Some Random Thoughts On The Glock 21

[ECVMatt]

I have been lucky enough to get quite a few weekends in the desert shooting in the last couple of months. I was out again this weekend and my friends and I were shooting our .45's. We had my TRP, Glock 21, and my Glock 30SF that I just finished the 2000 round challenge with. My buddies had a Nighhawk Agent 2 and a Wilson Classic Supergrade. We were not shooting at paper, but just shooting some steel and then randomly picking targets to hit. I started out with my TRP and they were shooting the Agent2 and the Supergrade. We were all pretty much on par with each other and having a blast.

To mix things up, I switched to my 21. I have been shooting Glocks for 30 years now and they are my go to gun. I have pretty big mittens, so the 21/20 fit me well. My 21 is really not a 21, but a police trade in slide on my 20 frame. I have been shooting my 20 for about 20 years as well, so I know the trigger well. At first my buddies were giving me a hard time, but as we started shooting for groups on steel we all soon realized that I was shooting the same or better than the Agent2 and the Supergrade. Then when we switched to informal targets I cleaned house on them.

I am not knocking the 1911 or Nighthawk or Willson Combat. I love my TRP and the 1911 in general, but I think the Glock 21 sometimes gets overlooked for accuracy. Both the Nighthawk and the Wilson Combat had hick-ups when they were not using preferred magazines and the Glock just ran. We are not going to run off and turn in our 1911's, but it was fun to see the Glock 21 perform so well.

Anyway, so to ramble, but I thought I would share this weekends events and give props to the good old Glock 21.

[45dotACP]

The Glock 21 is probably as accurate as any 1911 you can buy off the rack for under 2 grand and more than a few over that.

I have literally watched my older brother blow up an apple at 60 yards with a single shot from his G21. I'm not sure why or how they're so accurate, and I've mostly given up on 9x19 Glocks for great accuracy, but the .45 caliber Glocks are something special.

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[LockedBreech]

The recent G21 threads have me tempted to pick up a police trade


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[MGW]

I haven’t owned a 21 since about 1994 or ‘95 but if Glock ever release one in a Gen 5 configuration I would buy one. I’ve been tempted several times by used Gen 4 21’s and 30’s. My justification is I’ll shoot them in GSSF once or twice a year.

[M2CattleCo]

I haven’t owned a 21 since about 1994 or ‘95 but if Glock ever release one in a Gen 5 configuration I would buy one. I’ve been tempted several times by used Gen 4 21’s and 30’s. My justification is I’ll shoot them in GSSF once or twice a year.


I've been thinking the same thing. Even though I have no idea what a .45 would do for me ....

[JonInWA]

As we discussed in some length in this thread I initiated https://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?37871-GSSF-Lessons-Learned, the G21 can perform superbly-but for me, it demands more familiarization, dedicated use and practice to achieve and maintain good competence with.

It's a great gun, but it's harder for me to instinctively pick up and run with-especially if there's a significant amount of time elapsed since last used. Part of that's the gun (essentially it's larger size-not unmanageable in the least, just requiring close and continuous contact to build muscle memory on) and part of it's the characteristics of the .45 ACP cartridge (mastering the recoil characteristics, trigger pull/control and follow-through after ignition).

Regardless, they're a huge value-just look at the OP's results in this thread vis-a-vis the other comparable guns in his session. And exceptionally easy and inexpensive to maintain.

Best, Jon

[Dave T]

My first G21 was a Gen 3 that I put something over 2500 rounds through without a hick-up that wasn't ammo related. Had an occasional failure to fire with my reloads. Factory ammo was always good. When the SF came out I up-graded to that one and kept it (without malfunction) until the G41 was introduced. Traded the G21SF on the G41 because I really liked the handling. My disability problems increased and for several years I didn't shoot it, or much of anything else. In the fog of pain medication and being pissed off about the whole situation I sold it. Yea, that was dumb.

Early last year I got the craving for something bigger than my carry guns (G36 & hand built G4 G30S) and went to Glockmeister here in Mesa. I had intended to get another G41 but a G4 G21 caught my eye because of its FDE frame. Its funky look sucked me in and I bought the thing. It has not hick-upped, failed, or stumbled in about a thousand rounds, mostly my hand loads. I like the G4 grip texture and enlarged mag release, and the trigger on this gun is the best Glock trigger I've shot. And I've owned a bunch of Glocks.

Swollen arthritis knuckles in my shooting hand made me drop my beloved 1911s for Glocks in the early 2000s. The softer shooting 45 ACP Glocks have been a blessing to my hand and allowed me to continue enjoying the times I can make it to the range. I like my new 21 so much I wish I could come up with a way to carry it.

Heck, if God allows me to stay upright I may buy another G41...or better yet a G21S. (smiley face goes here)

Dave

[45dotACP]

I think the most amazing thing is that a Glock 21 is easier to shoot than a steel framed 1911 but a steel framed 1911 in 9mm is easier shooting than a Glock 34. Like wut?

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[sparkyfender]

I shoot my G21 much better than any other GLOCK, even though it is way too big for my girly hands.

I would never have guessed that.

[BWT]

This also mirrors my experience with the Glock 21 Gen 3 that my brother owns.

I was stunned shooting it next to my Glock 34 and ironically TRP. The gun fills the hand so well and just breaks so accurately.

Tempted, but I don’t need one. Just a very remarkably accurate gun.

[Flat6]

Enablement

https://www.sportsmansoutdoorsuperstore.com/products2.cfm/ID/168679

[MGW]

More enabling. These are new.

47245

[PD Sgt.]

Some of the best groups I ever shot with a Glock came from a Gen 3 G21. Easily on par with my TRP and maybe my CQB. The only reason it is not in my safe now is it was large enough that I never carried it.

[echo5charlie]

My 2009 vintage G21SF was my first "high round count" pistol and now languishes at about 7,500 rounds. The truly amazing thing is that those are 7,500 flawless rounds fired - not one stoppage or malfunction ever. One day that will end and I will be sad.

I plan on using a G21 in an upcoming indoor GSSF match for comparison to my usual G17.4. Of note, my buddy just shot a 500 last Wednesday in a GSSF indoor match and, if he had been shooting a 9mm, it would have been a 499 (seriously, it was that close). We joke regularly about the .1" difference on a regular basis and this time it DID make a difference, which bullseye shooters already knew.

I will also throw out that a Gen5 version would be added to the stables in short order.