I’ve been in the gun industry in one form or another now for my entire adult life. I’ve managed stores and ran a pretty neat custom shop. I did some tests and helped tell the general public about the myths around rifle barrel length. I’ve won medals at Camp Perry and have had access to nearly every weapon available on the market today. Thing is, there’s only one handgun that I carry with confidence – GLOCK’s Model 19 Gen 4. And here’s why . . .
I’ve fired so many rounds that I’ve literally lost count. I don’t consider a gun to be worth a damn until round 5000 has been fired. No joke. That little 13.5” .308 in my other articles has seen north of 7,000 rounds and is still capable of 1⁄4 MOA accuracy. I just like to get to know my gear. My G19 has seen over 10,000 rounds. That’s a lot for a carry gun, but I like to shoot. In all that time, I’ve had exactly zero malfunctions. Beretta? Springfield? Kimber? Nah. Those all have one problem apart from the constant reliability issues: they aren’t GLOCKs.
I’ve owned pistols from nearly every manufacturer, but the GLOCK 19 is the only pistol that I never considered to be ‘just another gun.’ It’s not just its flawless reliability that has me hooked. This gun is literally perfect. Don’t like the grip angle? Don’t be a crybaby. I’ve gotten into a couple scrapes while minding my own business and never thought twice about my weapon and its capabilities. It’s truly confidence in a small package. Say what you will, but I’ve seen and fired virtually all modern and historic pistols from Lugers to Llamas and I will say that there is really nothing that can truly outperform the GLOCK 19. It just keeps going.
So, how do I carry it? I don’t like other people’s holsters, so I tend to make my own out of leather. Occasionally I’ll scavenge some parts from other rigs, but I like to fit my own to me. I have a custom shoulder rig that’s on me when the weather is cool. It fits nicely and distributes the weight well. In the summer I either carry Mexican or in an IWB holster I made.
As far as the pistol goes, GLOCKs are perfect as-is. I didn’t make any improvements, I just personalized it for my own entertainment. I rounded off the triggerguard because it looks cool. That’s the only reason. I put a set of Heinie Straight Eight night sights on it because they also look cooler than the stock sights. There’s so little functionally different about pistol sights across manufacturers that the insinuation of one being superior is ha-ha funny. Why not other sights? Easy. They just didn’t fit the aesthetic of the gun and GLOCKs are beautiful. It has to look good, you know?
The GLOCK 19 Gen 4 isn’t a hero’s gun. It’s a gun that is meant to work, and work it does. Do yourself a favor and get one. I did and I’d be happy if it was the last pistol I ever bought. They don’t get much better than this.
(See the rest of the posts in this series here. Send your What I Carry and Why submissions with a photo to [email protected] with WICAW in the subject line.)
I was all with you until you admitted to carrying a pistol without a holster. A big NO-NO in my book.
Yeah, I caught that too. Hopefully by “Mexican” he means appendix in a holster. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt for now.
I’m glad you called him out for Mexican Carry of a Glock. Great way to lose credibility is to write about carrying a gun without an external safety “Mexican Style”
Plenty of people carry a glock without a holster. Maybe you need to start reading a new book that isn’t full of no-nos.
Plenty of people also drink and drive. The fact that lots of people do it doesn’t make it ok, and it doesn`t make it any less of a dangerous choice.
The G19–the gun made for folks who can’t handle the G20.
Love my 20,but don’t hate on the 19. The 10 is not for everyone.
Wasnt hating on the G19–just trollin’. 🙂
The G20 is the only Glock I actually want.
I have a G19 Gen4 (USA). They’re just great out of the box.
I love my G19, but still hate the stock sights. The shape and color pattern is not condusive to accuracy. My accuracy improves appreciably after switching to a set of Trijicons.
I’m plenty accurate with stock sights.
I don’t know which Beretta you’ve been shooting but my 92fs has about 4000 rounds through it without a single malfunction, and my wife’s PX4 Storm subcompact has about a thousand rounds without a malfunction. I’m not knocking Glock’s well deserved reputation for reliability but it’s not the only reliable gun out there.
