glock 19, which gen?

H

hogwiley

New member
I've been missing my glock 23 since I sold it. I'm kicking around the idea of getting a glock 19 instead because of some lingering shoulder issues. I'm just not sure which flavor of 19 to get. The number one priority is reliability. Is one of the Gens believed to be THE most reliable currently?

I've ruled out a plain jane gen 3 since the newer gens all offer a superior grip, but I am considering an rtf2 gen 3 since a LGS has one available. The other two options are the gen 4 or 5.

I've held a gen 5 and although I kind of like finger grooves, I did like the feel of the 5. Maybe it was just the novelty of not having the grooves on a glock. I dislike almost every other gen 5 change though, especially the idiotic cut out at the bottom of the grip that everyone else seems to hate too. Im also not sold on the gen 5's reliability since its still a new design. The tighter tolerances of the chamber kind of bothers me, since its a radical departure from the tried and true previous gens.

I like the rtf2 the best, but its also the most expensive, since I can get blue label pricing on the other 2. I've also heard people complain about the grip texture for carrying. So far im leaning towards the gen 4.
 
The cutout on the bottom of the grip exists for a reason. When Glock flared the magazine well for the Gen 5 they made it very difficult to pinch the magazine baseplate on the slides to strip a stuck magazine. The flaring was to me unneeded. The magazines are already tapered and the inside of the magazine well was beveled. I had never had an issue seating a magazine on a Glock, even doing timed drills or in defensive classes. Other manufacturers don't seem to feel the need for the flaring either.

By giving the cutout on the front you can use your index finger in there and your thumb up the back of the grip to strip the magazine. The extended baseplates on the Gen 5 magazines plus the cutout also gives you a way to catch the magazine to strip it if you have to do so one handed. What are the chances you'll need to do that? Probably not very great, but it isn't completely without reason. The same cutout was on the Gen 2. If you want the Gen 5 without the cutout you could get the MOS model.

As for reliability, I have two Gen 5 Glock 19s. One with just under 5000 rds through it, the other with 2500 or so. I have not had a malfunction in either. I have seen nothing that convinces me the tighter chamber is problematic for reliability, and Glock claims this is the most reliable generation yet (FWIW). I cannot say the same for the later production Gen 3s or the handful of Gen 4s that I've owned. The earlier production Gen 3s I have owned have been solid.

My guess is any generation will likely serve you well. If there is one you seem to like over the others then go with that. I have found that I tend to shoot my Gen 5s better than the 3s and 4s I've owned, but I don't have benchrest results to confirm that.


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4th gen is best for me out of g19. I don’t like the cutout in 5th, and even in mos I don’t like the grooveless grip. I don’t like the new glossy finish or the ambi slide release. I thought the 5th gen would solve all the issues but in the end still prefer the 4th gen. I love the grey finish of older 3rd gen and the trigger, but the grip is too slippery and too large for my hands

It’s good to have options. Can’t go wrong with any gen
 
The flared magwell just seems like a gimmick. Looking at older gen 2s over the years, ive found the cut out often gets cracked and chipped, especially in police trades. The gun can still run, but it was obviously a weak spot in the design. Now glock brought that weak spot back.

The finish on the 5 also seems to wear much worse than previous gens. I saw a couple with a few hundred rounds look like theyd shot a few thousand rounds. The barrel finish especially.
 
I always preferred the Gen 3 Glocks, both my 23 and my 19. Before you get a G19 you might want to handle the G48/G43X. I switched from carrying my G19 and am very happy with the G48. (I wish the slide was black but otherwise . . .) :D
 
The flaring was a leftover from the FBI contract pistols, IIRC. I did a test back when I got my Gen 5 where I compared it to my Gen 3 in terms of angled magazine insertions (the flaring is only on the sides). I didn't find it helped much. Again, the magazines are already tapered and the interior of the magazine well is beveled already. The flaring theoretically let's you have a wider angle, but you still have to get the top of the magazine in enough to ride up the magazine well. In practice I didn't see much of a difference, and you could already be fairly angled to begin with. Yes stress would affect magazine changes, but the emphasis should be more on getting a good grip on the replacement magazine IMO.

The only spot of wear I have on mine is the left edge of the slide right where it contacts the kydex holster and even that is only on the beveled edge. I have literally hundreds of presentations from a kydex holster at this point. I can take pictures later, but it's held up much better than my Gen 4s, including the barrel. The old frying pan finish is still the best for wear in my experience. The slide stop finish has worn much faster, but the part is also much thicker and makes more contact with the holster than previous models.

