I never was a Glock fan. Something about a plastic gun, especially one as ugly as a Glock, turned me off so I never even considered owning one in spite of all the glowing reports of durability and dependability. Back in the day I opted for a Ruger P85 instead. Durable and dependable, which it should be since it weighs around 14 lbs. and has a grip the size of a rifle stock. Then a couple of years ago I thought I'd check out one of those new Gen 4's. It felt good. Very good. Something previous generations didn't for me. I still have the P85 and when comparing it to my G19 or G26 the improvement over the old Ruger is almost hard to believe. The only change I've made is to swap out the trigger bars for the Gen3 and go with minus connectors. Very simple, cheap and easy to do, just like everything else with these guns. The stock sights, finger grooves, grip texture and angle all work for me, just as I would guess they do for most people in spite of the complaints you might hear. That's just how the internet works. People that don't have a problem with something aren't the ones you generally hear from. Anyway that's my fanboy opinion that's worth exactly what you paid for it.
Glock: a love/hate relationship!
- Thread starter Nathan
- Start date
bedbugbilly
New member
This has been an interesting thread to read.
I'm "old" and it took a lot for me to buy a plastic gun - my first wass an SR9 - I have primarily been a STEEL revolver shooter for 50 + years.
I'm in the early stages of "Glockitus". Brando1992 kind of lists the "stages". I admit I hated Glocks - but had no real reason to. I was stubborn and never going to buy one.
Then, I watched some shoot theirs. I stopped being so stubborn and began to get curious and you know what curiosity did to the cat.
I have "re-thunk" my CCW and when I get back to MI next month, will be looking for a new Glock 30SF or 30S for EDC. OK - so they aren't the prettiest but I was taught that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I'm looking for something simple, reliable and and easy to take care of. Yep . . . I've heard all about what a big thick blocky piece of plastic they are . . . but I'm retired and carry OWB. A Glock's thickness is still thinner than a revolver cylinder so that doesn't concern me at all.
My only concern is about taking a sip of the Glock kook-aid and maybe one will lead to more? But hey . . . life is short and it's good to try new things once in a while.
I'm "old" and it took a lot for me to buy a plastic gun - my first wass an SR9 - I have primarily been a STEEL revolver shooter for 50 + years.
I'm in the early stages of "Glockitus". Brando1992 kind of lists the "stages". I admit I hated Glocks - but had no real reason to. I was stubborn and never going to buy one.
Then, I watched some shoot theirs. I stopped being so stubborn and began to get curious and you know what curiosity did to the cat.
I have "re-thunk" my CCW and when I get back to MI next month, will be looking for a new Glock 30SF or 30S for EDC. OK - so they aren't the prettiest but I was taught that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I'm looking for something simple, reliable and and easy to take care of. Yep . . . I've heard all about what a big thick blocky piece of plastic they are . . . but I'm retired and carry OWB. A Glock's thickness is still thinner than a revolver cylinder so that doesn't concern me at all.
My only concern is about taking a sip of the Glock kook-aid and maybe one will lead to more? But hey . . . life is short and it's good to try new things once in a while.
I too was convinced I'd never like them but ran across a used G23 at a price that was too good to pass up shortly after they came out. I only kept it about 2 years. When the AWB took effect in 1994 I sold the gun and 2 magazines for $600, then the 3 other mags for $100 each putting $900 in my pocket.
But I was hooked. Gradually I've sold almost all of my other pistols except the 1911 range toys and one Sig 226. I now have several Glocks in 9mm, 10mm and one in 45 ACP.
They are as important to me as a good hammer is to a carpenter. A tool, but an important tool that just has to function. I still have a few 1911's and S&W revolvers when I'm interested in aesthetics. But I can't imagine anything else being a better choice if my life depends on it.
But I was hooked. Gradually I've sold almost all of my other pistols except the 1911 range toys and one Sig 226. I now have several Glocks in 9mm, 10mm and one in 45 ACP.
