Glock Firearms Question

[WCJC 30339]

I dont know a whole lot about guns so I have some questions. Most of the agencies around here use Glocks. I am enrolled in the police academy and will begin firearms training next month. If I go to a law enforcement/gun shop and buy my own gun for academy and eventually on-duty use, which would you recommend ?

I have heard the Glock 17 and 19 are both good choices and very similar in design and function. Is one better than the other or is it a personal preference thing. Again, I have limited knowledge of handguns so any advice is much appreciated. Thanks in advance.....JC

[Tennsix]

Both the 17 and 19 are 9mm. The 17's frame is a little bigger. Both can hold 19 rounds (the 17 will take a 30 round mag). It is more personal a choice. I have carried a 17 for 12 1/2 years. No complaints.

[BrickCop]

I love the Glock either one is a good choice- easy to maintain, shoot and super reliable.

[webjeep]

I am a bit more fond of a .40 or .45 than a 9, but that is only based on my experiences. I also like sigs better than glocks, but again, personal experience. If you are self sponsored in an academy and the majority of the agencies that you will be looking at carry glocks then go with that. I would also recommend checking what caliber they carry as well, if they carry .40 or .45, you probably want to learn to shoot with that over a 9 since they are a bit different in how you handle the weapon. I carry a G32 in .357 sig as a bug and really like it, but it requires a completely different shooting style than my USP .45 or my sig 220, or 229 or the ul .38. Figure out what they want you to carry (caliber and manufacturer) and learn to shoot with that. A full size glock in 9 will pretty much shoot the same as any other full size glock in 9, but a full size .40 or .45 will be very different though the fundamentals are the same.

-web

[gotthblues]

**FORMER LEO** i carried a glock 22m (40cal) since 1997-2005 went through two reserve acads, and one full time acad., and numerous training exercises..i love the 22m,,carries 15 in magazine, 1 in chamber...also have spoken to several firearms instructors,,prefer 40cal by far...alittle slower muzzel velocity, but dont have the possibility of over penetration,,makes a bigger hole (bleed more, thats the whole point), so on..and (i dont know about this but) was told that if stuff goes bad,,really bad,, then you can fire a 10m and 9m round from your 40cal...better than no bullets at all (so im told) and even at 60 yards your 40cal doesnt have that much drop so its almost just as accurate as a 9m..plus the 9m doesnt have the kinetic energy as the 40cal....

[curlyblue]

I'm with you WCJC when it comes to no gun knowledge, that's why I recommend a glock. I carry a 19 myself because it fits my hand better than some of the others. Glocks are easy to break down, easy to clean, easy to put back together, easy to fire. Good luck!

[lsmalibu]

If I had listened to the guy at the gun shop, I would have bought a Sig Sauer P226 seeing as half the agencies in NorCal require a duty weapon with an external decocker and the other half let you carry what you qualify with (and the Sig would work there too). But I was new to handguns and the GLOCK 22 seemed to fit better in my hand and I really liked the simplicity, the toughness, the light weight, the lower cost, and as I later learned, the consistent trigger pull from the first to last shot that I got with the GLOCK. (It's properly spelled in all caps, btw. )

Now that I'm more familiar with handguns, and I've fired my buddy's Sig, I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Sig if a department required one.

As for Sig vs. GLOCK, that's a whole other thread If the dept's around you carry GLOCK, buy GLOCK.

I bought a GLOCK 22, which is a .40 cal. In the capacity (9mm) vs. stopping power (.45) debate, I think the .40 is a good compromise. I wouldn't carry anything else, no matter what make the gun. I enjoy shooting the .40, law-enforcement mags carry more than enough of 'em and the difference between the stopping power of .40 and .45 is minimal.

And whatever you do, don't buy a compensated pistol. Dealers will talk about reducing muzzle rise, but they kill your night vision. They're alright if you're planning on working day shift your whole career, but I wouldn't count on that.

[Hutch]

I carry a Glock 23... Was going to go with the 22, but I like the little bit smaller gun... my BUG is a 27... 9mm doesn't have enuf stopping power in my eyes... and .45 is alittle much... My personal prefence is .40cal... Never had a problem... Glock makes great guns!

[Tennsix]

I dont know... My S&W Model 66 was a bad Motha Fuc..(I better shut up now)

[Nuuky]

I also carry a GLOCK model 22 .40 cal. I originally had a GLOCK 21 which is a .45 but after carrying it and training with it for about a year I found it was a bit too large for my hand. Once I got my tax return I picked up a 22 through my department (major discount if they let you use their letterhead and distributer). Can't say enough good stuff about it, easy to clean, easy to maintain and shoots great.

[bigred0383]

then you can fire a 10m and 9m round from your 40cal...better than no bullets at all (so im told)

Please do not try this at home (seriously). It is very dangerous, and in the case of the 10mm, impossible. I know I am not a cop, and shouldn't really post in this forum (it's not a LEO only, but it's still frowned upon), I just saw this and had to say something. I don't want anybody getting hurt.

[gotthblues]

Please do not try this at home (seriously). It is very dangerous, and in the case of the 10mm, impossible. I know I am not a cop, and shouldn't really post in this forum (it's not a LEO only, but it's still frowned upon), I just saw this and had to say something. I don't want anybody getting hurt.

well like i said,,so i was told , i dont plan on trying it...but i guess they were just trying to get us in the mind set not to give up and just take it. hey, it s anarchy everywhere post away if you got something to say.

[DoTheNumbers]

Go GLOCK

I carry a GLOCK 22 (.40 cal) as my duty weapon. It is big and ugly, but it is totally reliable. Another reason I like glock is because of thier backup weapons. For my backup/offduty weapon I carry a Glock 27 (.40 cal). It is not nearly as ugly as the 22, but only holds 9+1 rounds. The neat part is that when that mag goes empty, I can put my 15 round mags from my 22 in the 27. That is a big plus when you are looking at a backup.

[bigred0383]

well like i said,,so i was told , i dont plan on trying it...but i guess they were just trying to get us in the mind set not to give up and just take it. hey, it s anarchy everywhere post away if you got something to say.

I didn't mean it as a personal attack, if that is how you took it.

[gotthblues]

I didn't mean it as a personal attack, if that is how you took it.

i didnt take it that way at all,,i just made the anarchy remark cause its an issue here. just makes me laugh