Kevin B.
11-20-2011, 07:49 PM
I am not new to Glocks. I shot Glocks exclusively for a few years and carried one in a couple of bad places. While I appreciated the reliability and the capacity, and despite the fact that I own several, I never really warmed up to the design.
When I was at my local gun shop, I took the opportunity, to handle the GEN4 G17. The GEN4 Glock 17 has alway struck me as having enormous potential and was, in fact the gun I planned to take delivery of after winning the Pistol-Forum.com Glock giveaway. Handling the G17 with the small grip circumference confirmed my suspicion that it would improve the ergonomics for me as compared to the GEN3 guns. Some horse-trading took place, one thing led to another and in addition to ordering one, I brought another one home.
Given the number of reports of reliability issues and Glock's effort to correct them, I was anxious to see how my new GEN4 G17 would run. The little envelope holding the casings in the box was stamped 11/10/11, so presumably the gun is the latest configuration from Glock to deal with the reliability issues.
I threw a set of Heinie Ledge sights I had lying around on the gun, pulled the X200 w/DG switch that was on my GEN3 G19 off and put it on the G17 and headed to the range. I fired 150 rounds (100 WWB; 50 Ranger 127-grain +P+) through the Glock. It is worth noting that I ran the gun as it came from the factory. I did not clean or lubricate it all.
Observations:
No reliability issues at all. The Ranger ammo all ejected positively about 10 feet to my 5:00. The WWB 115-grain FMJ all ejected between 3:00 and 5:00 with about five rounds hitting me in the right forearm. Performance with the WWB was certainly not the positive ejection I would hope for but it was acceptable.
This gun is accurate! When I checked my sights with a 5-round group at 7 yards, I stopped after firing after my third round because I only saw one impact. I was concerned I was missing the paper. Nope. There were three rounds all clustered tightly on top of one another. After firing five rounds, the group could be covered with a dime. Back at the 25-yard line, I had no trouble holding the 10-ring of a B-8 target and I went 15/17 into the A-zone of an IPSC target from the 50-yard line.
I ran some singles and pairs from the ready into the A-zone of an IPSC target at 7 yards. Performance was typical Glock performance for me. Singles from the ready ran in the .65-.70 range and splits hovered around .25, with a high of .30 and a low of .21 with the Ranger ammo. Not world class, but certainly acceptable.
I had a couple of shots where I perceived an inconsistent trigger pull. It would seem heavier for one shot and remarkably light for another. I had it happen at speed and while shooting for accuracy. At this point, I am attributing it to the fact I have been shooting 1911's almost exclusively for the last 6 months or so. Still, it is something I will be conscious of in upcoming range sessions.
The DG switch is incredibly difficult to operate on this gun. It was never an issue with the G19 and it fits perfectly but I am unable to get the necessary leverage to operate the switch without shifting the middle finger of my firing hand. No-go. I suspect it is related to the fact I had it configured for the smallest grip. Hopefully, the addition of a GFA corrects the issue.
I have a GFA and a Ghost 3.5 connector on order. The stock slide release is working well enough for now, though I will probably try a Vickers at some point. The magazine release is adequate but I would prefer one that is slightly more extended. Hopefully a GEN4 Vickers mag release is in the work.
It is too early to say that Glock has corrected the issue with the GEN4 9mm's but based on today's range session it appears they may have. Obviously, it still has a ways to go but it is off to a good start.
When I was at my local gun shop, I took the opportunity, to handle the GEN4 G17. The GEN4 Glock 17 has alway struck me as having enormous potential and was, in fact the gun I planned to take delivery of after winning the Pistol-Forum.com Glock giveaway. Handling the G17 with the small grip circumference confirmed my suspicion that it would improve the ergonomics for me as compared to the GEN3 guns. Some horse-trading took place, one thing led to another and in addition to ordering one, I brought another one home.
Given the number of reports of reliability issues and Glock's effort to correct them, I was anxious to see how my new GEN4 G17 would run. The little envelope holding the casings in the box was stamped 11/10/11, so presumably the gun is the latest configuration from Glock to deal with the reliability issues.
I threw a set of Heinie Ledge sights I had lying around on the gun, pulled the X200 w/DG switch that was on my GEN3 G19 off and put it on the G17 and headed to the range. I fired 150 rounds (100 WWB; 50 Ranger 127-grain +P+) through the Glock. It is worth noting that I ran the gun as it came from the factory. I did not clean or lubricate it all.
Observations:
No reliability issues at all. The Ranger ammo all ejected positively about 10 feet to my 5:00. The WWB 115-grain FMJ all ejected between 3:00 and 5:00 with about five rounds hitting me in the right forearm. Performance with the WWB was certainly not the positive ejection I would hope for but it was acceptable.
This gun is accurate! When I checked my sights with a 5-round group at 7 yards, I stopped after firing after my third round because I only saw one impact. I was concerned I was missing the paper. Nope. There were three rounds all clustered tightly on top of one another. After firing five rounds, the group could be covered with a dime. Back at the 25-yard line, I had no trouble holding the 10-ring of a B-8 target and I went 15/17 into the A-zone of an IPSC target from the 50-yard line.
I ran some singles and pairs from the ready into the A-zone of an IPSC target at 7 yards. Performance was typical Glock performance for me. Singles from the ready ran in the .65-.70 range and splits hovered around .25, with a high of .30 and a low of .21 with the Ranger ammo. Not world class, but certainly acceptable.
I had a couple of shots where I perceived an inconsistent trigger pull. It would seem heavier for one shot and remarkably light for another. I had it happen at speed and while shooting for accuracy. At this point, I am attributing it to the fact I have been shooting 1911's almost exclusively for the last 6 months or so. Still, it is something I will be conscious of in upcoming range sessions.
The DG switch is incredibly difficult to operate on this gun. It was never an issue with the G19 and it fits perfectly but I am unable to get the necessary leverage to operate the switch without shifting the middle finger of my firing hand. No-go. I suspect it is related to the fact I had it configured for the smallest grip. Hopefully, the addition of a GFA corrects the issue.
I have a GFA and a Ghost 3.5 connector on order. The stock slide release is working well enough for now, though I will probably try a Vickers at some point. The magazine release is adequate but I would prefer one that is slightly more extended. Hopefully a GEN4 Vickers mag release is in the work.
It is too early to say that Glock has corrected the issue with the GEN4 9mm's but based on today's range session it appears they may have. Obviously, it still has a ways to go but it is off to a good start.