They are as important to me as a good hammer is to a carpenter. A tool, but an important tool that just has to function. I still have a few 1911's and S&W revolvers when I'm interested in aesthetics. But I can't imagine anything else being a better choice if my life depends on it.
claydoctor
New member
When they first came out, I could not conceive of buying such an ugly gun. Somehow, I ended up with the Model 23 and I loved the way it shot. I noticed , however, that if I shot more than 2 magazines through it, my finger got really sore . I even switched out the serrated trigger on the 23 for the smooth trigger on the 22. Didn't help. Went back to 1911's for the range and 9 mm Shield for carry .
Seems I might be alot younger than some of our other fellows here on this forum, 
Glock 19 was the first pistol I purchased. I still carry it regularly, when the weather here permits which is to damn often (rainy western Washington
).
- I quickly learned I hate the sights. I tried an AmeriGlo fiber sight, and eventually ended up with a TruGlo night sights fixture. I love them.
- After training and learning, and using quite a few SAO pistols, primarily my sigp938, I decided I did not like the glock trigger, seeing as I shoot other lighter triggers a lot better. I might get a 3.5 pound connector, but for now I just replaced the saftey plunger diddly with an aftermarket smooth titanium one to smooth up the action a bit. I have learned the glock trigger, and I am proficient with it, but I will probably do some work to it to lighten it up a bit.
- All in all, I love glocks. Over 5 years with this glock 19 of mine and only had one or two FTE's, I have since cleaned the hell out of my extractor. I have so much confidence in my glock, just a well made firearm.
Glock 19 was the first pistol I purchased. I still carry it regularly, when the weather here permits which is to damn often (rainy western Washington
). - I quickly learned I hate the sights. I tried an AmeriGlo fiber sight, and eventually ended up with a TruGlo night sights fixture. I love them.
- After training and learning, and using quite a few SAO pistols, primarily my sigp938, I decided I did not like the glock trigger, seeing as I shoot other lighter triggers a lot better. I might get a 3.5 pound connector, but for now I just replaced the saftey plunger diddly with an aftermarket smooth titanium one to smooth up the action a bit. I have learned the glock trigger, and I am proficient with it, but I will probably do some work to it to lighten it up a bit.
- All in all, I love glocks. Over 5 years with this glock 19 of mine and only had one or two FTE's, I have since cleaned the hell out of my extractor. I have so much confidence in my glock, just a well made firearm.
Quartermaster
Inactive
I pretty much agree with everything you just said Sawyer.N, my first gun was also a Glock (albeit a 17) but I soon discovered I could shoot other guns much better so I ended up trading my glock 17 for CZ 75. I now have a CZ Tactical Sport.
In short, even though the Glock didn't shoot quite as well as other guns for me I wouldn't hesitate to get another Glock again. Possibly a G19 next time though.
Peace,
Quartermaster
In short, even though the Glock didn't shoot quite as well as other guns for me I wouldn't hesitate to get another Glock again. Possibly a G19 next time though.
Peace,
Quartermaster
Onward Allusion
New member
I didn't own any Glocks until about 3 years ago. Up until then, I didn't feel one way or another, except that they were really ugly. Kind of like a Hi Point.
Now I have 4 of 'em with a crap load of accessories: conversion barrels, CT lasers, Lasermax guide rod, grips, trigger blocks, upgraded springs, fiber sights, night sights, slide plates . . . . .etc...etc. They are the Ruger 10/22 of the pistol world.
They are dead nuts reliable, accurate as any other duty class pistol, and fun to upgrade. What more could one ask for? Well, maybe make 'em a bit prettier. They are still as ugly as Hi Points.
Now I have 4 of 'em with a crap load of accessories: conversion barrels, CT lasers, Lasermax guide rod, grips, trigger blocks, upgraded springs, fiber sights, night sights, slide plates . . . . .etc...etc. They are the Ruger 10/22 of the pistol world.
They are dead nuts reliable, accurate as any other duty class pistol, and fun to upgrade. What more could one ask for? Well, maybe make 'em a bit prettier. They are still as ugly as Hi Points.
