Glock: a love/hate relationship!

N

Nathan

New member
I have a Glock 23 that found it's way into my life. Quite frankly, I really like the gun. It has even done some carry rotation. It is my backup carry gun.

So, what do you LIKE? What do you DISLIKE? If you DISLIKE something, did you do something about it or live with it?

LIKE:
Reliability- it has been good, but not 100%. In about 600 or so rounds, I have had 4 FTF BOB type misdeeds. New mag springs improved it, but it has returned. With my 3 strikes rule, I tracked I to one mag and pitched it. Now, it seems ok.

Finish - Mine is a USA gun. The finish is quite durable. I have scratches, I thought, but they all seem to have rubbed out.

Form Factor - It fits my hand and is pretty good fit under cover garments. It is still a little big.

Sights - The stock sights exceeded my expectations, but....

Runs dirty - so I just add oil. I'll clean sometimes, but not every outing and the gun is fine with that.


DISLIKE:
Reliability - Based on what I read, that mag failure and Glocks failure to respond are ridiculous. Glock told me I could send the gun in for warranty. Really, for a bad mag? Maybe the standard response could be...what? A BOB? Let me send you a magazine.

Trigger - I forget the original pull...I want to say an OK, but not good 6.75 lb pull with a sharp as a knife serrated trigger. Some basic work over a couple hours has yielded a pretty darn good 2.75 lb take up and 5.5 lb break.

Sights - The ootb sights were fine, but I wanted something which drew me in and had a rr sight hook for one hand work. Ameriglo front red FO sight and rr sight fixed me up.

Accuracy - I struggle a bit with the way the gun jumps pulling the trigger, but I'm getting the hang of it. Still, it is not an accurate gun slow fire. I should add that at speed it keeps up with my 1911's or close.

Grip - the angle is fine, but the texture is terrible. I added tape. That helps a lot in the winter.


So, how has your Glock relationship progressed. Will it earn a home in my safe?
 
My Gen 2 Glock 19 was my first auto loading pistol I bought new in the early nineties.

Over the years I did not shoot much but about 7 or so years ago I started shooting regularly again. I really got into and still love my SIGs and shot them almost exclusively at the range. Illinois did not have CCW until a couple years ago. When that happened I got more into poly frame pistols to find what worked well for me as CCW and at least half my range time is now spent shooting my CCW pistols.

I bought some of the latest and greatest poly frame SF pistols such as my VP9 and PPQ which I still have and love. A funny thing happened over the years in that my fundamentals improved and when I took my Glock 19 out and dusted her off I found I could shoot it pretty good. Even though the PPQ and VP9 have better triggers I found that the still factory trigger on my Glock 19 was pretty decent for me. BTW Gen 2 Glock 19 has been flawless as far as reliability over the years with a wide variety of ammo and ejects just fine.


My main gripe about my Glock 19 was that it was a bit small and cramped for my larger hands - I wear XL glove. I decided to try out the Grip Force adapter and found it actually helped with that and gave my finger a better position on the trigger.

So my relationship with my Glock 19 has improved over the years even though I have some other more "modern" 9MM poly SF pistols. IMO the Glock 19 still sets the standard for a concealable 15 round capacity pistol as far as size, weight, capacity, reliability, and performance and I am still very happy to have mine and CCW it often including just getting back from doing some shopping.

I shot this at 7 yards first range trip after installing the Grip Force adapter last fall.



Easy and comfortable to conceal in an Ozark IWB kydex single clip holster.

 
BOB - Bolt Over Base....when the slide hits the case too high...case too low...and the case goes vertical after it hits the feed ramp. 9 times out of 10, this is caused by a weak mag spring. This one had something else more than a weak spring.
 
"Runs dirty - so I just add oil. I'll clean sometimes, but not every outing and the gun is fine with that."

Adding oil to a dirty gun is asking for a malfunction.
 
I'm a 1911 guy and big bore revolvers but get to play with many other guns that come in here at the range. If I wasn't a 1911 guy, I'd be carrying a Glock. For the most part I find I can shoot them well, most are very accurate, probably more dependable than most. The only thing is that I like the first three generations more than the currant crop, the older models just feel better and to me, shoot better.
 
