Post by Sgt K USMC on Mar 1, 2008 7:43:06 GMT -5
The Glock 19 is a compact framed 9mm pistol modeled off of the larger Glock 17. It is a favorite of law enforcement departments nationwide due to it's decreased size and reliability, as well as it's high ammo capacity and accuracy.
Very little can be said about the Glock that isn't positive; Glock firearms are world renowned as one of the top 5 picks, consistently, for law enforcement, military and civilians in all areas of performance and capabilities. Of the few negatives that can be said of the Glock, the most often mentioned is it's lack of a positive safety device, which is rarely a concern for professional shooters or those who use the weapon as an operational side arm.
DA's Glock 19:
Although this is my wife's weapon I have fired it a number of times and will be giving my review of it.
Range: As 9mm's go the range is on par with any other compact I have fired, I don't personally find the overall range to accuracy level to be very impressive but can still easily hit targets at the 25 meter line with moderately acceptable results.
Accuracy: As a short to medium range weapon the accuracy is very good with extremely tight groupings possible up to 10 and 15 meters. Beyond this however the groupings begin to open up dramatically with a 25 meter grouping of 8 inches being common.
I have noted that this is likely due to a combination of the weapons light weight and 'box' style rear sight, which causes a noticeable shift in the weapons overall balance and the sights tendency to create an optical illusion of sorts at longer ranges respectively.
Recoil: Recoil on the weapon is amazingly light, so much so that during rapid fire it takes very little effort to bring the sights back on target after each shot.
A friend of mine is a competition shooter and swears by Glock, mainly for this reason, as he is able to empty a magazine with near perfect accuracy faster than most of us can spell our names.
Trigger: Glocks have a very unique trigger with a feature known as a 'trigger safety' device attached to the very tip. This is a lever that is built into the trigger housing itself and prevents the weapon from firing unless it is pulled into the trigger while pulling the entire trigger itself back.
This may sound complicated but it isn't; all a shooter has to do is put their finger on the trigger as they would with any other pistol and pull the trigger in order to operate it, the only difference is that this device ensures that the shooter is placing their finger in the right spot of the trigger to ensure the least amount of 'trigger wiggle' and in fact aides in overall accuracy.
Other than that however the trigger pull is acceptable at around 4 lbs. and has a more than acceptable travel time.
Sights: Factory Glocks come with adjustable 'box' sights, which are different from your normal 3 dot arrangement in that the bottom bar of the rear sight is painted white. This is a good feature for night shooting and for close targets, but has a tendency to create a rather odd optical illusion at longer ranges, as the front sight seems to almost blend into the rear sights sides. This can be overcome by painting the front sight dot red. (or any color for that matter)
Accessories: This weapon is very likely the most upgradeable pistol on the planet, next to the 1911 of course. There are in fact so many different accessories that you can add to these weapons that there are entire companies dedicated to manufacturing nothing BUT accessories for the Glock.
Reliability: One of the most reliable firearms on earth, the Glock has a reputation for being able to survive and strive in the most inhospitable climates the planet can offer. This is due in part to the fact that Glocks are constructed from not only steel, but high strength synthetics as well. This affords it a rather unique tolerance level when dealing with climate and terrain that more rigid systems are hard pressed to match.
I can't think of a single time this weapon has ever malfunctioned EVEN when the recoil spring rod snapped in half during fire.
Ammo: Standard ammo capacity is 15 rounds, but there are a number of 10 round (California Compliant) magazines on the market. Additionally there are a number of extended magazines for the weapon going all the way up to 32 rounds. (These obviously do not seat flush with the weapons magazine well)
Opinion: This is the part where most of the Glock fans are going to get pissed.
I have never really been a Glock fan, I have two big reasons as to why:
In 94 a SSgt in my unit decided to bring his to the field on a tactical thigh holster, during our field training he fell down a small embankment landing on a rock, when he got up the Glock was split across the trigger guard through the entire lower receiver. Had this been his real duty weapon it would have at that point been a slightly less than effective hammer.
My second issue comes with the fact that the Glock does not have a positive safety. To me this is critical in any weapon that I am considering purchasing and for any who have children and are considering buying a firearm, I cannot stress enough, STAY AWAY FROM GLOCK for this reason alone.
Those two issues aside however I do have to give high marks to Glock for it's customer support. When DA's Glock's recoil spring rod broke in half the Glock staff were not only helpful but responsive, and ensured that I had a new one in my hands the next day. They also advised me that the recoil spring rod should be replaced after every 2,000 rnds to ensure they don't break during fire, AND SENT ME A SPARE. All of this was free.
