Glock 19 (gen iv)

Looking for feedback from fellow officers that have fired and have experience with the Glock 19 gen 4, looking to add a 9mm to my collection. I dry fired one the other day and it appears to be a solid piece, felt good in my hand, not quite sure what to make of the new grip texture...but not against it. I like that it comes with 2 different backstraps as well. Right now my XD SC .40 is my primary off duty carry...I have to be honest though, it's a snappy gun and shooting it takes some getting used to. I find that it's harder to get the sites back on target after the recoil....

Dave

I got my Gen4 shortly after it came out, and put it in service as a duty weapon about a month after that. Here's my thoughts;

1. If your recoil spring is stamped 03, it is a stiffer spring. This spring allows full power duty ammo to recoil much softer and flatter, making it feel as if you were shooting light target loads out of a Gen3. Here's the trade off, Gen4s are hit miss with light practice ammo, some have cycling issues, some don't. For me, this was a non issue, I reload my ammo so I just bumped my powder charge a bit and I'm happy. For others, they spew a lot of hate because their gun has cycling issues with light/lower power loads. It's simple physics, and for some reason people refuse to acknowledge it, tighter recoil spring means it's more difficult to force the slide back, shooting lighter target loads (wwb, federal 115gr, etc) may not be strong enough to force the slide back every time. If your recoil spring is stamped 04, your gun will shoot the same as a gen3. You will lose the advantage of being able to shoot higher power loads with such a soft feel, but you will be able to feed practice ammo without problems.

On that note, your duty ammo is high power ammo and will have no issues cycling your Gen4

You need to understand this going in, otherwise you will be disappointed with your Gen4, then go register on another forum dedicated to glocks, and spend the rest of your days bashing the Gen4.


2. I love the texture for shooting. I love it for duty carry. I love the positive grip I can get no matter what the conditions are or how stressed I am when I draw.

I hate the texture for IWB carry without a t-shirt. If I'm rolling without a t-shirt tucked in, I will just choose my glock 26 instead. For me the texture on the gen4 is uncomfortable against my love handles.


I love my Gen4 Glock19. I know exactly what it is and does, and I appreciate how it handles high power loads. YMMV

I am going to be buying a 19 here soon I hope, as part of a late Christmas/Housewarming gift to myself, and I can't decide on trying to find an older 3rd Gen, or a new 4th Gen gun. Since mine will have to be for range and off-duty carry, I think after reading your post I will be going with the Gen 3. Carry ammo with probably be Speer 124+P ...

Thanks for the information Mike. It's helping me make up my mind, because I having a hard time deciding. You give up on the M&P as a duty weapon now?

I did get rid of the m&p. I might be a freak but I actually think the gen4 with no backstrap feels better in my hand than the m&p. I do prefer a slightly more compact package, and I also found the glock trigger to be a bit more to my liking. This is not a bad review of the m&p, that thing felt great in my hands and absolutely drove tacks, but for me the overall glock package (I like the way glock mags are put together and fit into the gun, the glock 26 is smaller and more comfortable to carry than the m&p9c, the simplicity of complete stripping, etc) made the glock a better fit FOR ME...

Morris did an excellent write up on the Gen 4 model 22 here on the forums.

You may find useful information there.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mike325

I got my Gen4 shortly after it came out, and put it in service as a duty weapon about a month after that. Here's my thoughts;

1. If your recoil spring is stamped 03, it is a stiffer spring. This spring allows full power duty ammo to recoil much softer and flatter, making it feel as if you were shooting light target loads out of a Gen3. Here's the trade off, Gen4s are hit miss with light practice ammo, some have cycling issues, some don't. For me, this was a non issue, I reload my ammo so I just bumped my powder charge a bit and I'm happy. For others, they spew a lot of hate because their gun has cycling issues with light/lower power loads. It's simple physics, and for some reason people refuse to acknowledge it, tighter recoil spring means it's more difficult to force the slide back, shooting lighter target loads (wwb, federal 115gr, etc) may not be strong enough to force the slide back every time. If your recoil spring is stamped 04, your gun will shoot the same as a gen3. You will lose the advantage of being able to shoot higher power loads with such a soft feel, but you will be able to feed practice ammo without problems.

On that note, your duty ammo is high power ammo and will have no issues cycling your Gen4

You need to understand this going in, otherwise you will be disappointed with your Gen4, then go register on another forum dedicated to glocks, and spend the rest of your days bashing the Gen4.


2. I love the texture for shooting. I love it for duty carry. I love the positive grip I can get no matter what the conditions are or how stressed I am when I draw.

I hate the texture for IWB carry without a t-shirt. If I'm rolling without a t-shirt tucked in, I will just choose my glock 26 instead. For me the texture on the gen4 is uncomfortable against my love handles.


I love my Gen4 Glock19. I know exactly what it is and does, and I appreciate how it handles high power loads. YMMV

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For the Glock 22 , Gen 4 with the recoil spring stamped 01, I am guessing would be the same issue as the 03 G19 Gen 4?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pinki

For the Glock 22 , Gen 4 with the recoil spring stamped 01, I am guessing would be the same issue as the 03 G19 Gen 4?

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No one really knows for sure, but the 02 spring for the G17/G22 came out at the same time as the Gen 4 Glock 19 was released. People assume the 03 spring is the equivalent of the 02 spring, but it's obviously shorter, so who knows.

03 spring for compacts, 02 for full size.

Well right, I was implying they came out the same time and are likely the same weight...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mike325

No one really knows for sure, but the 02 spring for the G17/G22 came out at the same time as the Gen 4 Glock 19 was released. People assume the 03 spring is the equivalent of the 02 spring, but it's obviously shorter, so who knows.

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Ok, thanks!

Does the Gen 4 have better grip than previous? I had to get a Hogue for mine cause it kept moving around too much when my hands were sweating. Does the Gen 4 work better for you?

Yes and yes. The newest RTF is right for me without being too aggressive.

I just picked one of these up this Tuesday, but have not had a chance to fire it. It was test-fired July 2010, and came with the "heavy" 03 recoil spring. Just handling it, both my wife and I love it. I put a set of Trijicon sights on it. As soon as I can pick up a variety of ammo, including the Speer 124 +p Gold Dots I plan on carrying, I will start breaking it in.

The compact Glocks have always been the best fit/size for me, and they are about right for the Domestic Supervisor too. Regardless if the grumbling on "that other forum" I have high hopes. The new frame without backstraps is perfect. I like it better than my issued M&P.