The GLOCK 34 MOS Gen5 FS. I know what you’re thinking. “It’s just like the new GLOCK 17 MOS, only longer.” And in fact, it’s just like the new GLOCK 17 MOS, only longer.
The new G34 may be like the other Gen 5 GLOCK guns, but there are a few changes to previous generations. Most obviously, the Gen5 G34 has ambidextrous slide stop controls. They’re also oversized on the G34 as compared to other models, as is the reversible magazine release (which is only slightly larger). Those finger grooves are gone, too.
There are still larger options available for competitive shooters, but I’d advise anyone using the firearm as a self-defense or duty tool to stay away from those, as a-less-than ideal grip can leave you with an accidentally dropped magazine.
You’ll also find that the G34’s grip doesn’t have the small moon cut in the front, unlike other Gen5 models. The magazine well is also slightly funneled, with a small amount of flare. GLOCK did this pretty well, and I had no issues with magazine hanging up while blindly inserting them into the flared magwell, something that did occasionally happen to me with previous models.
This particular pistol came with the polymer sights that are standard on GLOCK pistols. They’re prone to breaking and rounding over time with regular use. Fortunately, there are steel and low-light options available from the factory as well.
The inclusion of four additional back straps is big plus. With the largest backstrap, which includes a healthy beavertail, the placement of my finger on the trigger is ideal. I have size large hands, and the standard grip always leaves me either pulling my finger to the side or gorilla gripping the trigger. The package also includes a handy “punch” and pin to complete the swap out.
This version of the GLOCK 34 includes the GLOCK Modular Optic System (MOS). Like many other optics-ready models offered, GLOCK includes several (four) mounting plates to mount a variety of popular pistol optics. That means if you choose to mount a red-dot style pistol optic, you won’t have to have your slide milled to do it.
It also means that, in comparison to a custom milled slide, the optic will sit slightly higher on the gun. Based on your optic and round of choice, your iron sights may co-witness, or they may not.
I’ve tried it time and time again, and I don’t shoot any more accurately or faster with a pistol optic than without. But that only counts for shooting in daylight. At night, it’s much easier to see the red dot as the dot makes for a single plane of focus. Now you don’t have to see your sights and the target in the light, just the target. Of course, tritium sights work well, just not as fast as the optic in low light.
Unsurprisingly, I had zero failures of any kind with this gun. I fired mostly 115gr and 147gr Armscor FMJ rounds from the pistol, as well as a few magazines of home rolled HPs and Speer’s 124gr HP Lawman ammunition. Using the three supplied magazines, I fired a total of 500 rounds through the gun with no issues whatsoever.
As I do with most lightweight striker fired pistols, I intentionally fired the gun from less than optimal positions and grips. One that often gets my Gen3 G19 GLOCKs to misfire is to stand bladed 90 degrees to the target, put my firing hand across my body with my forearm parallel to the ground and near my belt, and then fire the gun with a fairly loose hand and wrist. I often get failures like this, or if I’m in a similar position, but laying down.
My G21SF doesn’t short cycle in this position, and neither did this G34. Ideal hand position and grip strength isn’t necessary for the gun to function, a feature I find valuable on a weapon intended for duty or self-defense.
Off the bench, the Gen5 MOS is a solid performer. At 25 yards, several brands of ammunition shot all around the 2” mark. Averaging four shot strings of five rounds each from 25 yards off a rest, the GLOCK 34MOS Gen5 shot the dirt cheap Armscor 115gr FMJ at 1.7”
The GLOCK Marksman barrels are just fine, but what really helps with that level of accuracy is the seven-and-a-half-inch sight radius and a vastly improved trigger. I’ve said it before and I’ll double down on it. If the new GLOCK triggers were the ones they put on the previous generation’s models, there would never be the aftermarket GLOCK trigger market we see today.
Breaking at 5 lbs, but with little grit and creep compared to earlier models, there’s no reason to swap out this trigger with an aftermarket brand. Unless you’ll be using the G34 MOS purely a race gun, the pistol’s trigger is great as it is. And it doesn’t just help off the bench.
The GLOCK 34 Gen 5 absolutely hums along in fast fire. Even though the gun itself weighs fairly little, the 8-inch plus nDLC finish slide helps to keep the muzzle down. The barrel itself is actually 5.31”, about 1/3rd of an inch longer than a full-sized Colt 1911. That long slide and barrel length, combined with a long sight radius and a good trigger makes the gun blazingly fast.
Fast fire is where the GLOCK 34 really shines. Although originally created to win competitions, the full size 34 has rapidly and rightly become the sidearm of more than a few law enforcement agencies.
I know folks who carry the gun OWB as their everyday carry pistol and with the Gen5 version, I think that number is going to get a lot higher. I was really impressed by how well the muzzle stays down, and how easy it is to control, especially as a stock factory gun.
Yup, it’s big. But really, it’s no larger than the 1911 Governments I’ve carried every day for years. And it’s a lot lighter. With the right holster and the right dress, everyday carry is completely doable. Duty carry is easy.
GLOCKs have changed at a glacial pace since their original design. The incremental improvements of the Gen5 models are all as a result of this process, but this is the first GLOCK generation that feels like it’s a big step forward. The trigger is vastly improved. It’s finally ambidextrous. The backstraps are a good step away from “one size fits all” GLOCKs, and the inclusion of optics mounting plates catches the GLOCKs up with the competition.
What sets the GLOCK 34 Gen5 MOS apart is how well all of that comes together in a fairly lightweight, but long-barreled version of a competition/duty gun. It’s easy to shoot, highly customizable, and fast as all get-out. If these were the GLOCKs I’d seen 20 years ago, I’d likely be EDCing one today.
Specifications: GLOCK 34 MOS Gen5 FS
Caliber: 9X19mm
Barrel Length: 5.31 inch
Length (Overall): 8.74 inch
Slide Length: 8.15 inch
Width (Overall): 1.34 inch
Slide Width: 1.0 inch
Height incl. Magazine: 5.47 inch
Sight Radius (Polymer): 7.52
Trigger Distance: 2.76 inch
Weight with empty magazine: 26.21 oz
Magazine Capacity : 17 / 19 / 24 / 31 / 33
MSRP: $899 (found online for $720 and up)
Ratings (out of five stars):
Style and Appearance * * *
It looks like a GLOCK.
Customization * * * * *
You can already change anything on a GLOCK. With this version, some of the biggest changes you’d want to make are factory-included.
Reliability * * * * *
Perfection.
Accuracy * * * 1/2
For a pistol with an 8.15” slide and a 7.52” sight radius, I’d have liked to seen a little better. Still, sub-2” groups for every round I tried is better than average.
Overall * * * *
The only thing that kept this gun out of the five star category was the accuracy score. It has nothing to do with the fact that it’s just as homely as every other GLOCK. For the speed it sends 9mm pills downrange, I’m willing to overlook that. The new G34 is certainly not cheap, but GLOCK did great with the Gen5 guns in general, and particularly well with the G34 MOS.