As far as round count goes, it’s nice to know you’ve personally established your pistol’s reliability, but at 10,000 rounds I’d start getting concerned that I’d have a breakage due to natural wear. I’d pick up another G19, put a thousand or two rounds through it and make it my carry gun. Probably sell the old one.
Nyet, 10,000 rounds through 9mm Glock means it’s broken in. At that round count I might consider replacing the captive return spring, firing pin spring and extractor. That gun’s got another 50,000 rounds in it.
Or you could just sell the old one and pick up a new one for a net cost of a couple hundred bucks. Sure, you’re not going to shoot out the barrel in 10,000 rounds, but if you’re carrying a particular firearm solely because you believe that it is the absolute most reliable weapon you can buy it would make sense to keep a reasonably fresh example in your belt. If you’re a decent amateur gunsmith and want to save a few bucks that’s OK too, I guess. Don’t forget mag springs while you’re at it, worn mag springs are one of the most common causes of failures.
My only functional worry with the G19 is the trigger spring, which I’ve heard goes with no warning when it does. This has tempted me to replace it with a NY1 Brown spring and 3.5lb bar, but I haven’t gotten around to it yet.
Some guns will go almost forever without any breakage. But why push the limit? If your shooting 10,000 rounds, that’s somewhere around $2,000 just for ammo, plus the odds of having a small part break at a critical moment, are mounting against you.
Myself, I’d buy two guns (the same), shoot one of them a few hundred rounds to make sure it’s not a lemon, and use it for carry, then shoot the hell out of the other one, if you can afford it.
Actually, I’d buy a wheel gun, shoot it a little to make sure it’s OK, but not saying you should.
+1, +2 and +3. Even the WWB at Walmart will run over @$2500 + tax for 10,000 rounds. Buy a new one and do most of your cheap ammo shooting with the old one. You should probably do your defense ammo practice with your carry weapon though. Needs to be cleaned up ever once in a while anyway.
And I’d agree that if you’re really concerned with reliability a revolver would be best, but frankly as reliable as my 92 has been, reliability wouldn’t really be much of a factor. I carry a GP100 for power, accuracy and reliability.
My Glock 19 I view in the same way as I view my base model, gasoline F250, it isn’t unique, pretty, or fancy.
But, it does what I need it to do, at the price I need it to. And, when I’m done with it, I’ll just get rid of it and get another one just like it.
I’d like to see an article showing how you made your leather holster for the G 19.
Editor – I know there are many debates in the gun world (1911 vs Glock, etc.) that will never end. But, publishing a submitted article endorsing carrying a Glock without a holster, without further explanation, is not the quality of discussion or debate I expect from this site.
+1000!!!
Maybe Josh isn’t a guy that plays by unwritten rules like you. I liked this article. Snappy and concise. I’d trust an accomplished writer who actually contributed to the gun world over some anon in the comments section.
Carrying a handgun without a holster? Stupid. That method not only endangers the carrier, but potentially those around him. Just one more thing to give the anti-2A people something to rant about. Maybe you, Josh, and Placico Burris should get together and write a sequel.
Carrying a handgun without a holster? Stupid. That method not only endangers the carrier, but potentially those around him. Just one more thing to give the anti-2A people something to rant about. Maybe you, Josh, and Plaxico Burress should get together and write a sequel.
Bingo. I have G26s and G19s that have had zero malfunctions in thousands of rounds. I don’t mean an occasional hiccup when dirty or running garbage ammo, I mean none. My only complaint with old Glocks is that they get slippery requiring the use of some sort of grip enhancement like Talon grips. $20 bucks and you are good to go for another 5 years. I had a brief fling with M&P because I shoot them better but very quickly went back to my Glock after experiencing some issues with an M&P 9 under heavy use.
If I ever need to use it and it gets taken as evidence, I can go to any LGS and buy another one just like it for $500 or less. I do admit that I have been carrying a G43 lately with only a few hundred rounds through it but with the current news have been back to packing the 19.
