Thinking of buying a Glock

[Intox]

As the title says, I've been thinking of purchasing a Glock pistol. The reason for this post is I'm looking for some input from objective shooters who own a Glock as well as other auto loaders. Let me explain....

My personal EDC pistol is my S&W 686 Classic Hunter w/ 6" barrel. While most would consider that handgun too large for personal carry understand I live in Alabama which is a n open carry state. And while I can (and have) carry it concealed, open carry with a Bianchi Black Widow holster is more than comfortable for me. The main two reasons I prefer it though is one being it was my father's pistol he bought back in '87 or so, which means I have put thousands and thousands of rounds through it over the course of my life (I'm 44 come Mar 2018) and am more than accurate with it. The second being it's hard to find a round more capable than the .357 magnum when speaking to personal defense.

However, none of that is to say I don't respect or own semi-auto handguns. I have a Kimber 1911, Beretta 92FS, a few CZ75s, Browning Hi-Power, and a few others.

A few months ago I was of the mind set to purchase a Coonan .357 mag, and even looking into possibly a 10mm due to all the advancements made with pistols in that caliber. The 10mm is what got me looking at Glocks. The capacity of the Coonan seems a miniscule gain to the .357 magnum with the added potential malfunctions that can come with a autoloader (albeit the potential malfunction percentage is VERY small itself), which pushes me back to something like the Glock G40 Gen 4 MOS.

So, while I'll still wind up buying a Coonan if for nothing else to add to my firearm collection I'm reaching the point where the G40 seems to be the better choice in looking for a higher velocity round with weight in an autoloader for personal carry. Which leads me to the point of this thread.

Does anyone either own or have experience with the Glock G40? If so, how well would you say the pistol is balanced and handles the recoil? I don't ask that meaning I'm afraid of the recoil, but rather meaning how much or little does it affect target acquisition (if at all)? How well does the Glock design handle such a high compression round?

Admittedly, I've never owned or shot a Glock which is why I'm posting this and asking. I'm also open to hear any other experiences with 10mm handguns made by other manufacturers. But I've heard multiple Glock owners describe the Glock as the "AK of pistols" speaking to it's reliability thanks to it's design. So I'm reaching out to people who own Glocks to help me in making this decision.

Thanks in advance for any replies/help.

 

[Rodentman]

I have a G40 and have no issues with it. It's too big for a EDC speaking for myself, of course. I enjoy shooting it and find recoil a non issue. (I also shoot 460 and 500...) I don't know how 10mm factory ammo feels since I have never bought any, favoring reloading. I have no trouble with the grip angle and feel the G40 is fairly priced.

I also have a Coonan and it's great fun! Pricing has increased a lot since I got mine a few years ago. I also had to wait over a year to get it!

Coonan:

 

[pblanc]

I have not owned or even shot a Glock 40. I do own one Glock, a model 19. I have heard enough good things about it that I would certainly put it on my short list if I was considering a 10 mm, which I am not (not really). You named a bunch of fairly large handguns so I would assume that the weight and size would not be daunting to you.

A lot of people like Glocks obviously, but they are not for everyone. Many dislike how they point and the blocky 2 x 4-like grip. I had to take the finger grooves off my G 19 and undercut the trigger guard to make it tolerable. The finger grooves on the model 40's longer grip might have fit my fingers better.

Shake any tree and five or six Glocks will fall out. You should be able to find some Glock owners who would be willing to let you try shooting their pistols. Model 40s might be a bit more scarce, but Glocks are very much of a theme.

 

[Intox]

Thanks Rodentman!

Do you load your 10mm "hot" when compared to factory loads? I know that's something of a relative question, but I'm sure as someone who reloads you understand what I'm (poorly...lol) attempting to ask. Have you found any ammunition the gun seems to favor over others in your experiences?

And yeah....the Coonan does seem like something fun to shoot. I was going to get one last year, but my wife wanted a 686 with a 4" barrel for her, so we did that instead. I'm lucky in having a wife who not only enjoys shooting, but shares my love of shooting big bores.


Pblanc,

Yeah....the angled grip is the thing that makes me do a head tilt when looking at them. My wife's father owns one I'm going to shoot next time we go out there (he has an indoor pistol range he built out of a shed as well as a rifle range he made from a pasture with targets out to 1200 yards), so I'm looking forward to that.

And you are correct in that big bore guns don't make me shy away. My first gun was a 12 gauge single barrel when I was 7 when I started quail hunting with my father, and from there it was a 12 gauge double barrel. The first pistol I shot was a n 8" single action .44 mag of his. LOL....it kind of sucked back then, but he told me if I learned to shoot with heavy guns starting out, smaller calibers would be a breeze to me. It was a hard row to hoe at times, but I'm glad he did things the way he did now.

