Need Advice re. "Fully Supported"

[Amsdorf]

I'm relatively new to 10mm and have a G20SF.

I heard from guys on various forums everything from predictions of doom to cautions not to use it without a replacement barrel, one "fully supported" etc.

Is this true if all I'm shooting is factory loads/commercial ammo, even the hot stuff like Buffalo Bore or Corbon?

And/or is it true that the notion of having something better "supported" really is for the sake of "do it yourself" reloads that are intended to push the performance envelope on 10mm cases, shooting them really hot?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts and advice, appreciate it.

[The_Shadow]

Well Fully Supported is a reliive term.  There are barrels which have way less case support than others.  Older Glock 20's had less support than they do today, and their chambers are looser in diameter on the pretense of better feeding reliability in harsh conditions.  Colt DE's have a lack of case support as well.

However there can be other issues that lead to KB's caused by cases being blown out, such as early unlocking which can increase the unsupported conditions.

What does this equate to?  Extra working of the brass by the permium loads that work on the edge of maximum pressure of the cartridge.  If other influences are present then cases can bulge excessively, cases may start to shear at the unsupported areas (SMILES) or worst case senerio a case rupture to vent the gases out and down the magazine well.  That usually will blow out the magazine and can sometimes damage frame or other parts like extractors, not to mention bodily injuries to yourself or bystanders.

Most who intend to re-load their brass opt for barrels that have better chamber dimentions to limit the overall expansion of the casings.  This provides longer case life cutting their overall cost of re-loading.

Best regards!

[REDLINE]

In regard to commercial ammo, unless otherwise noted, the stock barrel should be just fine.

If you do plan to push the envelope of pressure and velocity through handloading then an aftermarket barrel having additional chamber support from the likes of Storm Lake, Lone Wolf, KKM, IGB, or Barstow, among others, will add a margin of safety.  Though for additional velocity, just a 6" Glock accessory barrel or aftermarket barrel will already step things up for you without "pushing" any common limits.

And like The_Shadow said;  Most who intend to re-load their brass opt for barrels that have better chamber dimentions to limit the overall expansion of the casings.  This provides longer case life cutting their overall cost of re-loading.

As for prefered aftermarket barrels, if you decide you want to look further into them, there is decent info regarding most of them among other forums here. 

[sqlbullet]

My hand loads are max loads by the load manual.  That makes them moderately warm compared to some guys here

I have had no issues with the factory barrel in my G29.  However, as has been said, they barrels vary in the amount of support they give.

[DM1906]

My hand loads are max loads by the load manual.  That makes them moderately warm compared to some guys here

Hey!  I resemble that remark!

I have had no issues with the factory barrel in my G29.  However, as has been said, they barrels vary in the amount of support they give.

Absolutely.  I load and shoot some "nukes", but I don't load any that won't shoot, safely and reliably, in the OEM barrels.  I use several aftermarket barrels, but do so for performance (barrel length) and brass survival.