I'm another 1911 guy .....and I don't like the glock triggers ( long reset, wobble, too much slack...)...I don't like the grip angle or the feel and width of the grip...and some of my buddies that shoot glocks seem to have more than a few mag feeding issues...

I understand the attraction to the low price....easy to maintain...parts are cheap...

If I wanted a glock...it would be a model 34 because of the better trigger / but honestly if I want to reach for a double stack gun in my safe, it will be a Sig ( all stainless version ) 226....

For guys that like the way Glocks fit their hands...& if they can get by all the little stuff...they should stay with their glocks. Everyone should own and shoot what they want - and not have to love, hate or compromise much with all the makes and models of handguns out there now because I think there is something out there for everyone. ( For me, a full sized, all stainless 1911 in 9mm from Wilson Combat meets or exceeds all my needs and expectations ...no compromises necessary ) and I hope glock owners feel the same way about their guns.
 
My relationship with my Glock is oddly well-documented. My first carry gun was a gov't model 1911 in .45. I loved that gun, but after about 3 or 4 years, I grew tired of the weight. I'd spent 25 years not liking Glocks, and I was fully prepared to go to my grave that way. Nonetheless, I decided that maybe, just maybe, one of those newfangled plastic pistols wouldn't be so bad. And if I was going to go with plastic, what the heck, why not try a 9mm? So I began Phase I of my Plastic Pistol Research. With the help of members far more knowledgeable about this stuff than I am, I wound up with a Glock 19. Between their recommendations and discovering that I get the Blue Label discount, though, I just couldn't pass up the Glock. I figured that if it didn't work out between us, I shouldn't have any trouble selling her. At the time, the Blue Label price for a NIB G19 was $453 (IIRC), including installed night sights.

I bought her in ~May of 2013. She quickly acclimated (sp?) to life at our house and I named her Gretchen. I put some ammo through her, bought a holster, and she quickly became a daily carry favorite, much to my chagrin. After ~6 months of carrying her, I wrote A Grudging Review of the Glock 19. I wear a suit about 3 days per week, with khakis and sport coat filling in the other two workdays. IOW, my daily wardrobe lends itself to carrying larger pistols.

I've carried Gretchen for almost 4 years now, and have put almost 2k rounds through her. Here's my pros v. cons assessment:

Pros:
She's reliable. While she has not been the failsafe, bulletproof, incapable-of-failure device that some of the more ardent Glock fans seem to think all Glocks are, she has been very good. My slide lock spring broke at ~400 rounds. I've had a handful of other minor failures, but causes were eaily traced and resolvled.

She's simple. How many parts does a 1911 have? 75 or so? Gretchen has something like 34 parts. I find it strangely fascinating that Glock was able to get the number of parts down so low. What's more, my Glock is simple enough that even I can work on it without too much worry. I don't, but I feel like I could... I'm what you might call "mechanically reclined," so that's a good thing.

She's low-maintenance. I have a wife, a teenage daughter, a yard to mow, and often work 6 days per week, so time is at a premium. I'm sure I'm not alone in that. Still, about every week or every other week, I pop Gretchen apart, blow the lint out, reassemble, and I'm good to go. I don't worry about fingerprints or scuff marks, or much of anything else. Every few months or range trips, whichever comes first, I actually clean her, but that's about a 4 minute affair.

She's light. After carrying that 1911 for a while, Gretchen feels like nothing on my hip. While my job precludes me from "all-day, every day" carry, I can and do carry all day on many weekends, and I can sure tell a difference.

Cons:
Glock service. While this is more of a company problem than a pistol problem, I've been underwhelmed by Glock's CS. I needed them one time (the aforementioned slide lock spring), and they: (a) refused to send me the spring; but also (b) never sent it to the armorer who ordered it for me. I get it that they don't send parts to Bubbas like me, but to then fail to send it to the armorer, leaving me without a functional pistol . . . Yeah, I know it's a $3 part, but it still hacks me off.

The finish. While this isn't a big deal for me, I have to admit that I'd love to have the vaunted frying pan finish, or at least one of the more durable finishes. I've got a couple of points on my slide where the finish wore completely off in just a few months of carry. I'll admit that I like a little holster wear on my pistol, but mine really seemed to wear off faster than it should have. IIUC, the treatments to the underlying metal mean I don't have to worry about corrosion, and it's a good thing, because I'm not about to spend another few hundred bucks having her Cerakoted/NP3'd/etc.

