A Grudging Review of the Glock 19

Status
Not open for further replies.
Glocks are tools, and good ones at that.

I can honesty say I shoot my g19 the worst of all my guns, but it goes the most places with me. It will always fire, 15 rds so I need no spare, its not too big, not too small, and if it falls into the lake one day, I won't cry over it either.

I will probably trade for a sub compact though.
 
Glocks are reliable, I must concede that. And if it fits your hands well, I'd suggest you stick with it. Just don't fall into "fanboy" mode or I'll drag out my true feelings about them!

Really, if it fits your hands, fires an acceptable cartridge and has useable trigger and sights, you're good to go.

However... Even a truly crappy 1911 trigger is better than ANY factory Glock trigger. The takeup is a mile long and the break feels like a wet sponge. But if get used to it, it is manageable. They do have a short reset, which is somewhat of a saving grace.
 
now see I just had to have a glock they were cool , new , lite and everything else that makes people want them , and I got a g17 in that black tuper-ware box with the lock going through the trigger guard :what: the ser# starts with "U.S." I was told that meant something ? still have it, still hate it. worst of all I gave it to my wife , so now I can't sell it , we were told we could get $800 for it last year (it's like new , new-old-stock) but even though she hates that it kicks the brass in her face and has stove-piped more than a few times, she wont let it go , even for stupid money !

like others have said great wright up, but don't fall in that fanboy thing , I loved them before I had one , so I'm here to tell ya there not for everyone , nor is my Ruger P-89 ,my sw1911 or my wife's sig238 ,ect ect.....
 
Had a bit of a deja vu moment with that post. :)

If you really want your mind blown, detail strip it right down to parade rest. You will need a small punch and perhaps a small flathead screwdriver, although the latter isn't strictly necessary. Watch a video of how to do it on Youtube (or just read directions - it really is easy) and take a good look at just what a simple and well-engineered tool it is.

I bought my first Glock in 1998 (perhaps '97?) and did not detail strip it until recently out of fear of screwing something up. It took about 2 minutes. It took less than 5 minutes to put it back together. The amount of crud under the extractor was so astonishing that I was frankly surprised that it still worked. The entire procedure is simple enough that I may do this instead of a field strip from now on when it needs cleaning.

Perfect? Hardly. Certainly good for the money though.
 
I have a young friend who has had Glocks since he turned 21 a decade ago. Yesterday at the range he borrowed my Sig M11-A1. When we left an hour and a half later he had traded in his G19 and purchased a Sig M11-A1 and a Sig P938. He couldn't get over how well he shot the SRT DA/SA trigger on the M11, and fell in love with the sleekness of the 938.
Personally I think he should have kept the Block as well, but it's his money. :)
 
In time, I'm sure I'll get around to fully stripping it down. I'm lucky enough to know 6 or 8 Glock armorers, so I'll probably wait until I can do it with one of them around. I was struck by the simplicity of field stripping it. I'm no more of a mechanical wizard than I am "an operator," and I kind of figure that if I can field strip it easily, anyone can.

I'm not prone to fanaticism, so it's unlikely that I'll ever rave enough about the G19 enough to warrant the Glock Fanboy moniker. I don't think I'd warrant that even when talking about guns that really are near and dear to my heart.
 
I've never detail stripped that G19 I bought over 20 years ago. I would just spray it out with Gun Scrubber after using a brush and solvent to loosen the crud then lube it lightly. A few years back, I took it to a Glock armorer who inspected it and replaced a couple of small parts that showed some--but not a lot of--wear. Cost about $30, if I remember correctly...parts included.

The only parts I personally have ever replaced have been the recoil spring and the magazine springs in the original non-metal lined magazines. I finally just retired the old magazines since the new metal lined ones seem better built to me. I guess if you shoot competition regularly the gun would require more maintenance. But for the average shooter who only gets to shoot a couple of times a month and has other guns in rotation for range time, the Glock would need little more than cleaning and lubing for many years.
 
Have a friend who was iffy on Glocks, two actually. Both love them now, and one was a dyed in the wool 1911 guy and now he even wears a Glock hat around. Glocks are my favorite, they're simple, reliable, have good triggers and are more accurate than most can shoot.
 
My service gun was a S&W 5 shot Chief, which I was happy with. Well, until we had to re-qualify each year, sharp edges and 100 rounds of +P ammo tore up my fingers.

When we transitioned to Glock 26's, I was in "tactical Tupperware" heaven. I now had over twice the capacity in a low recoiling gun that actually had real sights, and glow in the dark ones at that. We fired hundreds of rounds during the three day transition, took it apart, cleaned it, and fired more.

