I recently bought my first Glock (a 17) and I wanted to report my impressions and results with it. I have always respected Glocks for what they are (reliable, well priced, accurate, durable) but due to the triggers I have always felt that they were not for me. My background is mostly SA triggers (Sigs and 1911s) and I just couldn’t get past the trigger feel of the Glocks that I borrowed at the range.
Due to the reading that I’ve done on THR it appeared that the Glock trigger can be greatly improved with aftermarket parts, so I decided that it would get added to my list of the next guns to get.
I have joked with my friends that any gun I buy gets a “death sentence”, as it’s going to be mine until I die. However, lately I’ve decided to get rid of guns that I never use and buy something that I will use. When I bought the Glock I was looking for a G17 or a CZ75, and since the LGS was out of CZ75s due to the panic(s) the choice was simple. The CZ, like a really nice AR, will just have to wait for later.
My first impression of the Glock was mostly positive as it fit my hand well and it looked good. The sights (view image) were fine although I was not excited about plastic. The trigger was just OK – a longish, kinda crunchy DA. (Note that my bias is that I generally use and prefer SA triggers. YMMV.) Once I got it home it broke down easily so I could check the action and lube before I shot it. Everything fit well and went back together nicely with no issues.
When I took it to the range, the good news is that the pair of us shot reasonably well for a first time. Also, I had exactly zero issues of any kind in the 70 rounds I ran through it. Perceived recoil (for 9mm) seemed maybe a bit less than usual. Maybe it’s just my imagination, I don’t know. But it’s at least on par with my Sigs or Kimber.
Note that I expect that I am probably the limiting factor for accuracy, not the Glock. I don't have a Ransom rest so I can't report the group size.
As expected, the trigger was still “meh” with live ammo. Also, something that I did not expect was that over time the trigger wore a sore spot on my finger. I’m not sure if it was the Glock trigger safety or the small gap between the trigger and the trigger guard that got me, but it was starting to not feel good so I stopped at 70 rounds. Eventually I expect I’d get a blister or a callus at that point.
The trigger feel and wear was not a major issue for me, as I had already decided to buy an Apex trigger.
To preserve my ammo stocks, I’ve been buying ammo at the range when I can. (They limit you to 1-2 boxes.) It’s whatever they have available time for the range ammo, so the first 20 rounds were CCI Blazer 115 gr. FMJ, and the last 50 rounds were Federal frangible rounds. The Federal shot fine, but due to the pinkish red tips it seemed like I was loading lipstick into my mags.
As expected, disassembling the Glock and cleaning it was easy. I do have to note that I am not excited about having to pull the trigger to remove the slide. It’s mostly just due to not having to do that for my other firearms, and the fact that needing to check the chamber has to be 100.00% for this firearm. Still, while I note it, it’s not really an issue.
And yes, I would agree that before cleaning _any_ gun the chamber check should always be 100.00% as well. But if a mistake were to happen, with good trigger safety (i.e., I don’t pull the trigger) my Sigs are still safe when removing the slide. The Glock is not “safe” in this case where a mistake has been made. Being an engineer, I know that nothing is 100.00% - particularly if there is a human involved (me in this case). So when I can get it, I prefer that it takes two mistakes for an AD vs. one mistake. Still, all guns have idiosyncrasies and this is the Glock’s...
While the gun was apart for cleaning I put in an Apex trigger. The process was very straightforward and all of the function tests passed after I was done. I have to admit that one of the things that attracted me to the Glock was the easy ability to modify it, and so far this is very true. I have a new set of sights for it as well, but that will be a later day. The trigger does feel better now and I am looking forward to taking it to the range later this week. Hopefully the finger issue is resolved as well and I can put a couple of hundred of rounds through it.
Overall I am very happy with my new Glock. I don’t intend to sell any of my Sigs or 1911s, but the Glock can also sleep easy at night knowing that it’s place in my safe is secure. Like I noted earlier, the next gun is now a CZ 75, but the one after that could very well be a compact Glock. Happy Shooting.
Due to the reading that I’ve done on THR it appeared that the Glock trigger can be greatly improved with aftermarket parts, so I decided that it would get added to my list of the next guns to get.
I have joked with my friends that any gun I buy gets a “death sentence”, as it’s going to be mine until I die. However, lately I’ve decided to get rid of guns that I never use and buy something that I will use. When I bought the Glock I was looking for a G17 or a CZ75, and since the LGS was out of CZ75s due to the panic(s) the choice was simple. The CZ, like a really nice AR, will just have to wait for later.
My first impression of the Glock was mostly positive as it fit my hand well and it looked good. The sights (view image) were fine although I was not excited about plastic. The trigger was just OK – a longish, kinda crunchy DA. (Note that my bias is that I generally use and prefer SA triggers. YMMV.) Once I got it home it broke down easily so I could check the action and lube before I shot it. Everything fit well and went back together nicely with no issues.
When I took it to the range, the good news is that the pair of us shot reasonably well for a first time. Also, I had exactly zero issues of any kind in the 70 rounds I ran through it. Perceived recoil (for 9mm) seemed maybe a bit less than usual. Maybe it’s just my imagination, I don’t know. But it’s at least on par with my Sigs or Kimber.
Note that I expect that I am probably the limiting factor for accuracy, not the Glock. I don't have a Ransom rest so I can't report the group size.
As expected, the trigger was still “meh” with live ammo. Also, something that I did not expect was that over time the trigger wore a sore spot on my finger. I’m not sure if it was the Glock trigger safety or the small gap between the trigger and the trigger guard that got me, but it was starting to not feel good so I stopped at 70 rounds. Eventually I expect I’d get a blister or a callus at that point.
The trigger feel and wear was not a major issue for me, as I had already decided to buy an Apex trigger.
To preserve my ammo stocks, I’ve been buying ammo at the range when I can. (They limit you to 1-2 boxes.) It’s whatever they have available time for the range ammo, so the first 20 rounds were CCI Blazer 115 gr. FMJ, and the last 50 rounds were Federal frangible rounds. The Federal shot fine, but due to the pinkish red tips it seemed like I was loading lipstick into my mags.
As expected, disassembling the Glock and cleaning it was easy. I do have to note that I am not excited about having to pull the trigger to remove the slide. It’s mostly just due to not having to do that for my other firearms, and the fact that needing to check the chamber has to be 100.00% for this firearm. Still, while I note it, it’s not really an issue.
And yes, I would agree that before cleaning _any_ gun the chamber check should always be 100.00% as well. But if a mistake were to happen, with good trigger safety (i.e., I don’t pull the trigger) my Sigs are still safe when removing the slide. The Glock is not “safe” in this case where a mistake has been made. Being an engineer, I know that nothing is 100.00% - particularly if there is a human involved (me in this case). So when I can get it, I prefer that it takes two mistakes for an AD vs. one mistake. Still, all guns have idiosyncrasies and this is the Glock’s...
While the gun was apart for cleaning I put in an Apex trigger. The process was very straightforward and all of the function tests passed after I was done. I have to admit that one of the things that attracted me to the Glock was the easy ability to modify it, and so far this is very true. I have a new set of sights for it as well, but that will be a later day. The trigger does feel better now and I am looking forward to taking it to the range later this week. Hopefully the finger issue is resolved as well and I can put a couple of hundred of rounds through it.
Overall I am very happy with my new Glock. I don’t intend to sell any of my Sigs or 1911s, but the Glock can also sleep easy at night knowing that it’s place in my safe is secure.
Like I noted earlier, the next gun is now a CZ 75, but the one after that could very well be a compact Glock. Happy Shooting.
