RFI: G36. GTG at this point?

[Totem Polar]

Folks, a quick search yielded a paucity of threads—older ones, at that, dating closer to the introduction of the SS .45 model, and probably discuss the reliability of the earlier, non-rail iterations.

Assuming that I have good reasons for wanting a gun that is objectively somewhat less capable than, say, a G26 (which I do), and that the low-capacity, harder recoiling G36 fits the bill, are the current G36s up to Glock standards in terms of reliability?

Thanks in advance for the input. :)

[Dave T]

A year or so after my first foray into Glocks the G36 was introduced. I bought one for my wife to try but she preferred her Commander so I shot it for a while. Neither of us had any of the "reported" reliability problems. The gun fired every time the trigger was pulled. I owned a couple more over the years. About 10 years ago I was doing some training/practice with my sister. I had one of the 36s with me and when I ran a couple magazines through it she wanted to try it. She liked it better than her G19 as a purse gun and traded me for it. She still has it and at 77 years of age still manages it's recoil with no problem. And it works every time.

Several years ago I got tired of waiting for Glock to introduct a G4 G30S and bought a G36 to use the slide and barrel to make my own from the G4 G30 I had. That worked out fine, i.e. the gun was reliable. After looking at the G30 slide and barrel in the safe for a while I stuck it on the G36 frame and had the softest recoiling G36 in the world. I thought of it as a G36H for "Heavy". It functioned just fine. I had the G36 frame worked over by my gunsmith (Kent Singletary) and it came out so good I put the G36 slide back on it and it is my current carry gun. It functions reliably. Oh, and the G30 frame is going to Kent shortly for a similar treatment.

Point of all this: the Glock 36 has been just a reliable in my experience, involving several different individual guns in various configurations, as any other Glock I've owned. My only problem with them is the same problem I have with the G30. I HATE having to use the magazine as part of the grip. Why in (expletive deleted) Glock didn't make them with a 3 finger frame I do not understand and continue to regret.

Dave

[MattyD380]

I remember renting a G30 and a G36 one day when my buddy and I were sort of "discovering" .45s. We were both struck by how well they shot--solid groups, true to POA. And FWIW, I don't shoot a G19 (or most other SFA 9mms) well at all. I will say the 36 jammed, whereas the 30 did not. But it was a rental and I'd venture to say my grip probably wasn't stellar.

So, based on that fleeting experience, I've "loosely" considered picking up a .45 compact Glock at some point. I'd prefer a 36 over a 30, for carry purposes... if it was reliable. No-safety SFAs make me nervous for appendix, but I feel like there's options nowadays (gadget, etc.).

[MGW]

Not sure what you’re looking for but have you considered the USPc in 45? It’s not a lot bigger than the 36 and reliability wouldn’t even be a question.

[JodyH]

Not sure what you’re looking for but have you considered the USPc in 45? It’s not a lot bigger than the 36 and reliability wouldn’t even be a question.
HK45C
Even more carry friendly, it will fit in many leather P2000 holsters and is basically G19 sized.

[RAM Engineer]

I'm kind of in the same boat, but I'm looking to pick up a G30 of some variety to supplement my inherited G21SF. I just can't wrap my mind around all the various G30 versions there are. At this point in time, Glock lists THREE versions on their website:

G30 Gen4
G30S
G30SF

What's the difference and what is preferred?

[echo5charlie]

Folks, a quick search yielded a paucity of threads—older ones, at that, dating closer to the introduction of the SS .45 model, and probably discuss the reliability of the earlier, non-rail iterations.

Assuming that I have good reasons for wanting a gun that is objectively somewhat less capable than, say, a G26 (which I do), and that the low-capacity, harder recoiling G36 fits the bill, are the current G36s up to Glock standards in terms of reliability?

Thanks in advance for the input. :)

In my professional experience not one G36 that came into my shop for "it jams all the time" has been anything more than the shooter. That count is at a whopping three guns over 10 years, keep in mind the G36 sells poorly and, honestly, is probably never shot by the majority of those that buy them. The G36 suffers the same issue the .45 XDS does - a small, lightweight pistol that shoots .45 Auto that is also sought out by many inexperienced shooters. We did have many* XDS "it jams all the time" problems again being the shooter, not the gun.

The railed version is only a few years old whereas the original non-railed dates to 1998 so I do not think there is any way, currently, to figure out if one is better than the other (which I doubt there is).

I have owned four G36 pistols over the years, one from 1999, one from 2003, one from 2013, and my current railed model. (Obviously I have an issue) Anyway, I cannot say that there is any noticeable difference in performance between the railed and non-railed version. None ever had "jamming" issues or any issues for that matter, but each of the initial three pistols only saw about 500 rounds a piece and the railed is at a whopping 100.

