Glock 19, A Dying Legend?

[dunchelm]

I have carried either a Glock 17 or 19 professionally for many years. As our grandfather's "knew" that no pistol was as good as a 1911, I also knew that a Glock 19 was superior to every other handgun ever made. It can do everything well. Our marriage has been a long and faithful one, but then one day, a slimmer, hot new thang caught my eye in the form of the Glock 43X.

The G43X carrying the fifteen round Shield Arms mags is like the G19 you married but before she had kids and bags under her eyes and she still thought everything you said was funny. Stuffing the G19 in your waistband when the G43X is there doing the same job, only less obtrusively, makes the G19 seem large for no reason. The G17 I'm issued is for working hours and the G43X is for all other times. It rides in a Milt Sparks Summer Special 2 holster.

 

[Charlie Benton]

I used to conceal a Glock 21 on duty in plain clothes. I love my 43x and don't miss the 21. However, for duty purposes, I'd take the 19 over the 43x for accuracy at distance.

 

[Al "Shifty" Schultz]

I used to conceal a Glock 21 on duty in plain clothes. I love my 43x and don't miss the 21. However, for duty purposes, I'd take the 19 over the 43x for accuracy at distance.

Like most I was issued a 21 for SWAT initially, before we finally switched to the G17.. I used a G19 for Patrol and loved it. I was always more of a fan of the G48 for UC work than the 43, but like @Charlie Benton, I would take take the 19 for duty over many pistols..

 

[dunchelm]

I used to conceal a Glock 21 on duty in plain clothes. I love my 43x and don't miss the 21. However, for duty purposes, I'd take the 19 over the 43x for accuracy at distance.

I should have clarified that I meant the 43X over the 19 for concealed carry. My buddy works in a neighboring jurisdiction from mine and they're issued the G45. Now that's an interesting concept. You could replicate the G45 with a G19 using G17 mags with X-Grip spacers, though.

I believe my department has a policy which allows the G43X to be carried on duty if the officer's hands are too small for the issued G17 but I've never seen it done. I haven't looked into it but I doubt Safariland is making Level III retention holsters for that gun.

 

[HowieR]

I like the g19 and have had a few of them , tough gun to get in this state due to their approved roster, I carry the Glock 30 in the winter as to my love for the 45 round. Funny but a few of my friends that are LEO's all carry the 43 X (LE can buy any firearm even the MA non approved ones). You can never go wrong with a Milt Sparks Holster , i have a couple of them -long wait but worth it.

 

[Ron Dan]

43X is great. With the new 15rd factory mags, it makes it harder to justify the argument between the 19 and the 43X. From an accuracy aspect, I think you would hard pressed to make the argument that one is more accurate than the other with iron sights. When you put optics on both, I don’t think there’s any argument to be had. It would be an interesting test for sure.

 

[dunchelm]

I like the g19 and have had a few of them , tough gun to get in this state due to their approved roster, I carry the Glock 30 in the winter as to my love for the 45 round. Funny but a few of my friends that are LEO's all carry the 43 X (LE can buy any firearm even the MA non approved ones). You can never go wrong with a Milt Sparks Holster , i have a couple of them -long wait but worth it.

Milt Sparks holsters can be readily had on Gun Broker for the most common models of guns. I'm also a fan of Tenicor and JM Custom Kydex.

I also like the 45 and every round other than 9mm but here's the catch that won't get out of my mind. Though other rounds may be more powerful than 9mm, I don't think that actually matters.

Repeat this mantra and let it guide your decision making process. "I carry a gun to shoot people who are trying to hurt me or people I care about." A handgun has no other purpose for me. It's not a fashion accessory. It's a weapon designed for deadly serious business. It's a rescue tool to be used in the most dire and likely unexpected threat to life imaginable. What does that best?

Also, If bullets are opportunities to complete that task then I want as many effective opportunities as possible. More powerful opportunities end up meaning fewer opportunities. I don't want fewer opportunities if the ones I already have will complete the task for which I use them. Quantity has a quality all its own.

I say this objectively and without any emotion, but any round more powerful than 9mm is just really more blast and recoil for not much added advantage. The power increase is no increase at all. It's only comes with downsides.