+1 I EDC a S&W M60 (and sometimes a 1911, which gets a bit heavy) was going to change to a sweet little M&P Shield but current events changed my mind to a 19, which has beaucoup capacity, as compared to the other three. Five to seven rounds (plus two extra mags.) would probably work fine in most circumstances, but these days I would feel safer with 46 (16+15+15)…because it can and will happen here.
The Glock 19 is a pretty dang reliable handgun. However, even Glocks can and will fail. I’ve worn out all the mags on a Gen 3 Glock 35…after about a dozen years of use. The tritium sights on my G27, which is also more than 10 years old, need replacing. The recoil spring on my G27 still works, buts it’s definitely much weaker than it used to be and needs a swap.
Yeah, I’m not buying this story at face value.
The Glock is a well engineered handgun, there is no question. That said in the competitive world I watch many thousands of rounds go through pistols of all manufacture as an RO and most modern handgun designs are as robust as Glocks at this point.
Glocks are wonderful, intuitive (if you can get past the grip angle) guns. Their springs wear out like anybody else’s. You accidentally round off some corners on the connector/cruciform/striker lug and it will go full auto similar to other designs.
I’ve got a Gen 3 Glock 19 with the Austrian eagle proof marks that quickly became a keeper after trying a Keltec PF9, a Taurus PT92, and a Taurus 905. I’ve had exactly one malfunction with my G19 in around 5000 rounds and that was a FTF due to a bad primer, so not the gun’s fault. I’m going to get my concealed carry permit for myself for my birthday and I might add a G43 to my collection.
Glock on.
Glock all the way! I EDC a glock21gen4, trijicon HD, minus connector, grip reduction plus 3M skateboard tape on front&back straps, on the slide, along the frame and under the trigger guard, undercut trigger guard, surefire x300. I rounded off the triggerguard cuz i found it get in the way should i botch my drawstroke.
And cutouts at the magwell for ripping the mag
So, basically stock, right out of the box, in other words.
“It’s a great gun. Of course, I changed the sights, trigger, grip profile, grip surfaces, etc. etc.”
With all those changes, why didn’t you just buy a different gun?
Yea that s exactly what my wife used to ask me and i thought about it too. I began as a competitor before i seriously considered shooting and training defensively. Back then i was running custom 2011s by SVI and literally every single aspect of the gun could be customised at the time of order. Of course i refuse to EDC a gun that requires constant tinkering so basically 1911/2011 was out of question, the main reason being the annoying barrel link, an extractor that gets destroyed by clearing doublefeeds, and even polymer 4.25″ STIs are too heavy for target-to-target transition in an unplanned situation. XDs are out because of a grip safety that cannot be safely disabled; M&P, VP9, P320, PPQ are out because of the slide stop on the right side which gets in the way as i’m a lefty and either my left thumb or my right palm gets it to do the wrong thing at the wrong time, and i cannot figure out a way to dremel it off without possible adverse effect. I cant manage DA/SA. SIG DAK is too heavy. I settled on HK45 running LEM but the intricate clockwork jammed up in a training class in the rain and i lost faith in it. And that gun was not even nearly as fast as the polymer guns i mentioned on split times. I picked glocks at the end because nothing internally needs to be tinkered with but the connector. All other changes are doable with a dremel without a PhD. Reliability has solid long term track record. Yea, that s why i run glocks and i’m a 1911 guy when it comes to shooting for fun/comp. i might have put too much emphasis on ergonomics, call me pussy but it’s not like i’m compromising anything with a glock in other respects.
As for other SAO guns like high power, CZ75 variants, p226x5 etc, i cannot get myself to consistently undo the small safety levers under stress. I am willing to sacrifice that for a good SAO trigger, only if the safety levers are gigantic and ambidextrous. Anything smaller than the levers you see on open class 2011 race guns, i wont use. And last time i checked none is available on the guns i just said above.
Because it wouldn’t look as cool.
Anyone else have issues with older mags starting to stick in the magwell and not fall free on a mag change? Seems like the polymer glock mags are the ones that do this, I’ve never had an issue on my metal mag handguns. But I’m not a Glock guy, so my sample size is limited to one Gen3 G17 with lots and lots of rounds through it (and the mags). New mags fixed the problem, but it’s annoying.
