Sapper771
Member
I recently started dedicating myself to training with and carrying my G17. I am familiar with glocks, and have used them in some form or fashion for the last 10 years, just not the G17. I have owned them before, just never dedicated this much focus on them. I chose the G17 for its reliability, capacity, durability, lightweight, compatability(parts wise), tenifer finish, ease of use, ease of cleaning, ease of field stripping, ease of detail stripping, and ease of maintenance. Basically all of the "pro's" that are associated with Glocks. Another major "pro" , that is unique to my situation, is that the G17 and my Issued G31 duty pistol have the same external dimensions. I can't say that they balance the same, because I feel that they do not. They point the same and the trigger is the same. More on this later.
The "con's" were apparent as well. The grip was not as comfortable as my 1911s or my BHP. The grip angle was not as natural. It is rather plain looking, but it is also not a fashion statement to me. The grip texture was "mild" compared to what I am use to. It is 9mm.....I like my 45acp.
The more I thought on the caliber, the more I came to the conclusion that the 9mm, in itself, was a "pro":
-While not the most potent round on the block, it is effective. The current run of defensive ammunition has come a long way from those of the past, and sometimes giving the bigger boys a run for their money. Shot placement is more important than bullet construction anyway.
-The 9mm is low recoil, so follow up shots become a quick affair.
-Magazine capacities with double stack 9mm's are usually quite high. This gives the shooter plenty of ammunition in one magazine.
-The 9mm is very popular here in the U.S., I have even heard that it is the most popular caliber. This popularity allows one to find 9mm in just about every gun shop(when in stock). I still have not been able to find a shop that does not carry 9mm ammunition.
-The 9mm cartridge is in use in most parts of the world, so no matter where you might find yourself, chances are you can find some 9mm.
The 9mm is also a NATO cartridge as well.
My first range trip was positive. It did not take me long to get back in the swing of things. My controlled pairs and triples were spread out more than usual, but I knew that would improve with more time and ammo, both being issues due to a slim ammo budget and busy schedule.
Shortly after the acquisition of my G17, I also got set up to reload 9mm.
No more paying $12-$15 for 50 round boxes of Wally-World specials. My cost dropped to $5-$7 a box. I began load development for my G17 and surprisingly developed a great load without much time or effort. The round shot POA at 5, 7, and 10 yards, Chrono'd at 1200fps, and cycled the G17. I was Good to Hook. (NOTE: I am aware that reloads will void the Glock warranty. Do so at your own risk.)
One thing that I would like to mention is dry fire practice. It is one thing that sped up and smoothed over my transition to the G17. I was a skeptic at first, but once I actually quit criticizing it and did it, I soon realized that it is a very valuable tool when done safely. My targets soon started showing the merits of regualr dry fire practice.
Fast forward a few months. Me and the G17 are getting along famously. So well, that I had already bought a G19RTF2 and a G26 to go along with my G17. Nearly a 1000 rounds through the G17 at this point, so things were feeling "natural". Another thing to note was the same "natural" feeling when I have had to draw my duty pistol (G31) during the course of Duty. I qualified 100% for the first time on my Department firearms qualification course and then scored "Instructor Level" in another tactical type shooting qualification. This was when I realized that training with the G17 while off duty, was paying off big time.
I start setting back a few hundred rounds a month in preparation for my vacation. When it came down to the final count.....let's just say I had plenty of 9mm ammo to take with me. During the course of five days, I was able to fire another 840 rounds through my G17. This was accomplished without cleaning or oiling in between shooting sessions. My final five rounds that I fired through my G17 were at 25 yards from a makeshift bench. These five rounds printed a 3" group with one flyer. Minus the one flyer, the other four rounds were closer to 2" in group size. I was very impressed.
I think most of the impression came from three things :
1.) The fact that my G17 ran through 840 rounds of my reloads with out any issues at all, even though uncleaned and unoiled.
2.) My G17 printed a 3" group at 25 yards using my reloads, which were untested at 25 yards prior to this.
3.)My G17 printed a 3" group at 25 yards, even though it was completely filthy.