Take for example the .357 magnum. Loud. Macho, even. At the end of the day, though, it has to compensate for the cylinder gap and loss of propulsion that entails and is effectively just a 9mm with a little more spice to it.

I have many guns other than two Glocks in 9mm. I starting to question why, though.

 

[Milo'sSyndicate]

I have carried either a Glock 17 or 19 professionally for many years. As our grandfather's "knew" that no pistol was as good as a 1911, I also knew that a Glock 19 was superior to every other handgun ever made. It can do everything well. Our marriage has been a long and faithful one, but then one day, a slimmer, hot new thang caught my eye

Yes, I love stray gingers too, but the Glocks (any Glocks) are here to stay especially for we born in the 1900s....

IIRC my Glock LE AC dude was Joel Hodges, and he went about all the attributes of the how/why/where these Gs are THE combat pistols, that was over 15 years ago. (My old G19 is my wife's gun now, do NOT tell her she needs a new one!)

 

[dunchelm]

Yes, I love stray gingers too, but the Glocks (any Glocks) are here to stay especially for we born in the 1900s....

IIRC my Glock LE AC dude was Joel Hodges, and he went about all the attributes of the how/why/where these Gs are THE combat pistols, that was over 15 years ago. (My old G19 is my wife's gun now, do NOT tell her she needs a new one!)

The correct term for those Hibernian women is ferrel, not stray, sir.

Your guy was correct. Gaston Glock had no firearms background when he came up with the Glock 17. He asked professional users what they didn't like about their issued sidearms and went from there. Not bad for a manufacturer of curtain rods.

Just keep your wife away from the Glock YouTube channel, or worse yet, the Walther YouTube tube channel. Walther has an entire line of Glock 19s by another name called the "F" series ("F" for female). One of the videos shows all kinds of murder and mayhem happening Miami which then leads to a woman food truck owner buying the Walther, going through her training "journey" (I shudder now when I hear that word) and inevitably whacking two would-be thugs as they attempt to rob her food truck. The marketing is clearly aimed at women and not men who feel the need to berate their gal into enjoying shooting as much as they do which is a nice touch.

I kinda want one. Maybe there's a support group for people like me.

 

[Charlie Benton]

The correct term for those Hibernian women is ferrel, not stray, sir.

Your guy was correct. Gaston Glock had no firearms background when he came up with the Glock 17. He asked professional users what they didn't like about their issued sidearms and went from there. Not bad for a manufacturer of curtain rods.

Just keep your wife away from the Glock YouTube channel, or worse yet, the Walther YouTube tube channel. Walther has an entire line of Glock 19s by another name called the "F" series ("F" for female). One of the videos shows all kinds of murder and mayhem happening Miami which then leads to a woman food truck owner buying the Walther, going through her training "journey" (I shudder now when I hear that word) and inevitably whacking two would-be thugs as they attempt to rob her food truck. The marketing is clearly aimed at women and not men who feel the need to berate their gal into enjoying shooting as much as they do which is a nice touch.

I kinda want one. Maybe there's a support group for people like me.

The Walther F Series guns are pretty great, regardless of whether or not they're marketed to chicks. Worth shooting one the next time you're considering a new handgun.

 

[sawyer.campbell210]

The 19x and G45 killed a lot of it huge fan having carried both platforms in LE work , the Sig 365 , the newer small framed Glocks changed the game

 

[Milo'sSyndicate]

Just keep your wife away from the Glock YouTube channel, or worse yet, the Walther YouTube tube channel. Walther has an entire line of Glock 19s by another name called the "F" series ("F" for female). One of the videos shows all kinds of murder and mayhem happening Miami which then leads to a woman food truck owner buying the Walther, going through her training "journey" (I shudder now when I hear that word) and inevitably whacking two would-be thugs as they attempt to rob her food truck. The marketing is clearly aimed at women and not men who feel the need to berate their gal into enjoying shooting as much as they do which is a nice touch.

I kinda want one. Maybe there's a support group for people like me.

