Choosing A Glock
- Thread starter Corey3
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I went through a load of handguns until I "converted". Glocks are accurate, light to carry (not in Canada, of course) and very easy to maintain. However, I will probably always have a 1911 because they're so much fun to shoot. The 1911 trigger is worth the price of admission.
One more thing. As a near "senior citizen" with a bit of arthritis in the wrists, I can tell you that a polymer pistol absorbs lots of kick. This means that shooting can continue to be a fairly painless sport for me.
One more thing. As a near "senior citizen" with a bit of arthritis in the wrists, I can tell you that a polymer pistol absorbs lots of kick. This means that shooting can continue to be a fairly painless sport for me.
You may have found it softer on your wrist, and I tend to agree with this, but I did find that the polymer framed options all kick more than a steel frame in terms of the barrel end moving around.
Also I found that most of the 9mm's share the same sort of harsh kick as the one .40 I tried. Not a wide test base I realize but one of the 9's and the .40 were both Berreta 92FS's so there's at least a basis for comparison. Meanwhile the .45 1911 had more power behind it and it lifted my hands more but at the same time it seemed to have a softer felt kick through to the hands and wrists than the 9mm's.
Anyhow, back to the OP's selection dilema. It seems to me there's no point in getting ANOTHER 9mm since you have one and isn't the idea to move up to major? So that means .40 or bigger it seems. Or look at loading up some hotter 9's with heavier bullets to sneak up to major. But if you're interested in doing this with a Glock then I'd be looking at the Kb history that I've seen hints about. You'd be overcharging a 9mm Glock to make major. If it's one of the models with the history of fragging then this may not be a wise idea. Now you Glock owners please don't draw and quarter me. I've not looked into the fix history on this. I just know that it happened a while back. If the issue has been fixed then great.
For my own part I tried a Glock, didn't like it that much and moved on. In fact while they shot just fine I didn't like any of the polymer framed guns I tried. I just kept going back to the heavy stuff.
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Pietro Beretta
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- Ontario (G.T.A.)
Choosing a Glock.....let the Glock choose you 
Loose Cannon: your "credibility gap" is showing.
How many Glocks have you owned?
What is your IPSC rating?
How many Colt Govt pistols have you owned?
Are your opinions based on PERSONAL experience?
Or on what you heard from the older boys in the chatroom??
After personally owning somewhere around 100 Colt Govt Model type pistols, ranging from several Genuine COLT ACE .22 LR pistols, about half a dozen Detonics Combat Masters, four Para Double stacks, a BUL double stack, a few Multi Caliber setups, all the way up to two .45 SUPERS, and after customising/building maybe 200 more Govt type pistols in a decade as a professional gunsmith, and after a decade of shooting IPSC, including three Canuckistan Championships, I have some opinions too.
1.] I have personally seen EVERY SINGLE PART on a Colt Govt pistol break or fall off. I am still waiting for a Glock part one one of my several Glocks to break or fall off or wear out.
2.] If properly built and maintained, a Colt Govt pistol can be TOTALLY reliable over tens of thousands of MAJOR loads ... much of my business was building Colt pistols for IPSC shooters, so I know this is possible. But, with Colt Govt type pistols, it ain't easy, and it ain't cheap.Out of the box, every Glock I've had was ALMOST totallly reliable [ my G 26 would occasionaly stovepipe if shooting with a bent wrist ... especially with 17 rd mags . Most of this went away when I stuck to IVI NATO spec 9 MM BALL ... which was HOT! VERRRRY HOT!!!].
3.] ERGONOMICS/personal "FIT" is probably one of the most important factors when selecting a quick reaction pistol, for real world social discourse, or for games like IPSC. Back in the day, when I used to actually "PRACTICE", I could shoot a Govt model better than any other pistol. After tens of thousands of shots down range, me and the Colt Govt
had reached that Zen like plateau, where I simply didn't think about it ... it all happened instinctively. But after going back to school for three years, with NO PRACTICE, I found I could shoot my very first Glock, a stock out of the box $ 350 ex-police Gen 1, almost as well as my $ 3500 full house IPSC match built Randall SS Govt model. I did the math ... and sold the match gun and kept the Glock.
As for the poster's original question ... ?G 22 or G17? .... I personally own both, as well as a G 19. I've had a few other Glocks, including a couple of G 17 Cs, and a G 26. If I were just starting out in IPSC, and wanted a starter IPSC pistol, I'd definitely go with G 17. 9mm is so much cheaper, and so much easier for a beginner to shoot well. I'd also invest in an Advantage Arms .22 LR adapter kit ... cause practicing with the .22 LR on the same frame, is a proven way to get better at the basics. Just remember to start and finish each range session with 9 mm, or too much .22 LR shooting will teach you sloppy recoil control.
Personally, my favorite Glock is the G 22, with a G 17 top end, and an Advantage Arms .22 LR kit as well. The G 22 is the most VERSATILE of the Glocks. With a G 22 frame, you can put on a 9 MM G 17 top end or a Lone Wolf .40/9 MM conversion barrel for cheap practice. Or swap in a 357 SIG barrel, for some serious HOT loads. Or download .40 S&W to minor, or upload it for MAJOR PLUS!!
