Recommend a beginner gun class?

I'm in Milwaukee, & we've been PMing.
Gary / Cobra is also an instructor in the area, though I'm not exactly sure where.

Joey P said:

I don't own a single bullet so the most dangerous thing I can do with it right now appears to be pinching myself in the slide or taking it apart and not getting it back together again.

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LOL! I think I like this guy.
You forgot about dropping it on the cat, or your foot.

Now, I just need to pick up a case for it. Am I correct in understanding (WRT the law) that I don't need to worry about it being a locking case? Do any ranges/shops require the gun to be locked?

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Correct, and not that I know of.
I saw cases in Cablea's the other day that are triangular, & have a loop where if you want to lock it you can.
(Just don't use a TSA-friendly lock on it when travelling.)
I got a hard-sided case at Fleet Farm for something like $10 that can hold 2 full-size pistols. Looks a lot like this one: http://www.lapolicegear.com/plano-se-pistol-case.html
And if you're just wanting to protect it from bumps & bruises while in transit, you can get a soft-sided case like this: http://www.lapolicegear.com/moc-diplomat-pistol-case.html
I have one of those, & it's pretty nice, esp. for $10.

ETA: To get the snap cap out, try inverting the pistol while working the slide.

Failure to extract

Joey P said:

I read a couple of things about them and watched some youtube videos just to be absolutely sure before I picked them up, but I did get them. I got a pack of .40 S&W which I assume are the correct ones (for a Glock 22). I am having an issue though in that they don't eject on their own when I pull the slide back. Yes, I know the slide won't go back on it's own. I loaded them into the magazine, put the magazine into the gun, pulled the slide back to put one in the chamber, pulled the trigger and then when I pulled the slide back the snap cap just stayed in the chamber and the slide locked back as if the magazine was empty. The only way to clear it was to pull the slide back the rest of the way and lock it and then pull the magazine out and the one in the chamber would fall out with it. It was hanging up on the next one still in the magazine. If I load only one snap cap in and pull the trigger, when I pull the slide back I can sort of shake or tilt the gun to get it out.
I've read that this is somewhat common with snap caps and some guns since the extractor has a hard time grabbing them.

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The snap caps I have (9mm, .45ACP, and 7.62 x 39mm) are all perfect dimensional replicas of the real cartridges and function just like the real thing. You are having FTE (failure to extract) stoppages. It's good practice in case your gun jams, but your Glock may have an extractor problem. Check for a carbon buildup on the slide face or under the extractor, or a damaged extractor. Always load a round by using the magazine, never by pulling back the slide and placing a round in the chamber; this can cause damage to the extractor when the slide comes forward. With the gun stripped, you should be able to slide a round into position under the extractor from the same direction that it would come up from the magazine. The extractor should be able to hold the round in position if it is functioning properly.

FTE - Failure to Eject

I agree with Dave. A properly dimensioned snap cap will eject just like it was a real spent cartridge. And, in my experience, anything Glock is very reliable. The only time I have experienced substantial failure to eject problems was with some factory second ammo that expanded too much on firing and got stuck in the chamber. (I figured out the problem immediately because I needed a pocket knife or pick to remove the stuck expended cartridge.)

With a snap cap, there is no expansion so either the snap caps you have are not dimensionally correct, or you have an ejector problem.

To determine if it is just a dirty ejector, you can apply gun solvent (or my favorite is WD-40) and work the extractor with your finger as best you can. If the ejector feels "gritty" when cycled, it is due to "gunk". If it is free and the problem remains, take the Glock to a gunsmith or a Glock armorer. In the mean time, you are gaining valuable experience with firearm malfunctions. Above all, remember to keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction (even when using snap caps) when clearing the failure to eject snap cap.

Yellow Cat Out -

I guess I forgot to update this thread.

I took the gun shooting and it did the same thing. After doing some research I decided the problem was (as you said) something wrong with the ejector. Not knowing what an ejector looked like I field stripped the gun and looked for something that might be dirty, bent, broken, worn etc.. Everything looked just fine. So I looked for some diagrams of Glocks. They all showed an ejector but didn't show where it went and I couldn't see anything on the gun that looked like it. After that I watched a youtube video or two on detail stripping the gun, paying close attention to when they removed the ejector. That's when I realized that my gun was missing the ejector all together...that's the problem. I'll talk to the guy that gave it to me and see if he has it...hell, knowing him, if he doesn't have it, he'll probably just take the gun back and give me a different one, or tell me to buy an ejector and give me a second gun to use until then. He's pretty generous.

I'd imagine most of you (or most people familar with Glocks would have noticed the problem immediately.

Joey P said:

I guess I forgot to update this thread.

.... After that I watched a youtube video or two on detail stripping the gun, paying close attention to when they removed the ejector. That's when I realized that my gun was missing the ejector all together...that's the problem....

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I believe that you mean, "extractor", not "ejector". The extractor pulls the cartridge out of the barrel and the ejector makes the cartridge pop out of the port. Depending on how many parts for the extractor are missing, you could need:

Glock Extractor $29
Glock Extractor Depressor Plunger $5
Glock Extractor Depressor Plunger Spring $16
Glock Spring-Loaded Bearing $14

I very much did mean extractor (I was even careful to say extractor in other threads around the internet/PMs/IRL conversations when I talked about it.)

It might be a good time to point out to Glock owners that the extractor also functions as a "loaded chamber" indicator. A lot of Glock people don't realize it, but when there's a round in the chamber the extractor protrudes slightly. It's visible, but more easily perceived by touch. It's a very good way to verify that a round is chambered, particularly in poor light.

Shotgun said:

It might be a good time to point out to Glock owners that the extractor also functions as a "loaded chamber" indicator. A lot of Glock people don't realize it, but when there's a round in the chamber the extractor protrudes slightly. It's visible, but more easily perceived by touch. It's a very good way to verify that a round is chambered, particularly in poor light.

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Not having an extractor on mine at the moment I can't comment on that, but when looking for a replacement I did find aftermarket Glock extractors that are designed to stick out (farther I guess) for that purpose.
http://glockstore.com/pgroup_descri...index&category_id=368&_Extractor+&+Parts/

Shotgun said:

It might be a good time to point out to Glock owners that the extractor also functions as a "loaded chamber" indicator. A lot of Glock people don't realize it, but when there's a round in the chamber the extractor protrudes slightly. It's visible, but more easily perceived by touch. It's a very good way to verify that a round is chambered, particularly in poor light.

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Likewise with the H&K P7, and a number of other make/models I am sure