Tanaka Glock 18c slide crack

I have an 18c which has only been fired once or twice. It has developed a crack at the front of the slide, and I expect that if I do fire it it won’t be long before the front comes off. Is this a common problem? Is there anything I can do to fix it?

Ouch! I think that you are right - that slide is not long for this world.
Is it an Evo model?

That is not good, strange place for it to go and i dont think it is usual. I have put about 7 mags through mine and all is good, but there is no telling on these models when and where they will break. I had a MGC kimber 45 that the slide broke about an inch past the chamber complety snapped off, no reason for it, loads of breakage problems with the USP and a few other models that suddenly just cracked somewhere.

So far i have found no way of fixing any part that gets stressed, that said i did use superglue on a USP slide around the chamber area where it had cracked badly and that did work, then the lower frame broke but the slide was still ok.

The guys in Japan must have some way as they do a lot of custom work, but never seen any products for sale.

It is an Evo model, yes

It’s a shame because I haven’t got it running properly and was going to focus on it this weekend. I will do a glue job on it, and was thinking of making a thin metal plate on the inside to spread the load, but there is very little real estate to work with.

sorry to see and hear that friend. The older versions I've heard were a bit fragile, but Tanaka was supposed to have made them more durable for firing with the Evo releases.

I think a lot of the Evo designation meant lighter springs and less powerful cartridges to put less stress on the plastic parts. I also believe the slide was supposed to have been a more durable material, but maybe not.

I noted that you said you hadn't got it running right just yet. Did you have some jams that could've lead to the breakage? I know I broke a G17 slide that was due to jamming caused from other issues. My issue was the recoil rod assembly that didn't allow my barrel to tilt properly when autoloading.

Thanks ljerr2. Yes I did have some jams - I guess I actually ran 4 or so rounds through it, so you my be right. The design of the glock is such that the recoil spring is putting force where there isn’t much material at all - the plastic is quite thin as well. Photo is model on right, real one on left (Glock 19, bought live 30 years ago but now deactivated. Not relevant at all but I thought it might be interesting to someone).

Yes, not a lot of material there for strength for sure.
If a model isn't running perfectly, I'm sure the additional stresses will show up in the weakest link of the chain.

I am almost positive that I have spent more on spare parts over the years than I have on the actual models themselves!

You may have some luck with trying to repair that area, but it would certainly be tested!  I wonder if a combination of superglue and plastic welding might be possible?  

Has anyone ventured to try plastic welding on a slide like this?  I am talking about heat and plastic rod.

Your safest best is to get a new slide. You might be tempted to try a repair and think the worst case is that the slide breaks fully and it was already ruined anyway. However, it may be possible that a slide breakage during firing may cause other damage - such as to the barrel, etc.

Thanks, all good points. I’ll speak to the chap I bought it from to see if a slide is a possibility.

Do you know know what kind of plastic that slide is? If it's ABS you could buy some raw ABS and some acetone and try to repair it by making some ABS glue or slurry.

I believe it’s ABS. I might try that.

In the (surprisingly and alarmingly long) period since this post I have investigated and bought a few products that might have helped fix this. I have not, however, attempted to do so.

A few weeks ago, idly following Japanese twitter model gun posts and links, and marvelling at the translation capabilities of browsers, I came across a site that seemed to sell replacement slides, and which are now strengthened (see pics).

A forum member has kindly helped me buy one, and it is in the post now.

There is a chance that it may not reach me (customs etc), but I’ll now dig out  the instructions and see what needs to be done disassembly and assembly wise. Exciting times. No doubt in the process I’ll lose some parts and need more ….

In the meantime - great forum and great people. Thank you.

Very happy to! The link to the slide is below - you can explore from there

https://www.partsshop-m9.com/?pid=167820521