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G17 or G19? I can't decide, and can't buy BOTH...

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g17 g19 gen 4
10K views 29 replies 11 participants last post by  Osageid 
#1 ·
Hey all,

I am a recent convert form the Sig world, and after just having sold my SP2022, I am finally ready to buy a Glock. I had owned the SP2022 9mm since last fall, and put about 850 rounds through it, chasing consistency and accuracy. I could be very accurate with it a the start of a mag, then taper off to a down/left drop-off and never get any consistent shots through a whole magazine. I fought with it for months, then shot my brother's G23—and the first 6 shots went into a 1" target at 25'. Frankly, I don't think I'm as bad as the Sig was showing, nor as good as the Glock made me feel after a test drive.

Regardless, the G23 experience tapped a vein and here I am.

So I am ready to pull the trigger, so-to-speak, and complete my purchase for a new Glock 9mm. I was dead set on a G19, only waffling between the grip comfort of a Gen3 and the other improvements of a Gen4. Then on a whim, I picked up a G17 recently at a Gander Mountain while window shopping. Chocolate or vanilla? Too bad I can't get a twist, it would make my life so much easier.

I'm all knotted up trying to decide, and no, I can't just buy both (though I would love to do so). I know I will likely someday own both, just not right now. So where do I go?

My uses are almost 100% target/range. I do NOT intend to CC this pistol, and they both felt glove-like while holding. Either one would make me grin like a kid on Christmas, but I can't decide.



For any of you who own both, what did you buy first? For those of you who had to decide between the two and only have one, which one did you buy, and why?




Thanks for the help, guys,



Doug
 
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#2 ·
Feeling pretty lucky to own both in Gen4 versions, I bought the G17 first because it was a military standard pistol. The G19 came along when I learned that it was issued to USAF aircrews (can't substantiate that, though), and it is handier than the G17 for carry.

If you really, really will use the gun primarily at the range, then I would get the G17 for its longer sight radius. If you will ever carry the gun, I would get the G19.

And by the way, Welcome Aboard!

Chris
 
#4 ·
Yeah, I couldn't conceal either of those two handguns—I'm about 6' and 150 lbs soaking wet. Either one in my belt would make me look like a weatherman with a big ol' microphone battery pack on my hip. I need something smaller, thinner, single-stack and based on my fondling of the G26, not necessarily a Glock. :( They really need a thinner single-stack 9mm for CC...

I do flip towards the G17 for the target reasons. Then flop back to the G19 for the pure comfort of a compact. Push.
 
#5 ·
The G19 is the 9mm version of the G23 you liked so well....
 
#7 ·
And it is "The Law" 'round here...
 
#8 ·
Unless you are one of those guys that wears those skiiny jeans and skin tight shirts, there is no reason you should not be able to conceal a G19 or a G17 with the "proper" belt and "proper" holster. If you are looking to do it with a belt you have had for 10 years and a $20.00 holster, I can understand why you would feel that way.

When it comes to concealing a weapon, the hardest part to conceal is the grip, not the length of the barrel. Since the OP stated he was 6' tall, this should not be an issue. As many will tell you, I am one of the biggest G19 fans there is. I own all of the 9mm sizes and I carry the G19 daily, and have for many years now. With that said, as Cohland stated, if you are looking for a target pistol, go with the G17. The longer sight radius will be helpful in that regards. For someone that is looking to punch bullseyes out of paper targets at 50 feet, that will be important.

Good luck and let us know what you decide!
 
#12 ·
Hey Dave, I like the Wild Willy avatar! :)

I have a bid in on a GunBroker.com auction that ends tomorrow, and if it doesn't come up roses for me, I'll be ordering the G19 Gen4 outright. I figure, if target is the goal, the 17 works out as a tweener between the 19 and the 34, so maybe the 34 will be next on my list—or maybe a 17L if I can find one. :) Now we'll see how it goes...


Thanks a bunch, all!
 
#15 ·
...I figure, if target is the goal, the 17 works out as a tweener between the 19 and the 34, so maybe the 34 will be next on my list.....
The observation that the G17 is a "tweener between the 19 and the 34", at least in terms of its suitability as a target gun, is a good one, quite accurate I think.