I don't think the G36 was ever not good from the get-go from a functional standpoint. From the practical application standpoint I feel there are better options (efficiency of size for the G36 footprint) for concealed carry but I wouldn't NOT carry a G36 because of what it is purported to be by the Internet. FWIW, I don't think my current G36 will be horse-traded off as in the past, I keep getting them so that should tell me something.

* - I do not have the number memorized as I do for the G36 but I distinctly recall 5 customers and know there were more than that, just not how many. Most of these issues were within the initial launch of the XDS before the recall. It has been years since a .45 XDS came in for *any* issue.

[JTQ]

I'm kind of in the same boat, but I'm looking to pick up a G30 of some variety to supplement my inherited G21SF. I just can't wrap my mind around all the various G30 versions there are. At this point in time, Glock lists THREE versions on their website:

G30 Gen4
G30S
G30SF

What's the difference and what is preferred?

The G30/G21 etc., have a big grip. To make them more small hand friendly, in the Gen 3 era, Glock came out with the SF models that made the grip slightly smaller around and subsequently slightly shortened the trigger reach.

The Gen 4 guns are all basically SF models, grip-wise, with no back straps installed.

[echo5charlie]

I'm kind of in the same boat, but I'm looking to pick up a G30 of some variety to supplement my inherited G21SF. I just can't wrap my mind around all the various G30 versions there are. At this point in time, Glock lists THREE versions on their website:

G30 Gen4
G30S
G30SF

What's the difference and what is preferred?

G30 Gen4 - G30 with a Gen4 frame
G30S - G30SF with a G36 slide
G30SF - G30 with shortened (front to rear) SF grip

Preference is personal, YMMV. The G30S doesn’t work for me as I easily ride the slide stop, but it weighs almost three ounces less than the other G30 variants. I personally prefer the G30 Gen3 as I have zero issues with a thumbs-forward grip. Be sure you try seating a fully loaded mag on a slide-forward gun, it takes a bit of a whack to seat it, regardless of version. FWIW, the G36 does not have that issue.


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[Galbraith]

Folks, a quick search yielded a paucity of threads—older ones, at that, dating closer to the introduction of the SS .45 model, and probably discuss the reliability of the earlier, non-rail iterations.

Assuming that I have good reasons for wanting a gun that is objectively somewhat less capable than, say, a G26 (which I do), and that the low-capacity, harder recoiling G36 fits the bill, are the current G36s up to Glock standards in terms of reliability?

Thanks in advance for the input. :)

Is your primary focus on the caliber, or the platform? For most, the Glock exclusively runs best in 9mm. If you want to venture into other platforms for a good .45acp, then HK45c is a good choice and I have first hand experience with the P320c which is turning out to be a fantastic .45. However, even though I like the .45acp I feel that the caliber becomes exponentially less capable as the pistol size degreases. You suffer heavier capacity penalties and projectile performance as you decrease barrel length below 4" and grip size. Smaller calibers suffer less penalties in smaller guns.

[MattyD380]

Being a DA/SA fan, I've owned both the HK45c and USPc .45. Both were reliable but I found the ergos a little challenging on both. I'd say I liked the HK45c a little better overall, but the DA trigger was horrendous... and the slick, flat grip wasn't exactly a treat to the hand. Traded it for the USPc .45... trigger was much better, but the ergos were worse--for me, anyway. I have small hands, so the depth of a .45 grip often presents a challenge.

For my compact-ish .45...

I have a Sig P245. It's very accurate in my hands, reasonably compact (enough to hide the grip in casual AIWB, w/o a fancy AIWB holster) and has been reliable. And I can reach the trigger okay. Obviously, they don't make the P245 anymore (like most guns I like, it seems). But P220 compacts were available up until fairly recently. They have the short grip frame of the P245 and have the same upper as the P220 carry.

[Totem Polar]

Folks, I appreciate the input. I was definitely looking to stay under the Glock umbrella, since I own and have owned, uh, more than one.

One of the things that few know about me is that I have psychic powers when it comes to used handguns. I can’t predict earthquakes, or lottery numbers, but that's how I score rare vintage j-frames, and $300 LCRs and what not. When I posted this, I was looking at a new G36 in my favorite LGS, hence the thread. So, today, I decided to do a quick range trip to get in a little LCR time. I asked the range if they had a rental G36 in their rather expansive row of rental gun cases. "No but we have this used one, with 6 mags..."

Problem solved, what of it there was. I mean, if you can call new gun jonesing a problem.

As an aside, what a pussycat to shoot. I clamped down with an imitation PatMac death grip, expecting recoil, and got fun and grins, instead. Granted, many guns seem tame after a box of fmj 158 grainers from the 13.5 oz LCR, but the G36 wasn’t any worse than a G43, IMO.

So that’s that; again, I appreciate the input, experience, and opinions.