Thanks for bringing up the finger grips. I'm more than 80% certain I'll wind up getting the firearm, and that lets me know to be aware of the grips and if I'll need to change them or not.

 

[jmr40]

I've owned the G20 and G29 in 10mm for a while. I also own several Glocks in 9mm and one in 45. There was a time when Glock was clearly the best option in a plastic framed striker fired pistol. There are a lot of good options now and based solely on the gun, I could be happy with several different options.

But for a variety of reasons I don't plan to change. For one thing I have too much money tied up in magazines and holsters that will function with multiple guns. The longer 9mm and 10mm magazines fit and function in the smaller size guns just fine. I can load 15 round 10mm magazines in either the G20 or G29. Same with G17 magazines in the G19 or G26 in 9mm. Glock is the only option in 10mm, and I like the idea of having all of them function exactly the same.

I don't handload for my handguns. I can buy 9mm and 45 ammo cheap enough that it isn't worth it to me load for them. While I like the 10mm quite well, I can practice with much cheaper 9mm ammo and don't put nearly as many rounds through the 10mm's. They are my outdoors guns used when hiking or camping in bear country. I get most of my plinking ammo from www.georgia-arms.com and buy DoubleTap ammo when I want hotter loads. They offer a 200 gr hardcast load at 1300 fps. It Chronographed 1315 fps in my G20. It functions just fine. The G40 should do at least as well.

 

[Zendude]

If you don't have any polymer frame pistols, a Glock or any other polymer pistol might feel unbalanced and have more felt muzzle flip than you're used to. They still kinda feel that way to me, compared to steel framed handguns.

 

[guyfromohio]

I'm underwhelmed by Glock. I've had 19s and 26s. I currently own a gen 2 17 and gen 4 19. I'd go with a Walther PPQ for the same price all day long.

 

[Havok7416]

I realize you brought up Glocks, but are you aware of or have you considered the Witness 10mm guns? They make both full size and compact models now in both steel and polymer. Similar price point to the Glock and also double-stack. Mags are certainly cheaper to come by in the Glock though...

 

[Tallball]

I am a revolver guy, but I like my friend's G22 quite a bit, and carry a G43 sometimes. I like the sights and triggers. I shoot them well. I shoot my favorite revolvers better, but the Glocks are alright.

 

[Intox]

Jmr40,

Thanks. There is a lot of appreciated information in those three paragraphs.

Zendude,

Naw, I don't own any at present. And yeah...high compression rounds make for a snappy muzzle...lol. Offhand I'd say depending how snappy it was might make me look into either getting some slide porting to compensate. But it'd have to be real snappy.

guyfromohio,

I pretty much have as well. It's why I don't own any...just never seen one that piqued my interest. It wasn't until I started digging into 10mm pistols that I started thinking if Glock might be the best way to go as far as the 10mm autoloader world goes. I've got a couple of Kimbers (one in .45 ACPand one in 9mm) and I looked at their 10mm, and I know with Kimber the quality is going to be there. But I'm planning to buy a Barret .338 Lapua in February so I'm trying to stay in the under $1300 range for this.

Havok7416

No, I had not looked at it. It is a good looking handgun though....have you shot one before / own one? I like the design of them, favors a CZ almost. Thank you for putting that on my radar, sincerely.

TallBall,

I am the same. I have several revolvers as well as a few open hammer double barrels an d several lever action rifles. Like I said, I carry a 6" revolver for my EDC, so I'm all about the wheel gun.

Did you find the angle grip awkward at all?


Thanks for everyone posting, tried to like everyone's post. There is a lot of information within this thread.

 

[SuperDavealso]

Another option on the Glock. G35 with a lone wolf replacement barrel in .357sig. It gives 15+1 of 125gr .357mag. fire power. I like mine. A good holster holding the grip in close to the body makes it very concealable.

 

[Havok7416]

Intox, I own a Witness full-size in .45 and .22, with a possibility for a 10mm conversion down the road (they take .22, 9mm, .40, .45 and 10mm plus a few others if you get the large frame. Not to mention they have longslide conversions available also). I shoot mine often and love it to death. A friend of mine has the Witness full-size in 10mm and his is fantastic. I'm strongly considering getting one in the 10mm compact format (13 rounds in a compact/subcompact package). GoG has them on sale from time to time and with the factory conversions they are a strong contender IMO.

