olfart Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 I built a G17 using a P80 frame and Rockslide barrel and slide. I was happy as if I had good sense until I mounted a Creative XP GlassEagle red dot on the slide via the rear sight dovetail. Now it has frequent FTF, apparently not returning fully to battery. Sometimes it gets close enough for a light firing pin strike, but no fire. It does this maybe 3 - 4 times per magazine. When it gets close enough for the striker to fall without firing, the slide locks up and I can't easily eject the live round. All I can figure is the mass of the red dot changed the dynamics of the slide so it's not got the same energy it had before adding the sight. Having said that, I really like the GlassEagle. It's a well-built and easy to use sight. So I'd really like to figure out a fix that will let me use the sight while restoring full functionality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
towtruck Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 Quote Can a different main spring make that change for you?.....just spitballing 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bamashooter Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 Probably needs a spring upgrade. Smoothing wouldn't hurt also. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampy Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 (edited) No idea what that red dot you have is or anything about it, have not even heard of them before. Now saying that, from what I have learned over time is the dynamics of a pistol with a slide mounted red dot can vary wildly depending on a host of factors from ammo to weight/mass to recoil springs and more....plus the recoil beats the crap out of the optic, that’s why RMR’s were failing, they were not designed for a handgun and the pounding beat them bad... The guys I know who have red dots on G17’s never had any problem, I’ve never had a problem on my G19 or the old Staccato P. The new staccato came with 3 extra springs & instructions to try them out if using +P and or a slide mounted red dot.... I would look at trying to slick up the action if you can, so it slides more better/easier with less friction/hot spots.... And go to a stronger/stiffer spring & see how that works.... Edited January 26, 2021 by Rampy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Retcop Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 (edited) From my old reloading experiments with different power levels on my High Power, I found that recoil springs were vital to function and not battering the gun. I picked up a few stiffer recoil springs from Wolff, and that solved the problem. I also found that trying to duplicate the very effective real world performance of the ISP 115 grain +P+ was not easy to do without signs of overpressure with the powders I tried. It was no wonder why Winchester (IIRC) was not gonna give a clue about the powder magic they came up with for those hollow points before the terminal ballistics research started focusing on bullet construction instead of getting the 9mm hollow points of the day going as fast as they could to give the ISP load about the same real world effectiveness as the .357 magnum, but with each Trooper with 46 rounds on tap in easy to reload magazines. I'd agree that the first and inexpensive thing to try would be some higher rated recoil springs. You might want to weigh the sight and mount, the measurement of where on the slide the sight is mounted, and give the engineers at Glock USA a call so see what they had to say before you begin your trial and error. You could also see if Glock uses different power recoil springs in their models built for RMR's, or if the owner's manuals for those models cut for RMR's mention a change of recoil springs (or other fix) if function problems occur after installation of the RMR. Interesting thread. I was wondering since the sight was unique enough to be side mounted, if the engineers did not try building a mount that could be attached to the frame. That would leave the sight unmolested by the violent action of the slide. Edited January 26, 2021 by Retcop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olfart Posted January 26, 2021 Author Share Posted January 26, 2021 I had tried a frame mounted sight on a 1911 a few years back and found the mount to be a pain in the butt to work around. From the number of red dots now used in competitions, I figured they have worked out how to build the sights to withstand the rigors of slide mounting. Since this is a home brew Glock clone, I doubt the Glock factory is going to be interested in helping. That being said, can anyone offer a suggestion on what spring and where to find it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampy Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 1 hour ago, olfart said: I had tried a frame mounted sight on a 1911 a few years back and found the mount to be a pain in the butt to work around. From the number of red dots now used in competitions, I figured they have worked out how to build the sights to withstand the rigors of slide mounting. Since this is a home brew Glock clone, I doubt the Glock factory is going to be interested in helping. That being said, can anyone offer a suggestion on what spring and where to find it? This is where I would start.....all depends on what springs you have in it now.... https://www.gunsprings.com/index.cfm?page=items&cID=1&mID=5#109 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olfart Posted January 26, 2021 Author Share Posted January 26, 2021 56 minutes ago, Rampy said: This is where I would start.....all depends on what springs you have in it now.... https://www.gunsprings.com/index.cfm?page=items&cID=1&mID=5#109 I have what came with the barrel/slide assembly, presumably 17 pound captive since that appears to be what shipped with Gen 3 G17s originally. I'm assuming I'll have to order a new guide rod to mount the new springs. Guess I'll try the 18 and 19 pound springs to start. Thanks for the help. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampy Posted January 26, 2021 Share Posted January 26, 2021 5 minutes ago, olfart said: I have what came with the barrel/slide assembly, presumably 17 pound captive since that appears to be what shipped with Gen 3 G17s originally. I'm assuming I'll have to order a new guide rod to mount the new springs. Guess I'll try the 18 and 19 pound springs to start. Thanks for the help. Might be worth calling and talking to somebody at Wolf, chances are it’s not the first time they have seen this issue & could save ya some time/money and stress getting it working 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olfart Posted January 26, 2021 Author Share Posted January 26, 2021 I watched a video of a guy testing red dot sights on a Glock, and he had the same problem with one. He attributed it to being a dovetail mount, which mine is also. Said he had no issues with any of them that were milled and screwed on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampy Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 3 hours ago, olfart said: I watched a video of a guy testing red dot sights on a Glock, and he had the same problem with one. He attributed it to being a dovetail mount, which mine is also. Said he had no issues with any of them that were milled and screwed on. The only dovetail Mount I’ve personally seen is Raven Concealments Baylor and it worked flawlessly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olfart Posted January 27, 2021 Author Share Posted January 27, 2021 This is the sight, but the Picatinny rail comes off and the sight screws to a plate that has the dovetail on the bottom of it. Two screws and 4 pins hold the sight to the plate. Seems pretty solid. https://creative-xp.com/products/hd-red-dot-sight-glasseagle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rampy Posted January 27, 2021 Share Posted January 27, 2021 1 hour ago, olfart said: This is the sight, but the Picatinny rail comes off and the sight screws to a plate that has the dovetail on the bottom of it. Two screws and 4 pins hold the sight to the plate. Seems pretty solid. https://creative-xp.com/products/hd-red-dot-sight-glasseagle Interesting, can't find much about them & their facebook page could not even find mention of this or how it mounts, I'm not going to speculate on it as I've never seen one and the guys I asked had never heard of them either. This is the one I've seen.....and the guys I know that have it, all like it, but are going to milled slides as the optic sits lower... https://rcsgear.com/balor-rds-mount/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theprincipal Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 Have you tried more than one type of ammo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bamashooter Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 Have you run this problem through the Glock forum? Seems a likely place for similar experiences / resolutions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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