My Glock 19 clone.
This report covers:
- Problem
- Ian confirmed
- Let’s shoot!
- Trouble up front
- Ouch!
- Accuracy
- Timed fire
- Sights
- Target was close
- Trigger
- Lubrication
- Summary
Today I shoot the 9mm Glock 19 clone firearm for the first time. You guys always say I’m the great enabler. Well, reader Ian McKee enabled me into this one. When he wrote last year about the Glock 19 clone he got for under $200 I bought one, too.
I’ve had the pistol for many months and I used it to test SLIP 2000 EWL, which I reported in the piece titled, What does a break-in mean? But there was a problem.
Problem
The problem was the SLIP 2000 EWL eventually made the Glock clone so smooth that it destroyed a video I planned to film. New Glocks are difficult to disassemble and I found an easy way to do it, but while practicing for the video the SLIP got the pistol so smooth that my special way no longer worked. The good news is the gun now disassembles as it was designed to.
Ian confirmed
Ian has shot his clone at least 1,200 times, which broke it in. I had never shot mine that was the same model, but the SLIP 2000 made it just as smooth. He brought his pistol up from Houston to show me and we compared them. Both racked (pulling the slide back all the way until the pistol cocks) similarly. I think his trigger was a little crisper, but once again, I’d not fired a round through mine.
Let’s shoot!
So I recently went to an indoor range and ran a box of ammo through it. This is that report.
The Glock 19 clone on the range. Those Magpul magazines hold 15 rounds.
Trouble up front
When I released the slide the first round failed to chamber! I ejected it and tried to chamber round two. Again a failure. Was it a bad magazine? The mags are from Magpul and are supposed to be the best on the market, but things do happen.
When the first round from the second magazine also failed to chamber, I thought back on my days of shooting new handguns and remembered they sometimes don’t work right at first. The CZ75 SP01 I have had the same problem. I have even had 1911s that had chambering problems when new!
All it took was hitting the rear of the slide with the heel of my hand and the round chambered. That’s a trick I learned years ago and it does work well. Just keep your trigger finger away from the trigger when you do it. After that I had about 8-9 more failures to chamber before they stopped and then everything worked as it should.
Ouch!
Ian told us the clone’s grip is a little aggressive. That’s like saying using the Braille method for welding can hurt. This little pistol is a punisher! My Sig P365 is smaller, lighter, has less recoil with the same cartridge and is just as accurate.
Accuracy
The clone is accurate, though after my hand had taken about 25 rounds of punishment I started sniping, which means pulling the trigger rapidly in anticipation of the recoil. When I do that my shots start going to the left. And like a dummy it was then that I remembered to shoot the silhouette in the head.
My Blue Man group.
Timed fire
I also shot faster toward the end of the session. Instead of waiting to see the sights aligned on target I simply shot about every second and a half. I did this because at this point I was familiar with the pistol and it was feeding reliably. I really pulled some shots to the left when I did this!
Sights
To be fair the clone’s sights are not for precision. They are for defense and as long as I hold center of mass, they will work. My P365 can put them all in the head at defense distances, and if I take my time so can my CZ75. The sights on this pistol, though, are a bit cruder.
Target was close
The silhouette target was only 21 feet, or 7 yards (6.4 Meters) away. That used to be the maximum distance for defense training though that distance has now increased.
This was just a familiarization day, plus as mentioned the clone’s sights are just for defense and not for precision. I am considering making the pistol a truck gun but it will have to function a lot more reliably with many more rounds before I do that.
Trigger
Ahh—the trigger. It’s a typical Glock trigger which means it feels like dragging a garden rake through a pile of pebbles. But a day after the shooting session I tried dry-firing the trigger and I see that it is now crisp. It’s not up to a good 1911 trigger, but for a defense pistol it’s right where it needs to be.
Lubrication
After shooting 50 rounds I disassembled the pistol and was surprised to find all the parts dry. I thought this SLIP 2000 EWL was an extreme weapons lubricant that didn’t move around under the stress of firing. Then I looked closer and saw that the lubricant had moved onto all the mating surfaces where it can do its job. When I applied it there were blobs of the stuff everywhere. Now it is evenly distributed.
Summary
Today’s report focused on the Glock 19 clone, but I was using the handgun as a testbed for the SLIP 2000 EWL lubricant. Until I disassembled the pistol after shooting I had no idea what the lubricant would do, but now I have seen it in action. I have to say it is holding up quite well! This is a product I believe airgunners need to be aware of.
“…I was using the handgun as a testbed for the SLIP 2000 EWL lubricant.”
BB,
That stuff is great! I bought a 4-ounce bottle of it the first time you mentioned it.
It has worked wonderfully on many airguns as well as firearms…thanks for the tip! 😉
Blessings to you,
dave
Dave,
Thanks for the feedback. Has anything specifically stood out with your airguns?
BB
BB,
I applied some on the sear of the Haenel model 1, and it smoothed it out; it also improved the functioning of the barrel latch, which had been getting hard to operate.
