Shot my new Gen 5 G23.

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Trey Veston

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Horrible day to head to the range as it was in the upper 30's, raining, and windy with gusts up to 40mph.

Was wanting to do a full test of the accuracy of the new pistol, but it was so miserable out, I just did some 7 yard groups to verify function, then some 20 yard off-hand groups to see if I could keep it on paper. The 25 yard target was being moved by the wind, so bench resting in those conditions would have been pointless.

Pistol functioned 100% with both the supplied Gen 5 mags and some Gen 4 mags I bought.

Recoil was quite good compared to my Gen 5 G19. I really couldn't tell a difference, but then, I really have never been bothered by recoil. The larger and heavier slide did it's job.

Shot some Winchester White Box 180gr FMJ, then some reloads using 200gr Speer Gold Dots and 4.7 grains of 231. 4.8 is max load. They felt just fine and accuracy was good, as far as I could tell.

Loaded the first magazine up with the WWB and emptied it at 7 yards. Other than a couple of flyers due to operator error, it wasn't bad at all...

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Loaded up 5 rounds of the Speer GD load and tried again. Another dang flyer ruined a nice group...

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Backed up to 20 yards and shot some off-hand groups using the WWB and Speer loads, as well as some 180gr RMR loads and they all shot about the same. Best group was with the Speer loads. 3". Not bad, but not great. However, considering the horrible weather and the rush I was in, I'm happy. Pretty confident I can shrink those groups in half by using a rest.

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Overall, very happy with the pistol and looking forward to shooting it again in better weather and seeing what it can do under better conditions. Pretty sure it has a lot better accuracy available with the right loads.

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How’d the brass look? I’m going to have to pick one up when they become more available.

The Gen 5’s with no finger grooves and the triggers have got me replacing older firearms. They are sweet ahooters.
 
My 22 Gen5 MOS is en route, I cannot wait to shoot it. Looks like the 23 is a good shooter!
 
Video of my shooting. Super slow internet speed and using my phone means it takes about 6 hours to download a 2-minute video. I tried editing and it is just about impossible with my lack of internet speed.



 
That Glock 23 would make a top pick carry gun. :thumbup:

Certainly has me thinking about getting back into .40 S&W, though I do have some concerns with the wider slide will print more in my carry setup, like with the Glock 30 or Beretta APX.

Thanks for these threads, I'll be keeping an eye on it.
 
Finally found a new holster that will work for it. Sort of...

For reasons that I cannot fathom, holster makers are completely ignorant of the specs of the new Gen 5 Glock .40 S&W pistols. Despite the slide widths being available on Glock's website, holster makers continue to list their products as working with the new wider pistols when they do not.

I emailed one holster maker and asked if their holster would work for my new pistol, despite it being wider. They said it would. It did not. Despite sending them photos of my pistol being physically too wide and links to Glock's website showing the actual specs, they still refuse to acknowledge that they are misleading consumers.

But, I ordered a new Bianchi Model 57 Remedy black leather holster for $40. When it arrived, it fit my Gen 5 G19 perfectly, but the G23 would only go in about half way.

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So, I warmed up the holster, put on a generous amount of leather conditioner, wrapped the gun in a plastic baggie, and shoved it in. I left it there for a day or so and now the pistol fits perfectly.

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I would think it might work in a Glock 38 holster. The middle size 45 gap. I just wish they would have just made a new frame with the third pin like the older gens so they would not have had to make the side wider than the frame. Seems like that would have been more cost effective than tooling up for an entire new slide. I know they wanted to use the same frame as the gen 5 19 but still. At least that’s what I’m thinking anyway.
 
I would think it might work in a Glock 38 holster. The middle size 45 gap. I just wish they would have just made a new frame with the third pin like the older gens so they would not have had to make the side wider than the frame. Seems like that would have been more cost effective than tooling up for an entire new slide. I know they wanted to use the same frame as the gen 5 19 but still. At least that’s what I’m thinking anyway.
I'm not sure it's an entirely new slide. My understanding is it is essentially a .45 GAP slide they are using on their Gen 5 .40 S&W guns.

Some folks in the past have found .40 S&W barrels for their .45 GAP Glocks to shoot .40 S&W, and had good success with the combination. The .40 S&W Glocks have previously been basically 9mm guns with a .40 S&W barrel. This is Glock's most aggressive attempt at making it a true .40 S&W gun.
 
That’s probably right. But I have a 38 and I could never warm up to the overhanging slide. It just always looked kind of contrived to me.
 
That’s probably right. But I have a 38 and I could never warm up to the overhanging slide. It just always looked kind of contrived to me.
That's how they got a .45 caliber round in a 9mm size gun. That was the whole point of the round and the gun.

If you didn't want (or need) a 9mm size gun you could just buy the G21.
 
I liked the idea of the concept of the .45 gap. A .45 in a 9mm grip frame was genius. It just seems like Glock is going backwards with the gen 5 .40. I mean they already have had for years a .40 cal handgun in a 9mm size frame. The Glock 23 gen 3 is what I was carrying when I retired and was gifted to me on retirement. I don’t see the gen 5 as an improvement over that gun.
 
