(Poll added) New to 10mm, narrowed it down to G20 Gen 3 SF or G20 Gen 4

[chucky2]

I'd honestly say No, they aren't.  The Gen4 G20's haven't been out near as long as the Gen3/Gen3SF, by shear numbers alone there'd be more Gen3/Gen3SF than Gen4.  To be sure, there are Gen40 G20's out there that aren't having issues with real full power 10mm ammo, but for those of us that are affected, Glock Technical Support won't fix your Gen4 unless you jump 'go nuclear' and insist on a Gen3/Gen3SF - that is their "fix".  Their Tech Support is so on the ball that their normal tech support folks don't/won't acknowledge the issue their own 2nd level armorers know full well about.  Worse, even for easy things they have less than impressive turnaround:  I've 3 times now requested the #4 followers for my Gen4 mags - once calling in, another webform, and another calling in.  That was months ago now since my last call in...no followers, no contact.  The point here is to avoid Glock support at all costs (because shipping your pistol UPS Next Day Air will cost you and dealing with them while not nasty can have your problem persisting).

It really boils down to this for me:  If a bad guy was coming through the door and my Glock G20 was going to be loaded with Underwood 165gr Gold Dots, would I want to bet my houses life on either a Gen3/Gen3SF or a Gen4?  Who knowing of the Gen4 FTF issues would consciously pick a Gen4?  I own one, and I wouldn't...

Chuck

[4949shooter]

The Gen 3 is proven.

I only have 650 rounds through my Gen 4, but with the 24 pound RSA it has been flawless (except for a bad mag I got rid of).

[Geeman]

No Offense.......But I believe there are more G4s out there that equal the reliability of the G3, than not. The folks I know/heard who have G4s not working properly are on the interwebs. The few that I know personally have no reliability issues....well, I take that back, one had a new mag, that came with the gun, that didn't feed properly, Glock sent them two more and the a new spring and follower for the one that couldn't feed properly. That's my personal experience.

I cannot say anything about newer vs. older, but out of the box mine had trouble.  Adding aftermarket stuff didn't help at all, and likely made it worse.  To me, it wasn't a RSA issue, but a frame flex issue.  The slide would pass over the next round in the magazine with high impulse ammo.  I blew up a frame due to reloading PPU brass, and I don't know if it was the new frame, switching way from aftermarket, or what, but the gun is now extremely reliable.

The Gen4 issues were not imagination.  They were real!!!  If they fixed them, that's good.

I didn't vote, and I like my Gen4 just fine now, but I was REALLY frustrated prior to its overhaul.

Greg

[control_the_trigger]

OP checking in.  I have decided to go with the Gen 3 SF based on:  more proven/time tested design, Gen 4 problems seem more common than Gen 3/SF, don't care about the backstraps (especially if they potentially impact the rigidity/durability of the frame), and the Gen 4 features don't really do much for me.

I also feel like it is a safer bet using aftermarket single spring RSAs in the Gen 3 since it was designed for a single spring, rather than using single spring RSAs in the G4 which was designed for a dual RSA... just how I feel, not sure if there is any truth to that logic.

Now I need to decide between a 22 or 24 pound spring to try out.

[ShadeTreeVTX]

I've been using a 20 lb spring in my G20sf G3 but than again I don't shoot Nuke loads all that much - just hot loads( my own ) I was going to move up to a 22lb but since I'm not having any problems with this spring I didn't - I'm using a LW 6.6" barrel and expected some problems but have had none.
So if it ain't broke don't break it.

Doug

[Pablo]

22 or 24#? You would never need those. I've been reading here more than one person mentioning very heavy springs. I don't see the need. As ShadeTree says, if it works don't mess with it.

The hottest of the hottest are fine with 20#. In fact 17# does pretty good with decently hot rounds.

What I DO have a problem with is the inconsistent plastic guide rod. That thing needs to be gone. Get a good stainless with 17, 20 and MAYBE 22# springs. The plastic one really is just that, not repeatable. One retraction loosey twangy, the next bangy grabby. It's probably OK in the 9mm guns, but with big 10mm loads, it's not living a happy life. 

[control_the_trigger]

I've been using a 20 lb spring in my G20sf G3 but than again I don't shoot Nuke loads all that much - just hot loads( my own ) I was going to move up to a 22lb but since I'm not having any problems with this spring I didn't - I'm using a LW 6.6" barrel and expected some problems but have had none.
So if it ain't broke don't break it.

Doug

22 or 24#? You would never need those. I've been reading here more than one person mentioning very heavy springs. I don't see the need. As ShadeTree says, if it works don't mess with it.

The hottest of the hottest are fine with 20#. In fact 17# does pretty good with decently hot rounds.

What I DO have a problem with is the inconsistent plastic guide rod. That thing needs to be gone. Get a good stainless with 17, 20 and MAYBE 22# springs. The plastic one really is just that, not repeatable. One retraction loosey twangy, the next bangy grabby. It's probably OK in the 9mm guns, but with big 10mm loads, it's not living a happy life. 

Thanks for the comments, I keep going back and forth between staying with the factory RSA and going heavier, which is why I plan on just trying them both out at this point.

I feel that while the 17# factory RSA might work fine and be 100 percent reliable, it might not be the best.

I've read reports that he G20s will cycle almost any ammo with the 22# springs, in my opinion the gun might be under-sprung so it can handle the pathetic/weak factory 10mm offerings at 17#.

I know the 17# and 20# will work fine, what I have a problem with is the frame taking a beating with hotter loads.  If the 17# spring can handle the "10mm factory" rounds that are really glorified 40 S&W, then I would rather have a heavier spring as I plan on shooting near max published loads almost exclusively.

I guess I will consider the 20# and 22# spring, likely the 22#, since it seems like a good compromise (heavier but not extreme).  I plan on loading some mid powered loads and shooting them with a weaker grip (not pure limp wrist) to ensure the reliability of the set up, if it runs good then I will be happy.  If I have issues I will probably just stay with the 17# spring.