She's homely. I admit it. Gretchen has a face made for radio. But she sure can cook! :D
 
I'm going to borrow and adjust a line from Chris Titus (though he was referencing a particular joke).

"A Glock is like a Toyota Camry. Reliable. Not inspiring"
 
"A Glock is like a Toyota Camry. Reliable. Not inspiring"
Click to expand...

My sentiments. I don't own a Glock, but I would not hesitate to carry one. I just have other preferences. And, amazingly enough, there are other pistols out there that are just as reliable. I have a Jericho pistol that I know I'm in the 10k+ round count, and I can't recall any failure that was not my fault. I have a cheap RIA 1911 that has seen some good amount of use as well. Only failures with that is from one crappy magazine. Same with the Sigs I carry on duty, though they are not high round count.

I reject the notion that no other pistol compares to Glock when regarding reliability.
 
My one experience was with an early (mid 1980s) Glock 17 acquired from a fellow 1911 guy who just couldn't get the hang of it.
Having never previously been enthusiastic over wonder 9s, a nearly triple round capacity over my trusty Colt was too much to resist.
I used this pistol for over 5 years, along with a 1911 and a CZ clone.
It took quite a lot of practice to be able to effectively use this combination, but it proved possible.
No complaints with the Glock over thousands of rounds fired, other than the front sight eventually got sanded down from endless trips to and from the holster.
The end for it came when I decided to do some preventative service and discovered the only way to get parts was from the manufacturer (back then) restricted to only officially trained Glock armorers.
Even the local gunsmiths had the same problem.
So I went back to the 1911.
Otherwise the Glock served me well.
 
Glock 34 -- mine is primarily range toy because of its size.
Like:
1. Reliable.
2. Very simple gun.
3. Easy maintenance.

Dislike:
1. The bump on the trigger guard that can produce the "Glock Knuckle" --- Sanded down.
2. Terrible sights --- replaced with Dawson FO front and Dawson adjustable rear.
3. Trigger --- not crisp, tried several combinations of connectors and striker spring. It currently has a 3lb connector, and modified trigger bar; crisp but on the heavy side.
=====
When I take a break from 1911, this glock sometimes goes to the range.

If I were to do it again, I think I would get a G26 or a G19. The smaller size is more practical for me.
 
I've got Glocks for most of my pistol needs, a custom G20L, G21, custom G21L, G22, G23, and custom G24. My son and I decided to get a couple of Springfield 1911s; a Mil-Spec for him and Range Office for me just because. I found that switching from 1911 to Glock results in my 'presenting' with the muzzle too high.

Many say that Glock's grip angle is wrong, however, I found that that grip angle is the same as the 1911, but the 'dip' at the top of the backstrap is too deep. If I only had Glocks, it would be fine but with both it's an issue.

Good thing is that it's easily and cheaply fixed. I just added a Grip Force adapter just like sigarms228's shows on his G23 and that solved the issue as it fills in the hollow. Now I can swap between the two platforms and come right on target without a hitch.

DSCN2820.jpg


DSCN7880A.jpg


DSCN6059.jpg
 
My glock relationship has progressed like this...

I hated them.
I stopped being stubborn.
I bought one.
I am a fanboy.

If you decide yours wont stay in your safe let me know, I know a safe it could stay in:D
 
If you want a Glock buy one. I'm cool with that. I don't like the way they fit my hand so I don't want one. So I would hope you would be cool with that.

The issue with firearms, whether pistol or rifle, is everyone has their favorites and some people seem to believe that their favorite is the only choice for everyone. Um, no. That's why there are so many choices. Pick what you like, what feels good, and what you can hit what you are shooting at with.
 
Trigger - I forget the original pull...I want to say an OK, but not good 6.75 lb pull with a sharp as a knife serrated trigger. Some basic work over a couple hours has yielded a pretty darn good 2.75 lb take up and 5.5 lb break.
Click to expand...

One "gets used to" the trigger, as the nerves deteriorate. :) (A lame attempt at a joke, but yes, I've found that I find the Glock's trigger much less annoying as time goes on.)

So, how has your Glock relationship progressed. Will it earn a home in my safe?
Click to expand...

Bought a G19 a few years ago. It has never been number one with me, but I can see the attraction.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top