Overall I like the weapon as a shooting pistol but would not take it for my first choice as a defensive weapon.
Glock fans may now begin what will no doubt be the epic of all ass chewing's here.
Very little can be said about the Glock that isn't positive; Glock firearms are world renowned as one of the top 5 picks, consistently, for law enforcement, military and civilians in all areas of performance and capabilities. Of the few negatives that can be said of the Glock, the most often mentioned is it's lack of a positive safety device, which is rarely a concern for professional shooters or those who use the weapon as an operational side arm.
DA's Glock 19:
Although this is my wife's weapon I have fired it a number of times and will be giving my review of it.
Range: As 9mm's go the range is on par with any other compact I have fired, I don't personally find the overall range to accuracy level to be very impressive but can still easily hit targets at the 25 meter line with moderately acceptable results.
Accuracy: As a short to medium range weapon the accuracy is very good with extremely tight groupings possible up to 10 and 15 meters. Beyond this however the groupings begin to open up dramatically with a 25 meter grouping of 8 inches being common.
I have noted that this is likely due to a combination of the weapons light weight and 'box' style rear sight, which causes a noticeable shift in the weapons overall balance and the sights tendency to create an optical illusion of sorts at longer ranges respectively.
Recoil: Recoil on the weapon is amazingly light, so much so that during rapid fire it takes very little effort to bring the sights back on target after each shot.
A friend of mine is a competition shooter and swears by Glock, mainly for this reason, as he is able to empty a magazine with near perfect accuracy faster than most of us can spell our names.
Trigger: Glocks have a very unique trigger with a feature known as a 'trigger safety' device attached to the very tip. This is a lever that is built into the trigger housing itself and prevents the weapon from firing unless it is pulled into the trigger while pulling the entire trigger itself back.
This may sound complicated but it isn't; all a shooter has to do is put their finger on the trigger as they would with any other pistol and pull the trigger in order to operate it, the only difference is that this device ensures that the shooter is placing their finger in the right spot of the trigger to ensure the least amount of 'trigger wiggle' and in fact aides in overall accuracy.
Other than that however the trigger pull is acceptable at around 4 lbs. and has a more than acceptable travel time.
Sights: Factory Glocks come with adjustable 'box' sights, which are different from your normal 3 dot arrangement in that the bottom bar of the rear sight is painted white. This is a good feature for night shooting and for close targets, but has a tendency to create a rather odd optical illusion at longer ranges, as the front sight seems to almost blend into the rear sights sides. This can be overcome by painting the front sight dot red. (or any color for that matter)
Accessories: This weapon is very likely the most upgradeable pistol on the planet, next to the 1911 of course. There are in fact so many different accessories that you can add to these weapons that there are entire companies dedicated to manufacturing nothing BUT accessories for the Glock.
Reliability: One of the most reliable firearms on earth, the Glock has a reputation for being able to survive and strive in the most inhospitable climates the planet can offer. This is due in part to the fact that Glocks are constructed from not only steel, but high strength synthetics as well. This affords it a rather unique tolerance level when dealing with climate and terrain that more rigid systems are hard pressed to match.
I can't think of a single time this weapon has ever malfunctioned EVEN when the recoil spring rod snapped in half during fire.
Ammo: Standard ammo capacity is 15 rounds, but there are a number of 10 round (California Compliant) magazines on the market. Additionally there are a number of extended magazines for the weapon going all the way up to 32 rounds. (These obviously do not seat flush with the weapons magazine well)
Opinion: This is the part where most of the Glock fans are going to get pissed.
I have never really been a Glock fan, I have two big reasons as to why:
In 94 a SSgt in my unit decided to bring his to the field on a tactical thigh holster, during our field training he fell down a small embankment landing on a rock, when he got up the Glock was split across the trigger guard through the entire lower receiver. Had this been his real duty weapon it would have at that point been a slightly less than effective hammer.
My second issue comes with the fact that the Glock does not have a positive safety. To me this is critical in any weapon that I am considering purchasing and for any who have children and are considering buying a firearm, I cannot stress enough, STAY AWAY FROM GLOCK for this reason alone.
Those two issues aside however I do have to give high marks to Glock for it's customer support. When DA's Glock's recoil spring rod broke in half the Glock staff were not only helpful but responsive, and ensured that I had a new one in my hands the next day. They also advised me that the recoil spring rod should be replaced after every 2,000 rnds to ensure they don't break during fire, AND SENT ME A SPARE. All of this was free.
Overall I like the weapon as a shooting pistol but would not take it for my first choice as a defensive weapon.
Glock fans may now begin what will no doubt be the epic of all ass chewing's here.