It just seems like Glock is going backwards with the gen 5 .40. I mean they already have had for years a .40 cal handgun in a 9mm size frame. The Glock 23 gen 3 is what I was carrying when I retired and was gifted to me on retirement. I don’t see the gen 5 as an improvement over that gun.
The reason Glock even had a Gen 4 line-up was to fix issues with the .40 S&W guns.

That they went with a .45 GAP slide for the Gen 5 .40 S&W guns would probably indicate their Gen 4 efforts were not completely successful.

Only time will tell if the thicker slide is the answer they are looking for.
 
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I just bought my first gen 5 guns. Before that I only had gen 1-3. I honestly can't tell much difference. I've shot many tens of thousand of rounds through a few gen 3 Glock 22s. The gen 5 feels right at home. No better though. Im apparently one of very few people who like the grooves (and i have big hands so I can see that maybe they aren't universally placed grooves). No grooves really feels the same to me. The 4 extra backstraps did very little imo. They just made a nice feeling grip fatter imo. With no backstrap in place is the same as my gen 3 so I leave them off. The two with the beaver tail actually impede my high competition grip by a fraction but I did try all 4 on just to see. funny how everyone hates my 5.7 because of the long grip (back to front) but then want the option to make the Glock longer. I haven't got to shoot either for bullseye accuracy but shooting steel for an hour or so they seem just like any other Glock.

Unless I was a lefty I wouldn't pay 1 dollar extra for a gen 5 over a gen 3 nor vice versa.

Was wanting to do a full test of the accuracy of the new pistol,

If you want to go to Glocks website and register for the warranty you will get a 20% off total purchase at the Glock store. I did one of mine today. I'm always amazed at Glocks prices on parts. There was a good bit of out of stock but 1 dollar for some of the pins and the front sight screw. 2 bucks for spare followers. 4 bucks for mag springs....12 bucks for a full 2 piece recoil spring assembly. I bought one for my HK last year.... was 80 bucks. I like to keep spare parts and I've found over the years that getting them straight from Glock beats Brownell/ midway etc. (ETA if they aren't out of stock. Which they seem to be more than those retailers) Just FYI
 
The reason Glock even had a Gen 4 line-up was to fix issues with the .40 S&W guns.

That they went with a .45 GAP slide for the Gen 5 .40 S&W guns would probably indicate their Gen 4 efforts were not completely successful.

Only time will tell if the thicker slide is the answer they are looking for.


I know the bugaboo about Glock 40s is that the frames become quite battered over time which I think is true to some extent. You certainly have to stay on top of wear on the RSA. But this is true with most manufacturers of their 40s on 9mm frames. All I can say is that my example of 1 has held up quite well. (Without the overhanging slide). But it is a gen 3 which I feel is a superior gun to the gen 4 23. I’m sure the gen 5 23 will be fine. Just wish they could have executed better. On the other hand the Glock 19 gen 5 from all appearances is most excellent. In my opinion the best 19 to date.
 
I've shot many tens of thousand of rounds through a few gen 3 Glock 22s. The gen 5 feels right at home. No better though. Im apparently one of very few people who like the grooves (and i have big hands so I can see that maybe they aren't universally placed grooves). No grooves really feels the same to me. The 4 extra backstraps did very little imo. They just made a nice feeling grip fatter imo. With no backstrap in place is the same as my gen 3 so I leave them off

I'm a fan of the grooves on the full size, especially my 21, and agree the no grooves on my 19X doesn't feel any better than the 17. On the compacts, however, it makes a ton of difference because the groove spacing on the Gen 3/4 19/23 are spaced just wrong and feel quite uncomfortable. Shoot just fine, but not as comfortable.

And FWIW the medium backstrap is supposed to bring the Gen 4/5 to the size of the Gen 3, no backstrap is a bit smaller.
 
On the compacts

I've not used any compact enough to have an opinion. I did carry a 29 for years which they called a subcompact but its closer to the 23 than the 27 IMO but thats the fatter grip 10mm anyway. I do like the grooves on my 26/27 subcompact. If I'm in a store and buying one id take the 5 over the 3 for the same price. Just that I just wouldn't pay a cent more.

I laid my gen3 over the gen5 and decided that no backstrap was the same size as the 3. Didnt use calipers though. Either way if it's that close then is it really worth anything? Lol. I actually wanted the beaver tail to feel better than it did. More like some of my 1911 or da/sa guns beavertail. But it actually moved my hand down a bit. I use a super high grip for speed on my steel shooting guns and it just didn't work. I also shoot a 10mm a lot so the L and M grips without the tail would work fine for me. I'm more of a get used to it guy when it comes to fit than a change things till you get the Cinderella fit. I shoot everything from a Beretta 21 to the x frames and a desert eagle 44. I just don't see the fuss about the perfect grip. Doesn't hurt my feelings for my guns to come with different frames or backstraps. But at least to me its unnecessary. I just leave them be.

Same with cars and such. My wife is 5 foot 2. My dad is around that. Im 6 foot 3. When I get in their vehicles for an hour or so drive I don't mess with the seat. I just go unless I'm going across country.
 
I like the Gen 5 series. Have a few, including my ccw. Hope yours perform well, too.
 
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