Try armoralling your mags, take a pass at cleaning up your mag release.
1/4 MOA…. wow, trading my 14lb 308 Varmint for a G19…. with a 20x scope.
OK, maybe that’s Minute of A-hole.
i didnt know they made a 13.5 inch .308 G 19 ,,lol ,reread the article ?
While you’re blatantly shilling, can you also tell us about Bacardi™ brand Bacardi™ products, brought to us by the great folks at Bacardi™?
+100
A few questions come to mind:
1) How much is Glock paying Josh
Wayner?
2) At what point can an article no longer be referred to as such? Like, what’s the threshold between “article” and “ad copy?”
3) Do you think the author has *actually* put 10,000+ rounds down range with his Glock brand Glock, or is it more likely that he has fired his gun a lot and 10,000 is the highest number he could think of?
Hey man, glad to hear your valuable opinion.
1: Glock does not pay me to tell the truth about their products. I’ve had several shitty Glocks that I’ve sold, which is why the 19 is the featured gun, not the 43 or 21.
2: This is not an article. This is my opinion.
3: 10000 is a nice round number so I don’t have to spell out that I’ve fired 10 cases of blazer brass 115gr fmj and an additional several thousand mixed types and hand loads. It’s easy to go through 20,000 in a year of serious competition and practice. Hell, I put over 1000 through my Swedish Mauser this year alone for CMP and practice.
Sure looked like a GLOCK brand GLOCK ad to me…until you ragged on other GLOCKS. They are fine with me-I just don’t like the feel in my hand. And I don’t care if you gangster carry LOL
How did 21 suck for u? Just curious, never had a problem with the several i own, whether gen3 or 4
Yet you never addressed the fact that you choose not to use a holster, a mistake with any gun, especially one with no external safety.
@James The 21 doesn’t suck. The Gen 3 is a better gun I think, but that’s just me. I was just using it as an example to show that I wasn’t writing about glock as a whole. I have had serious issues with both gen 3 and 4 Glock 20s, 42, 41, gen 4 22, gen 3 35, and several others. I’ve seen issues with nearly every model over the course of my time in the business. Some of those pistols just straight up couldn’t shoot straight or had reliability issues.
@Leo Not everyone plays by the same rules and it isn’t up to a non-regulated popular body and the opinions it generates to determine what it is that I do. It’s not illegal and therefore not subject to being ‘addressed.’ It is my choice to carry how I wish. You can do it how you want. Leave other people and their methods alone and you should be golden.
Great article John. When I got my first Glock, it made me believer. Over the years I have completed my collection. I have every Glock except for the 25, 28, and 18. I sold off my Sigs, Walthers, etc. I have never had a malfunction of any kind in any of my Glock and I am still shooting around 2000 rounds a month.
Do you have every generation of each gun?
I hate Glocks. They are ugly, plain, not one thing special about them and everybody has one. I also carry one daily because the damn thing just works, fits my hand, and I can buy parts for one in the event that something does go wrong at any reputable gun shop on earth.
…And…. If you wanna be happy for the rest of your life, Never make a pretty women your wife
Go for my personal point of view, Get an ugly girl to marry you…saw your wife the other day
Yeah and She’s Ugly, Yeah she’s Ugly but she sure can cook baby……Women and Guns gots
a lot in common…Big $ and high Maintenance don’t always make for a happy life.
8/10. I took two points because you used the word literally twice. I know that you’re not speaking figuratively. I like Glocks too. Literally.
@Leo Not everyone plays by the same rules and it isn’t up to a non-regulated popular body and the opinions it generates to determine what it is that I do. It’s not illegal and therefore not subject to being ‘addressed.’ It is my choice to carry how I wish. ”
So Sorry ! I did not realize that if something is not illegal and just plain stupid it is not a subject to be addressed.
Have a pistol with a manual safety, when it’s in the holster the safety is off. If I take it out of the holster for any reason other than to fire I can flip the safety on. I liked the Glocks I have shot. The 19 is on my list but my present pistol hasn’t broke yet. I’ll get a holster for the Glock as well. No safety no problem as long as the holster covers the trigger. Ugly don’t count.