Recently, I visited a local gun store. Not having purchased a firearm in over a year, I was in the store looking for nothing in particular. I handled quite a few different pistols, revolvers and rifles. None of them struck me as being worth buying, which is the main reason why it’s been so long since I bought a firearm. Certainly, they were all quite nice (I didn’t handle any Taurus products) and if I didn’t own any firearms, I would most likely have walked out of the store with several. To be sure, if I didn’t own a Glock, I would have walked out of the store with one.
As I examined a Schofield revolver, a friend – and employee of the store – commented to me that I was a “Glock guy.” I was immediately on the defensive. Me? A Glock guy? I don’t carry the flag for any brand! However, I gave the matter some thought.
I currently own one Glock, a third generation G19. It serves as a daily concealed carry handgun, it accompanies me on hikes of various lengths, and, with an Advantage Arms conversion, it is the handgun that I use most often to maintain a basic level of proficiency. There is nothing special about it – I have owned quite a few like it, and might trade it for something interesting as early as tomorrow.
Glocks are priced competitively, especially the “Blue Label” discounted Glocks for LE/Mil. I would purchase another Glock 19 within a fairly short period of time, as I have done in the past after selling or trading them away. I feel absolutely no connection to these pistols – they are thoughtfully designed and carefully constructed tools, and no more.
I have probably spent a statistically significant portion of my life shooting or maintaining a 1911-style pistol that I bought 5 years ago. I have a love/hate relationship with that 1911 and doubt that I will ever get rid of it – it is not replaceable in its current, and reliable, form without a significant expenditure. Third generation Glock 19s are as interchangeable as compact fluorescent light bulbs, and only a little deadlier.
I have owned a wide selection of subcompact, compact, full size, and competition Glock models, in every cartridge selected by Glock except .380 Auto (not available in the US) and .45 GAP (because it’s stupid). More of them have malfunctioned than have not done so. I do not believe in Glock’s “Perfection” tagline – it makes me convulse with laughter. However, they are, in the right set of circumstances, exceptionally dependable tools.
I have purchased and used a wide selection of aftermarket parts and accessories for many of my past Glocks, but my current G19 is stock, with the exception of a slightly extended magazine release. I keep on hand a wide selection of (stock) spare parts for the Glock, which are readily available and affordable. The only handgun that rivals the Glock in spare parts availability is the 1911, although the dynamic in this regard is very different between the two.
Although it might seem like an odd reason to prefer one handgun over another, I like to maintain my own firearms, and this is impossible to do without access to a complete array of spare parts. I was almost entirely invested in the Smith & Wesson M&P platform before a company rep snidely informed me that Smith & Wesson did not sell spare parts to “regular people.” My stable of M&Ps was promptly sold.
On that note, I have owned and carried the vast majority of modern, quality service-type handguns, with the exception of HK products. For a variety of reasons, and even after initially positive results and feelings, these alternatives have all been sold or relegated to the safe. In the time since I first purchased a Glock, I have always returned to that brand after trying other pistols – and within that brand, I always end up returning to the G19.
Glock handguns are not perfect. Many Glock products do not interest me whatsoever. Glock is slower to adopt change than the Titanic, and their public relations are apparently managed by people who think “Circle the Wagons” was an actual tactic used outside of Oregon Trail. However, after much deliberation, the Glock 19 is the standard by which I measure other service handguns. I don’t think that makes me a “Glock guy” – it simply makes me a pragmatist. What do you think?
Yup, Glocks are perfect for carry/duty precisely because they are infinitely replaceable. Carry is a long, sweaty beating on a gun and what better to beat on than a Glock? That’s why I don’t understand carrying a 1911: they’re so nice, who wants to shove it down their pants (in a holster, you know what I mean) and sweat all over it? 🙂
Hello Andrew, please tell me what type of holster is in the photo? Thank you.
Ahoj! Praetor Defense – highly recommended.
I dig the hardware store mod.
I was warned to use loctite on the hardware – I did not do so – however, I didn’t lose the holster or the pistol, and as they say, Ace is the place…
DÃky! 🙂 I like your blog
You’re a Glock guy. Which is different from a fanboy. Fanboy’s defend their favorites at every turn, to the illogical end.
That said, there’s nothing wrong with it. When you turn to something else, you’ll be the Glock guy who is now the brand X guy. It’s because you carry the thing everywhere, people will identify you with it. Nothing more.
It’s the same with me and the SIG-P250. I like them because you can get them for a song, they are extremely interchangeable, I can work on them with very few tools, there are very few parts. I’ve had no trouble with the ones I’ve owned, but I don’t love them. People shake their heads and say I’m that P250 guy, poor thing. I don’t care.