To this day, I still love that Glock, and although I rarely carry it now, Ruger LCP has taken it's place since I retired, I'll never sell it. It's the one I reach for when things go bump in the night.

Re: the finish, I carried it for many years every day, and despite a steamy, sweaty summer, and lots of holster wear, never had a tinge of rust on the slide. The Ruger, much less carried, gave up almost immediately, with a couple of tiny rust spots. The Glock finish is way tougher.
 
I've shot several and shot them well. I've got an appreciation for their reliability. I want to like them...I guess I don't really DISlike them. They're just not for me. It's just a chocolate and vanilla thing, I guess.

I convinced myself a "needed" a hi-cap, modern, polymer gun. I bought an M&P9c and really like it. It's accurate and 100% reliable so I guess it's "my Glock 19". I still prefer 1911's, BHP, "3rd Gen Smiths" or even a k-frame revolver, but I will admit the M&P is one of only a couple of guns I keep loaded and ready.
 
I'm not a fan of the polymer wonder guns but ill shoot Glocks. Don't get me started on XD's.

And it's okay to dry fire in the house, heck it might even make you a better shooter ;) I probably have 50 clicks for every actual round I've sent down range.
 
I really want to like the G19, and almost bought one a couple of years ago, but my only experience with it has been my dad's Gen3 which has been plagued with stovepipe and brass-to-face issues. This left me with a less than great impression of its reliability. What's the status of the new-production Gen4's? Have all the bugs been fixed?
 
Obviously, I can't vouch for all of the Gen4s, but I've got 300-350 rounds through mine with zero instances of Brass To Face Syndrome.
 
Gents,
I posted earlier on this.
Last week I went to the range with a co-worker who brought out a new Gen4 G19.
We shot 500 rounds of WCC FMJ. Flawless. No malfunctions. All the cases ejected well to the right, 0 in the face. The trigger and accuracy was surprisingly good.
Today I broke bad and went to buy my own.
 
I was a Glock detractor for years. Several friends who's opinion I trusted kept telling me how much they liked their Glock 19. I decided to sell my last Hi Power, and I never sell a gun without another gun being part of the deal. I actually wanted to do the deal with a particular S&W Model 36 and cash back, but the 36 wasn't available. I figured fine, let's try a Glock, and if I don't like it I can always flip it at the next gun show, so I walked out of the LGS with cash and a new G19.

I was shocked at how much I liked it. Even though I'd gotten used to 1911s, I really like the Glock's trigger. I loved the way it felt in my hand, how light it was to carry and how well it shot. I next got a 26 with would carry easier. I started shooting IDPA with the 19, and decided I wanted a 17 too. Sold my Colt New Agent to get that, since I started carrying my 26 more. I found the 17/26 combo did everything better than the 19 did, and it just sat in the safe for a year until I finally traded it for an AK-74.

Aside from a Colt Mustang now, all my semi-auto handguns are Glocks, and if I get any others they will be Glocks too.

Most of my handguns now are revolvers, but that's another story.
 
Spats, I carried a Gen3 Glock 26 for awhile and found it very satisfactory. A couple of years back, I decided to buy a new midsized nine and bought a brand new Gen4 19.

No idea what the difference was, but the slide on that gun sliced my hand up something fierce. Never once happened with my 26, but it was a deal breaking issue with that 19.

Now, I have big fat hands, so it's a problem that has come up before, but in this case it was just totally unexpected.

Anyhoo, long story short, I sold it for what I paid for it and bought an XD which works much better for me and my chubby paws. Too bad, because I actually like Glock! I sold that 26 back to the guy I bought it from and have sort of regretted it ever since.
 
Good write up! I started on Hi Powers and 1911's. I resisted the Glock for about a decade. I finally gave in and got one of the very first Gen 2.5 G-19C's. It took about 500 rounds before I finally realized that it beat my mid sized 1911 all to heck as an EDC gun. I started competing shortly after that and went with a G-34. Used it for many years and then went with a 17. I've owned two 19's, two 23's, a 22, a 34, two 26's, a 21SF and a 17. I'm down to the 17. 19, 26 and 21SF. I still own three 1911's though. They bring the enthusiast out in me like no Glock can. I've pretty much decided though, a 1911 is what you show your friends. A Glock is what you show your adversaries! :)
 
TimboKhan, I'm surprised that the G19 cut your hands when the G26 didn't. I would have expected it to be the other way around. My G19 didn't come with the beavertail backstraps, and I wonder if those would have helped with that. Ah, well, since you sold the pistol, it's kind of a moot point. I found that I liked my G19 without any of the backstraps, so I won't be going out to buy the b-tails.

