Is the Glock 19 generally preferred to the 17?

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Strap on a duty belt with radio, two cuffs and cases, mace, baton, knife, taser, cel phone, two spare magazines, and your handgun.
Cart this around for 8-12 hours a day and you will then understand why smaller and lighter is preferable for a cop gun and why more and more departments are allowing load bearing suspenders to be worn .
 
Hmm- I remeber reading somewhere that the G19 could not fire underwater. Is that true?
Oh yeah, the NYPD issues the G19s. Never really figured out why, when the gun with the longer barrel and more capacity would make more sense than a snubbie for belt carry.
Click to expand...

- ANY Glock can fire underwater ONCE, but it may misfire on the second or subsequent shots if the striker "vapor-locks" in the slide. Glock makes special "underwater"/"marine" striker cups that allow water and air to flow freely in/out of the striker channel so the striker isn't slowed by a big air bubble. Some Glockists like to install them even if they aren't SEALS/Force Recon/SF Scuba, as they feel they allow the striker to resist clogging from mud/debris. These striker cups are supposed to be restricted to LE/military, but they can still be bought from parts distributors like www.lonewolfdist.com - they just cost more than the standard parts.

- NYPD does not "issue" the Glock 19 per se, it is more accurate to say that NYPD "approves" the G19 for duty use(in addition to the S&W 5946 and SIG P226DAO). What they do is they give their cadets a voucher for $XXX.XX, familiarize them with all 3 approved duty guns, and then the cadet chooses and actually purchases their own duty gun from a certain police-supply store. While NYPD intentionally made their approved duty weapons functionally identical to each other(all 3 are 15-shot DAO 9mm's, and the NY-1 trigger is spec'ed on the Glocks to bring the pull-weight up to parity with the other two guns), most NYPD officers seem to prefer the Glock over the S&W and SIG for two reasons: 1) The G19 is light/compact enough to use for off-duty concealed carry and plainclothes/detective/undercover use, thus an officer does not need to buy a second compact weapon for off-duty or if he transfers out of uniformed patrol; 2) The Glock is somewhat less expensive than either the SIG or S&W, so the officer can either pocket the remaining voucher money or use the surplus $$ to buy additional uniforms/equipment.
 
I've had both and I prefer the 17 by a wide margin. It fits my hand better and I am more accurate with it. Plus I can conceal it as well as the 19 so the choice was a no-brainer for me.
 
My first was a G17. Then came the 2 G19's. I use the G17 for competition, and use one of the G19's for CHL, the other with a Glock Light for things that go bump in the night. All 3 have XS 24/7 Big Dot sights. You may note that there is a 1st gen G17, and a 2nd and 3rd gen G19 pictured. I really prefer the 2nd gen myself.

IMG_0221.jpg

You will love your Glock.:D
 
G=19

I have a G-19 i bought about 15 years ago. I have shot 17, 17L, and most others. I like my 19 over the others it just fits me better. Only thing I did was put a Hogue Slip on grip with 2 finger grooves. I have used it to shoot practiacal pistol events. I have well over 6000 rounds threw it. Buy what feels good in your hand.

BB
 
My personal opinion is that the G19 is a bit of a compromise. It's not as featureful as the G17, and not as compact as the G26.

If you must have only one firearm for range, carry, and concealment, and you don't wish to use the G26, then sure, the G19 works fine.

However, if you have the means, why not simply pick the best of both worlds: one of each? :)
 
The main advantage of the G19 over the G17 is concealability, if you are thinking about getting a CCW license. If you are buying the gun solely for home defense and target shooting, the G17 is slightly easier to shoot well and holds two more rounds. Both are easy guns to shoot, though.
 
I wanted my first pistol to be something I could carry concealed, but also something that I would be comfortable practicing with. The G17 seemed too big for concealed carry, and the G26 was not as comfortable due to the shorter grip. The G19 was "just right," and it is indeed a great CCW.

I'm considering a range/target pistol right now, but I think I'll go with a metal-framed gun instead of a polymer one. While I really like my Glock for carry, I find that I can shoot tighter groups with other pistols. But those pistols tend to be heavier and are not something I want to lug around all day.

These are just some things that I considered in my decisions. Please take the previous advice and get the one that feels right for YOU.
 
I'm not a huge Glock fan for two reasons. The first is that I *hate* the trigger. The second is because they feel like a brick in my hand.

I did finally buy a Glock for my students to rent. I picked the Glock 19 because it's the only model that feels halfway decent in my hand. I figure I'll shoot it alot myself to try to get used to Glocks more.

The trigger still sucks, but I'm going to try a 3.5 connector and NY-1 trigger to change the feel a bit.

I do like the size and weight of the Glock 19, especially for the 15 round capacity.
 
I used to own a 19, it never felt right for me. Found an early model 17 used but like new that felt perfect in my hand, best $400.00 I've spent in a long time.

I carried the 19 concealed and couldn't tell a big difference between the 19 and 17 personally for the way I carried them.

Both are equally excellent pistols.
 
I think some people forget how small a G19 really is:

G19_1.jpg

I used to be a hardcore Sig fan, and certainly still am. I still own more Sigs than any other and will not probably change that for a while.

