Individual anatomy or build MUST be considered in regard to this comment exactly like you said.
I cannot even draw a G34 from the appendix position due to how high i need to raise my elbow in order for the muzzle to clear my belt line. I am very high waisted.
I am currently undergoing the same dilemma as the original poster.
I started life as a glock shooter in April of 2011 shooting a Gen 4 G19 and i absolutely loved the pistol. I needed a production gun in October of 2011 and decided to pick up a Gen 4 G17 since the 34's were hard to find at that time. I figured i would also be able to carry the G17 in the APP position if i got a wild hair up my ass to carry a larger gun whereas the 34 would be strictly a game gun.
Having said this, after 11k rounds through the G17 i have a love hate relationship with it. I consistently put down quicker splits and transition between targets faster with my G19 due to the shorter muzzle. The gun recoils harder and flips higher but tracks more consistently than my 17. I find the 17 to be "wobbly" in all conditions.
As of late, i have been having grass is greener on the other side syndrome. I have a hankering to pick up a 34, not because i think i am going to shoot it demonstrably better but simply because the distribution of weight, that 1 ounce being on the muzzle may help with the "wobbliness" of the larger guns. I also look at what the top competitors in this country are shooting and they're all running 34's. I respond to this with a big ol question mark and i wonder what it is that i dont know.
The only real points that stand out to me are as follows:
1. Ability to run even more reduced power ammunition and still make power factor due to the longer muzzle.
2. Better distribution of weight on the 34 with that 1 ounce being on the muzzle to reduce flip.
3. Longer sight radius doesnt mean much to me as i am accurate enough (always trying to get better) with my G19. The wider margin of error on the longer guns may pay off however.
So..what dont i know guys?
I'm thinking that if you're encountering wobbliness with the G17, you're likely to experience that or more of the same with a G34, a it's only .89 of an ounce heavier than a shorter-slide G17. The more that I get into pistol shooting, the more convinced I am that accuracy devolves roughly 75% around trigger control/pull, and 25% around sights (assuming, of course, that relatively speaking you're dealing with a decent pistol with decent sights to start with-which you are by definition with any of the Glocks discussed).
Look, you're pretty satisfied with your G19 already; my thoughts are that you'd be better off dedicating your time and resources around that gun, perhaps concurrently experimenting with various trigger spring/connector and sight options, and that dedicated/intensive practice and use will pretty much eridicate your recoil and muzzle flip issues. Not to be sarcastic, but c'mon-it's a 9mm, not a .416 Rigby that we're dealing with here...
Another hardware alternative could be the G19C, but I'd suggest trying my suggestions above first.
Best, Jon
It's not just about accurately. I can shoot a 2" j-frame with a horrible trigger almost as accurately as my 5" M&P gamer gun, but it takes boat loads more time. The action sports aren't about accuracy, they're about as much speed as possible with acceptable accuracy. If you shoot the G19 better, there's nothing wrong with sticking with it. It's just that most people don't find that to be the case.
19C is a no-go for a game gun, since it'd put him in Open division against optics, better comps, and 29 round mags.
Guys, lets get something straight here.
I never said recoil or muzzle flip was a problem with the G19. I was actually saying i LIKED it due to the slide velocity and the way the gun recovers after lift off.
I like the SNAP of my G19 whereas the "kerclunk" of my G17 is somewhat annoying.
Recoil and muzzle climb is only ever a problem when the gun physically hurts to shoot or tires me out prematurely, ie a .40 caliber handgun.
I will not compete with a G19 (at least seriously which is where i am trying to go with this) as it has its own limiting factors, ie the smaller magwell which does matter to me in production. We also come to the issue of the 4 inch barrel versus the 5+ incher. Velocity matters in this game.
I am looking at this from a purely gamer perspective so keep that in mind as well.
If you're coming at it from a purely gamer prospective, which is what I did/do in the shooting games, then the G34 hands down. There is a reason that the top shooters shoot those guns, they were specifically designed to give the greatest advantage and still be allowable by the rules. I shoot a 34 with sevignys and it's both fast in close and accurate at distance. The real reason is that you don't have to have a perfect sight picture since the radius is so long, as long as the target is relatively close (i.e. <15) and the fiber is in the notch you can drill 0's/A's all day.
Then you might want to check out the Brian Enos forum(s), which is far more (i.e., almost exclusively) oriented to gun games than this forum (and I don't mean that as a criticism of either, or of you).
Here's the link: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?act=idx
Best, Jon
There are hundreds of millions of gun owners in this country, and not one of them will have an accident today. The only misuse of guns comes in environments where there are drugs, alcohol, bad parents, and undisciplined children. Period."-Ted Nugent
They are great. (For me at least.) That being said, I actually like the Warren Tactical (non-Sevigny) plain rear over the Sevigny rear sight. Might not make a difference to you, but according to the timer I'm a bit faster on acquisition with the Warrens compared to the Sevignys.
My 2 older G34s both had Warren/Sevigny sights on them (with FO). My current G17 has Warren Tac FO front and plain rear. All good. Haven't ever broken a fiber rod, either---I've had the same rod on my older G34 for at least 31,000 rounds.