You shouldn’t either.
BTW, what brand holster is that?
You know, during the Hussite wars and indeed before and after the Czechs of Böhmen and Mähren who followed Hus used the Circle of Wagons (or Wagensburg) with some success. Maybe mr Glock (Austrian pimp that he is) is a keen reader of military history and decided that if it was good enough for his neighbours it’s good enough for him? Maybe a CZ rep told herr Glock about pà n CZs great-great-great-great uncles successful circle of Skodas at IWA a long time ago?
Good post in any case.
Circle of Wagons: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wagenburg
Hussite war: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hussite_Wars
Thank you for this post. Seriously.
Approaching it from another angle, what would a different pistol need to do to lure you away from Glock? Be an M&P but with spare parts? Be cheaper? Have more honest and humble PR people? Be a completely radical, revolutionary design?
Hmm…Good question, and one I can’t really answer. The M&P with a better trigger and spare parts availability would be compelling. I can swallow a rude PR guy if they’ll sell me the stuff I want.
Apex DCAEK, that’ll fix the M&P trigger. The spare parts question remains.
I love and hate glock. I love the reliability of glocks, which while its not 100%, it is very good, I love the simplicity and ease of maintenance and I love the affordability. I hate glock’s “perfection” mantra. I have had several problems with a recent gen4 model 19 including frequent malfunctions relating to extraction/ejection and the slide being finished incorrectly, which left a large portion of the muzzle area exposed to rust etc. Regarding the extraction/ejection issues, I was told by a glock armorer instructor that my gun was not malfunctioning and there was nothing that needed to be done.(this was before they released the new spring assemblies) I also sent the slide to be refinished at Glock and it took nearly 5 months to return it to me. Once I got it back, they hadn’t fixed the issue with the finish and the “new” finish that they had applied simply rubbed off the first time I holstered the gun. (I can spray on alumahide too, but it doesn’t take 5 months!) Getting a Glock rep to admit that there is a problem with one of their guns is like pulling teeth and then getting anything serviced by them is a nightmare! I don’t think I will be purchasing another personally owned glock for a while.
I have had positive experiences with Smith and Wesson on the other hand and currently carry a SW1911pd off duty most of the time. It is as reliable as my glocks, if not more so, and its a 1911! I would probably get rid of my Glock work gun if my boss would let me, but that probably will not happen for a while. Im surprised that Smith and Wesson wouldn’t sell you parts for the M&P. When I used to have a couple of M&P’s I ordered some parts for them and they never once asked if I was a “regular person”.
No gun or gun company is perfect, but at least some of them admit their mistakes and recall parts or guns instead of denying that there is a problem, then offering an “upgrade” to fix the nonexistent problem.
I have gotten free stuff from Smith for my M&P9 from S&W. I have not had to use their customer service much, but when I have it has been top notch. I think you came across a bad rep. However, they are all tools at the end of the day. Just swing the hammer you like the most.
You are a gun guy.
As to the other labels like “Glock guy,” why not just admit that you do like Glocks and carry them, then get on with more important things like showing us more guns?
I think that what we individually appreciate about the old school manufacturing of guns is that no matter how highly skilled, it seems that a human hand was behind every cut and fillet. Of course, the reality is that the most someone touches it in manufacture is clamping it in the jaws of a CNC machine. Nobody even turns a pistol barrel anymore, they are all almost universally hammerforged to shape in one operation. We live in the fantasy of our ignorance and literally create our emotional attachment out of the whole cloth of ignorance.
I doubt I will ever buy a metal receiver handgun again – polymers are significantly superior in performance and durability for the cost. Like TiN nitriding knife blades, once you get used to superior performance, you don’t go back to flimsy brass and wood handled knives with corroding carbon blades – or rotary phones, either.
It’s funny to accuse Glock of lacking change – that’s the one factor that most traditionalists hate about the product. It’s the modern paradigm of gun manufacturing, and the old schoolers know that the baton got passed on from them. They just don’t want to admit it.
“Itâs funny to accuse Glock of lacking change â thatâs the one factor that most traditionalists hate about the product. Itâs the modern paradigm of gun manufacturing, and the old schoolers know that the baton got passed on from them. They just donât want to admit it.”
Glock certainly gets a good deal of grief for every change they do implement. The 3rd finger grooves are still maligned by many. And the 4th Gen guns have gotten their share of criticism; justified as well as extraneous.
I enjoy shooting 1911s and Beretta 92s as well. But day to day, every day, there is a Glock 19 by my side.