You didn't mention the G34 in the original post, but since you had framed the decision as being between the G19 and the G17, I didn't want to introduce any confusion by mentioning the G34 as the ideal target gun.

Now that you have secured a G19, if a G34 is on your list you probably won't miss the G17, except if you need a slightly higher capacity carry gun. That said, I do regularly see the G17 at USPSA matches, most commonly in the hands of new shooters as they begin to learn the game. It's the first Glock I owned and I see it as a permanent occupant of the safe.

Chris
 
#13 ·
Welcome aboard from SE Indiana. :)
I have had multiples of both the G17 and the G19, I believe you made the correct choice. If you are a smaller statured man, you would probably like the G19 better anyway. I am a bigger guy and my favorite is my Gen2 G21 :cool:
That being said, if you can find the ammo and can afford it, shoot the crap out of your G19 and enjoy it!
 
#14 ·
Lost the auction by a couple of bucks, and promptly went on a search for a Gen 4 G19... and everyone was OUT OF STOCK! I happened to find one at AIMsurplus.com and grabbed it while I could. Should be here sometime next week. w00t!

Can't wait to tear it down to clean and lube, then get 'er out to the range for some break-in. I'm stoked!


Thanks for all of the insight, guys, it was very helpful in making my final choice.




doug
 
#16 ·
As much as I figured that the 17 would be a slightly better target option, and I won't carry either of the options, it just felt like the 17 was in no-man's land for what I would be using the gun for, mostly. The 19 is the best all-around option for me right now (and I could carry if I wanted, and make it through Illinois' ridiculous requirements), so it wound up being a relatively painless choice. Knowing that is the same frame as my brother's 23 makes the anticipation now greater to get to the range. I can't wait!

Range report to come as soon as I can!



Doug
 
#17 ·
9mil..."and I could carry if I wanted, and make it through Illinois' ridiculous requirements..."

16 HOURS..! man... 4 days, with 4 hour classes... How are they gonna get that to work out..? After the initial 4 hours of class time, then is it going to be 12 hours of range time over 3 days..? People are going to have to take a week off work to jump through all the hoops..!
 
#21 ·
I wanted to thank you guys for the insight and suggestions last week-it was a big help. Earlier this morning, I stopped by my FFL to pick up my brand new Glock 19 Gen4... can't wait to get it to the range.



 
#22 ·
Range Report : 8.30.13

I had intended to get to the range before today, but our 4-year old niece brought over a nice cold for everyone in the house to contract, so my plans were delayed by about a week. I felt good enough today to finally drag myself over to the local indoor range to shake down not only my new Glock 19, but to test out a vintage family hand-down .22 H&R revolver that I rebuilt. I'll post more about that gun in another thread.

Aside from my white lettering and dimly lit TruGlo TFOs that were installed yesterday (and now warrantied for replacement by TG), the only other thing I did to the 19 before it's first shoot was the addition of a factory Glock slide stop lever, which made a huge difference for me and my girlie hands. I ran 100 rounds of Fiocchi 115gr FMJ and then 100 rounds of Winchester (white box) 115gr FMJ down the tube in one session indoors today at J.R. Shooting Sports, in Aurora, Illinois. Not the best range around, but not the worst. I think I lost 5 pounds of water weight there, though. Not much different than the 101° heat outside.

The G19 performed (almost) flawlessly. I put 200 rounds downrange, and found the gun to be ridiculously accurate at all ranges from 10' to 30'. I had a string of 105 rounds on NRA targets from 15' to 20' where only 5 shots were outside of the black 5" center of the bull. I have small, thin hands but I actually liked the feel of the large sized beaver-tail back strap on this gun. The fit and finish are perfect. The accuracy in my hands is so much better and more confidence-building than my Sig Sauer SP2022 was, I'm ecstatic. I couldn't be happier with the purchase.

I had ONE single failure to load on the last round of a magazine about halfway into my session. No idea why, but I cleared it and went right on with what I was doing. It's possible it may have been limped, but I wasn't paying that close of attention to my technique on the last round of the mag, so I couldn't say for sure. I will blame it on the shooter until I hear something different.

