Glock 20 Thoughts?

I've had a G20 for years, but bought a smaller G29 about 3 years ago and it gets used more. I like 10mm, but it is a niche round. I don't think it offers any advantages over 9mm, 40, or 45 when 2 legged threats are the concern. My 10mm's are my woods guns when hiking or camping in bear country. Otherwise I'm much more likely to carry one of my 9mm pistols. Even in the woods where there are no large predators.

Even in bear country I consider human threats much more likely and a 10 or 15 shot handgun that is a full pound lighter and 1-2" shorter than a magnum revolver is comforting. I don't give up a thing in capacity to my 9mm and the best 10mm loads will beat anything you can do with 357 mag if larger animals are the concern. It is a LOT closer to 44 magnum than many revolver guys will admit. I buy and carry Double Tap 200 gr ammo that gets an honest 1300 fps from my G20. From a 4" or shorter barrel you'd be lucky to get more than 1100 fps from typical 240 gr 44 mag loads.

If you want 10mm I firmly believe the Glocks are the best option. For a woods gun they are going to be more reliable and rugged than any other semi and much more so than any revolver. Unless you want it for hunting. In that application a longer barreled magnum revolver provides more velocity and accuracy.

For occasional use you can fire 40 with no modifications in a Glock 10mm. I've done it many times and accuracy and function is just fine. There is some concern that this could damage the extractor if done a lot. Maybe, but in a pinch if 40 ammo is available and 10mm is not it is nice to know it will work.

I buy practice 10mm ammo from these guys.

http://www.georgia-arms.com/new-10mm-180gr-full-metal-jacket/

For me that is cheap enough that I don't feel the need to add a 40 barrel. Plus my G19 is almost identical in size and function to the G29 so that provides even cheaper practice.

If I were to purchase another Glock, it would probably be a 20. I'm pretty covered when it comes to edc pistols for 2 legged predators.

However, while I don't venture into the wilds requiring more than just a handy .357 revolver, if I were to go on a trip where I made one of those "questionably justified positions" the 20 would be high on the list.

I had one back in early '90's.
My ammo was early Norma factory and hand loads with max (then) AA-7 under a 200gr XTP.
-Now, is about 15% lighter on account of the unsupported case head issue of early Glocks-
After having 2 of 3 rounds rupture the case heads, and already having a S&W 1006, I sent the M20 to other pastures.

Later, in '96, I was issued a G22. Spent a lot of time and ammo refining my loads. Picked the Winchester 155gr SilverTip as my preferred duty ammo. It duplicated the performance of the .357mag which I'd carried for two decades.
(1,200fps, 155gr. vs. 1,300fps 145gr )
Having shot deer with both 10mm and .40, with same/similar bullets, I've come to the conclusion that Fackler and FBI came to. I prefer the smaller platform of the .40. Performance is nearly indistinguishable on white tail deer, which approximates a human for size/build. (My warmish handloads approach or exceed many 10mm factory loads)

Only if I we're guiding in Alaska would I possibly opt. For a 10mm. But, I'd more likely just carry the .40 with a stout load with either a hardcast SWC or FMJ. The best gun to have is the one you have when you need one...
If I thought I'd need a gun, I'd have my Marlin M1895GG with some heavy loads. A handgun is like a first aid kit. If you need it, it's probably not enough!
But it's important to have one! Better to have it and not need it, than need it and NOT have it.

I had a G20SF for a few years. I bought it specifically as a "field" or "trail" handgun - to be carried while camping, hiking, dirt biking, etc. I liked how ugly it was, so I'd never have to worry about scratches or exposure to the elements. The big fat polymer frame soaked up recoil very well. It was 100% reliable, and I got pretty good with that nice consistent Glock trigger.

What I didn't like was the polygonal rifling and the somewhat unsupported case area. These 2 things worked against me as a reloader. I didn't want to use inexpensive lead bullets because of the rifling, and I didn't want to load up powerful rounds because the G20 was putting little belly bulges on my fired cases when using hot Buffalo Bore ammo or handloads near the max load data. That worried me, as I'd never seen that before, with any other +P rounds in any other autoloader. I eventually realized that I didn't have enough of an outdoor lifestyle at the time to justify a handgun that had little purpose to me other than being a field sidearm.

I sold it to fund some other firearm purchase, and I haven't really missed it. My new "field" handgun will be the SIG P220 Combat that I just ordered, loaded up with Buffalo Bore 255-grain +P hardcast. I think 10mm is a cool round to have as an option for people like me who shoot semi-autos much faster and more accurately than magnum revolvers. And I thank Glock for keeping the G20 on the market all these years, long before the recent resurgence of 10mm interest and support.

If Glock made the G20 with a 5.5" Ballard-rifled (factory Glock) barrel, a more supportive chamber, Gen 4 texturing and mag release, no finger grooves, and a full FDE factory finish, I would buy one again.

I think getting a 10mm handgun (of any make) is a great way to get sucked into handloading/reloading!

Its a very big, very heavy, very powerful gun. Also spendy to shoot. I would get one if I was around critters too mean to go down from my Glock 23 (40) or my Glock 21 SF (45). I just don't do wheelguns. FYI- in black bear country in Maine, the 45 auto was the sidearm carried by all the guides I hunted with. The Glock 20 is used by some LE unit in Denmark for defense against polar bears, but I don't consider them a likely threat in my area. This is why my pistols are all in 9mm, 40, or 45. I'm certain they are more than adequate for 2 legged threats and anything with more than 2 I'll come across in the lower 48.

jmr40 summed it up well. I've had one for a while now and it's been great. The only things I'd add are that mine doesn't like 220 grain hard cast ammo but is fine with 200 grain ammo and it handles the recoil well. The recoil to me is no worse than my 1911's.