Nathan: said:
The main criteria for my guns are that they have to be reliable and I have to be able to hit my targets with it. My Glock 19 has the added benefit in that everybody makes a holster for it. And if I practice enough with it, I can live with the things I might otherwise not like about it. Rangetime and extra ammo make more sense to me at this point than a bunch of modifications that I may not end up liking anyway.
I bought a Glock 19 about 20 years ago. Never had a failure, still have the original mags along with additional mags all work great. Never had a problem with the trigger pull. At 5 to 10 yards I get pretty good groups. I like my Glock and will pass it on to one of my offspring some day.
I was old school all steel pistols for many years, so it took me a long time to try a plastic gun.
I got my first Glocks, a gen2 19, and a gen3 17, at an auction. I soon warmed up to them and owned a few others over the years.
I was perfectly happy with Glocks as the right tool for the job. Never minded the triggers, the sights, or the grips until I got my first M&P.
After that my Glocks slowly faded away to be replaced by various versions in the M&P line.
A good tool that feels better in my hand and costs $100 less will always be my choice.
I got my first Glocks, a gen2 19, and a gen3 17, at an auction. I soon warmed up to them and owned a few others over the years.
I was perfectly happy with Glocks as the right tool for the job. Never minded the triggers, the sights, or the grips until I got my first M&P.
After that my Glocks slowly faded away to be replaced by various versions in the M&P line.
A good tool that feels better in my hand and costs $100 less will always be my choice.
Doc Holliday 1950
New member
When I first joined TFL, I was looking for 357 mag wheels. Never wanted a pistol because my cousin lent me his Taurus Millenium and it kept jamming on me. Secondly, Uncle Aurtheritis was pretty bad.
My wife's little brother is in the Military and he swore by his Glock 19. So I asked TFL which semi would you get and why. I don't give a fig about the looks. All I cared about was it reliable and go bang every time. I rented several
of the ones that I thought would fill my requirements and I chose the G 19 gen 4.
Pros-
1- fits my hands just fine.
2- I'm a better shot with the Glock than my 357s.
3- EZ to rack.
4- EZ to field strip & clean.
5- EZ to carry concealed for me.
6- Not one misfire or jam. I go to a range once or twice a week and put
100 rounds plus through it at least every time.
Cons-
If I find one I'll amend this.
My wife's little brother is in the Military and he swore by his Glock 19. So I asked TFL which semi would you get and why. I don't give a fig about the looks. All I cared about was it reliable and go bang every time. I rented several
of the ones that I thought would fill my requirements and I chose the G 19 gen 4.
Pros-
1- fits my hands just fine.
2- I'm a better shot with the Glock than my 357s.
3- EZ to rack.
4- EZ to field strip & clean.
5- EZ to carry concealed for me.
6- Not one misfire or jam. I go to a range once or twice a week and put
100 rounds plus through it at least every time.
Cons-
If I find one I'll amend this.
jackstrawIII
New member
I've always felt the same way about Glocks:
1. I respect them, but I don't like shooting them. I can't get over the "TWANG" of the trigger.
2. I resent them because so many people think they're the only reliable gun on the market. This upsets me.
1. I respect them, but I don't like shooting them. I can't get over the "TWANG" of the trigger.
2. I resent them because so many people think they're the only reliable gun on the market. This upsets me.
Onward Allusion
New member
Let's say it averages to 5,000 rounds per year. It would take a very long time to wear it out. Maybe spring replacements every 10K - 20K (depending on ammo) but aside from that . . .
Rangerrich99
New member
Dislikes:
Ugly: No way around it, just an ugly gun.
Trigger: Just never going to like the semi-mushy toy pistol feel of the SafeAction trigger, or any striker pattern trigger I've tried so far. But it's adequate to the task of defensive shooting, so I live with it. And as striker triggers go, it's not the worst out there either.
Point-ability: I couldn't tell you exactly why (I'm not an ergonomics expert), but my Glock 19 (or any Glock for that matter) doesn't point all that well for me. This is compared to my 1911s, or my Sig, or my revolvers. With any of those, I can close my eyes, draw and point at the target, open my eyes and the sights are lined up properly with the front sight somewhere between the rear sight notch. Not so with the Glock. The front sight is almost always off to the left, actually behind the leftside of the rear sight notch.
