Picked up a lightly used Glock 21 recently, never held one or fired one so I needed to see what all the fuss was about. Finally got out to try it last night. Just an informal first impression/comparison against my Springfield Mil Spec.
Glock Gen 3 21 (Lone Wolf Ultimate Trigger Stop and tungsten guide rod)
Springfield Mil Spec (Wilson trigger/sear/hammer)
Used factory Glock 10 rdrs and 10/13 mags, and ACT 8 rdrs/misc 7 rdrs in the SA. American Eagle 230g fmj in both.
No mag loader so Glocks were a real pain to get 10 into, typically ran 9. The 13 rounder was virtually impossible to get 10 into. With 10, mags were a chore to seat on a closed slide. Conversely, 1911 mags are easy to load right to the last round. Increased capacity in the Glock doesn't seem to be a huge advantage over the 8 in the 1911, although mag changes are idiot proof with a wide magwell like the Glock has.
Surprised at how easy the 21 was to shoot, full frame really fills the hand and its very pointable. Negligible recoil, it is really easy to keep muzzle on target for follow up shots. Two hand or one, dumping mags is a breeze. Found it is easier to keep it on target one handed than the 1911, although I need to concentrate on trigger control a bit more. Not used to the take up, a few times I "pulled" a bit and caused some bad muzzle dip at release
.
It was pouring rain the whole time, bit of an advantage to the Springfield with Pachmyer wraparound grips. Although the Glock never really got slippery until it was covered in mud.
Shooting at 7-10 yds, both pistols were printing pretty tight when rapid firing (I had three targets set up: two at three feet apart with a third about ten feet off to the side). Got to pretend I was dealing with multiple threats haha. Didn't bother taking pics of the targets, at that range both pistols were grouping within 1" when I took my time, opened up to average 2" if I was hammering it as fast as I could.
No holster or mag pouches for the Glock so it was strictly pocket carry with a spare mag in hand. Mag change while transitioning to third target was faster than with a single stack but not as fast as dumping the Glock and drawing the Springfield from my Milt Sparks (wonder if anyone actually watches the security camera at the range? They would probably think I'm an idiot who shouldn't be allowed to touch a gun!)
Gratuitous pic because I didn't take any of my targets:
Found the Glock sights to be pretty bulky but up close they are fine. At 25 yds I'm not too confident for "fine" work, but a human sized target was getting good peppering. Not sure about movie style head shots at that range, especially if there was a bystander in the way
. For precise shooting, the edge goes to the Springfield (at least in my hands).
As I said, raining pretty hard. Gave both pistols a quick torture test. Unloaded, overhand throw as far as I could chuck them down range. Retrieved, and bore snake down barrel just to ensure no obstructions before shooting. The Glock barrel was full of dirt and grass from muzzle to chamber, had to poke it out with a stick before swabbing. Banging it against the shooting bench did nothing, it was packed.
New mag, dumped full mag without a hitch.
Springfield got same treatment, full mag fed flawlessly (although trigger failed to reset completely a few times after its "flight". Turns out its a bit more fussy with mud in it.
Put 500 rds through the two pistols over the course of the evening, both worked great. No ftf/fte, good fun and both ran great. My only complaint with the Glock is the mags, they are a pain to load and its difficult to seat mag with slide in battery. Other than that, so far I think its a great pistol. The trigger will still take some getting used to, but overall ease of operation and controllability makes it a breeze to shoot.
Another pic for the heck of it:
Conclusion: I like the Glock. I'm not going to sell my 1911, but I'm impressed with this piece of plastic. Never gave them too much attention before, never had a desire to own one. My mind is changed, even with my brief introduction to it, it seems like a durable solid piece of equipment. Thanks for reading, if it wasn't informative, I hope it was at least entertaining!
Glock Gen 3 21 (Lone Wolf Ultimate Trigger Stop and tungsten guide rod)
Springfield Mil Spec (Wilson trigger/sear/hammer)
Used factory Glock 10 rdrs and 10/13 mags, and ACT 8 rdrs/misc 7 rdrs in the SA. American Eagle 230g fmj in both.
No mag loader so Glocks were a real pain to get 10 into, typically ran 9. The 13 rounder was virtually impossible to get 10 into. With 10, mags were a chore to seat on a closed slide. Conversely, 1911 mags are easy to load right to the last round. Increased capacity in the Glock doesn't seem to be a huge advantage over the 8 in the 1911, although mag changes are idiot proof with a wide magwell like the Glock has.
Surprised at how easy the 21 was to shoot, full frame really fills the hand and its very pointable. Negligible recoil, it is really easy to keep muzzle on target for follow up shots. Two hand or one, dumping mags is a breeze. Found it is easier to keep it on target one handed than the 1911, although I need to concentrate on trigger control a bit more. Not used to the take up, a few times I "pulled" a bit and caused some bad muzzle dip at release
.It was pouring rain the whole time, bit of an advantage to the Springfield with Pachmyer wraparound grips. Although the Glock never really got slippery until it was covered in mud.
Shooting at 7-10 yds, both pistols were printing pretty tight when rapid firing (I had three targets set up: two at three feet apart with a third about ten feet off to the side). Got to pretend I was dealing with multiple threats haha. Didn't bother taking pics of the targets, at that range both pistols were grouping within 1" when I took my time, opened up to average 2" if I was hammering it as fast as I could.
No holster or mag pouches for the Glock so it was strictly pocket carry with a spare mag in hand. Mag change while transitioning to third target was faster than with a single stack but not as fast as dumping the Glock and drawing the Springfield from my Milt Sparks (wonder if anyone actually watches the security camera at the range? They would probably think I'm an idiot who shouldn't be allowed to touch a gun!)
Gratuitous pic because I didn't take any of my targets:
Found the Glock sights to be pretty bulky but up close they are fine. At 25 yds I'm not too confident for "fine" work, but a human sized target was getting good peppering. Not sure about movie style head shots at that range, especially if there was a bystander in the way
. For precise shooting, the edge goes to the Springfield (at least in my hands).As I said, raining pretty hard. Gave both pistols a quick torture test. Unloaded, overhand throw as far as I could chuck them down range. Retrieved, and bore snake down barrel just to ensure no obstructions before shooting. The Glock barrel was full of dirt and grass from muzzle to chamber, had to poke it out with a stick before swabbing. Banging it against the shooting bench did nothing, it was packed.
New mag, dumped full mag without a hitch.
Springfield got same treatment, full mag fed flawlessly (although trigger failed to reset completely a few times after its "flight". Turns out its a bit more fussy with mud in it.
Put 500 rds through the two pistols over the course of the evening, both worked great. No ftf/fte, good fun and both ran great. My only complaint with the Glock is the mags, they are a pain to load and its difficult to seat mag with slide in battery. Other than that, so far I think its a great pistol. The trigger will still take some getting used to, but overall ease of operation and controllability makes it a breeze to shoot.
Another pic for the heck of it:
Conclusion: I like the Glock. I'm not going to sell my 1911, but I'm impressed with this piece of plastic. Never gave them too much attention before, never had a desire to own one. My mind is changed, even with my brief introduction to it, it seems like a durable solid piece of equipment. Thanks for reading, if it wasn't informative, I hope it was at least entertaining!