The G19 replaced her PPQ M2, which she put onto the mantle. ;-)

 

[sawyer.campbell210]

All Glocks are good , the space race continues , I used to love the 3913 smith when it was all I had or the Star PD 45 as a backup, The Sig 365 the g43x and the Canik fixed the small gun race

 

[Paul]

The 19 is just hard to beat. I run my gen 4 with no optic or light, Just OEM and it never gets uncomfortable to me for aiwb carry. Several years back, I put on a few pounds and the Glock got a little uncomfortable in my waist band when I was sitting, so I picked up a P365. Now that I’m back in shape, the P365 doesn’t get carried nearly as much as the G19. I will have to say though the new factory 15 rd mags for the 43x has caught my attention. I may have to buy a 43x in the future just to see what all the fuss is about. I also have a PDP (not a F series) and while it shoots great, it is extremely uncomfortable to carry. I think it’s the beaver tail jabbing into my stomach when I sit, looking at the new Gen 6 G19, it appears they extended the beavertail on its grip, so I doubt I would enjoy carrying it either.

 

[Steven Donovan]

Asking if the Glock 19 is dying is like asking the same of the AK-47 or AR-15 series of rifle, IMHO. They are basically ubiquitous around the world.

Obviously, we can geek out in a gunstore about one feature or another... but in terms of the gritty reality of the world, I think the G19 still has a lot of killing to do before its days are over...

I also think comparing the 1911 and G19 is comparing apples to oranges, but I won't go down that rabbit hole.

 

[dunchelm]

Asking if the Glock 19 is dying is like asking the same of the AK-47 or AR-15 series of rifle, IMHO. They are basically ubiquitous around the world.

Obviously, we can geek out in a gunstore about one feature or another... but in terms of the gritty reality of the world, I think the G19 still has a lot of killing to do before its days are over...

I also think comparing the 1911 and G19 is comparing apples to oranges, but I won't go down that rabbit hole.

The AK-47 and AR-15 have been though several design iterations just as the Glock or any other number of firearms have, too.

I think the G19 is the perfect do it all pistol. The 43X has everything we like about the G19 but it's thinner and easier to carry concealed. It is simply more comfortable to have pressed against my anatomy for hours on end. If not for that then the 43X with the 15 round mags wouldn't have any advantage over the G19.

 

[safetekk]

I think if I bought a new pistol every time something slightly "better" at some task came out I'd own 500 of them. I'm generally not concerned with the comfort side of things, unless something is really bad in the waistband. I'm more likely to choose my carry for the day based more on my intended surroundings than how it feels. I roll light in safer environments and heavy in not-so-safe areas. The only comfort I really consider is how comfortable I am in the notion that I can make it home unscathed with my weapon of choice for the day.

 

[dunchelm]

I think if I bought a new pistol every time something slightly "better" at some task came out I'd own 500 of them. I'm generally not concerned with the comfort side of things, unless something is really bad in the waistband. I'm more likely to choose my carry for the day based more on my intended surroundings than how it feels. I roll light in safer environments and heavy in not-so-safe areas. The only comfort I really consider is how comfortable I am in the notion that I can make it home unscathed with my weapon of choice for the day.

I'm just not into having a sore hip. It's not an either-or proposition, fortunately. I will frequently carry my G19 or 17 in a Tenicor owb holster under a baggy fishing shirt. It's conceals well enough AND it's comfortable, too.

 

[safetekk]

I'm just not into having a sore hip. It's not an either-or proposition, fortunately. I will frequently carry my G19 or 17 in a Tenicor owb holster under a baggy fishing shirt. It's conceals well enough AND it's comfortable, too.

Yeah I gotcha. Only time my hip would get sore is if I were out in the bush working but then I go OWB to eliminate that. A G19 sized pistol doesn't bother me but I think that's related more to body type / size than it is the pistol.

 

[dunchelm]

Yeah I gotcha. Only time my hip would get sore is if I were out in the bush working but then I go OWB to eliminate that. A G19 sized pistol doesn't bother me but I think that's related more to body type / size than it is the pistol.

I just think that a feature of good gear is that you don't really notice it's there until you need it. That's the ideal, anyway.