 

[scaatylobo]

As the title says, I've been thinking of purchasing a Glock pistol. The reason for this post is I'm looking for some input from objective shooters who own a Glock as well as other auto loaders. Let me explain....

My personal EDC pistol is my S&W 686 Classic Hunter w/ 6" barrel. While most would consider that handgun too large for personal carry understand I live in Alabama which is a n open carry state. And while I can (and have) carry it concealed, open carry with a Bianchi Black Widow holster is more than comfortable for me. The main two reasons I prefer it though is one being it was my father's pistol he bought back in '87 or so, which means I have put thousands and thousands of rounds through it over the course of my life (I'm 44 come Mar 2018) and am more than accurate with it. The second being it's hard to find a round more capable than the .357 magnum when speaking to personal defense.

However, none of that is to say I don't respect or own semi-auto handguns. I have a Kimber 1911, Beretta 92FS, a few CZ75s, Browning Hi-Power, and a few others.

A few months ago I was of the mind set to purchase a Coonan .357 mag, and even looking into possibly a 10mm due to all the advancements made with pistols in that caliber. The 10mm is what got me looking at Glocks. The capacity of the Coonan seems a miniscule gain to the .357 magnum with the added potential malfunctions that can come with a autoloader (albeit the potential malfunction percentage is VERY small itself), which pushes me back to something like the Glock G40 Gen 4 MOS.

So, while I'll still wind up buying a Coonan if for nothing else to add to my firearm collection I'm reaching the point where the G40 seems to be the better choice in looking for a higher velocity round with weight in an autoloader for personal carry. Which leads me to the point of this thread.

Does anyone either own or have experience with the Glock G40? If so, how well would you say the pistol is balanced and handles the recoil? I don't ask that meaning I'm afraid of the recoil, but rather meaning how much or little does it affect target acquisition (if at all)? How well does the Glock design handle such a high compression round?

Admittedly, I've never owned or shot a Glock which is why I'm posting this and asking. I'm also open to hear any other experiences with 10mm handguns made by other manufacturers. But I've heard multiple Glock owners describe the Glock as the "AK of pistols" speaking to it's reliability thanks to it's design. So I'm reaching out to people who own Glocks to help me in making this decision.

Thanks in advance for any replies/help.

I own 8 Glocks and EDC a model 23 [ .40 S&W ].

I cannot compare a .40 caliber to the .10mm,as they are not nearly the same IF your shooting full house .10MM loads.

But I see the .40 and the .357 Sig and the 9MM as personal defense loads and the ability to carry a much bigger load and with at the very least 1 spare mag,almost a full box of ammunition.

IF you don't ever see a need for that much,and don't envision a scenario that requires a 'spare mag' ,then I see the .357 as a great choice for a S/D gun.

And one that doubles as a hunting gun for most game,even smaller bear & hogs in a pinch.

btw ,I am 70 and shoot .44 mag's and a friends 375 JDJ,as well as his .460 S&W !!.

I even carry a S&W 340PD with Ruger ARX .357 loads as a BUG.

 

[JDR]

I own 3 Glocks a Gen3 17 & 19 and a Gen4 21. All three of these work well for what I use them for, and these are keepers. But to be honest, between a Gen5 Glock 19 and an S&W M&P9 2.0 Compact, I’d take the M&P, there’s no way the new Glock is worth $90 bucks more than the M&P. And if Walther comes out with a PPQ Compact then there will be even more good competition for Glock. I have a Walther PPS-M2 that I think is the best small carry pistol that I have found and I would never trade it for a Glock 26 or 43.

 

[JR24]

I own 3 Glocks a Gen3 17 & 19 and a Gen4 21. All three of these work well for what I use them for, and these are keepers. But to be honest, between a Gen5 Glock 19 and an S&W M&P9 2.0 Compact, I’d take the M&P, there’s no way the new Glock is worth $90 bucks more than the M&P. And if Walther comes out with a PPQ Compact then there will be even more good competition for Glock. I have a Walther PPS-M2 that I think is the best small carry pistol that I have found and I would never trade it for a Glock 26 or 43.

Walther does not make a PPQ in 10mm yet, right? Cause if they do, I may be very intrigued.

As for the OP.

My initial suggestion for 10mm will always be a 1911, the trigger really is ideal for hunting/target over even slicked up Glock triggers. But as you mentioned, 8 rounds in a Coonan/1911 doesn't really give you much over your wheelgun.

So you need to look at the double stacks, so Tangfolio makes a good one, as does Glock. I've shot warm loads through a Glock 20 (though I don't own one) and found the recoil very managable, more comfortable than hot loads in my GP100 .357 mag for comparison. So, a Glock would work for you but the trigger will take some getting used to as they aren't great for target work compared to a nice SA trigger.