In conclusion, switching over to this G17 has provided me some strong rewards. With all that has occurred, I feel that the switch was well worth the time, money, and patience.
In closing, I want to thank the Members of this forum. I have gathered a lot of information from many of you. This information has allowed me to expand my knowledge of firearms and their artifices. That same information I have invoked upon while helping others on their introduction and continuance into our "Culture" . Thank You.
The "con's" were apparent as well. The grip was not as comfortable as my 1911s or my BHP. The grip angle was not as natural. It is rather plain looking, but it is also not a fashion statement to me. The grip texture was "mild" compared to what I am use to. It is 9mm.....I like my 45acp.
The more I thought on the caliber, the more I came to the conclusion that the 9mm, in itself, was a "pro":
-While not the most potent round on the block, it is effective. The current run of defensive ammunition has come a long way from those of the past, and sometimes giving the bigger boys a run for their money. Shot placement is more important than bullet construction anyway.
-The 9mm is low recoil, so follow up shots become a quick affair.
-Magazine capacities with double stack 9mm's are usually quite high. This gives the shooter plenty of ammunition in one magazine.
-The 9mm is very popular here in the U.S., I have even heard that it is the most popular caliber. This popularity allows one to find 9mm in just about every gun shop(when in stock). I still have not been able to find a shop that does not carry 9mm ammunition.
-The 9mm cartridge is in use in most parts of the world, so no matter where you might find yourself, chances are you can find some 9mm.
The 9mm is also a NATO cartridge as well.
My first range trip was positive. It did not take me long to get back in the swing of things. My controlled pairs and triples were spread out more than usual, but I knew that would improve with more time and ammo, both being issues due to a slim ammo budget and busy schedule.
Shortly after the acquisition of my G17, I also got set up to reload 9mm.
No more paying $12-$15 for 50 round boxes of Wally-World specials. My cost dropped to $5-$7 a box. I began load development for my G17 and surprisingly developed a great load without much time or effort. The round shot POA at 5, 7, and 10 yards, Chrono'd at 1200fps, and cycled the G17. I was Good to Hook. (NOTE: I am aware that reloads will void the Glock warranty. Do so at your own risk.)
One thing that I would like to mention is dry fire practice. It is one thing that sped up and smoothed over my transition to the G17. I was a skeptic at first, but once I actually quit criticizing it and did it, I soon realized that it is a very valuable tool when done safely. My targets soon started showing the merits of regualr dry fire practice.
Fast forward a few months. Me and the G17 are getting along famously. So well, that I had already bought a G19RTF2 and a G26 to go along with my G17. Nearly a 1000 rounds through the G17 at this point, so things were feeling "natural". Another thing to note was the same "natural" feeling when I have had to draw my duty pistol (G31) during the course of Duty. I qualified 100% for the first time on my Department firearms qualification course and then scored "Instructor Level" in another tactical type shooting qualification. This was when I realized that training with the G17 while off duty, was paying off big time.
I start setting back a few hundred rounds a month in preparation for my vacation. When it came down to the final count.....let's just say I had plenty of 9mm ammo to take with me. During the course of five days, I was able to fire another 840 rounds through my G17. This was accomplished without cleaning or oiling in between shooting sessions. My final five rounds that I fired through my G17 were at 25 yards from a makeshift bench. These five rounds printed a 3" group with one flyer. Minus the one flyer, the other four rounds were closer to 2" in group size. I was very impressed.
I think most of the impression came from three things :
1.) The fact that my G17 ran through 840 rounds of my reloads with out any issues at all, even though uncleaned and unoiled.
2.) My G17 printed a 3" group at 25 yards using my reloads, which were untested at 25 yards prior to this.
3.)My G17 printed a 3" group at 25 yards, even though it was completely filthy.
In conclusion, switching over to this G17 has provided me some strong rewards. With all that has occurred, I feel that the switch was well worth the time, money, and patience.
In closing, I want to thank the Members of this forum. I have gathered a lot of information from many of you. This information has allowed me to expand my knowledge of firearms and their artifices. That same information I have invoked upon while helping others on their introduction and continuance into our "Culture" . Thank You.
