Question for the Glock fans...

[MojoTexas]

I've fired several Glocks over the years, including one of the 10mm Glock 20s, the original 9mm Glock 17, and the .40 Glock 22. These were all pistols owned by buddies that let me shoot them a few times at the range.

I've never been a big fan of Glocks, but lately I've been reconsidering. So my question to all of you Glockaholics is, "Why do you love Glocks so much?" I'm not looking to flame anybody or start a holy war...I'm seriously interesting in hearing the opinions of all of you who love them.

Thanks!
MojoTexas

[WillieD]

Extremely reliable
Easy to work on
Cheap replacement parts

I only have two Glocks so far, a 27 and 35.

[Lodge2004]

Point at target, pull trigger, bang. Cave man simple. Never had a failure of any type.

[MojoTexas]

I hear a lot of people ranting about the lack of an external safety. Has it ever been a problem for y'all?

The biggest reason I'm reconsidering Glocks is that I'm thinking of getting a new carry pistol for when I receive my CHL. I currently have a Taurus PT145 (.45 ACP compact) but I don't like it's DAO trigger. My other two pistols are a little too bulky for day-to-day carry.

It's been a while since I shot a Glock, and to be honest I don't remember what the trigger was like. I know they don't have an external hammer, but is it a long double-action-only trigger pull?

Thanks,
MojoTexas

[Texasdoc]

WillieD and lodge2004 are right , and to add this 1500+ Law enforcement agencies can't be wrong

[stevie_d_64]

My standard answer to the external safety thing is a couple of tried and true comments...

The best safety is the one between your ears...

and...

Keep your booger-hooker thingy off the trigger thingy...

I have never...ever seen a firearm discharge without something on a human beings body being inserted into the trigger guard and the trigger pulled...

[stevie_d_64]

Other than that, I don't have a problem with Glocks...I carried one for 8 years...A G23...

I would carry it again, but I am going thru my 1911 phase right now...And having a lot of fun doing that for about a year now...

[apostate]

They work.

[hoytinak]

I tried and tried to really like Glocks for a long time. I over the years I have owned 2 G23's, 2 G19's, 1 G17, 1 G36, 1 G26 and 1 G20. I loved everything about them, ie. easy to work on, cheap replacement parts, ALOT of aftermarket, accurate and VERY reliable but I just couldn't get used to the hump on the back of the grip....it just didn't feel right in my hand. Well, I gave it another shot with Glock and bought another G19 (I'm a 9mm fan) and I sent it off to Bowie Tactical Comcepts to get a grip reduction and 360 degree stipple job. I have about 3000 rounds through it since I gave it back and man what a HUGE difference. It's fastly becoming one of my favorite handguns.

[ELB]

I admire the Glock because it is simple to use, reliable, rugged, and high capacity (at least in its 9mm incarnation). When I first started seriously shooting and a carrying a handgun, it was with revolvers. I figured out that for the weight and size of my blued S&W Model 19, I could carry a semi-auto that held three times as many rounds, was faster and simpler to reload, and was much less likely to corrode if I went the polymer route. So I picked up a Glock 17 and loved it. It was the revolver of the semi-auto world -- reliable, simple, point and click... er, bang. While I thought the 1911 was interesting for its history, it was a low round count with the added encumbrance of the slide safety.

I eventually switched to an FN Hi Power, solely because it fit my hand perfectly. With the Glock 17 (and this was before the grip reductions were available) I had to crab my hand around a bit to get good purchase on the trigger, and when I naturally extended my arm/hand to shoot, the grip angle put the muzzle just a tad high -- I had to work at bending my wrist down slightly to align the sights. The Hi Power did away with these issues, and it was a little bit flatter/thinner, which seemed to help with concealability.

To gain the perfect hand fit and pointability of the Hi Power, I had to add give up the polymer/tenifer benefit, and add some complexity -- namely, the safety lever on the side. It was a trainable thing, but it did add in a step I didn't think was truly necessary. In fact, on another forum, we are having an interesting discussion about whether to use the slide safety at all on 1911 and Browning Hi Power type pistols at all. For a combat handgun I believe (and I think most of the others there more or less agree) that trigger pull should not be lighter than about 5 lbs, regardless of whether it is a single action pistol or not. The standard Glock trigger pull (at least for the 17) is 5.5 lbs, so what's really the difference in safety between a Hi Power and Glock if the trigger pulls are of equal strength? Haven't fully resolved this in my mind yet, but am thinking hard on it...

So back to the Glock, I think it has many virtues as a combat handgun. Having emotional feel for steel and wood versus "tupperware" seems less important when dealing with a self-defense tool versus a bbq gun. (And as for emotional appeal -- I think it is really a great story that guy who was designing polymer shovels for the Austrian military came up with handgun that has had such an impact on the handgun world).

If the Glock doesn't fit you, now there are many other Glock-like handguns to choose from, that have adjustable backstraps and such, (and I think one of these days Glock is going to have to figure out how to do this).

To some up, I really like my Glock 17 because it is reliable, simple to use, and ultra-rugged.

elb

p.s. Oh, and about the trigger pull itself -- as noted above, the nominal pull on a Glock, at least the 17, is 5.5 lbs. You can get Glock factory parts to reduce that to 3-something, or increase it to about 8 or 9 lbs, as I recall (the "New York" trigger), similar to a revolver. I kept the standard trigger, and I don't find it to be too strong or too light. It doesn't have the "glass rod" break that 1911 aficianados brag on, but it seems acceptable to me and my wife (who qualified with it for all her CHL shoots). (I do think the "trigger safety" gizmo is totally unnecessary, but it doesn't hurt either).

elb

[BambooShoots]

I like the Glock because it is a affordable and reliable pistol.

Parts and mags are very common for it and can be had for more reasonable prices than say, HK mags.

Glocks are also more resistant to wear than other pistols. There are many G17s out there with well over 100,000 rounds through them with only basic preventative maintence (changing out springs, etc).

[03Lightningrocks]

I have owned Glocks for 23 years. I own a G17, G19, G26, G27. Never a problem with any of them. I like the fact that they are reliable and easy to maintain. They will eat any ammo you can throw at them and if anything needs repaired, it is cheap. I have done one repair on a Glock and it was on my 23 year old G17. The magazine catch needed replaced. A guy at the range did it for me in about 2 minutes flat and told me no-charge. That weapon has had thousands of rounds through it and been through hell and back with me. Under floor mats...in the dirt...it spent two weeks laying on a trail at the deer lease one year. I think I could use it for a hammer if I had to. Never had a problem with it going off. Funny thing I noticed about guns years ago. You have to pull the trigger to get a bullet to come out the end. With this thought in mind....finger off the trigger until ready to fire seems to work real well.

[MojoTexas]

Thank you for all of your comments. Next time I go to the Bullet Trap (in Plano) I'm going to test-drive a Glock 30. If I like it I will probably buy one.

[Liberty]

The best thing I like about Glocks is something other folks will hate about Glocks. Its the plastic. plastic is more comfortable against skin than steel, you can carve it up, or repair it with JB Weld. Plastic and steel tend to be self lubricating

[stevie_d_64]

Thank you for all of your comments. Next time I go to the Bullet Trap (in Plano) I'm going to test-drive a Glock 30. If I like it I will probably buy one.

Thats the spirit!!! When you are in a buying mood...Something will follow you home...That is a fact!!!

Keep us posted...