I am new to the sport of shooting and I have a new dilemma now that summer is just around the corner. If I were to leave my Glock in the trunk of my car along with magazines and ammo so that I could go to the range after work would the extreme temps that a car can reach during the sunny summer months cause any problems with any or all of the components? If so what steps could I take?
Guns/ammo and summer heat
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I left a Glock on the dash of my car last August, a long story....
We live way out in the country up a dirt road at the base of a mountain.
As I was coming home from my dance recital one afternoon I noticed a big fat groundhog up in one of my peach trees munching away on a peach.
I stopped the car, drew my Glock 33 and knocked him out with one shot.
I placed the pistol on the dash then hurriedly retrieved the dead whistle pig and took it in the house to show my wife. They are tasty and tender when cooked in a pressure cooker with lots of veggies. Groundhogs, not wives. Actually, wives are good for (and good at) other things.
I forgot all about my Glock until several days later. When I opened the car door it was like a blast furnace. The force nearly knocked me down.
The Glock had melted and run down off the dash and dripped onto the carpet. All I had was 3 puddles and a handful of bullets. As hot as it was I have no idea why the rounds did not ignite and explode.
I would post a picture but my camera was in the car as well and it is now 2 puddles in the back floorboard.
I dug the bullets out of the black goo, cleaned them up and fired them in my new Glock with no problems. I still have the brass and can post a picture of them from my new camera if anyone does not believe me.
So, ammo is OK but Glocks will melt.
We live way out in the country up a dirt road at the base of a mountain.
As I was coming home from my dance recital one afternoon I noticed a big fat groundhog up in one of my peach trees munching away on a peach.
I stopped the car, drew my Glock 33 and knocked him out with one shot.
I placed the pistol on the dash then hurriedly retrieved the dead whistle pig and took it in the house to show my wife. They are tasty and tender when cooked in a pressure cooker with lots of veggies. Groundhogs, not wives. Actually, wives are good for (and good at) other things.
I forgot all about my Glock until several days later. When I opened the car door it was like a blast furnace. The force nearly knocked me down.
The Glock had melted and run down off the dash and dripped onto the carpet. All I had was 3 puddles and a handful of bullets. As hot as it was I have no idea why the rounds did not ignite and explode.
I would post a picture but my camera was in the car as well and it is now 2 puddles in the back floorboard.
I dug the bullets out of the black goo, cleaned them up and fired them in my new Glock with no problems. I still have the brass and can post a picture of them from my new camera if anyone does not believe me.
So, ammo is OK but Glocks will melt.
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Did you just replace the frame or buy a whole new gun. If the slide melted with it you're car would have had more issues than just the gun lol.
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I'm not real good at this kind of thing, but I sense a tad bit of sarcasm haha.
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I think the only true sentence you said in that post was "I was coming home from my dance recital"
*The highest temperature inside a car I've been able to find anyone willing to claim was 180F.
*The autoignition temperature of smokeless powder is around 320F
*The temperature rating of most automotive wiring is 257F. I don't know how far above that you can go before running into problems...
*The melt-point of nylon 6 and nylon 6,6, two polymers commonly used in the firearms industry, are 437F and 509F respectively.
Now, I'm not saying you're full of ****, but I want to know why Glocks aren't made out of the same polymer they used to manufacture the carpet of your vehicle!
http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2008/10/06/1000-round-9mm-glock-19-torture-test/
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_JuF23qazI[/ame]
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyZxQfIBXDc[/ame]
At 4:00 or thereabouts in the second video, the guide rod melted and fell out of the gun. The gun kept running without it.
OP, I think the Glock will be fine in the car. The car will fall apart before the Glock. But be careful with Kydex and other thermoplastic holsters.
For what it's worth, the G17 (and I think the G19) passed a NATO test that required it to function after a 24-hour heat-soak at 70C/158F. The rest of the Glocks are made with the same polymers; I don't see a problem.
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I sure would like to see any pictures of this, or even the puddle of its remains.
