Glock trigger not resetting to "safe" position.

appraiser

appraiser

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My very neglected Glock 22 has a trigger problem

If you start to pull the trigger back, then release it, the trigger does not reset to the point the "safety" (and I use that term loosely) resets.

Outside of the fact it never gets cleaned or lubricated, and ideas what might be the root cause for this?

It is not a gun I carry, but It has a very light trigger pull compared to my RTF2 G22, so I would really like the trigger to be where it is supposed to be.

I do know whatever the problem is, it is in the lower, as I swapped my RTF2 upper onto that frame and it still hangs up on reset.

Any suggestions besides giving it a few drops of oil in the right places?
 
Detail strip, clean, check all of the metal-on-metal surfaces (trigger bar, connector, etc).........sounds like either it's just gunked up to the point of "jamming" or maybe a spring issue. Definitely strange. I'm guessing there's a Glock armorer out there who may have some useful insight.

ETA: Damn! That's what happens when you get distracted during a post. Ink pretty much beat me to it!
 
If i had the gun in my hands there are tests you can do for wear, but i would have a tough time explaining how to do it in a post. [grin]

a worn trigger housing is around $30 i believe. A trigger spring, if broken is $3.00.

oh, HI TBalls!
 
Ink is definatley spot on.

There are also other tests us armorers can perform with gun in hand that might narrow down the problem.

But I would assume that there is build-up and gunk catching the trigger bar/housing and spring.

A detail strip/clean with reassembly of correctly placed internal parts might o the trick.
 
I will put giving it a good cleaning and inspection on my list of things to do, thanks for the insight.
 
this may be a very stupid question, but i just want to check. this is happening when live firing right? just want to make sure you arent talking about dry firing.
 
Chrisg67 said:
this may be a very stupid question, but i just want to check. this is happening when live firing right? just want to make sure you arent talking about dry firing.
Click to expand...

That certainly would explain it! But the op did mention that he wasn't pulling the trigger all the way......
 
TBalls said:
That certainly would explain it! But the op did mention that he wasn't pulling the trigger all the way......
Click to expand...

In this case, it shouldn't matter. OP is saying that if he takes up some of the slack (without firing) then releases the trigger, it doesn't go back to its original position.

Although, this does beg the question if the trigger would reset after firing.
 
atmay said:
In this case, it shouldn't matter. OP is saying that if he takes up some of the slack (without firing) then releases the trigger, it doesn't go back to its original position.

Although, this does beg the question if the trigger would reset after firing.
Click to expand...
glock triggers stay all the way back when dry firing, unlike some guns. that wont reset it, but the spring pushes them forward.
 
I had the magazine out of the gun, I racked it to make sure the chamber was empty. I was going to dry fire it to get it ready to remove the slide, I pulled the trigger back a little and then released it and I noticed it was not resetting to the point that the "integrated trigger safety" was functional.

So it would be possible that the gun could be put back in the holster with a live round in the chamber with the trigger partially pulled. That worries me a little. In theory dropping the gun could cause it to discharge, or maybe one of those dreaded holster accidents.

So I will clean it at some point soon, I'll use my other G22 in the interim
 
why would you "pull the trigger a little bit" with a round in the chamber? my glock's trigger when gun is empty does not return to the forward position. i have never had this issue with a round in the chamber.
 
every other Glock I have in the house resets to "safe" under the same condition under the same condition, which leads me to believe something is wrong, and that is confirmed by several Glock armorers who have responded either here or in PM's.

I have never cleaned or lubed this gun, and I have no idea how many rounds it has had put down the pipe, so I'll start with a good cleaning and lube session and see if it is gunked up or has a weak spring/trigger issue.
 
Chrisg67 said:
glock triggers stay all the way back when dry firing, unlike some guns. that wont reset it, but the spring pushes them forward.
Click to expand...

I know that. What I was wondering was if after firing (or racking the slide after a dry fire, then releasing the trigger) if the trigger would reset all the way or not.
 
Glockaholic said:
I had the magazine out of the gun, I racked it to make sure the chamber was empty. I was going to dry fire it to get it ready to remove the slide, I pulled the trigger back a little and then released it and I noticed it was not resetting to the point that the "integrated trigger safety" was functional.

