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Man, since 2019, the rise of the GLOCK clone has really accelerated. The GLOCK 19 in particular seems to be the number one cloned pistol in the series. We have lots of options now, priced both high and low.

On the low end, PSA produces the Dagger. On the high end, we have guns like those from Zev. And in the still affordable middle is the Adams Arms AA19. Adams Arms is mainly known for being an AR manufacturer. The AA19 represents their first step into building and designing a handgun. Adams has picked what most consider a winning (and obvious) design with the GLOCK 19 and they’ve upgraded it with several popular features.

The Feature-Filled AA19

First, the most noticeable thing about the AA19 is its grip and frame design. It looks like a Polymer 80 frame when it comes to the geometry of the thing. The grip is less…European and more American. And by more American, I mean 1911-like with its 19-degree grip angle.

But this is not your average Polymer 80 grip by any means. In the AA19 we get very aggressive grip texturing that covers, well, everywhere you put your hands.

Adams Arms AA19 9mm Pistol
It’s been Americanized with a 19 degree grip angle. (Travis Pike For TTAG)

The trigger guard features a double undercut that allows you to form a stable and very high grip on the pistol. When I grip a standard GLOCK 19, a little bit of my pinky hangs off the bottom. When I hold the AA19, all my digits remain firmly in place and on the grip. I love a good high grip and the combination of the undercut and the beavertail provides that.

Adams Arms AA19 9mm Pistol
Look at that undercut. (Travis Pike For TTAG)

The AA19 has an extended magazine release and a Tango Down Vickers carry trigger, two aftermarket upgrades a lot of people make to their stock GLOCKs. We get a metal, flat-faced trigger shoe and a refined trigger pull that’s very comfortable, even after high round counts. The AA19’s rail is a standard Picatinny rail rather than GLOCK’s proprietary thing. You won’t need your Streamlight GLOCK key to add a light.

The Slide Work

The AA19’s slide features aggressive grip serrations that have a slight slant to them. They are nice, effective and look good. On top of the slide, we get an optics cut because this is 2021 and there are now laws making it criminal not to include one (or there should be). The cut can use a range of plates to accommodate a wide variety of popular optics.

Adams Arms AA19 9mm Pistol
The AA19 slide has been cut to be fully optics-ready. (Travis Pike For TTAG)

If you don’t want to use an optic, the Ameriglo Defoor EDC sights provide a simple, robust set of sturdy metal iron sights designed by firearm instructor and Navy SEAL Kyle Defoor. These are blacked-out sights with a rather thin front blade.

Adams Arms AA19 9mm Pistol
The blacked out Ameriglo sights are interesting, but functional. (Travis Pike For TTAG)

A 1/2×28 threaded barrel gives you all the options to mount suppressors, compensators, and other muzzle devices as you see fit. The AA19 barrel is Adams Arms’ own and is a match-grade barrel that keeps up with the latest generation of GLOCK Marksman barrels.

Adams Arms AA19 9mm Pistol
A threaded barrel makes it easy to add a silencer or comp. (Travis Pike For TTAG)

The only thing on the AA19 that seemingly remains unchanged from the G19 is the dinky slide lock. It’s still positioned right where my thumbs sits so I tend to pin it down as I shoot. I have big hands and that’s an occupational hazard with most handguns, keeping the slide from locking back when the gun runs dry. Your mileage may vary.

Lastly, you get a nice hard case from Plano and two Magpul 15-round G19 magazines with the gun.

On The Range

That TangoDown Vickers trigger is popular for a reason. A lot of the grit and grind people  stock GLOCK triggers is gone. It’s not a crazy-light, 1911 trigger, but it’s a very competent and well-done duty style trigger that breaks at about 4.5 pounds. When pulled, the AA19 barks and the super short reset is almost like a little cough.

Adams Arms AA19 9mm Pistol
Shooting this little fella is a ton of fun. (Travis Pike For TTAG)

When the AA19 barks, that nice high grip I can get helps me exert control throughout the recoil impulse. The slide never bites, even with the high grip. The Defoor sights aren’t exactly eye-catching at first, but you learn to find them and track them pretty quickly. I prefer something with some contrast to focus on, but it’s not a deal-breaker.