My Walther TPH is carried everyday (in my pocket, in addition to whatever other gun I carry).
It hasn’t been shot for months; I pulled it out today while cutting wood and dumped all 7 rounds into the end of a log; it’s one of the most reliable auto-loading pistols I have ever owned.
When done, I used 2 more drops of SLIP 2000 EWL on a Q-tip and applied it to the slide rails on the frame and also to the inside rails on the slide itself; then I wiped off all the excess oil; now I know that the next time I need to shoot it, it will work flawlessly…SLIP 2000 EWL is great stuff! 🙂
Blessings to you,
dave
dave,
Thanks for those details!
BB
BB, you are most welcome, as always. 😉
P.S. My wife’s cancer cell count has dropped by 50%…Praise the LORD!!! 🙂
dave,
Yes. Praise Him!
Baruch haShem!
BB
They probably designed the grip that way because it is kind of short on grip space. Take a file to it followed by some fine sandpaper, or whatever works out best. It’s not exactly an heirloom quality pistol. Or get a soft pistol grip wrap and make it fit.
Sometimes the shape of the bullet nose changes the feeding behavior. My Enhanced Colt .45 feed ramp was modified to work better with hollow points.
No ‘Officer Hold’ tried?
A point some shooters miss. Sometimes a loose semi-auto gun hold will allow your arm to absorb recoil that was intended to operate the slide and may cause a failure to cycle. Outstanding price.
My clone 19 would shoot only 1 shot at a time, it wouldn’t completely chamber a round after the 1st shot, until i filed a little bit on the frame at the back of the slide. After i did that, works like a glock should. I have found that the OEM parts work the best, I’ll have to get some of that SLIP 2000 EWL lubricant,
Tom
B.B., lots of people have complained about the MagPul Glock mags. The rest are great, but apparently the Glock ones have issues.
OP,
Thanks for that. I hadn’t heard that before. The mags seem to work well, now that the pistol has broken in a little.
BB
I guess I am just too old school. I am not a fan of the Glock or the 9mm. BB himself points out some other pistols he prefers, though the price is a winner.
I like a proper hammer fired pistol vs striker. But I am kind of surprised how far the tech has come in the last 30 years
Edw,
There are striker fired pistols from before WW1. They have been around a long time. 9mm ammunition and Glock pistols are just not very high on my list.
Thanks for the well done report. Since you indicated the sights are not for precision, it looks like a laser designator could be mounted under the barrel (If you wanted a more precise way to aim in order to further test the accuracy of the gun and ammo.)
Elmer,
A laser designator is possible. Ian has a UTG dot sight on his and with the battery life it has, he doesn’t ever need to turn it off.
Personally for a truck gun I want something simple and straightforward. No batteries.
BB
Of course, I understand. What I was thinking was mounting a laser designator temporarily, just for testing purposes (if you wanted to do further testing). Certainly not necessary if you are satisfied with knowing that it will get the intended job done.
B.B.,
I read the Blog just after it posted and my thought was why? Other than testing a low cost clone.
Glade i waited and you answered my question: “Personally for a truck gun I want something simple and straightforward.”
I hope you never need to use it but if you do i pray it gets the job done.
shootski
Great report, I still need to look into the Slip lube.
I need to remember your descriptions.
Braille method of welding, and a garden rake through rocks!
For the money spent, they can’t be beat.
I second the laser add on , I own 2 of these clones.
One resides in a Recover tactical 20/20 “pistol brace” , with the UTG Micro red dot, and a green laser. (The green wavelength is easer for me to pick up quickly on target.)
This is my “truck gun” it is small enough to be brought into action without extending the brace.
And with the brace extended, fills the role of a PCC (pistol caliber carbine.)
The other one is still in the safe, unfired.
Ian.
Seems this Glock clone was a good “score,” Tom. With more practice no doubt you will score better. Maybe this report will encourage FM to get off his burro and shoot his SIG Nitron – at least he learned how to dissasemble/assemble it. Looks like investing in some EWL lube will also be a good thing to do. Shame on you FM, you need to be more rapido about these things.
Marauder won at auction still “molasses-ing” its way through the USPS digestive system but hope it will come in by the end of the week. USPS needs to be more rapido about these things.
BB,
Nice report on an interesting pistol and the SLP2000EWL 30 lubricant. Would you please elaborate on the crudeness of the sights, vs sights that are made for precision?
My one-time experience shooting a semi-auto pistol years ago made it very clear that the recoil hurts! Sorry to sound wimpy, but OW! It was no .45 either, probably 9mm. This was a woman’s pistol and may have a small frame that didn’t fit my man hand as well as it should, I don’t know. You must have ways to hold a pistol so it doesn’t hurt to use. As you test powder-burning pistols, would you describe the hold for each and measures you take to control the shot? I’m looking forward to more coverage of different kinds of pistols. Is a curvy-handled revolver more comfortable to shoot than a more angular semi automatic? Thank you.