Also, as a thought, Rock Island does make a high capacity 10mm 1911. Costs similar to the Glock but is a bit fatter in the grip. (This comparing my .45 hi cap 1911 vs my Glock 21)

I have a single stack RIA 10mm and it is a great shooter. I run Hornady XTP 200 grainers at just under 1200 fps as my 10mm woods load and the RIA runs em fine and shoots a little over an inch at 25 yards (at least thats the best I can do, on a good day).

 

[bnolsen]

I don't have a glock 40 but I do have a gen2 glock 20. I'd have to say of all the 10mm's I've shot glock has arguably one of the best implementations of a reliable 10mm. I'd say go for the glock 40 which should make for an even better pistol with that longer slide and barrel.
Just my opinion, but 10mm is overkill for 2 leggers, 40s&w does more than fine for that task (or 357sig if you like spending money on ammo).

 

[Hasaf]

I have a Glock 42 and the trigger is terrible. I simply have no way of comparing it to any other gun I have. Even my Makarov has a better trigger. It is true that I detail striped my Makarov and polished everything; however, I also followed the online trigger polishing tutorials for the Glock.

I wanted to get one; however, I cannot see myself getting another.

 

[jjones45]

The glock 10mm’s are pretty much the best polymer 10’s on the market for reliability. Other than the Cz polymer clones there isn’t really anything else. If I was going to buy an all metal 10mm handgun right now I’d go with a sig p220 5”, but then of course you’ve cut your capacity down in half with the 8+1 just like the 1911. All the glock longslides I’ve shot are excellent guns so I see no reason why the g40 wouldn’t be the same. Now if Walther made a 10mm longslide ppq then I’d try to sway you that way, but they don’t and probably never will so I’d say grab the glock 40 and never look back. If you ever find you can’t live with it I’m sure you will have no problem unloading it to someone else via sell or trade. Springfield Armory was suppose to release xdm’s in 10mm so if that platform interest you it might be worth the wait. They came through with half of their promise with the 10mm 1911 so the other half is bound to show up at shot show or shortly afterwards

 

[Havok7416]

The XD is another good mention if and when they come out. I know I will be buying one for sure when that happens.

 

[jjones45]

Walther does not make a PPQ in 10mm yet, right? Cause if they do, I may be very intrigued.

No, and you aren’t the only one who would be intrigued. I’d jump on a ppq longslide or 4” 10mm faster than a New York City minute. Unfortunately I don’t think there are a lot of Walther fans requesting 10mm ppq’s so I doubt Walther will introduce any anytime soon. Heck look how long it took them to release a 45acp. Also if I had to bet I’d say glocks 10mm handguns have historically been the lowest selling in the lineup, right along with .357 sig and now apparently 40s&w. The resurgence of the 10mm is causing some gun makers to introduce new guns in that cartridge so I hope I’m wrong and I see a ppq Q5 match in 10mm next year, but I’m not holding my breath

 

[Tallball]

"Did you find the angle grip awkward at all?"

Holding one at the local gun show a time or two, it did seem a little awkward. But they are not at all awkward for me to shoot. I much prefer the grip of a SA revolver, but shooting a Glock is easier for me than the average polymer service pistol. I like the CZ/Witness a bit better, but the Glocks are pretty good. I like the trigger just fine. As soon as I can get a used/surplus G22 for a really cheap bid, I intend to do so.

 

[Intox]

A sincere thank you to everyone for taking the time to post here.

I feel comfortable enough now in that I have a solid base of information to give me a starting point of reference in doing some detailed reading and comparing.

You're all rock stars!

 

[Havok7416]

Post back here when you have everything figured out. Pics are always appreciated!

 

[71velle]

I shoot a G20 quite often and find it to handle the full house rounds well and would think the G40 would be even better. But, it would be like pulling a rife out of a holster.

I like glocks and think you cant go wrong with one. The only downer is the sights imo.

If you want 10mm maybe consider on in a 1911, they are nice too.

 

[westy39]

I must say I carried the Glock 20 for several years as my duty weapon then my Department went to the Glock 22; the 40 calibar. I know my shooting scores went up and I didn’t feel like I was carrying a boat anchor like the Glock 20/10 mm. I still shoot the 40 cal/glock 22. I don’t really like the looks of a Glock, it is an ugly gun, but it is the most reliable pistol I have ever carried. I trusted this so called plastic gun with my life and it never failed me. There are many pistols out there I suggest you take your time and try several different ones and see which one “fits” you best. Merry Christmas to all forum members, may you and your loved ones be safe.