[MGW]

So you bought it? 👍 The 36 is one of those irrational pistols I’ve always wanted to try. Sounds like a nice pick up.

[Totem Polar]

So you bought it? 👍 The 36 is one of those irrational pistols I’ve always wanted to try. Sounds like a nice pick up.

Yes. Yes I did.

Sadly, recent retrograde initiative book-cooking in WA state means no cash and carry, even with CWP, so pics will have to wait until the man can get around to my particular background check in the local PD backlog of paper. :(

Gives me time to order up a respring kit (I just replace all the springs—except the mag release—on any used G I get. Cheap enough, and then I know the round counts), and some more 230 ball. I’m down to maybe 5 boxes of ball, and 200 GDHP 230. I’ve already got an original recipe gadget in my parts box, so it’s just hurry up and wait at this point. :)

[HeavyDuty]

I had a 36 for a number of years, and had BTF problems - so did everyone else that ever shot it. Even a trip back to the mothership didn’t help.

I ended up trading it off for something else, but I’m also convinced there was an issue with this specific example. I bet the breechface was out of spec or similar.

I did hate the grip, though. A slightly longer gripframe where you didn’t rely on the mag for proper grip would tempt me, but what I always held out for was a Gen4 30S. And now, I’ll wait and see if a Gen5 solution ever appears.

A 4” XD-S filled this hole for me.

[echo5charlie]

SNIP...

I did hate the grip, though. A slightly longer gripframe where you didn’t rely on the mag for proper grip... SNIP

This. For the G29 and G30 the shortened grip made sense in the AWB era. The G36 not so much, I would venture that most would prefer a G19-ish length grip with a flush fit 6 round magazine. I am curious as to why a 5 round magazine was never introduced (or even if it was ever envisioned)...

[sparkyfender]

My Glock 36 has had zero failures, my Glock 30 has had a couple of FTFs.

It is a great carry pistol, mostly ignored, which is puzzling seeing how everyone went ga ga when Glock came out with single stack 9mms.

I'm guessing the relatively low capacity and the popularity of 9mm over .45 acp.

It conceals very well, and having 7 rounds of quality .45 acp on board a reliable platform isn't something to be slighted, IMO.

[Whirlwind06]

My Glock 36 has had zero failures, my Glock 30 has had a couple of FTFs.

It is a great carry pistol, mostly ignored, which is puzzling seeing how everyone went ga ga when Glock came out with single stack 9mms.

I'm guessing the relatively low capacity and the popularity of 9mm over .45 acp.

It conceals very well, and having 7 rounds of quality .45 acp on board a reliable platform isn't something to be slighted, IMO.A couple weeks ago there was a used 36 at the LGS. When I first looked at it I thought it was a 43. It was gone next time I was there so didn't have a chance to handle it.

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[echo5charlie]

A couple weeks ago there was a used 36 at the LGS. When I first looked at it I thought it was a 43. It was gone next time I was there so didn't have a chance to handle it.

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Surprisingly, at least for my shop, used G36s never last. New ones have birthdays.

[Totem Polar]

Surprisingly, at least for my shop, used G36s never last. New ones have birthdays.

Man, I’ve already figured out that this is the unvarnished truth, right there. An interesting phenomenon.

[jaredm1]

I had one several years ago. I liked it, but unfortunately sold it to fund something else, or consolidate calibers, or some other dumb reason.

42787

[modrecoil]

Good choice. G36 was my favorite .45 until I picked up a used G30s. Just a couple of user-induced failures with G36. It's less forgiving of poor grip than some pistols. No failures through hundreds of rounds with G30s.

[Totem Polar]

Now that powers that be have decided it’s OK for me to have this G36–along with all the stuff I already own—I figured a quick follow up is in order.

What a fun gun. For some reason, this G pushes the grin buttons in ways the others don’t. It’s not that I dislike shooting, say, my G45, but the 9mm guns just fit into the "tool" parking space in my brain. I find myself admiring their cool efficiency, and I’m glad I picked up multiple Glocks while I still can, but shooting them turns into a drill pretty quick.

This one is a revolver-like riot to shoot, and I find myself looking forward to the next range trip, like it was a Ruger .22 or something.

Once I detailed/cleaned the upper slide (there was oil in the striker channel, and it wouldn’t pass the RSA test when I bought it), and put in new springs, it’s just been 9mmG-reliable. Cheap ball? Eat eat eat. Good ball? Eat eat eat. 230 GDHP? Eat eat eat—all mags. 90s-era 185gr +P golden saber brass jacket, or ancient proload 200gr GDHP ‘flying ashtray? Eat eat eat, yum yum yum.

I love this thing, oversized and under payloaded though it may be. Had a spare original gadget and spring kit on hand, plus some carry accoutrement, so it’s turn key, with the exception of needing to order up some sights when I get a minute.

Who knew that I’d be this into a weird Glock?