Other than the sights that now need to go back to TruGlo, I would say the first range day with the G19 was a complete success. Awesome firearm.

doug
 
#23 ·
Range Report : 8.30.13...I had ONE single failure to load on the last round of a magazine about halfway into my session. No idea why, but I cleared it and went right on with what I was doing. It's possible it may have been limped, but I wasn't paying that close of attention to my technique on the last round of the mag, so I couldn't say for sure. I will blame it on the shooter until I hear something different...
Doug,

Good report, thanks, it's nice to get that much feedback on a new gun. For the single failure to feed on the last round of a magazine, I would venture a guess that it probably was a momentary loss of focus on your grip that caused the failure. My reasoning is pretty simple: the gun is quite a bit lighter by the time you reach the last round, so your grip needs to be maybe a little better. If you lost focus for just a moment, that could have been enough.

That said, we can't completely discount the fact that you were using brand-new magazines, and there might have been some inconsistency there. As several others have said, just load the magazines and let them sit for a week, they will behave a little better.

I hope things cool off for you. We were visiting Prairie Grove in early June, the weather was still comfortable, but I will never forget the years we spent living in Champaign and Crystal Lake, in the summer, with "90 and 90" (90° F temperature and 90% relative humidity..and bugs). Fall is just around the corner.

Chris
 
#24 ·
Chicago has 5 seasons... winter, spring, summer, fall and construction. And spring and fall last for about 2 weeks each. :) We're waiting for some severe T-storms here in the next few hours, so we might get that wonderful 25° swing in temps (again) soon.

I had the three new mags sitting in my bag for the last week, loaded to 15 each, so they had some time to sit, at least. Everything in this gun is so much more ready to go than the Sig was. The Sig needed to be stripped and cleaned of Cosmoline and properly lubed before round 1 ever was fired—plus the metal mags were filled with Cosmoline as well. I had to take them apart to completely clean every nook & cranny before shooting anything, plus the springs were so tight I couldn't get them full without the help of a speed loader. The Glock was SO completely different out of the box. I essentially took delivery of the G19, wiped it down and loaded it up. I took everything apart out of habit, but found nothing even remotely similar to my Sig as far as packing goo. I felt guilty for not cleaning it first.

With the Sig, a light grip on the right hand and a firm hold on the left was all I needed to fire properly, and 900 rounds never had a single FTF or FTE. This surprised me, actually. I thought I was done, and when I looked down the slide was in partial battery and I was confused for a second. Then I realized I must have reverted to a soft grip and caused the FTF. Didn't do that again, for sure.

My big hesitation with the Gen4 was the rather aggressive grip texture. I didn't like it as much as the Gen3, but the other improvements outweighed the issues I had with the grip. My hands were so sweaty in that sweltering range today, that I was unable to get enough grip to remove the slide and field strip. The grip actually proved to be surprisingly nice, and I will be definitely getting one of those laser-cut extended slide takedown levers real soon.


The worst thing that came out of today is, now I really want a G34 in the WORST possible way. :)


doug
 
#27 ·
Ooooooooh, that will prove useful! Thanks for the tip!..
You're welcome. It's strange stuff, feels like rosin suspended in alcohol. Shake the container, squeeze a little out onto your hand, spread it around (don't rub it in) and once it dries you can pick up ANYthing without slipping. Washes right off with soap and water at the end of the day.

To your G34 comment, well, get one is all I can say. For competition, I don't think you can find a better Glock, and in some places the G34 dominates USPSA Production (in the right hands, of course). It is beautifully balanced right out of the box, just polish up the internals and replace the sights, and you are done.

The best things about Glocks in competition, from my viewpoint, are simplicity and reliability. The safeties built into the trigger takes away unnecessary distraction, and the guns are as reliable as stones. They let you concentrate on shooting rather than on supporting a complicated handgun.

Chris
 
#28 ·
I would, but I think I have reached my quota for the year. :eek: It's next on my list, though.

A quickie post of a couple of targets I brought home to look through. This was 2 targets of 45 rounds (total) at 15' towards the end of the day. I'm actually beaming with the results. The frustrations I had with the Sig were beating me up every time I went to the range.

 
#29 ·
Congrats! There is nothing wrong with those results!
 
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