I enjoy this blog because I like how you think Andrew. In too many years of reading gun magazines, I have seen way too much BS about particular firearms. You have none of that. For some reason I have been getting Glock fever and your thoughts on them are most helpful for my future purchases. I had been leaning toward the S&W M&P and then I began to rethink it. For me, practicality and utility are everything. Safe queens are not my cup of tea. Keep up the good work.
I came to the Glock game later than most, but now it’s hard to imagine not owning one. Not perfect, harder to shot than some, and comes with a very utilitarian look what’s not to like. I currently have a Gen 3 Model 17 that gets shot more than any other centerfire pistols I have. (BTW I have a Gen 3 Model 19 on the way) After firing a number of different models I decided for me anyway the 9mm Glocks seem to be their top picks. I’ve been through Glock’s intro armory course and feel I can preform most of the basic maintenance required to keep them running. (own a Kimber 1911 that’s been back to them twice for repairs) Like Andrew I seem to have no real attachment to these pistols and would have no problem trading off an older used model for a newer one.
Great article. Honest. Pragmatic. I have owned all the big names…HK/Sig/Springfield etc. Funny how I always come back to a Glock 22 as my go to gun. The gen 4’s are turning out to be garbage.
Honestly, I’ve always thought of you as “an AR-15 guy”.
Part of you being “an AR-15 guy” has made me into something of an AR-15 guy, at least much more than I used to be.
I came across an interesting article with a British special forces guy regarding weapons choices in the latest NRA magazine. The article got me thinking about the ongoing ar15 vs ak47 saga. He mentioned that even though the ak is a fine weapon with good balance it would not be his first choice due to the high maintenance the ak requires in the field to keep it functioning properly.
I know this site has posted articles in which it indicated they had rather have a $500 ak over a $700 ar. So not any real ak haters here. So I’m wondering if part of our (USA) infatuation with the indestructibleness and superiority of the ak isn’t something to do with some cold war mystique the rest of the world doesn’t share.
I’d suspect it’s most all of it. I’m a firearms designer, and I’ve done lots of research and testing to try and work out what makes the two weapons, respectively, tick. My conclusion has been that the AR-15 is lighter, simpler to manufacture, easier to shoot well and more accurate, while the AK is easier to understand “off the hoof” and slightly more reliable. Both rifles have similar durability. Th AR-15 as used in the US is hampered by overpressure ammunition, stupid magazines, and bad gas system length choices (which, if any attention had actually been paid to the problem, would have been easily solvable), but is otherwise no less mechanically reliable than, say a German G3 rifle. The AK is not hampered by these issues, being given robust magazines, a relatively constant gas system length, and ammunition that is far from overpressure.
Well, I might admit to that one. 😉
First quality handgun I purchased for myself was a Glock to replace my HiPoint I’d gotten when poor (Still have the Hipoint though). Was going to get an XD, the clerk (an elderly lady farmer in my area) talked me into Glock just based on the parts count and wide aftermarket, plus I liked the trigger on the Glock better (though the XD was very nice and came with more accessories). Got a 21SF (sucker for .45, no offence to the 9mm). 3 yrs on with a CCW in hand I got the G30. Wife has a 19 (4th gen, just swapped the spring out today and it feels much better already).
Been tempted by the M&P, and the XD, and the Sig too, but funds are tight and I can service the Glocks myself. They’re useful tools, and if I was buying I might try another brand as a spare. But Glocks are like Honda Civics, endless array of parts out there. Unless I have a compelling need, I’m sticking with what I know.
Still trying to track down that model 7 though…
Personally, I hate Glocks. I can’t stand the safety lever in the trigger. It feels queer to me. I also think they are the ugliest pistols ever made (with the possible exception of a Hi-Point). To each his own.
Neither Glock nor Hipoint will ever win any beauty contests, maybe ugly stepsister contests.
I’m not much of a gun model fanboy – I say shoot and carry whatever works the best for you, and no big deal if it isn’t the same as what I think is best for me. I do find it a little strange, though, that you were into the M&P line and abandoned it wholesale because some rep made a nasty comment once. Is there more to the story? Do you know if that comment represents company policy?
I’m a M&P fan/guy I guess – I own 2 and consider them to be my main pistols. I like the way they fit my hand and that neither one has ever jammed on me, which is more than I can say for every other model of gun I’ve owned. If there really is a spare parts problem with them, I might have to rethink that, though.
That was company policy. Faced with an inability to stock the parts I wanted, I moved away from M&Ps.
Andrew, is there any specific reason why you haven’t owned/carried Heckler & Koch products?