Factory sights: After only two months I noticed the front sight had a slight lean to the left. Never abused the gun to that point, so no idea why that happened. Discovered through other forum members that Glock sights are made of plastic (not the same plastic the rest of the gun is made of, oddly enough), and that replacement of factory sights was common.
Likes:
Very reliable: Both the gun and the mags have been extremely reliable. The gun slightly less so when it comes to my reloads, but flawless with factory ammo to this point (over 1,000 rds in the last 8 months).
Accuracy: More than accurate enough for defensive purposes, IMO. Regularly produces patterns of 3 inches or less out to 15 yards.
EZ maintenance: Extremely easy and fast field stripping and maintenance. Also requires little regular maintenance to function reliably.
Accessories: Lots of aftermarket accessories, holsters, etc. available at any price point you can think of.
Weight: Relatively lightweight. If my Glock was a regular carry weapon, I'm sure I'd appreciate it's light weight.
There are probably more likes and dislikes, but these are the ones that came readily to mind.
Ugly: No way around it, just an ugly gun.
Trigger: Just never going to like the semi-mushy toy pistol feel of the SafeAction trigger, or any striker pattern trigger I've tried so far. But it's adequate to the task of defensive shooting, so I live with it. And as striker triggers go, it's not the worst out there either.
Point-ability: I couldn't tell you exactly why (I'm not an ergonomics expert), but my Glock 19 (or any Glock for that matter) doesn't point all that well for me. This is compared to my 1911s, or my Sig, or my revolvers. With any of those, I can close my eyes, draw and point at the target, open my eyes and the sights are lined up properly with the front sight somewhere between the rear sight notch. Not so with the Glock. The front sight is almost always off to the left, actually behind the leftside of the rear sight notch.
Factory sights: After only two months I noticed the front sight had a slight lean to the left. Never abused the gun to that point, so no idea why that happened. Discovered through other forum members that Glock sights are made of plastic (not the same plastic the rest of the gun is made of, oddly enough), and that replacement of factory sights was common.
Likes:
Very reliable: Both the gun and the mags have been extremely reliable. The gun slightly less so when it comes to my reloads, but flawless with factory ammo to this point (over 1,000 rds in the last 8 months).
Accuracy: More than accurate enough for defensive purposes, IMO. Regularly produces patterns of 3 inches or less out to 15 yards.
EZ maintenance: Extremely easy and fast field stripping and maintenance. Also requires little regular maintenance to function reliably.
Accessories: Lots of aftermarket accessories, holsters, etc. available at any price point you can think of.
Weight: Relatively lightweight. If my Glock was a regular carry weapon, I'm sure I'd appreciate it's light weight.
There are probably more likes and dislikes, but these are the ones that came readily to mind.
TruthTellers
New member
When I shot a Gen 3 Glock 22, I didn't like the trigger or the recoil. So, I bought a Gen 4 G35 and the trigger felt WAY better. The extra length of the slide help tame the recoil of the .40 as well and made it very comfortable to shoot.
I have a conversion barrel for 9mm and between the .40 and 9mm, I don't feel a difference between either in terms of recoil, they're both very controllable.
I love that I can very easily convert to .357 Sig as well if I want. I figure with whichever direction and branch of the US military goes with their service pistols, if any one of them chooses .40 or .357 Sig, I'm covered. If they all stick with 9mm, I'm covered. I'm always going to have access to handgun ammunition.
There are other pistols out there that I'm sure are just fine, but I can't get into them like I can the Glock.
I have a conversion barrel for 9mm and between the .40 and 9mm, I don't feel a difference between either in terms of recoil, they're both very controllable.
I love that I can very easily convert to .357 Sig as well if I want. I figure with whichever direction and branch of the US military goes with their service pistols, if any one of them chooses .40 or .357 Sig, I'm covered. If they all stick with 9mm, I'm covered. I'm always going to have access to handgun ammunition.
