Range Report - Glock 19 Gen 5

[Netpackrat]

TL; DR version: It's excellent and I would buy it again.

Long version:

So, I bought one of these a week or so ago... I know I have been the hardcore 10mm Automatic guy here for a while, but I wanted something a bit smaller that will conceal a little easier than even my G29, that is maybe more importantly easier to shoot well. I've realized for a while that the 10mm cartridge has been holding back any improvement in my pistol marksmanship... My G20 is not so bad to shoot and making hits with it even out to 100 yards is not too difficult, but the G29 is just a handful in general, unpleasant with real 10mm ammo, and it's the one I am most likely to be carrying. Adding RMR sights to them helped quite a bit, but that doesn't make them shoot any softer or less likely to induce a flinch. It still did help me speed up a little since exact sight alignment becomes no longer as much of a thing. I'm not going to get rid of any of the 10mms but I will probably carry them a lot less than I used to once I get holstered up for the 19.

Anyway I had been planning to get a 19 for a year or two, but last year before my previous house sold I was too broke, and ever since then I have just been busy with one thing after another. Originally I had intended to buy a Gen 3 (which is what my 10mms are), but ended up going with the Gen 5 for a number of reasons. Glock got a lot of hate when they first released it due to it seeming to be the same old thing warmed over a little. I think the truth of the matter is that they made a lot of seemingly minor tweaks, and that the new gun is what the Gen 4 should have been. It's just an improved pistol in a lot of ways and the total effect appears to be greater than the specs might otherwise lead one to believe. Granted I only have my large frame Gen 3s to compare with, but I also owned a Gen 2 G22 at one point, and this one is just subtly better in most ways. On the other forum where I hang out, there is a guy who started out with Glocks, and has rotated through nearly every pistol on the market, trying to find the "one" pistol that he shoots the best, before settling on CZs. He was happy with those AFAIK, but he's now back to Glocks with the Gen 5 and says that going forward that's all he's going to buy.

The day I bought it, the salesman (who was also showing me a 19X and a Gen 4) mentioned that some people don't like the half moon shaped cut out at the bottom of the grip at the front, but I didn't really start to notice it at all until the very end of the 300 rounds total that I fired today. I'll probably just round over the sharp edge like I did the edges of the Pierce grip extensions for my G29 mags. I've never been a fan of the finger grooves (which literally nobody asked for), but always regarded them as more of a nuisance than a deal killer. Turns out, that's only because I have been shooting large frame Glocks all these years. When I handled the Gen 4, I found that they were placed horribly for me, and I would have needed to take a sander or something to them before ever taking it to the range. The finger grooveless-ness was the biggest factor for me, but also I think the trigger is just better in general, particularly the reset. I don't really care that much about the ambi slide release, and never missed not having one, but given that it is important for left handed shooters, and it doesn't seem to do a righty any harm, Glock should probably standardize on it across their line just on general principles. If I had to nitpick something, it would be the flared magwell. When I load a pistol, I am in the habit of seating the mag, and then giving a quick tug down on the baseplate to make sure it has locked in. The flared well makes it just a tiny bit awkward to get a grip on the base plate. It didn't stop me from doing that, but I did notice it wasn't as easy.

I fired the new pistol for the first time today. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I shoot it a lot less poorly than I do any of my 10mm Glocks. Fired 200 rounds of Sig 124gr FMJ and 100 of 124gr HST. A couple rounds from one box of the HST seemed "soft" but they still functioned it okay. Had no malfunctions at all. I used all 3 of the 15 round magazines that came with the gun and some of the 17 rounders that I bought a while back (because it had seemed like a good idea to buy some). I also have a 33 round "happy stick" but I'll break that out on another day. Still using the factory plastic "dovetail protectors" but I have different sights ordered. If I decide to go RMR later on I'll probably just buy a second Gen 5 at that time.

Final observation... I should have brought more 9mm ammo to the range.... With either model 10mm Glock, by the time I have fired that much, I am DONE for the day. I would have kept going had I not ran out.

[Rich Jordan]

So tempting to channel some early 9mm "Europellet" posts...

But I admit to enjoying my 9mm EAA Witness; for me its not a carry gun, its my range centerfire pistol .22LR equivalent; its the cheapest to shoot a lot for training and practice. That pistol and I both prefer the 124gr loadings over all others too.

I've yet to see or hold a G5 or G4 Glock but the earlier ones just don't fit or feel right for me.

[Netpackrat]

Speaking of fit, it came with a bunch of replaceable backstraps, some with beavertail and some without. I am running the medium size without. I test fitted the beavertail ones and it seemed like they would interfere with the draw stroke. I see now that Pierce makes a replacement base plate for the mags that fills the half moon cutout in the grip, so if that gets to really bothering me, I may get some of those.

If anyone cares, the sights I ordered are Ameriglo Tcaps. I have the original version on my iron sighted G29 and I like them, though the one downside is I like a little thinner front. Since I installed those, they came out with the Tcap, which does have a slightly thinner front. They say it is the thinnest they can make it and still put a tritium vial in the blade. The rear just has a bar below the notch in a photo-luminescent paint. I'm not a fan of 3 dot sights because I think they are too "busy" for lack of a better explanation.