I used to carry a 226/.40 (quite beefy) and then a 228 (lighter, better for CCW). I tried a 2022 as well. Some of the specific features of the 2022 didn't work for carry for me as a lefty (specifically the oversize, easy to press mag catch) So I got a G19.

I think I finally may have found the perfect carry gun. Does the Glock take some adjusting-to coming from Sigs? Yes, but not much. Overall, the handling of them is very similar. The only difference is the decocker on the Sig, and the grip angle. I don't find the triggers to be noticeably different under even moderate stress level shooting. The very light weight and very durable finish on the Glock are great attributes for carry, and it is *exactly* the right size... just big enough to get all fingers on the grip, and still has 15 rounds on tap. I like the G19 the way it is right out of the box for carry purposes, and I'm not planning to change a thing.
 
All the Glock 9mms are excellent, but for all-around use the G19 is probably the best choice if you are only going to have one. It handles all needs well. That said, I bought a factory refurb G17 (gen 1) for my BOB and haven't regretted it.
 
I've got my CCW on the way and was thinking about getting an S&W model 60, the older one in .38. Then with all the headlines lately, I decided I wanted more than 5 shots.
I've got a couple of 9mms but I felt they were too large to carry concealed.
I went to a local shop that had probably all the pistols that Glock makes and tried them all on for size. I liked the .45s (I think it was a model 36) but they only held 6+1 . The Model 30 (?) held more but the double stack grip felt uncomfortable.
I ended up getting a 19 simply because of it's size and it felt really good in my hands. They had some smaller Glocks there but the grip was just too short. Half my hand was off the grip.
The 19 was just right for me. I shot the gun last week and it functioned perfectly and was pretty accurate for having been the first time out.
 
The G19 is the ideal size 9mm Glock as far as I'm concerned. If you're goin to get your first Glock 9mm, you should make it the 19.

The agency I worked for adopted Glocks they also adopted a policy of issue guns only on and off duty. I think the size difference between the 19 and 17 doesn't make a difference as far as accuracy, handling etc. There's no diffrence in concealability between the 19 and the 17 and the 19 and 26 unless you're trying to put it in a specific size box. The 26 is easier to carry in an ankle holster which is its only advantage over a 19 but I know guys who carry a 19 that way.
 
It would be totally unreasonable to buy a G19 without having first felt the grip.

You can debate back and forth about how important size and capacity are, but those are very minor differences between the 17/19.

Most people say the G19 is better for smaller hands and the G17/34 and even the 26 are better for larger hands. I never thought of myself as having particularly large hands, but I certainly find the G19 to be less comfortable than any other Glock I've held. The G19 isn't made simply by shortening the grip of the G17. It's more like they shortened the area between the trigger guard and the first finger groove. It's a different grip, and if you don't have small hands the finger grooves will hit you in a less comfortable place than other Glock grips.
 
Good point, tostada... I really like my new Glock 19, but the space between the bottom of the trigger guard and the first finger groove swell is a bit cramped for me too... that said, I still like the overall size of the 19 a lot better than that of the 17.
 
It would be totally unreasonable to buy a G19 without having first felt the grip.

You can debate back and forth about how important size and capacity are, but those are very minor differences between the 17/19.

Most people say the G19 is better for smaller hands and the G17/34 and even the 26 are better for larger hands. I never thought of myself as having particularly large hands, but I certainly find the G19 to be less comfortable than any other Glock I've held. The G19 isn't made simply by shortening the grip of the G17. It's more like they shortened the area between the trigger guard and the first finger groove. It's a different grip, and if you don't have small hands the finger grooves will hit you in a less comfortable place than other Glock grips.
Click to expand...

I agree with this.

However, from my point of view (my hands are on the smaller side), it is this feature that makes the G19 more comfortable than other Glocks FOR MY HANDS.

Anyone buying a gun should try it before buying. Every hand is different, and one needs to determine what works best for them.
 
I have a 19 and an 17. Concealability is likely better with the 19 although thickness being the same seems to make little difference between the two. One thing I noted though was if I do a speed reload then I might pinch the heal of my hand with an incoming mag with the 19.
 
Hmm- when I was in NY last year almost everyone carried the GLOCK, except for one gal, had a stainless steel revolver.
 
OK guys, thanks for all of the responses. I guess based on your input I'll stick with the 19 as I don't have large hands and it should be easier to conceal.

To tell you the truth though, for CC I would really prefer to have a .45. I'm especially interested in the XD 45 or maybe one of the "tank-like" Rugers, although the M&P 45 is supposed to have a very slim and comfy profile. But that's down the road a bit.

I suppose if I fall in love with the 19 I can always look at getting the 17, although I'm not sure I'd buy something in the same caliber that was just slightly larger...it would be very tempting to get the 30 and start playing with the big boys ;)
 
Congratulations on the G19...

For future purchases, keep in mind the importance of handling the gun before you buy...

I went to a gun show yesterday and handled a Beretta Cougar 8000 for the first time...

I think that I'm in love...

:)

Forrest
 
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