Why A Glock 19 & Initial Thoughts
After wanting one for years, my wish finally came true over Thanksgiving break. I was able to sell my Taurus 9mm right before Thanksgiving, and with my birthday so close I got the go ahead from the wife to purchase a Glock 19 
Why I Got A Glock?
Having never even fired a Glock, the obvious question is, “Why did I get a gun brand I’ve never even tried before?”. The answer to that is that same as why people initially buy Apple computers, or why Hoover made so much money! — People’s opinions of the product and its history have shown the product to be of excellent quality and a good value. Police and military all over the world have used the famous Glock 17 (the larger brother to the Glock 19). It has been tested time and time again after being pulled from mud, water, ice, drug by a truck in the dessert, etc. The Glock has been proven to be a reliable carry choice by others!
Why A 9mm?
I believe that shot placement is more important than a large caliber bullet. There’s no such thing as ‘stopping power’ anyways! 9mm ammo is cheaper to purchase, which means more trigger time and more accuracy. The recoil isn’t as much as 40 or 45 either. Calibers less than 9mm don’t penetrate deep enough to cause enough damage; and their distances are limited. For example: A Ruger LCP is supposedly an awesome .380; but because of the round it shoots, you have to be close to the threat for it to really make a mark. The gun is tiny, which is great for conceal-ability, but makes it a pain to practice with (big recoil). Even though the ammo is smaller than 9mm, it costs more and is rarer to find.
Why A Glock 19, and not a 17 or 26?
The Glock 17 was too large for carry, and the 26 was too small for my hands, so the 19 seemed to be the perfect match up of mobility (CCW) and firepower (15 rnds).
What Holster?
I’ve had a Milt Sparks Versa Max 2 holster on order since September and expect to get it around April 2011. Since that’s too long to wait for a holster, I think I’ll be getting a Blackhawk Serpa CQC holster for it. I enjoy the Blackhawk holster I have for my XD and it is quick and easy to take on and off at home or on the range. This will allow me to start using the Glock 19 in IDPA competitions. I won’t be able to conceal the Blackhawk during my normal day, so I’ll have to stick with my Springfield XD in a Kholster for the time being.
Initial Thoughts
Having held a Glock 19 several time before at gun stores, I was surprised to find that the barrel length was almost the same as my Springfield XD 9. It just seemed shorter in the store I guess. The handle is about a half inch less (better to conceal) than the XD. Overall, the Glock 19 is more streamlined and sleeker than the XD. While the XD has ridges and different dimensions along its sides, the Glock is mostly flat on the sides; which makes it feel like it doesn’t have any excess metal.
I understand why the most popular additions to a Glock are an extended slide release and an extended magazine release. The ones on the gun are too flat and a little hard to manipulate, especially the mag release.
First Issue With The Gun: With the slide locked back, when I slam in a new loaded magazine, the slide sometimes automatically closes shut, loading a round in the process. They doesn’t happen every time, but the harder I slam in a new mag, the greater the possibility of it doing this. I’ve checked that the slide stop is engaged and that my thumb is no where near it when I slam the mag in. I don’t like that it does this, but I’m not sure how to remedy this yet 
Comments (2)
You have made a fine purchase! I love my 17! I do disagree with you on the is of the .45 Auto, but we’ll agree to disagree. I urge you to practice as much as you can. I don’t know how long you’ve been shooting or how much you may already know, but there are some things that will help you became a good(or maybe even great(er) shooter). If you’ve never heard of the trigger reset, I advise you to try this unloaded first. in a safe direction, point the weapon without the mag in onto a small target(the light switch is a good start). Now make sure the weapon is safe again, we can never be to safe! Rack the weapon as if you’re on the range about to shoot, squeeze the trigger and hold it back. Do not ake your finger off the trigger! NOW, TAKE YOUR SUPPORT HAND AND RACK THE WEAPON WITH YOUR FINGER STILL ON THE TRIGGER HOLDING IT ALL THE WAY BACK STILL. LET THE TRIGGER UP JUST ENOUGH THAT YOU HEAR AND FEEL A SMALL CLICK. SQUEEZE THE TRIGGER AGAIN. REPEAT PROCESS A FEW TIMES AND USE THIS ON THE RANGE. YOU WE SEE A GREAT CHANGE IN YOUR PATTERNS AND HOW QUICKLY YOU GET BACK ON TARGET. Try this on the 3 yd line to get a feel for it first. Aand one more thing! To make sure that you’re doing eveything right…shoot the first shot center mass. Now, line up your sights and place your front sight on the first shot hole(you shouldn’t see the first shot hole at all). Now using your trigger rest, squeeze the trigger again. AND YOUR SHOT WILL GO INTO THE SAME HOLE THAT MADE THE FIRST SHOT! Enjoy your G17, hope this helps! Let me know how you do with it. This also works on XD’s.
Thanks for the suggestion PeaceMaker. I’ve actually done that training exercise with my XD in the past, and also with my new Glock 19. Another good alteration to that training drill is to have have try dry-firing with a penny resting on the front sight. For the first shot, the trigger squeeze will be longer, which helps train you to keep on target the whole way through the trigger squeeze, otherwise the penny will fall off. It helps develop a straight-back trigger squeeze with no jumpy quick pulls.