M3 gun light and Glocks

[Ginsu]

Has anyone heard of these attachable lights causing any type of malfunction to the Glock 22? I have a personal one that I used to carry with me, that is until my department said NO. One of the first reasons was that it caused misfires. Personally I think that is crap but if anyone can comfirm or deny with first hand experience that would be very helpful. Thanks

<small>[ 08-16-2002, 07:20 PM: Message edited by: Ginsu ]</small>

[Sgt. DG644]

I carry a Glock 22C and have shot mine numerous times with the M3 with no problems at all. In the very near future our department is going to allow officers to use the M3/Glocks for duty use allowing officers to keep the M3 mounted to their Glocks and carried. I personally have never heard of any problems with the M3 and Glocks.

[p01ic3m4n]

we are issued the glock 32 WITH the detachable light. we practice with it at night shoots and regularly use it on-duty. i haven't had a problem with it at all. it's nice having a free hand during a building search. we've been using them for a little more than a year and i have not seen one misfire as a result of the light being attached.

<small>[ 08-16-2002, 07:40 PM: Message edited by: p01ic3m4n ]</small>

[Ginsu]

That is exactly what I like about the M3! Dark building with plenty of closed doors...when I am clearing with my regular flash light means loosing accurate lighting to open the door or keeping my gun in a position to effectively shoot. Neither is a promising prospect! Now I have found out and seen some of our specialized units carrying holsters that will allow the light to remain attached. And when I was at annual training this past week I talked to the range guys and they said there are several holsters being tested for issue. I hope so but he also said it is also facing the bean counters!

The initial excuse I got was obviously from the penny pinchers "oh this is going to cost alot of money but the officers do need this...lets use this lame excuse..." and knew it was B.S.

[p01ic3m4n]

we use the safariland 070 SSIII holster. since they don't want to get away from this, they just gave us some old OC holders to put the light in. it easily snaps on when needed and the light is still close by. so far, no complaints from anyone.

[40cal]

I have one on my Glock 32 all the time (at one of my part time cop jobs) and have never had a problem.

[jeeper]

The problem you mentioned was with the "new" (Millenium, iirc) model Surefires. Initially they were designed to hang on the frame rails of a Glock, however the pull on the dustcover caused malfunctions. This is why the now come with a mount which places most of the weight on the trigger guard. The M3 is not heavy enough to cause the same problem, nor is the polymer Surefire light. I've yet to hear of a problem coming up while using an M3.

However, this brings up a point i've often wondered about. IMHO, it is dangerous to carry the weapon with the light detatched. Those of you who do this, what do you expect to do with your gun with its light attatched when it comes time to go hands on with a bad guy???? This whole idea scares me, buy yourself a Safariland 6280, Bianchi Cobra, Uncle Mike's or some other holster for a light mounted gun and call it good!!!!!!!

[Darkwulfe]

Here is an older post about the same topic and malfuctions with the light.

<a href="http://www.officer.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=13;t=000570#000002" target="_blank">Previous Glock 22 and Streamlight Tactical Flashlight Post</a>

Since I posted this, our department now allows us to carry the combo as long as we have the new magazines with stronger springs. According to Glock mounting the light on your accessory rail makes the gun more rigid in tern making the slide operate faster when fired. The older magazines did not have strong enough springs and could not feed the last few rounds in quick enough to keep up with the slide. According to Glock if you replace your magazines with newer ones that have stronger springs with more coils the light will not affect operation.

[Badgerland]

Jeeper, are you my Sgt and we have been posting on the same board for awhile now? Seriously though, when I brought up using the M3, and more specifically the M6 with the laser on it, that was the point my higher-ups brought up exactly.

"If you need to go hands on with someone, you won't be able to reholster with the slide-on light attached."

The only way it would have been approved is I used a holster that allowed the M3 to be attached at all times.

[shooter1201]

I HAD an M3 on my G17, and used Safariland's 6280 holster for the G17/M3 combo. Nice setup, BUT....on too many occasions, I found myself using my G17/M3 combo as my primary flashlight. NOT GOOD.

A tactical instructor friend of mine, also clued me in on some 'problems' he'd experienced with the M3 bulb's durability.

[Sparky]

excellent point by shooter! (as usual)

An undergun light should NEVER be used as a primary flashlight. Two different functions. Two different things.

[jeeper]

Nope Badgerland, I'm not your Sgt., but by the sounds of it, he just may be a smart guy! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

[MPD3P59]

I can't believe that nobody here has had malfunctions with the M3 light?!!?

I had a Glock 23C that jammed every 2nd or 3rd round with the light attached. Before everyone screams "LIMPWRISTING!", I had several people shoot it with the same result. We all changed shooting positions and braced the weapon but it still had the problem. I started asking around and found that there are 3 other officers (that I know of) that have the same malfunction. Without the light, they function fine.

I contacted Insight Tech and they acknowledged the problem, referring me to Glock Inc. I contacted them in Smyrna and they told me that there is a "bad batch" of 23s and 22s that have this inherit problem. They sent me new magazine springs and guide rod spring that helped(very little.) Eventually, Glock replaced my G23C with another and it has never jammed on me with or without the light. It seems that the newer Glocks have fixed the problem because we just got issued new 22s and they have no malfunctions with the light.
BTW, Mine was the only C-model that had problems. The others were regular 23's and a 22. I tried several different M3 lights to see if it was just my particular unit but it didn't make a difference. Just my first hand experience. One more thing, all of the problem Glocks were bought brand-new from the same dealer about 2 1/2 years ago. I didn't check to see if the serial numbers were similar.