Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Glock 19 generations accuracy?

Can anyone who has tested them side by side testify that the Gen 5 glock(s) offer any better accuracy than the prior generations? I own Gen 2 and Gen 3 guns. I had a Gen 4 17 for a while but in my hands it was not as as accurate as Gen 3 17. I am thinking of trading a shield for yet another Glock, (what do gun nuts do) but before I get another copy This question popped into my head. Glocks run great, but the trigger sucks and they are just not as accurate in my hands as other pistols.

I doubt the new “match” barrel makes any noticeable difference in terms of practical accuracy. Likely only measurable in a vice.

I have not handled a Gen5 Glock, but I have considerable experience on Gen3 and Gen4 guns. I find that testing ammo is the best way to improve accuracy in any of them. Some guns will shoot one load into three inches at 25 yards and another into six inches. Other guns are the opposite. Often getting the best accuracy from a Glock of any generation is just a question of spending the time and money to find a load that it shoots well and buying several cases of it.

IN FMJ ammo, American Eagle and the S&B 124-grain load are generally pretty good, while Estate and Winchester White Box tend to be among the worst.


Okie John

The one 5th generation Glock I handled had a noticeably improved trigger. My bet is, that will do more for improved accuracy than anything else. Mechanical accuracy is great, but you have to give the shooter practical access to that mechanical accuracy in the way of a comfortable grip, good sights, and a good trigger. The 5th gen scores pretty well in those 3 categories IMO. So while I couldn't tell you if the 5th gen actually has better mechanical accuracy, I can say with confidence that most will shoot an out of the box 5th gen better than they would previous Glocks.

If the Gen 5 barrels are more accurate, I highly doubt you'd be able to measure any difference when shooting. I'm not good enough to tell, I doubt many are.

Gen 1, 2, and 3 seemed roughly the same- about 5 inches consistently at 25m for 10 rounds. Gen 4’s were generally a bit better at around 4 inches. The Gen 5’s and 19x’s are much improved- 2.5-3” consistently. The Gen 5’s are the only ones I don’t immediately replace the barrel on.






Negative. There is a very real difference between the Gen 1-4’s and the Gen 5’s. Not just in average group size, but a slight failure in trigger press or follow through with earlier Gens would often see a shot open a group to 7+ inches. Dropping in good match barrels would bring groups to sub 2.5” at 25m, and those same bad shots would only be 2 inches or so from the group. Gen 5’s are showing the same.


In practical terms we have seen on demand head shots increase in range from about 9m, to about 16m with the exact same shooters. That’s a big difference.

Formidilosus:

Would a Gen 5 barrel drop into an otherwise stock Gen 3 G17?

What other make of barrel would you like - for what you do?

Form,

Any differences in reliability between the generations?

I've had instructors comment they prefer the 3's over the 4's for reliability.

No, they don’t work with prior gens.


Zev and fitted KKM’s. The Zevs seem to shoot most decent ammo really well (sub 3”, and quite a few under 2 inch for 10rnds at 25m), while the KKM’s are more picky but you can get them to go around 1.5”.







The early Gen 4’s had issues, but they're fine now. Overall the Gen 5’s and 19x is the best pistols Glock has ever made.

You're trying to claim that a better barrel makes the effect of a flinch less pronounced? Sorry, that doesn't add up except by chance. What you described above with a group opening "to 7+ inches", if caused by poor technique, has nothing to do with barrel quality unless you're also getting a flyer in that same shot that happens to fly out in the same direction as the flinch.

I get that you're impressed with the Gen 5, but let's keep it realistic.

No, not a “better barrel”, better lockup.... maybe.

So we’re clear and it’s not some dimwit on the internet-

300,000 or so pistol rounds a year by multiple USPSA GM’s, National Champions, Distinguished Pistol, etc. Shooters who’s jobs rests on their measured shooting performance, with lots of emphasis on 25 and 50m bullseyes ALL said the same thing- shots that weren’t on call within the group size. Multiple shooters noticed an inconsistency in recoil when shooting. I.e.- when shooting bill drills, etc. at cyclic rate you could not only feel the gun recoiling different, you could see it.

Eventually we started filming shooters in slow motion shoot Glocks, HK’s, M&P’s, Sigs, 1911’s. More than any other pistol it was obvious that random shots would recoil and return very different with Glocks. Very pronounced with factory barrels, much less so with good after market barrels. Because we were able to track shots on target and video the shooter, they were able to finish a string, say “shot 7 recoiled different”, then we could watch the video, see that shot 7 had a visually different recoil and slide impulse, and then go to the target and see that shot 7 was out.

We don’t know exactly what causes it. We do know that it’s real, as we can video it. Initially it was thought the barrel just weren’t accurate- which is true to an extent. But after enough shooting and paying attention to it, the general theory is that Glocks are more sensitive to grip pressure and form. That the barrel doesn’t lock up consistently, and a small change in grip or tightness in the upper body causes a slightly different recoil and therefor lockup.


Most Glocks are just not as forgiving of shooter errors as other pistols for a variety of reasons. But if you have a shooter who is able to call shoots exceptionally well, that shooter has a true 4 inch gun, and he calls a shot “9 o’clock, 2 inches”, put a mark at the exact spot he called, then draw a 4 inch circle around it, and the shot will be inside it. With most factory Glocks we saw enough of these shooters have shots not on call, and outside the grouping capability of the gun- ie 5-6 inches of call. Drop a barrel in the same pistol and all weirdness goes away- recoil is consistent and shots fall within call.



Does any of this matter to most people, probably not. But it exists in Gens 1-4, and has not shown itself in Gen 5’s for us.

I have never been a great shot with a Glock and have always shot SIG 226 or 229 better. I got rid of the Sig due to double then single action. The Glocks shot good enough and were consistent and reliable. Well fast forwarding to the future it would be nice to have a Glock that was more accurate than the Gen 2 and 3 guns I have

First ten rounds I ever fired through a 19x.

25 meters freestyle, held 6 o’clock on the black for the first round as Glocks shoot high from the factory, or at least Gen 1-4 did, next 9 rounds splitting the X.

What's the point of having a 19 length slide on a 17 length grip frame?

It fit the Army’s size and capacity requirements with one pistol model instead of two.

In actual use.... I prefer it in shooting than either the 17 or 19. The 19’s grip is “fat” due to where the hump is, but the shorter slide cycles faster. Put a 17 grip and a 19 slide and you get both attributes for shooting. As well with a red dot, a longer slide doesn’t offer any advantage.

Formidilosus, who are the "we" of which you speak?

He could tell you.........but he'd have to kill you.

Thanks.

I had a 228 … but it felt like a BRICK compared to sleek Glocks. Feels at least 1 cm broader. Especially with Hogue grips.

Back to theme: MY reason for buying Gen V, which includes G 42 and G 43, is that Glock eliminiated weak points in the design:

Most prone to breakage where the slide stop spring, the slide catch spring, and, especially if mounted wrong, the trigger spring.

All are now coil springs, and won´t break ( yes, I know, the trigger spring WAS a coil spring, but with "S" ends, and prone to breakage )

But I have a G 17 Gen III w Olive green frame and slide in the "pan cake finish"(?), unblemished, which shoots EXCEPTIONALLY accurate. Won´t ever sell that one.

Hermann

I like the idea of the 19X, the size of the grip frame does not bother me, making good hits is my primary concern.