I bought one about 6 years ago.

It shoots great, very accurate, and the recoil is kind of mild. I have never shot nuclear rounds out of it.
I have about 1k through it. This is the only 10mm my wife will shoot.

I added night sights and a extended slide release, these are the only mods i have made.

I carry this in the woods/bear country. I use a desantis holster on a glaco gun belt.

In my opinion, this is a great 10mm pistol. JMO

Bought a G20SF about a year ago---haven't shot it all that much but I like it. It replaced a 629 .44mag---not as powerful but weighs a lot less with much more ammo capacity and easier reloads.

Its my camping--hiking woods gun.

Check the grip first.

The G20/21 is, for most, more than a hand full.

Great pistol/round, though. Underwood loads some smokers.


Went w/ the G23/40, and a 5.3" 357Sig Bbl. for the field.

147 gr. XTP at 1300 fps does all I ask, and the fit is like Uncle Gaston used a clay mold of my hand.




GR

Cooldill said:

Anyone own a Glock 20 in 10mm?

If so, what are your thoughts on the gun? Seems really powerful and cool, perhaps useful for defense against attacking felons or critters.

If I get one it'd be with a .40 S&W barrel too so I can shoot the cheaper .40 S&W but keep the hot 10s for carry and moderate shooting.

What do you all think about the Glock 20 10mm semi-automatic handgun?

Click to expand...

I had three before I sold them. Great guns easy to shoot with full 10mm loads. Given choice today I would pick G40 instead.

Southwest MT where i spend quite a bit of backcountry time has some of the heaviest concentration of grizzlies in the lower 48. I bought my G20 to replace a 4" Redhawk in 44 mag, i just never got comfortable with the grip on the Redhawk so sold it and bought the 20. The 20 is lighter, I shoot the G20 better and it was less expensive than the RH. For woods carry ammo in MT I buy 200g WFN hard cast from Double Tap and load my own in Starline brass.
http://www.doubletapammo.net/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=269
http://www.doubletapammo.net/index.php?route=product/product&path=125_178&product_id=594

From DT web page

Caliber : 10mm

Bullet : 200gr Hardcast Solid (WFNGC)

Ballistics : 1300fps / 750 ft. lbs. muzzle - Glock 20
1105fps / 542 ft. lbs. 100yds - Glock 20
1240fps / 683 ft. lbs. - Glock 29

I wanted one for a long time, but the grip on early generation models was too big for me to handle. The SF made it close enough, but finances prevented me from getting one. Finally got a gen 4 last year. I shoot it as well as I do my Delta Elite and like it quite a bit. I’m one of those that don’t like the looks of Glocks, so this is the only one I own. So far it has shown good accuracy and reliability through a couple hundred rounds of SIG Performance FMJ ammo and some 180 Hornady XTP reloads loaded to about 1250 FPS (I don’t own a chronograph) with no brass bulging I can see. It was a lower price than any other ten except RIA, and for me it’s been well worth the money. Lots of folks don’t like the stock sights or triggers on Glocks, but I haven’t found either to be objectionable. I like it.

Cooldill said:

Anyone own a Glock 20 in 10mm?

If so, what are your thoughts on the gun? Seems really powerful and cool, perhaps useful for defense against attacking felons or critters.

If I get one it'd be with a .40 S&W barrel too so I can shoot the cheaper .40 S&W but keep the hot 10s for carry and moderate shooting.

What do you all think about the Glock 20 10mm semi-automatic handgun?

Click to expand...

I really like mine. It is definitely powerful when using hot handloads or Underwood (or similar hot factory ammo). I have had handloads pushing ~900ft-lbs at the muzzle - confirmed by Chronograph (this was with a 6-5/8" aftermarket barrel).

For defensive purposes, I think that the factory ammo from Hornady is best. Its a touch more powerful than a typical 40S&W - nothing to sneeze at and it will be easier to control compared to the nuclear stuff. As for use against critters...I guess you could use it against smaller predators like black bears / mtn lions - rare as those encouters are, but if I were looking for something to do the job on a critter like a brown bear (imagine defensive purposes when fishing in Alaska) I wouldn't be packing a handgun. Rifle all the way. If you are talking hunting, it is going to be just as good as any handgun short of a 44Mag.

As for getting a 40S&W barrel.....I did.... But if I had it to do over again I would skip the dedicated 40cal barrel and just shoot 40cal thru the regular 10mm barrel. It works for the same reason 38spl works in a 357mag. I was skeptical about it until I tried it and I can report that it works just fine. I have heard people speculate that running 40cal thru a 10mm will wear out the extractor since that is what effectively "headspaces" the shorter 40s&w cartridge. I have yet to see anyone provide any evidence whatsoever to support that. And in any case an extractor is $19.73 from Lone Wolf Distributors, so...who cares if you wear it out after shooting several thousand rounds of cheap 40S&W?

Speaking of that 40cal in a 10mm, there are a lot of good defensive loads for 40S&W and they will run thru a G20 like clockwork. An added bonus is that the Big 10 dampens recoil a hell of a lot better than the 9mm Based G22. Good performing 40S&W loads thru a G22 are pretty snappy. Run those same loads thru the G20 and it feels like you are shooting a 9mm.

With the Glock 20 what you have is the modern equivalent of a .357 Mag Revolver. You have the dual use capability of running 40S&W for target practice and Defensive with 10mm Nuclear loads for Hunting and Grin-Factor.

I would like a 10mm, but I have small hands.
Even the 20SF is too large for me.