Non OE Firing Pin Durability

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It'sMe

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I want to get your guys'/gals' feedback on how the cheaper non-Glock small parts have treated you, and if you have any stories to tell.

During the building frenzy in the Marine Gun Builder days, non OE upper parts kits were, and still are to a lesser extent, everywhere, and I used some of those parts thinking that I'd replace any junk parts that didn't foot the bill.

However, they've been holding up just fine, so far.
Granted, they haven't been subjected to thousands and thousands of rounds, but everything is still 100% with those parts. Particularly the firing pins I was worried about, but they're still going strong.

What's been your real-world evaluation of these parts?
 
No problem with the Dagger pins in the few Dagger slides I have... I even have an extra Dagger SA should I ever need it. I think they are different from OE or clone parts.
 
Oem striker. Not sure how many rounds, but not more than 1000.
 

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I've broken plenty of firing pins. Some of the few that haven't broken are ones made by the defunct Voodoo Arms as they are truly billet and, IIRC, were around $100 or so each when they were in business. Also haven't broken the billet ones from Brownells but I've heard Zev makes them for Brownells but I can't confirm that to be accurate. The ones I have from Lone Wolf havenlt broken but the stupid nickel coating they put on them flakes off and will contaminate the striker channel leading to light strikes.
 
All my strikers (3) were from Rockey Precision. One has somewhere around 3k rds another has 750ish with no issues. The other one is still new.
 
Yes sir. To my recollection, when all the crap started coming down they closed up.
 
Notshawn54 said:
All my strikers (3) were from Rockey Precision. One has somewhere around 3k rds another has 750ish with no issues. The other one is still new.
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Are you talking about Rocky Brass?
 
The only striker I had break was a zaffirini, it had a few thousand live rounds and countless dry fire

Most of my clones have an overwatch np3 coated stricker, those have been excellent, what isn't OP is OEM glock, except for one that is all poly 80 internals and my one dagger is all PSA except I put a GPT in it lol

All are aging well.
 
P80 made some very nice trigger bars and firing pins. The pins are billet if you didn’t know. I run those too and have been bullet proof as well.
 
I’ve found no difference between OEM and aftermarket. As long as you stay away from cheap Chinee parts you can’t go Wong.
 
Looking back, I wished I kept a detailed parts list of what was installed/used because if it's unknown, it's questionable, at least in my mind.
 
It'sMe said:
Looking back, I wished I kept a detailed parts list of what was installed/used because if it's unknown, it's questionable, at least in my mind.
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Why overthink this? If it’s your carry gun, replace anything you aren't sure of with a known good part. There’s nothing expensive on a Glock. If it’s a range toy, enjoy and wait for something to break. Which may never happen.
 
Bongo Lewi said:
Why overthink this? If it’s your carry gun, replace anything you aren't sure of with a known good part. There’s nothing expensive on a Glock. If it’s a range toy, enjoy and wait for something to break. Which may never happen.
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Because I'd like to be able to carry any firearm I own and be able to lend them to a family member with confidence.
 
FrankenGlock said:
P80 made some very nice trigger bars and firing pins. The pins are billet if you didn’t know. I run those too and have been bullet proof as well.
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FWIW, I found a gen 5 billet striker. It was the only one I could find. Other sites claim they have gen 5 billet, but I see tell-tale MIM markings.
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It'sMe said:
Because I'd like to be able to carry any firearm I own and be able to lend them to a family member with confidence.
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I have quite a few myself. All kinds. Having a collection and carrying are very different things.

When you randomly carry every gun you own, from a defensive skills perspective you suck with all of them. Unless you are a pro and running a few thousand rounds a month in each of the guns you consider your carry weapons. How do I know this? I’m not an amateur. Never mind my opinion. Every expert marksman, trainer, or industry luminary will tell you the same thing. You train like you fight. Or compete. Any deviation, you are either at the level of Jerry Mikulek or living in a fantasy-land. I”m not suggesting you are either but that’s how it is.

On the second part… what’s the risk with the gun you loan to a family member that refuses to go bang? I presume loan means you allow them to shoot it at the range. Or wherever you do your practice shooting. The cure seems obvious. Fix the guns you loan to others. You can buy confidence for very little money with Glocks and Glock clones.

Of all the handguns I have built or modified over the years, I have yet to have one fail for any reason other than some part being at end of life. Normal wear. That’s generally between 5000 and 20,000 rounds. Depends largely on the gun. I have some striker fired handguns that are close to the high end of that scale and every part in them is still original. A few of the fancier guns… the factory says change the recoil spring every 2000-5000 rounds to keep them running optimally.

It’s a little off topic but I have shotguns that are 100+ years old and still run reliably. A few rifles and subguns that are close to 60 years old. Same thing. Nearly every part in them is original.

Glock recommends the striker and striker spring be replaced after 15,000 rounds. Recoil spring for gen 1-3 is 5000 rounds but they tend to go a lot longer. Everything else in the gun - among the parts you can replace - is good for 25,000 rounds. Probably a lot more if you take good care of it and keep it clean.

The average gun owner shoots less than 1,000 rounds per year, with many casual participants only engaging in shooting activities a few times annually. About 40% of gun owners do not fire a single round in a year.
 
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It'sMe said:
FWIW, I found a gen 5 billet striker. It was the only one I could find. Other sites claim they have gen 5 billet, but I see tell-tale MIM markings.
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MIM haters are rookies. That stopped being a thing 15 years ago. There’s probably nothing wrong with a stainless, titanium, or billet striker, but from a reliability perspective that’s where the argument falls apart. There is no data suggesting MIM strikers fail at a greater rate than any other metal.

That said… some people like to buy into this bullshit.

View: https://youtu.be/S2ntF-siXVI?si=U7vyCqD5kH31eLxB

This is not a realistic example of destructive testing. This guy is probably a marketer not an engineer. If he is an engineer, he should lose his license. :) I have a couple of Shadows and they run just fine. There’s a reason they call them Gucci Glocks. Prettier and more refined… yes. More reliable? No. I don't care what the striker is made of because it really doesn't matter.

I get a kick out of the stories that a titanium striker is stronger and lighter than steel. Or the superiority of aluminum or stainless. So what. None of them improves the performance or character of the gun. Aftermarket parts companies and resellers want you to believe you can tell the difference between a factory MIM striker and the fancy one made from exotic metal taken from the meteor that struck the earth a million years ago. It doesn't matter.

The best spent money is on ammo. And instruction. Not shiny objects.
 
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It'sMe said:
FWIW, I found a gen 5 billet striker. It was the only one I could find. Other sites claim they have gen 5 billet, but I see tell-tale MIM markings.
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Lots of liars on what is billet and not. Brownell’s sells a good billet version. Not sure if it is in stock though.
 

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