I haven't had any issues with chipping or cracking with the cutout. There's a range near me that has a Gen 2 G19 for rent. This poor thing has been abused beyond belief and I haven't seen any cracks. If I had my way I'd have one without the flaring and no cutout. The issues I had with Gen 4 soured me, but hopefully they're all resolved now as that would be close to that. I do think the other changes on the Gen 5 such as the thicker slide stop, different trigger return spring, thicker striker point, and different barrel are all positives. https://www.recoilweb.com/inside-the-glock-gen-5-129141.html

I'm not saying these things can't happen, I'm saying on my examples they haven't been a problem.

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Gen 5 without the mag cut out. Also give the glock 45 a chance. The grip is not that much longer (17 frame) and you have the glock 19 slide. The 45 is my favorite all around Glock.
 
hogwiley: said:
So far im leaning towards the gen 4.
Click to expand...

I don’t think it makes a whole lot of difference which Gen you go with, but I like the beavertail back straps that come with the Gen4 & 5. I know for a lot of folks these things never get out of the box. But for me, the web of my shooting hand gets bitten without one of these on my 19x and Gen4 21, or a Grip Force Adapter on my Gen3 17 & 19. So if you’re leaning Gen4 that’s a good way to lean!
 
I have a Gen 3 19 and a Gen 4. I really would like a Gen 5, but not because I think it will be better. I want one to see if it is, and if it is not, I will probably mod the heck out of it for fun, and keep carrying the gen 3 or 4.

My Gen 3 is the first handgun I ever bought, and even though I prefer my Gen 4, I think the simplicity of the Gen 3 is part of its charm. That, along with the nostalgia of learning to shoot a handgun with it, is why I'll never sell it.

With that said, I think the Gen 4 may be my favorite handgun. It has spent a lot of time at the range, and it has never had a single failure. It is more accurate than I am yet, and I feel like it keeps getting better and better.

I originally didn't care for the captured spring system that came out with Gen 4, but now that I have experience with it, I trust it. The grip texture is certainly better, and with only minimal polishing to certain component surfaces, I think its trigger is better than any other Glock trigger I have fired, including a friends G45 and Gen 5 17.

Also, having big hands, the adjustable backstrap option that came out in Gen 4 was really great for me. The way my Gen 4 19 fits in my hands is unparalleled in my collection.

I would, of course, get it with Glock night sights at the very least. But I think that is the only modification needed to a Gen 4 Glock.
 
Ive never been a real 19 fan, but I do have a couple of Gen 3's and 4's.

My only real complaint about them is, Ive always found their grips to be "crampy", and a tad uncomfortable.

I had a couple of them when they first came out, when they had the mag rip cutout on the front strap, and those really aggravated me. The grip is cramped enough as it is, and with those, my pinky was right on the cutout, and it bugged the hell out of me.

I really dont see the point to the 45 or 19X, but hey, whatever floats your boat.

Glock had it right with the RTF2 grip textures. That would be my first choice. I like/need that aggressiveness. But it seems a lot of people were crying about them so here we are. Ive been carrying a RTF2 17 IWB/AIWB daily for 5 or 6 years now, and haven't found it to be hard on me or my clothes.

The Gen 4 and 5 textures arent too bad, and definitely better than the Gen 1-3's. But thats what a soldering pen is for. :D

I normally stipple the Gen 3's. Its about as close as you can get to the RTF2's.


I just recently picked up a Gen 5 17, and its OK. Dont see that the flaired magwell actually does anything better than one that isnt.

The grip is fine, but I dont mind the finger grooves, either, so thats really a non-issue.

The barrel looks like polygonal rifling, with a tad more of an edge or shoulder in the rifling. Kind of a cross between the two. I havent noticed the Gen 5 being any more accurate than the others though.


One thing great with Glocks is, they are a dime a dozen, and you see them everywhere. You can usually find a lot of them used, but basically NIB, and often for great prices.

Kind of hard not to load up! :D
 
The Gen 3 G19 has the best reputation for reliability and long track record

the GEN 4 G19 is also a good choice, I like the grip texture and the heavy duty recoil spring, I would have got a Gen 4 but they are not sold in CA
 
I've got a Gen3 and 4 G19's. My G19.4 has thousands of rounds through it and I've had 0 problems. This is with factory and my reloads.

Don't own a Gen5 and since I'm covered with my other two 19's I probably never will.
 
Mine are Gen3---only because that's what was available when I decided to buy Glocks----they work and I'm not re-buying what I already have.

Have been using M&P 2.0 Compacts lately anyway.
 
We keep three Gen 2 G19s around the place because neither my wife's small hands nor my large hands fit the Glock factory finger grooves. Since these guns continue to function with no problems we have no motivation to buy the latest and greatest, new and improved generation.

Dave
 
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