Glocktogo, I know what you mean. I was "raised" on parkerized steel, not plastic, so I spent a long time not liking Glocks. While I still don't want to like it, I've learned (grudgingly) that there's a lot to be said for the G19. I won't go so far as to agree with the whole "1911 is what you show your friends, a Glock is what you show your enemies," line. It's catchy and all, but I've known some 1911s in my day that were plenty acceptable for showing to enemies.
 
I'd like to get another Glock sometime soon. My first and only Glock was a 26, and though I liked it it ended up being too thick for me to carry comfortably, thus I didn't carry often. I sold it over the summer and, now that I carry a Ruger LC9, I'd like to get a 17 or 19 to play around with.
 
Spats McGee, thank you for the write up, and for keeping it enjoyable.

I, have never understood the old saying of "you show your 1911's to your friends, and your Glock's to your enemies", when the U.S. military showed 1911's to our enemies for about 75 year's.

Keep this thread updated so we have another point of reference.

Oh just for the record, if I, ever get into a fight with any firearm, I'm going to worry if I'm shooting straight, not the brand name of my weapon.
 
Rollis R.,

The reason for saying that is the era we live in. First, there were no Glocks to compare to when the 1911 and 1911A1 served admirably. Second, modern hollow points weren't available back then. While some still carry FMJ in .45's, most have moved on to modern bonded core HP's. Third, most of the 1911's made today are produced with accuracy and "fit" in mind. Ol' Slabsides was loose as a goose and functioned pretty well in the mud and blood with FMJ. Last but not least, while you can still get 7 round mags for a 1911, most folks use 8 rounders. While newer 8rd designs feature longer mag tubes, quite a few just use a different follower and that occasionally fouls up reliability.

The 1911 is still a very viable defensive sidearm. However, if you're expecting it to keep up with a Glock in the reliability department, it needs to be set up with reliability first and foremost, then maintained with care and attention. I still carry one because I shoot better with it overall than my Glocks, but if I had to head to the hills with just one pistol tomorrow, I'd take a Glock.
 
Spats McGee's admission

It's been just over 5 months since I originally posted this thread. I've only been back to the range a couple of times since then, due to an incredibly busy work schedule. That means that I've only shot another 150 rounds or so through the G19 since I first posted the review. When I went to the range last week, I had a variety of things to shoot, including the second G21 that I've ever shot, but that's a discussion for a diffferent day. Anyway, I only put about 3 magazines' worth through the G19 that day. Still, I haven't had so much as a hiccup since that first ammo-related FTF. I've cleaned it a couple of times, but that has seemed more like an excuse to fiddle with it than anything it really needed.

With warmer weather on the way, and more help in our office, I hope to get more range time over the summer than I've been able to get in the past 6 months or so. I'll probably update this review in another 500 or 1000 rounds, just to see how the G19 and I are getting along. I'm tempted to run it without cleaning for 500-1000 rounds, just to see how she does. I don't want to do one of those full-blown, bury-em-in-molten-chocolate torture tests, but I would like to see how well she runs dirty.

One thing that I have noticed is that the G19 has been seeing more and more time on the hip than when I first got it. In fact, I just bought two more holsters (a CBST and a Fobus paddle) for it, so that I have holsters appropriate to almost every occasion. She's not the only gun in the rotation, but she does seem to travel with me a lot.

Despite all of my protestations about not wanting to like Glocks, I guess the time has come to be honest with myself about it, and admit that I like this G19. :eek:
 
I'll join

I love my new Glock Gen 4. Picked it up today and put the first 150 rounds through it. Not one FTF, not one brass to the face. And I had an AWESOME day at the range. Slamming bulls like it was nothing.

Before buying (trying first) I did not want a Glock. Did not want to like the Glock. I wanted to like the S&W M&P 9 or the Beretta Storm. But what it comes down to is
1) How you shoot
2) Reliability
3) Value

so I shoot it well, it is/will be reliable as hell and for the money, I got the Gun, Case, 3 mags, loader and cleaning tools. You can't beat that

Today was like Christmas !!!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

R
  • Locked
Glock 19?????'s
Replies
12
Views
976
Roadwild17
R
P
  • Locked
The Glock 19
2
Replies
29
Views
2K
High Planes Drifter
H
F
  • Locked
Glock 26 Next 17 or 19?
Replies
13
Views
684
fvf
F
S
  • Locked
Glock Problems (advice please)
2
Replies
27
Views
2K
jdmb03
J
Elkins45
  • Locked
Other "compact" 9mm smaller than a Glock 19?
2
Replies
44
Views
7K
JR24
JR24
Back
Top