That thin front sight blade makes aiming at a distance easy since your sights don’t cover the target. The space between the sight also allows a quick target acquisition with a good-enough sight picture. By good enough, I mean good enough to rapidly put three rounds into the A-zone of an IPSC target. They might not be dead-on the A, but they stay comfortably in the box.

Adams Arms AA19 9mm Pistol
Pewing and powing is satisfying. (Travis Pike For TTAG)

Out to 25 yards, I can hit six-inch gongs pretty consistently. The eight- and ten-inch gongs are absurdly easy to see and hit as well. The AA19 performs like a high-end gun because it is a high-end gun…even if it doesn’t have a high-end gun price tag. With an optic, combined with the Vickers trigger and a great grip, I know ranges out to 50 yards are a cakewalk.

Specifications: Adams Arms AA12 Pistol

Barrel Length: 4.25 inches
Overall Length: 7.75 inches
Weight: 1.57 pounds
Caliber: 9mm
Capacity: 15 to 33
MSRP: $999

Ratings (out of five stars):

Ergonomics * * * * ½
A good high grip combined with zero slide bite makes me a happy pistol shooter. The Adams Arms AA19 eliminates the biggest common complaints I (and others) have about GLOCK pistols. I took half a star off for sticking with that teeny GLOCK slide lock.

Accuracy * * * *
It’s a combat pistol, so it won’t hang with a CZ Shadow 2, but it holds its own. Within 25 yards, it owns the field. Beyond that, without an optic, you can still hit the vital zone of a bad guy, but don’t expect to put one between his eyes.

Reliability * * * * *
Adams Arms took a lot of GLOCK out of this GLOCK, but they left the reliability in place.

Bang for Your Buck * * * *
It’s got an MSRP of $999, but I crunched some numbers. If you start with a GLOCK 19 MOS and add all these upgrade features and grip work, it comes with ten bucks of the Adams Arms price. And that’s not counting the custom slide work. The AA19 gives you a lot of customization for what I see as a very fair price.

Overall * * * * ½
Is it for everyone? No, but the Adams Arms AA19 is for the guy who wants an upgraded or Gucci custom GLOCK without the normal GLOCK ergonomic complaints. Or the cash outlay.

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28 COMMENTS

  1. I’d rather have Glock or a Sig. But I would consider adding this to my collection to use, possibly, in my EDC rotation.

  2. And we are still waiting for the Bersa clone from Rob Pincus…Avidity’s PD10….or is it the 11 now? LOL
    How long now? 3 years? 4? more?

    • Yeah, last I heard he was trying to get into 3d printing the frame and working on R&D that way? Think it’s dead in the water. Could have made a splash back when it was a niche no one was filling, but I think the odds of it taking off at this point aren’t great.

      Which is too bad, since I liked the idea of a slim-frame full size single stack 9mm carry pistol. Though I might like it better in .45 ACP truth be told.

  3. I for one am glad for this for a couple of reasons. I like the reliability of a G19, but a G19 is a poor fit for my hand. You know the bone between the base of the thumb and the wrist? Mine was in seven pieces after a wreck. I have considered a P80, but gathering up the parts with tthe features offered here is a chore that doesn’t interest me. I am glad to see Adams Arms seemingly ‘back from the dead’, and diversifying. I have a few of their products, and find them to be of good value. I think that I will buy one of these as it checks all the boxes, save maybe sights- and even those I’ll give a try. Typically I prefer XS Sights, but they’re offering the optics cut so if these sights are serviceable, I’ll likely juat leave them. I think that it’s a good looking clone too at that.

  4. At this point if you’re not printing your lower and magazines and building the rest of the gun yourself you’re pissing money down the drain.

  5. The only thing the world needs more than another plastic 9mm is another AR. Don’t misunderstand me. I now own a Glock 43 and a 19X. As well as what I’m told is a “nice” AR. Whatever that is.

  6. tsbhoa, I couldn’t agree more. That’s why my M-1 rifle has been rebarreled in .308. It’s why I own an HK-91 and an M1-A. Before the squawking starts my M1-A has a four digit serial number. ’70s production. Long before their treason.

  7. California is a sad place to be when it comes to reading reviews of new pistols. That said, at least one can now legally drop a deuce on the street there so I guess that’s a fair trade-off.

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