But,unlike with the Colt type pistols, which are happy to shoot EVERYTHING from .22 LR up to .45 SUPER all on the same frame, with Glocks this caliber versatility is a one way street. With Glocks you should NOT put a G 22 top end on a G 17 frame, and you should NOT load 9 MM to MAJOR.
Hope this helps
[;{)
LAZ 1
How many Glocks have you owned?
What is your IPSC rating?
How many Colt Govt pistols have you owned?
Are your opinions based on PERSONAL experience?
Or on what you heard from the older boys in the chatroom??
After personally owning somewhere around 100 Colt Govt Model type pistols, ranging from several Genuine COLT ACE .22 LR pistols, about half a dozen Detonics Combat Masters, four Para Double stacks, a BUL double stack, a few Multi Caliber setups, all the way up to two .45 SUPERS, and after customising/building maybe 200 more Govt type pistols in a decade as a professional gunsmith, and after a decade of shooting IPSC, including three Canuckistan Championships, I have some opinions too.
1.] I have personally seen EVERY SINGLE PART on a Colt Govt pistol break or fall off. I am still waiting for a Glock part one one of my several Glocks to break or fall off or wear out.
2.] If properly built and maintained, a Colt Govt pistol can be TOTALLY reliable over tens of thousands of MAJOR loads ... much of my business was building Colt pistols for IPSC shooters, so I know this is possible. But, with Colt Govt type pistols, it ain't easy, and it ain't cheap.Out of the box, every Glock I've had was ALMOST totallly reliable [ my G 26 would occasionaly stovepipe if shooting with a bent wrist ... especially with 17 rd mags . Most of this went away when I stuck to IVI NATO spec 9 MM BALL ... which was HOT! VERRRRY HOT!!!].
3.] ERGONOMICS/personal "FIT" is probably one of the most important factors when selecting a quick reaction pistol, for real world social discourse, or for games like IPSC. Back in the day, when I used to actually "PRACTICE", I could shoot a Govt model better than any other pistol. After tens of thousands of shots down range, me and the Colt Govt
had reached that Zen like plateau, where I simply didn't think about it ... it all happened instinctively. But after going back to school for three years, with NO PRACTICE, I found I could shoot my very first Glock, a stock out of the box $ 350 ex-police Gen 1, almost as well as my $ 3500 full house IPSC match built Randall SS Govt model. I did the math ... and sold the match gun and kept the Glock.
As for the poster's original question ... ?G 22 or G17? .... I personally own both, as well as a G 19. I've had a few other Glocks, including a couple of G 17 Cs, and a G 26. If I were just starting out in IPSC, and wanted a starter IPSC pistol, I'd definitely go with G 17. 9mm is so much cheaper, and so much easier for a beginner to shoot well. I'd also invest in an Advantage Arms .22 LR adapter kit ... cause practicing with the .22 LR on the same frame, is a proven way to get better at the basics. Just remember to start and finish each range session with 9 mm, or too much .22 LR shooting will teach you sloppy recoil control.
Personally, my favorite Glock is the G 22, with a G 17 top end, and an Advantage Arms .22 LR kit as well. The G 22 is the most VERSATILE of the Glocks. With a G 22 frame, you can put on a 9 MM G 17 top end or a Lone Wolf .40/9 MM conversion barrel for cheap practice. Or swap in a 357 SIG barrel, for some serious HOT loads. Or download .40 S&W to minor, or upload it for MAJOR PLUS!!
But,unlike with the Colt type pistols, which are happy to shoot EVERYTHING from .22 LR up to .45 SUPER all on the same frame, with Glocks this caliber versatility is a one way street. With Glocks you should NOT put a G 22 top end on a G 17 frame, and you should NOT load 9 MM to MAJOR.
Hope this helps
[;{)
LAZ 1
How much would it cost for all the parts to convert the G22 to 9mm as well as .40 so I can use it for all 3? I can't imagine that it's just as easy as changing the barrel out for an aftermarket 9mm. Hopefully it is, sounds like a G22 is a good idea then.
Question is why would you want to have three separate sets of guts for one frame? Why not invest in ammo and training and shoot one calibre. You'll most likely end up shooting one more than the others anyway, so why waste the money on the ability to change calibre?
TDC
I decided on a 3rd gen G17, I got one brand new for $599 with all the usual Glock stuff that comes with them. Couldn't pass it up for that price, and the salesperson told me that you need several different parts to swap calibres, and Glock doesn't reccommend doing it. 9mm will be cheaper to shoot more of, I already have all the reloading gear for it as well so it works out well.
"salesperson told me that you need several different parts to swap calibres, and Glock doesn't reccommend doing it."
HMMM? I don't usually believe everything salesmen tell me ... but the G17 is a great choice for a starter pistol, no matter what you do with it next.
[;{)
LAZ 1
HMMM? I don't usually believe everything salesmen tell me ... but the G17 is a great choice for a starter pistol, no matter what you do with it next.
[;{)
LAZ 1
