I’ve used one version or another of Glocks famous tupperware for 30 years now. My first real carry gun and duty gun was a G19. It was my last duty gun was as well. In between I’ve used various generations of G22, G23, and G17, as well as more than a few 19’s. I never liked any of them, and never really warmed up to them.
They were not that accurate, some were not that reliable, and none of them seemed made for my hand. The grip angle has always put the muzzle higher than I would prefer and they have always felt like a 2×4 to me. I shoot them well enough, but frankly, I shoot them worse than any other gun I have ever carried or competed with. To be clear, these are fairly subtle differences and I have placed and won in different types of competition with the Glock, always using the stock parts. I just shoot every other gun a little better.
All that was true, until my last duty gun. It seemed common enough when I took it out of the box — a G19M MOS. Nothing special, unless you count the fact that Glock had replaced my previous duty gun with this one. My previous gun would not eject a live round from the chamber, since Glock failed to finish a machining operation on an LE duty gun sold under contract to me through my agency.
Lest anyone think ANY gun manufacturer gets it right all the time, I assure you, none of them do. This was a little more egregious than usual, since LE guns usually undergo a little more QC before being released to an agency. Sometimes that is only marketing and not reality, regardless of what the contract calls for.
This particular G19 is very accurate, very shootable, and handles well at high speed. One of the reasons I have always preferred to carry and shoot G17’s is because they draw faster and recoil less, so I can shoot them slightly better. I’m not talking about a large difference, but on the draw, I can usually save about .1 of a second with the bigger gripped G17. On followup shots, I can’t shoot the G17 faster per say, but I hit a little better with the bigger gun at speed. This G19 is putting out exactly the same performance as my usual G17 carry gun. Weird.
The only real “mod” I make to duty guns is to add the excellent brass backstrap insert made by C&H Precision. Called the Speed Feed, it was designed by a friend and coworker who is a top USPSA guy and it performs really well. I have plugged the backstrap of my Glocks since the early days of the GWOT, usually with a cheap plastic plug. When C&H came out with their plastic plugs, especially with the spare battery holder built in, I switched right away. Better design, better quality, and an extra battery, what’s not to like?
When C&H sent me some of the brass ones to play with, I mostly used them in competition guns. Once I realized how much liked the heft and balance of the gun with the heavier grip, I started using them in duty guns as well. I might have preferred a black one, but the brass works great and I didn’t really care if anyone saw it.
One advantage the Glock has over my beloved HK’s is how easy and fast it is to reload. The flared magwell certainly makes for quick reloads. Add the backstrap insert, and fumbles are very rare. The junction of the factory Glock magwell and backstrap is a flat, 90 degree piece of plastic that like to catch magazines as they attempt to go in. The Speed Feed from C&H solves this problem by dishing the area out and allowing the mag to continue up the chute unimpeded. I always carry a spare G17 mag, rather than the G19 mag. This gives me a few more rounds but more importantly, I cannot pinch my hand when reloading with the longer mag.
The trigger on my G19M MOS was good right out of the box, and it has gotten a little better over the course of thousands of rounds. No Glock has a great trigger, but this G19’s trigger does about everything I care about. It really is an easy shooting gun that makes it hard to miss. Somehow, I manage to anyway. Pure skill, I guess.
If I had to carry a Glock again, my last G19 makes a good case for it. I suppose that’s a nice way to end a career filled with Glocks.
I have never been a fan of any Glock, for many of the reasons you listed and more. The factory Glock trigger has the ability to make your finger sore with one magazine. When I did buy my first polymer pistol, a .40 M&P 2.0 compact, the first thing I did was add a Floyd’s mag well and base pads on the mags, and when I got the Metal M&P .40 again first thing was to do the same with the mag well and base pads