There are other pistols out there that I'm sure are just fine, but I can't get into them like I can the Glock.
Spats McGee
Administrator
I actually don't think Doc Holliday has been doing that for years. I thought I remembered that he only recently got his G19: https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=582092Nathan said:
I don't love or hate them.
I've always wanted to like Glocks. I appreciate and respect them for what they are: an affordable, reliable, easy to use handgun. If they fit your hand well, it's hard to go wrong with them. And like the old S&W K Frames, there is such a huge variety of options, calibers and configurations, they really do offer a great value.
The grip angle is fine, but the texture and the shape are absolutely, 100% a deal breaker for me. The shape is just so wrong, and the finger grooves are in the wrong place - they very uncomfortable to hold and borderline painful to shoot - they really do feel like holding a 2 x 4, to me. And the trigger blade, yeah I could do without that.
I ended up with a S&W SD9VE. Every bit as dependable and simple, but the grip shape is infinitely more comfortable in my hand. And it cost only $269 . Added bonus. I actually prefer the trigger on the SD9 to the Glock (especially the smooth, wide face), I like having some weight to it. Granted it's still spongy and plastic feeling, like striker triggers usually are. I get floored when I hear people complaining about how heavy it is, honestly I don't even notice the weight. As I've often said, there must be some REALLY weak fingered folks on these message boards - how do you manage to type on your keyboard 
?
Some of you guys need to pick up a Nagant revolver and shoot the mess out of it in double action - thing has about a 8, 9, 10 thousand lb trigger pull - after you do that for a while, everything else will feel light .
Anyway, the break on my SD9 is actually fairly clean, not a lot of over travel. Much better in that regard than my new S&W M&P9 shield, which has too much over travel, it's gritty and the break is very rough. But the M&P trigger is lighter, and that is what most people notice first, and prefer. Not me.
Yep, that pretty much describes striker fired triggers in general, more or less. People that think a Glock, XD, whatever has a great trigger (talking factory / OEM) hasn't picked up a good 1911, S&W revolver, CZ 82 / 83, etc.
But with a bad back, I definitely appreciate the lighter weight for every day carry.
I've always wanted to like Glocks. I appreciate and respect them for what they are: an affordable, reliable, easy to use handgun. If they fit your hand well, it's hard to go wrong with them. And like the old S&W K Frames, there is such a huge variety of options, calibers and configurations, they really do offer a great value.
The grip angle is fine, but the texture and the shape are absolutely, 100% a deal breaker for me. The shape is just so wrong, and the finger grooves are in the wrong place - they very uncomfortable to hold and borderline painful to shoot - they really do feel like holding a 2 x 4, to me. And the trigger blade, yeah I could do without that.
I ended up with a S&W SD9VE. Every bit as dependable and simple, but the grip shape is infinitely more comfortable in my hand. And it cost only $269
. Added bonus. I actually prefer the trigger on the SD9 to the Glock (especially the smooth, wide face), I like having some weight to it. Granted it's still spongy and plastic feeling, like striker triggers usually are. I get floored when I hear people complaining about how heavy it is, honestly I don't even notice the weight. As I've often said, there must be some REALLY weak fingered folks on these message boards - how do you manage to type on your keyboard ? Some of you guys need to pick up a Nagant revolver and shoot the mess out of it in double action - thing has about a 8, 9, 10 thousand lb trigger pull - after you do that for a while, everything else will feel light
. Anyway, the break on my SD9 is actually fairly clean, not a lot of over travel. Much better in that regard than my new S&W M&P9 shield, which has too much over travel, it's gritty and the break is very rough. But the M&P trigger is lighter, and that is what most people notice first, and prefer. Not me.
Yep, that pretty much describes striker fired triggers in general, more or less. People that think a Glock, XD, whatever has a great trigger (talking factory / OEM) hasn't picked up a good 1911, S&W revolver, CZ 82 / 83, etc.
But with a bad back, I definitely appreciate the lighter weight for every day carry.
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