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Troll. .The slide melted too. Its a Glock! You know, plastic gun!
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There's the brass - he cleaned it up real good!
I want to see a picture of that whistle pig in the peach tree!
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I would like to take this opportunity to remind the audience of this thread that unless the post concerns a matter of opinion (and therefore subject to whatever prejudices the poster or reader alike may have), that information posted should be FACTUAL and can be substantiated with DOCUMENTATION.
Posts such as these are often created to address a specific question or inquire into a specific concern.
Posting replies that either do not address that specific subject matter, or that fly into the land of unsubstantiated fantasy, most especially claims of physical impossibilities made for the purpose of obfuscation or derision, SHALL NOT BE TOLERATED.
THIS SHALL BE THE ONLY WARNING. Continued violation of these rules shall result in the posts being deleted and/or the offender being banned.
To the Original Poster, Brutane, we ask that you ignore irrelevant comments.
Thank you all for your cooperation.
Posts such as these are often created to address a specific question or inquire into a specific concern.
Posting replies that either do not address that specific subject matter, or that fly into the land of unsubstantiated fantasy, most especially claims of physical impossibilities made for the purpose of obfuscation or derision, SHALL NOT BE TOLERATED.
THIS SHALL BE THE ONLY WARNING. Continued violation of these rules shall result in the posts being deleted and/or the offender being banned.
To the Original Poster, Brutane, we ask that you ignore irrelevant comments.
Thank you all for your cooperation.
Thanks to all who answered. I understand the sarcasm as I have been known to give smart a$$ answers from time to time. As Happysniper1 pointed out I asked this question out of concern for safety--my own and that of others as well as that of my equipment. If any one else has any info with antedotal or research based data I am very appreciative.
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I hope this helps:
I live in Northern Nevada, in the High Desert, where summertime temps can and often do go over 100*F. Inside the car, without cracking a window and in direct sunlight, the sustained temps have regularly gone over 110*F and higher. I always have spare magazines in the car, in either the center console box or the glove box, and have never had any detonation issues.
I have noticed some degradation of performance of gunpowders (mostly in rifle calibers) when the ammo is hot to the touch, but nothing serious enough to result in malfunctions of the ammo or the weapon, even if the ammo is left in direct sunlight and is so hot to the touch that it is hard to load the magazines.
If it helps, Mythbusters did a series of experiments to debunk the myth of disposable cigarette lighters spontaneously detonating in a car heated by the sun. Myth busted.
Hope that helps.
Cheers!
I live in Northern Nevada, in the High Desert, where summertime temps can and often do go over 100*F. Inside the car, without cracking a window and in direct sunlight, the sustained temps have regularly gone over 110*F and higher. I always have spare magazines in the car, in either the center console box or the glove box, and have never had any detonation issues.
I have noticed some degradation of performance of gunpowders (mostly in rifle calibers) when the ammo is hot to the touch, but nothing serious enough to result in malfunctions of the ammo or the weapon, even if the ammo is left in direct sunlight and is so hot to the touch that it is hard to load the magazines.
If it helps, Mythbusters did a series of experiments to debunk the myth of disposable cigarette lighters spontaneously detonating in a car heated by the sun. Myth busted.
Hope that helps.
Cheers!
I'm a parole Agent that carries a Glock 23 daily. I work in southern Illinois and we often see 100 degrees here and car temps can soar. We often store our guns in lockboxes in the trunks of our cars. No problems with the frames softening, so don't concern yourself, shoot safely!
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When I saw that episode I was a little surprised because over the years I've had three that were in pieces in the car when I got back in after work. No damage at all inside the car, even when I know I left one in a small door panel pocket.
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I live in the AZ Desert and have carried a Glock here for 24 yrs! Never had a problem in 120+ degree heat with mine! YMMV And yes there have been times I have had to leave it in my Vehicle!
And yes there have been times I have had to leave it in my Vehicle!
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Thank you Shooter 13! Been lurking for a while but decided to register today!
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