Nothing specific – just haven’t gotten around to it. I guess I would say price is a factor, but I’ve certainly paid HK-level prices for Sigs and 1911s. I’ll probably pick up an HK45 at some point.
1911’s are pretty, I have a few and CCW my Kimber ProCarry. I couldn’t see carrying anything other then a 1911 personally. I guess that makes me a 1911 guy but I usually shoot a Sig 226 in competition shooting…
Seen more Glocks jam and malfunction then any other pistol… not saying others are perfect, only saying I don’t see them jam up with near frequency.
Damn. S&W is following the Springfield business model of “Only WE can service our handguns”?
Retards.
there are no replacement XD parts that I haven’t been able to find for purchase in a variety of places. since I have basic motor skills I am able to work on my own XD. if I didn’t have thumbs or a frontal lobe I would consider a glock for personal use. I’m forced to carry a G17 at work and I’d just as soon stab myself in the face as buy my own.
Thank you for your articulate, well thought out response. I’ll be on the look out for you stabbing yourself in the face to appear on youtube.
hey, man, some folks have to wear velcro shoes, too; don’t worry, I don’t think much less of you.
Do you have a point, or is this a dick beating contest to you? I’m not real impressed, and you haven’t made any real statement except what I take as an implied promise to stab yourself in the face.
Springfield didn’t sell components for the longest time. if they changed it, I’m very happy for you and the “doesn’t know what a spec is” eastern European handgun. Really I am.
But you’re being a bit of a retard on the internet.
Did they ever figure out how to cut an in spec dovetail for their sights?
Are those factory XD parts you are buying? If so, where? Like most companies, Springfield’s website isn’t very useful. They’ll sell you 1911 parts, but nothing for their XD’s.
XD parts have been available through several vendors for somewhere around 3 years now, if not longer. Most notable vendor is probably pistolgear.com
As for them being out of spec, can’t say I had any issues whatsoever when I put Big Dots on my XD40.
Sidenote: You’re not really looking any better than Din with your own commentary, Tomcat.
Not trying to look better, I made a none targeted comment, and face stabber got all butt hurt:)
Gen 3 G19 for lo these many years as others have come and gone. I feel pretty much the same about it as you do.
Yeah, I’ll have to say that you’re indeed a pragmatist. Glocks are nothing to look at. But, their form of K.I.S.S. ingenuity cannot be matched. Personally, I have put lipstick on my pig in the form a a Bowie Tactical signature Glock. But, is still very much the essence of Glock.. just not so boxy.
As you said.. they are very much replaceable goods. They hold no firearm soul-mate status for me, other than the fact that they are most likely to work whenever I need them to.
My 1911 stays in my safe, and comes out when I want to play at the range.
My G19 stays on my hip at all times.
I wanted to like my S&W M&P9c, but frankly I’ve found the trigger unusable. I think a G26 might be in my future.
For me the Glock 19 is the one handgun that does it all from a defensive standpoint. I have used that all over the world. While there are many other defensive handguns I just don’t see what they do better that the 19.
Brownells is now carrying a lot of factory M&P parts!
Glocks are great guns. I just don’t like them. I don’t like the way they fit my hand, I don’t like the way they look, and I don’t like the way they point. Yet, I still consider buying another one every once in a while. They are very good guns, sometimes I wish that I actually liked them. Oh well.
I’m definitely just a “gun guy” who fanatically lusts for all things 1911, owned a Glock, and now shoots a M&P because it feels better in my hand than a Glock. But now your article is making me have second thoughts on keeping that M&P. Damn you for writing this!!!
Just came back from the new gun store and compared the Glock 19 with the S&W M&P and XD and XDM and I am really lusting for a Glock 19 now. I just have to come up with the money. Oh yeah, Gen 4. I love the Glock trigger but the M&P not so much. I know about the new apex aftermarket but jeez, you have to spend more money…
I just don’t like the grip angle on Glocks
I grew up shooting 1911’s, and my first handgun was a custom colt 1911. I love the gun, but it’s not a platform I feel is on the same level as a glock for certain applications. There’s no way I can get a glock to hold a 1″ group at 50m or look good on a shelf/display; at the same time, I wouldn’t trust carrying a 1911. Sweat, dirt, jumping into lakes, crawling in the dirt, all of these things are bad for 1911s, but my g19 laughs at.
Glocks are rudimentarily accurate, ass ugly, and simplistic, but have the highest reliability (9mm 2nd and 3rd gen) that I’ve seen out of a handgun. This is why I carry one.
I love my glock! I had a gen 3 for about 6 years then recently got the gen 4. Both 19’s. Both been flawless,will only look at gen 4 from now.