05-10T13:58:27","date_gmt":"2020-05-10T17:58:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=127046"},"modified":"2023-11-21T11:13:31","modified_gmt":"2023-11-21T17:13:31","slug":"glock-g44-durability-test-part-deux","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/glock-g44-durability-test-part-deux\/","title":{"rendered":"Glock G44 Durability test: Part Deux"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Glock
Running the G44 through its paces.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Read Part 1: Glock\u2019s G44: Tupperware Goes Rimfire <\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When it first came time for our G44 review, some questions have been raised by the guns already in circulation. Some decidedly un-Glock things were being alleged about the first ever \u201cAustrian Wonder Gun\u201d in rimfire format. So, we did what any good journalist would do. I’m just kidding, Hunter S. Thompson <\/a> was the last good journalist. (Also, don’t click that link if you are easily offended.) Here at GunsAmerica Digest though, we do shoot you straight. We knew we had to run our G44 hard, to at least the same round count as others reported problems, which takes a little while. So here we are at part 2. You can catch up on the initial look right here. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

To recap, the other reported malfunctions were broken\/bent strikers, cracked slides, out of battery fires, and maybe it wouldn’t eat whatever brand of 22LR the new owner had on hand. So, since nearly every reported instance happened before 2000 rounds, that was the goal we set. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Glock
Brands of ammunition tested.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I would also like to point out that this was before the Kung Flu ammo crunch, which made getting bullets a whole lot easier. I regret now not telling our suppliers it was 5,000 rounds and would take all summer to complete. Anyway, we spent a couple of days at the range, to get up to the requisite number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Glock
No slide issues on our test gun.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Let’s address the broken parts bit first, in fact, all of them at once. Because clarification is simple on that front. We saw zero broken parts, hint of a broken part, number on a bar napkin but it’s really the local weather channel cause she wanted to let us down easy but was absolutely not interested broken parts. A 1000 round tear down showed nothing, and the 2000 round teardown just showed a dirtier gun. The finish on the slide release is getting worn if you want to knit pick. But only because the G-44 goes to slide lock with such boring regularity. Rather what I expected for a gun with the big G stamped on the side. But, you don’t know until you test it yourself in situations like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SEE ALSO: <\/strong>The Long-Awaited Glock 44 .22 LR is Here! \u2013 SHOT Show 2020<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Glock
Striker assembly, still true to factory spec.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The round count is a stickier wicket, but not much. Knowing that every 22LR firearm on the market is both a little finicky and usually has a preference, I didn’t expect miracles. But it is also made by Glock, so I kind of did. I wanted the mythical \u201cbrought up 22LR rounds from the wreckage of the Titanic, rolled them in spray glue and beach sand, put em in the mag backward, and they still shot just fine.\u201d We decided on 8 brands of ammunition, which is a pretty good spread. We had subsonic all the way to hypersonic, and everything in between. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Glock
Dirty, but no problems.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Out of the box, our G-44 would eat\neverything except Remington and Winchester brands of ammo. With zero\nbreak in, it just chewed up every magazine of Federal, Gemtech, CCI,\nand Blazer we fed it. It was actually shocking how well it ate them.\nIn my experience, even bolt action rifle 22’s get stoppages every few\nhundred rounds. You pop the case out with our pocket knife and go on,\nbut it did still technically jam. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Glock
Slide lock assembly, a bit of wear on the finish. That is all.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Out of our first thousand rounds, I had ZERO malfunctions with anything except the aforementioned brands. After 300 rounds, I stopped even using them, to see if eventually, the others would give me a malfunction. They didn’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Glock
Internals, absolutely no issues.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For our second half, we switched gears a little bit. Since none of the reported breakages involved trigger parts, and we had yet to experience a light strike, we opted to test an aftermarket part as well. I am a big fan of Apex Triggers, <\/a>and I know many of you are as well. In fact, when our G-44 shipped to us, the first thing I did was check to see if Apex had a trigger for it yet. Good news, they do. The same trigger that fits any other Gen 5 Glock will fit the G-44. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Glock
New Apex Tactical trigger.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our Apex Trigger is bright red, so you can’t miss it in the gun. Not probably 100% Kosher for a purely scientific test, but again, it had nothing to do with the potential problems. Besides, if I had another 1000 training rounds to go, I wanted it to be with a trigger the same as my carry gun. This is one of the greatest benefits of the new G-44, and I’m happy it worked out. Apex dropped in, 5 seconds later put back together, and off to the range we go. It works just fine, and one I recommend for any Gen5 Glock you own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Glock
Gen 5 Glock trigger assembly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

For our second thousand rounds, we came\nout of the gate with 525 rounds of Blazer. With boring regularity,\nour gun just kept going. It ate the entire brick with zero\nmalfunctions. At this point, we decided to give the Winchester and\nRemington another chance. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winchester still refused to run more than a few rounds without inducing a failure to feed or extract. The Remington gave me one more problem, first round out of the magazine, and then no more issues. Just to keep things interesting, we then opted to run an entire 300 brick of the Remington Golden Sabers. Proving that there is SOME break into the G-44, it magically decided to run all of those. With not one more single malfunction. We mopped up with various Federal and CCI to get to 2k, and called it a day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only explanation I can give for the Winchester is that it features a different shape to the bullet than the other 7 brands. Why I don’t know. But it does. I have 10\/22’s that will chew it up no question, but the Glock hated it. If I only lose one brand of 22LR for the G-44, I still call that a win. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Glock
Two examples of Federal on left, Winchester on right. Note minor shape difference<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Overall, I am happy to say that reports of Glock’s death have been greatly exaggerated. I don’t know what happened with anyone else’s gun, but I do know what happened with mine. It ran like a sewing machine and looked mostly factory new after it did. This is the perfect companion trainer to your centerfire duty Glock, and I recommend it highly. The only way you get better at shooting is to shoot. A lot. Now, with a rimfire version, you can afford to do so. I hope to see these at departments near me and flying off shelves. Mostly so I can have a G-44X and a 15 round magazine when Glock decides to make one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n