About 6 months ago I was in the market for a new pistol. Things I wanted in the gun:
9mm so I could shoot more on a limited budget
More concealable then my full sized XD
I wanted a full size(ish) gun so that I could go to training with it.
I wanted a gun with lots of aftermarket support
Eventually my search led me to a Glock 19. I had looked at Glocks before, but never really liked the feel. The finger bump on the 19 had always landed right in the middle of my finger, and I had always bought into the grip angle hype. When I picked up the gen 4 Glock 19, I realized I had been wrong. I had been very, very wrong. So after 4 months on order, I finally got my gun about two months ago. I waited until now to write a review because I wanted to get a good number of rounds through it, and run it through Moyler's next step class so that I could get a good feel for the gun.
I want to start by commenting on the ejection pattern. I have read lots of reviews on the internet about newer Glocks sending brass strait back in your face, so this is something that I have been worried about. I found that the only time I have gotten brass in the face was shooting Independence ammo. I have shot a bunch of other ammo types and not had a problem. I shot a case of blazer brass during Moyler's class, and only had 2 or 3 rounds land on the brim of my hat. I feel safe saying that the brass to the face is really not a problem with my gun. That said, Apex is coming out with an extractor that is suppose to fix the problem completely, and I will be getting it to be on the safe side.
Next I want to talk about the grip angle. I think this 'problem' with Glocks is way overblown. I found that after 10 minuets of practice, the gun pointed more naturally for me then any gun I have ever handled. I like that the angle brings the bore more in line with my fore arm, and so brings the recoil more strait back. Along with the grip angle is the bore axis. I have shot lots of 9mm's before, and the combination of those 2 things make the Glock the most controllable of any of them. The recoil seems to come strait back into my chest and fore arms, making follow up shot easier.
I love the Gen 4 grip. It has a really aggressive texture that keeps the gun in place really well, even with wet hands. It strikes a good balance though, as the grip is not so aggressive that it chews up your hands. Like I said, I shot an all day class with it, and it was comfortable to shoot all day. I am glad that I wear and undershirt when I carry, because I am fairly sure that it would sand off any extra fat you had.
The changeable back-straps are not really an issue for me. I like the middle one, but I am sure if I had bigger (or smaller) hands they would make a big difference.
When I first got the gun, the trigger was awful. I really hated it. However as I have shot it more, the trigger has smoothed out a lot. My plan is to get to a thousand rounds and then re-evaluate it, but if it continues to smooth out, I don't think I will have to do anything to it.
So far the only thing I have changed out is the sights. I really hate Glock stock sights. So I got a pair of trijicons with a green front and yellow rear. I really like them. The only thing I would change is that I wish the front site had a little color on it to make it stand out during the day. I have considered adding some, but I am fairly sure my wife would make fun of me if I want to borrow her nail polish to use on my gun....
I am about 600 rounds into this gun and so far it has run like a champ (knock on wood)
I have to say that I am more then pleased with this gun. It shoots great, it carrys great, and is really everything I hoped it would be. I didn't start off as a Glock fanboy, but I think I might be turning into one. Oh well, welcome to the Glock collective :mrgreen:
9mm so I could shoot more on a limited budget
More concealable then my full sized XD
I wanted a full size(ish) gun so that I could go to training with it.
I wanted a gun with lots of aftermarket support
Eventually my search led me to a Glock 19. I had looked at Glocks before, but never really liked the feel. The finger bump on the 19 had always landed right in the middle of my finger, and I had always bought into the grip angle hype. When I picked up the gen 4 Glock 19, I realized I had been wrong. I had been very, very wrong. So after 4 months on order, I finally got my gun about two months ago. I waited until now to write a review because I wanted to get a good number of rounds through it, and run it through Moyler's next step class so that I could get a good feel for the gun.
I want to start by commenting on the ejection pattern. I have read lots of reviews on the internet about newer Glocks sending brass strait back in your face, so this is something that I have been worried about. I found that the only time I have gotten brass in the face was shooting Independence ammo. I have shot a bunch of other ammo types and not had a problem. I shot a case of blazer brass during Moyler's class, and only had 2 or 3 rounds land on the brim of my hat. I feel safe saying that the brass to the face is really not a problem with my gun. That said, Apex is coming out with an extractor that is suppose to fix the problem completely, and I will be getting it to be on the safe side.
Next I want to talk about the grip angle. I think this 'problem' with Glocks is way overblown. I found that after 10 minuets of practice, the gun pointed more naturally for me then any gun I have ever handled. I like that the angle brings the bore more in line with my fore arm, and so brings the recoil more strait back. Along with the grip angle is the bore axis. I have shot lots of 9mm's before, and the combination of those 2 things make the Glock the most controllable of any of them. The recoil seems to come strait back into my chest and fore arms, making follow up shot easier.
I love the Gen 4 grip. It has a really aggressive texture that keeps the gun in place really well, even with wet hands. It strikes a good balance though, as the grip is not so aggressive that it chews up your hands. Like I said, I shot an all day class with it, and it was comfortable to shoot all day. I am glad that I wear and undershirt when I carry, because I am fairly sure that it would sand off any extra fat you had.
The changeable back-straps are not really an issue for me. I like the middle one, but I am sure if I had bigger (or smaller) hands they would make a big difference.
When I first got the gun, the trigger was awful. I really hated it. However as I have shot it more, the trigger has smoothed out a lot. My plan is to get to a thousand rounds and then re-evaluate it, but if it continues to smooth out, I don't think I will have to do anything to it.
So far the only thing I have changed out is the sights. I really hate Glock stock sights. So I got a pair of trijicons with a green front and yellow rear. I really like them. The only thing I would change is that I wish the front site had a little color on it to make it stand out during the day. I have considered adding some, but I am fairly sure my wife would make fun of me if I want to borrow her nail polish to use on my gun....
I am about 600 rounds into this gun and so far it has run like a champ (knock on wood)
I have to say that I am more then pleased with this gun. It shoots great, it carrys great, and is really everything I hoped it would be. I didn't start off as a Glock fanboy, but I think I might be turning into one. Oh well, welcome to the Glock collective :mrgreen: