Glock for home defense

Any of them wil work.

which one do you shoot best? That's the question.

I am a new Glock owner. I chose the Glock 19. I am mostly ambidextrous, and my new Glock 19 nestled into my left hand as if custom made.

I have made one range trip with it so far and I am impressed with the function and accuracy.


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make sure you get the night sites,extended mag release and slide release

I have all of the above. If I had to choose 1 it would be the G-19.

swinokur said:

which one do you shoot best? That's the question.

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+1. Shoot them at the range (most will have Glock rentals) and see which one you feel comfortable shooting the tightest shot groups the fastest.

For me, holes on target speak volumes.

FWIW, also consider G22 and using 40-9 conversion barrel to practice with cheaper 9mm ammo (practice makes perfect and no amount of dry firing will replace actual range trigger time).

Any of them. But I say skip the night sights and put on a light.

http://www.streamlight.com/product/product.aspx?pid=178 The strobe setting on this thing is quite disturbing.

My pick would be the 17, since .45 ACP is too darned expensive to shoot in volume, and reloading a 19 at speed will give me a blood blister without a "tea with the queen" grip adjustment.

However, for HD only, I have an affinity for a low pressure cartridge like .45 ACP to hopefully save some of my hearing. If you've ever touched off a high pressure round indoors you know what I mean.

i would go with the 21. less penatration then the 9mm. i dont like glocks, but i bought a 30sf for the night stand. i like the fact i donr have to manipulate a safty. a added bonus when you have a break in at 2am

THE new G 17 Gen 4 is pretty darn good. WIth interchangeable backstrap thats hard to beat .

for me it would be the g17 (of the choices you listed), but glocks don't fit my hands well at all... not a problem of the gun, just my hands. among the three choices you listed, CALIBER would be my LAST deciding factor. go with the largest gun that fits your hand well, or the one you shoot best (for me, that would be one and the same). if it's a dedicated 'nightstand gun', weight and concealability are not factors at all... if it's the right size for your hands, and controllable, use that.

I keep my G34 as a house gun.

G 19 is my carry and a G17 is my night stand.

I would personally pick the 21, but then again I have fairly large hands and it fits me well. I definitely would not recommend it for a carry weapon, way too big, but for house use it fits me well.

Whichever one fits your hand best and you like to practice with the most. The large frame models don't fit some people well...although the sf and gen4 models have different dimensions than previous models. Caliber/capacity...eh....anyone of those will work fine for that. Ammo price might be a factor if you want to practice with it often.

I am not an expert with the Glock nor am I an expert on what is best for you. What I would recommend you do is go to a local gun store that offers a range and rental program. Rent each of the handguns you are interested in and then, after handling and firing each firearm, you will be in a better position to make a knowledgeable and informed choice as to which is best suited for you.

Besides just personal preference one would have to give the .45 caliber a slight preference as there is a smaller chance (being sub sonic) of this bullet going through several walls creating collateral damage.

dprice3844444 said:

make sure you get the...,extended mag release and slide release

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I disagree with this, strongly. replacing these parts with aftermarket ones leads to functioning problems.


get it, maybe put XS big dots on it, get a bunch of magazines and ammo and shoot it. it's fine as is.

Line up some planks of drywall and shoot a lot of these rounds through them, you might be surprised by the results.

Of the three, or any Glock model for that matter, I would go with the one I planned on using for something else as well, like carrying.

And I agree. Most of what an extended mag release is good for is getting pressed unintentionally and causing a malfunction.

Glock Factory

I was actually in Austria a week ago and drove right by the Glock factory. I wrongly assumed that they must have tours, a gift store etc. like a big company here in the USA might. Wrong assumption - no admittance. Still like their guns though

I'm surprised no one has said "shotgun" yet.

Well anyway, since size is not a primary concern in a HD weapon, I would consider the G34 or the 17L.

Long sight radius, mass out over the trigger makes recoil negligible, they're both easy to keep on target.

I have both and think they're great.

P.S. - get a shotgun.

Swinokur gave the correct answer answer in post #2.

However, for HD only, I have an affinity for a low pressure cartridge like .45 ACP to hopefully save some of my hearing. If you've ever touched off a high pressure round indoors you know what I mean.

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Cartridge pressure does not necessarily equate to sound pressure - http://www.freehearingtest.com/hia_gunfirenoise.shtml

Besides just personal preference one would have to give the .45 caliber a slight preference as there is a smaller chance (being sub sonic) of this bullet going through walls creating collateral damage.

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i would go with the 21. less penatration then the 9mm.

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That's interesting because, after passing through either wallboard or plywood Winchester's 124gr 9mm +P and +P+ loads penetrate less ballistic gelatin than any of their 230gr 45 ACP loads under the same tests. Even more interesting is that their subsonic 147gr 9mm loadings had more penetration than any of the 45 ACP or other 9mm loadings. Ref - http://winchesterle.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/pdf/Handgun Bullet Barrier Testing Protocol.pdf. The study of ballistics involves far more than simple velocity. Without factoring in things like BC, SD, and bullet construction you can't even begin to make worthwhile predictions before doing actual testing.

make sure you get the night sites,extended mag release and slide release

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Put me in the chorus that wouldn't automatically advise this. I bought a Gen 4 G34 recently, and the only mod I've made is to add XS Big Dots (very easy DIY btw, sights come with tools and the project took about 15 minutes).

When I went out today to test the new sights, I had one user-induced malfunction: My thumb held down the extended slide catch, which meant that the pistol didn't lock back when empty. This hasn't happened before with the standard part; where my thumbs rested today, and every other day, through tens of thousands of rounds on 8 different Glock pistols, it's a new problem. So my G34 will get a retro mod - a standard slide catch to replace the extended one.

I am a fan of the extended magazine release on Gen 3 models. The Gen 4 mag release is a little bigger in surface area and easier to reach. That doesn't mean that I recommend any modified controls for you - what it means is that I recommend you do what I did by going with what works or feels right for you.

If I could only own 1 handgun it would be my Glock 19, but any of your 3 options would make a fine night stand handgun. Flip a coin, pick your favorite caliber, or heck, shoot them all and go with the one that is the most accurate for you.