So it would be possible that the gun could be put back in the holster with a live round in the chamber with the trigger partially pulled. That worries me a little. In theory dropping the gun could cause it to discharge, or maybe one of those dreaded holster accidents.

So I will clean it at some point soon, I'll use my other G22 in the interim
Click to expand...

I don't see how that would be possible unless you're pulling the trigger partially once it's loaded. If if doesn't even reset once the slide is racked, you've got a serious problem.

Chrisg67 said:
why would you "pull the trigger a little bit" with a round in the chamber? my glock's trigger when gun is empty does not return to the forward position. i have never had this issue with a round in the chamber.
Click to expand...

Exactly.
 
After a good, hard look (and a lot of trigger squeezing) with my Glock just now, it would seem the OP's gun has something SERIOUSLY wrong with it.

Pressure from the striker spring SHOULD push the trigger all the way forward if you pull the trigger back to the release but don't actually release the striker.
 
Do you know if the gun has a lightened or modifed Firing pin spring? Reason I ask is the statement that the trigger is very light. If the trigger is light, that imples modified springs which lessen the "push back" of the trigger once it is slightly depressed. Add that to a dirty gun and the trigger will become like you have now, sluggish and dragging on parts as it is pressed. Some "clip" the FP spring and cause this sort of problem. Also, you are overcoming the friction of the FP safety so it will hang up at this point if the FP spring is weak. Finally the spring cups could be damaged to the point that the spring is slightly sliding past them.

Detaill strip, inspection, cleaning (including a clean and dry FP channel) and reassemble. Check it then and see if it recurs. If it does replace the FP spring. You could also compare the FP spring to a known good one (coil count and length).


good luck
 
Ink said:
Check the trigger housing for buildup and wear. Also scope out the condition of your trigger spring.
Click to expand...

The trigger spring isn't the culprit as it isn't responsible for moving the trigger bar back forward and can even be removed as it only assists you in pulling the trigger and overcoming the drop safety. Trigger will feel like crap but it isn't necessary for the gun to work properly.

Anyway without inspection i'm guessing your problem is an engagement problem between the back of the trigger bar and the bottom of the firing pin. When the slide comes forward the ramp on the slide pushes the edge of the connector inward causing the trigger bar to raise slightly. As the slide continues to move forward the bottom rear of the firing pin grabs the back edge of the trigger bar and gives it tension to allow the trigger to move forward (firing pin is now fully cocked to the rear). The click you hear as you move the trigger forward after firing is the trigger bar moving back to the inside of the connector and since the connector is under tension the click is actually the 2 pieces hitting each other. At this point the trigger is as far forward as it needs to be to fire again.

Anywho the relationship between the firing pin back and the rear edge of the trigger bar is called engagement. Glock recommends at least 2/3 of the back edge of the trigger bar be in contact with the firing pin. If you want to check the engagement you'll need the orange back plate for your slide.

Hope this helps.

- Adam
 
Last edited:
abomb60 said:
The trigger spring isn't the culprit as it isn't responsible for moving the trigger bar back forward and can even be removed. Trigger will feel like crap but it isn't necessary for the gun to work properly.
Click to expand...


Correct me if I'm wrong, but from the looks of things, the trigger spring actually pulls backwards on the trigger, doesn't it?
 
atmay said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but from the looks of things, the trigger spring actually pulls backwards on the trigger, doesn't it?
Click to expand...

Correct. It helps you overcome the drop safety shelf except in the case of the NY1/NY2 springs that give you more tension to overcome in order to emulate the feel of a DA revolver.
 
Sorry to bring this back from the dead but I wanted to give my input.

I have done trigger jobs on a bunch of Glocks and changed every spring in the gun. When you cahnge to a lighter striker spring this is a common issue. I figured this out after changing the trigger spring, striker spring, and plunger spring to "lighter" springs. I had the same reset issues as you described.

So I changed every spring back to stock one at a time until the trigger would reset. It wound up being the striker spring that causes this as it cannot push back with enough pressure to reset the safety.
 
I still have not come back to addressing the problem, I switched the uppers between my G22's and it resolved itself, but I know that is not a long term solution.

I need to get a rebuild kit and someone who is a Glock Armorer in NH to help me tear it down and fix it right
 

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