A Newbie Perception of Glock vs. Others

[TaxPhd]

My wife has decided to learn to shoot (yes, this is the one that had the KB), and we went to the range with a Glock 19, a Ruger 22/45, and a Kimber .45.

Wife shot the Ruger and the Kimber very well. After ten rounds with the Glock, she commented, "This trigger is terrible. The Ruger and Kimber are much easier to shoot" (By the way, she made this observation BEFORE she had the KB. After she had the KB, she was certain that she didn't like the Glock!).

This experience is not unique. EVERY new shooter I have helped to get started has preferred the single action triggers to safe-action. If these new shooters like the single action trigger, and are willing to learn the manual-of-arms necessary to safely employ these pistols, should we try to steer them away from an "inherantly dangerous, cocked and locked pistol," and towards a Glock, which is point and shoot?

I really didn't intend for this to come out as a Glock vs. all others type of thread. How about some non-emotional, spirited discussion?

 

[Road Dog]

I think what it all boils down to is a person's preference. If you like it and trust it, go with it. I guess in a perfect world you could go buy a pistol that would mow your yard, feed the dog, and still shoot a few thousand rounds a day, clean itself and tuck you into bed. My opinion is if person finds undesirable aspects to his/her given firearm, all they have to do is throw a rock and probably hit somebody who can recommend why or why not type B(another brand) would be better. Trigger pull too long? Go shopping until you are happy. Too much recoil, go shopping. Can't afford it? Don't eat for a week if you are that dead set for it. Don't mean to step on any toes, just my very humble opinion. Thanks, I feel better now, RD

 

[KorTek]

I personally like the Glock trigger. I've only been shooting handguns for a few years, and just got my first Glock a few days ago. The handguns I had before the Glock are a Frankenstein 1911, an old Ruger Blackhawk, a Ruger 95, and a Ruger 22/45. I wouldn't say that I like the Glock the best, but it is nice.

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why?

 

[JMB]

I still like single-action triggers better than Glocks. That said however, Glocks are the only guns I use for defense. I'm yet to have a single-action pistol that is anywhere near as reliable as my G17 and G19. When the day comes I find a good 1911 .45 that is as reliable as my Glocks at about the same price, then perhaps I will switch. Untill then, I'll take the 100% reliable Glock (mine anyways) over the sweet shooting but occasionally jamming single-action.

By the way, a Kimber .45 is next up on my "to-buy" list. From what I hear, it's the most reliable stock 1911 for under $1000 these days.

 

[Ivanhoe]

I think newbies should be introduced to a variety of handguns. helps provide perspective. a guy who has only shot 9x19 may think there's a lot of recoil, until he shoots a 45.

likewise, the Glock trigger is not as good as a 1911, but its not as bad as some other guns (try an H&K VP70!).

a proper introduction, with a well-rounded sampler of gun types and cartidges, will server the newbie well. before I bought my first gun, I had shot several 9x19s, a Delta Elite, two or three .357s, and a .380. I bought a Glock.

 

[Covert Mission]

If you're judging a gun primarily on trigger pull, there's no question that a SA trigger is the best (i possibly include HK USP when cocked and locked), and the 1911 is the best of the best. Maybe the P7 a close 2nd? The Sig, after the first DA shot, is outstanding in my recollection. It's that dang DA first shot that blows it for me. Dohhhhh!

That said, I don't have any problem alternating between my Glock and my 1911. At combat distances— up to 15 yds- I don't notice a huge difference. Farther than that and the 1911 pulls ahead for sure. I have seen some expert/master class 1911 shooters do incredibly well with the Glock. The Glock trigger can be improved with some skilled polishing, or the 3.5 lb kit.

I like the longish takeup on the Glock trigger for a defense gun w/o a safety. The main gripe i have is the feel of the surface of the trigger, compared to a smooth or grooved metal trigger, but it's tolerable. IMHO



[This message has been edited by Covert Mission (edited July 23, 1999).]

 

[SB]

My wife has tried more pistols and revolvers than I have! Frightening. Anyways, she eventually settled down on a Glock 26. She even passed the Sig Sauer P239. But I see nothing wrong if people dislike the Glock (or like it for that matter). Pistols selection, I think, is a very personal thing. The only hard and fast rule is that one has to be proficient with it.

$.02

 

[WESHOOT2]

An experienced perception of Glocks vs Others
...................................

If you like Glocks, fine. If you don't, fine.
It cost me the price of my G20 to get it right for me (Jarvis hard-fit barrel, 3.5lb trigger, titanium striker, MMC rear sight, Heinie front sight, Arizona Response System grip reduction). I could go on about all my guns; none are stock. None.
Buy and shoot what you like, but don't crank about my personal choices.

Others; EAA Witnesses (3), Caspian 1911, Ruger revolvers (6)
All have been tweaked; none are stock. None. And none are perfect, either (although my 44 Redhawk and the Caspian are getting close).



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"All my ammo is factory ammo"

 

[B Shipley]

I believe that new Glocks have grooved triggers, or at least the '99 annual shows it.

 

[wp]

I took my 1st time shooting wife to the range the other day to teach her the basics, ie safety,grip,sighting,etc with a ruger single six 22,glock 33(357 sig),and a rossi 3 1/4 comp DA and she didn't like the ruger as it was to heavy,she shot the glock 1 round and damn near threw it at me and said i was trying to break her arm so we tried the 357 snubie comp and she loved it,in fact she shot all the ammo we had on hand (200+)and wanted to go get more. Im not a fan of cheap guns but i have to admit this thing shoots good and with the rubber grips is a fun gun to shoot but the point is she was not biased toward one or another and after finding the one that fit her she did good and actually shot under 10" at 25 yds (not bad for a newbe)so i realized that perhaps we all sometimes operate from false ideals of what is good or bad or right and wrong.

 

[James K]

It helps to understand where Glock was coming from. He wanted a pistol with a "one kind" trigger, that would be as easy to use as a DAO revolver.

No safety catch, no hammer, no gadgets, no switches, no choices, no alternatives. In other words, keep it simple - TO FIRE GUN, PULL TRIGGER.

Many police went for the Glock for the same reason; it carried on the DA revolver concept, but with three times the ammunition capacity.

If you want the type of pistol that even the rawest beginner can understand, the Glock may be right for you. The more sophisticated shooter may want the choices that Glock didn't feel were necessary.

The fact that Glocks are highly reliable is fortuitious, but not the primary reason for the Glock design.

Jim

 

[thaddeus]

What I do love about the Glocks is that every trigger pull is the same. That is a big deal to me in order to keep tight groups from the draw. Most shootings will only involve the first couple rounds from the holster, and I don't like true DA because the first round is a bear, and throws off the second round trigger pull when firing fast (for me anyway).
All my guns have the same trigger pull for every shot and I have no trouble switching around guns. My carry guns have become limited to include only Glock design, 1911 design, and the P7 lever-cockers (which have a very light SA trigger).

 

[Gymco]

I read an article by Massad Ayoob regarding Double Action only triggers for home Defense. He said that if you are using a single action trigger like a .45 or even a double action revolver you are asking for serious litigation if you use it in self defense. The reason for this is because of the hair trigger effect. The double action revolver was noted because some people cock the gun before shooting it and thus is easier to accidently fire the weapon. He recommends that Double Action Only triggered weapons be used for that reason.

Also, I rented a glock one time to see why everyone was raving over them. The first few rounds I absolutely hated it! The trigger kept digging into my index finger. But since I had 95 more rounds to shoot I kept going. By the time I shot all 100 rounds, I was amazed how much I really like it and how easy it was to shoot.

Based on the above, I would recommend the glock and stick with factory ammo.