Regards,
Will
Will,
Okay these sights have a dot up front. That’s for defense, for more rapid sight acquisition. The front sight on this one is almost as wide as the rear notch, meaning it’s hard to position precisely.
I shot most of the holes in the center of the target with a one-hand hold until the recoil made my hand sting. Then I switched to two hands and the accuracy went wonky.
By “curvy-handled revolver” I think you are referring to the Colt Single Action Army, which is extremely easy on the hands in recoil. The recoil from a .44 Magnum is a pussycat with that grip, compared to the S&W M29 grip that has a hump to stop the revolver from twisting in the shooter’s hand. That one will draw blood!
As for this clone, as it stands right now with no modifications, I know of nothing that will tame the grip.
My late wife’s Glock 36 is a .45 ACP pistol that has a very nice light recoil. Racking it is a chore, but the recoil isn’t bad.
BB
BB,
Thanks for the descriptions above. You did well in interpreting my vague language, the S&W SAA is exactly the curvy-handled one I was thinking of!
You’re saying that given two pistols of equal power and similar design, one can be easy on the hand, while another is just plain cruel and for good reason. I makes sense that some pistols are going to be more ergonomic than others, depending on what the designer’s goals are.
Regards,
Will
Will S,
Unfortunately as we get older our collagen and elastin production is reduced and we lose some of the subcutaneous fat layer in our hands and other parts of our bodies. Not much has been found to reliably reverse that. For you younger readers you can protect your hands from UV exposure and increase vitamin K and C in your diets if you have low levels. Hydration works for everyone to increase the elasticity of the dermis.
You can also reduce some of the damage by investing in well fitted shooters gloves open or closed fingers as well as knit or mesh on the back of the glove. Gloves also improve slide racking ability for some folks.
Hope that helps some of the issues for some of you shooters.
shootski
SVD Dragunov continued. (Picture)
This is how they convert a spring piston, airsoft anyway, into a more powerful CO2 operation, and subsequent steel BB conversion.
This setup may be familiar to owners of an AK rifle.
There are two springs inside. The top one operates the Bolt Carrier (Black with copper compression chamber tube and hollow BB air push pin), and the bottom one operates the Bolt (Silver with air valve tip).
When the bolt carrier is cycled back to cock with the bolt inserted into it, now full of CO2 once the cap is screwed down, the sear captures the screw on co2 bolt cap and is retained until the trigger is pulled.
The bolt carrier returns forward and pushes a BB out from the mag and into the barrel.
Pulling the trigger releases the bolt to spring forward and compress the small air valve hollow pin and release the CO2 to shoot the BB.
The bolt is then blown back to engage the sear again for the next shot, semi-auto.
That silver bolt needs to be removed to replace a CO2 cartridge. No big deal. Just the price you pay for converting the power source. It was not designed to be a CO2 rifle. This appears to be a typical setup for converting most spring piston airsoft air guns to CO2 some variations exist to work with the original design.
I’m guessing you should be able to shim up the bolt spring, within operating limits, to increase the amount of CO2 released and increase BB fps. Unless it’s already there to get the most out of the air valve and allow it to seat again.
That’s an ingenious idea!
I wonder what the bolt conversion costs?
That would be neat to see how it works.
I just ordered the EWL 30. I like the idea of it migrating just a touch and not leaking out everywhere.
The CO2 SVD Dragunov BB Sniper Rifle
Threw on one of my $5. 3×9 scopes and shot it today. Found out it is capable of dime size groups at 25 feet. Not saying I am though. Got a quick lesson in cheek weld and eye relief and focus with cheap a scope.
It absolutely did not want to shoot today. First off, the CO2 leaked out of the bolt. The section that holds air passage tube was loose. Then it would not shoot any BBs. Found out you need to put more that 2 or 3 BBs in the mag. The follower in the mag does not force the last couple of BBs up into the barrel. It has a wide ‘tube barrel’ support that replaced the airsoft hop-up. It takes three bbs stacked in it to reach the barrel held inside it.
Then it failed to shoot any BBs again. Evidently, they failed to install a magnet to hold the BBs in the barrel and they slid back into the receiver as it was cocked.
I removed the mag and inserted all the BBs one at a time to shoot today. I will insert a drill through the BB feed hole and cut a dimple into the inside of the barrel to capture and hold a BB in position when the magazine follower applies pressure to feed it. Should solve that problem.
The trigger is a simple single stage and easy to pull and predictable.
Could not find my Chrono, again. It did not feel or sound like a 500fps shooter but then it is a very long rifle. Need to watch out for dragging the flash hider on the ground or hitting the top of a door frame.
Hope to set up the scope to match the POI, try other BBs and verify the fps soon. Enjoyed shooting it, all things considered.
By the way, it did not come with an operator’s manual. If it did, I may have figured out that the Asian term for semi-auto involves pulling the bolt back with your right arm for each and every shot. Disappointment there for sure. Really is a bolt action snipper.