pistol-training.com 2011 Endurance Test Gun

[ford.304]

-- I didn't make a comparison to my own .38 Super LWC (which would be what, exactly? Like a camry with a chip and loose lugnuts, is my guess). I didn't make a comparison to any other gun. I just said, the Glock is like a Camry -- there is no real reason to buy any other thing, but you sure can /make up/ a bunch of reasons which essentially boil down to exaggerated fantasies (I need a car that handles better than a Camry, because of the giant slaloms I face every day on my way to work! I need a car that goes faster than the Camry, because I live in a really dangerous neighborhood!) or... personal preference. And what I meant was, if you carry any other gun, it's either because you have relatively low-percentage reasons (I need awd / .40 S&W because I'm concerned about snow / barrier penetration), or because you'd rather shoot something else.

And to George's point, we'd all be much better drivers if we just bought camrys and spent the extra money on gas and driving school.

Exactly. I drive a sports compact. It is better than a Camry in absolutely no way that matters for getting me to work every day, which is what I use it for. I drive it because it makes me happy for entirely irrational reasons. The point of the argument is not that a Glock is a slow boring family sedan - it is that it is the optimal logical solution to the problem actually posed. It's just that humans aren't creatures of pure logic - everyone has some irrational factors that influence their choices.

[ToddG]

As being an object of desire, exuding appeal, obvious craftsmanship or warmth, I would rate a Glock below most other platforms. As a tool, I rate it at the top of any list of handguns, and it would be the last platform I would part with.

Agreed, but that's not what I'm talking about. Actually shooting the Glock was frequently, for lack of a better term, joyless. I got tired of shooting it. In comparison, at the end of the M&P test I was all ready to do another M&P test until Smith got upset about me posting pictures of a cracked slide. At the end of the P30 test I would have been happy to shoot another P30... and another, and another, and another. The HK45 -- even though it was bigger and lower capacity than what I'd consider ideal for a modern CCW pistol -- was also great and if not for the fact that I wanted to avoid becoming "the HK shooter" I would have done a third HK the next year.

It's purely a personal thing. A large part of it is that I just never got as comfortable with the trigger as I felt with literally every single other gun I've ever used (Berettas, SIGs, the M&P, the HKs, even SAO guns). Given the number of absolutely rabid Glock fans out there, it's fair to guess mine is the minority opinion.

[BLR]

Actually shooting the Glock was frequently, for lack of a better term, joyless. I got tired of shooting it.

Amen. Same with touching, seeing, holding, or whatever else. It is a totally uninspiring handgun. It's the Lowest Common Denominator of handguns.

But agreed, and it's tough to argue with success.

[JHC]

Amen. Same with touching, seeing, holding, or whatever else. It is a totally uninspiring handgun. It's the Lowest Common Denominator of handguns.

But agreed, and it's tough to argue with success.

As they say, no accounting for taste. But pure rationality would indicate its all in the objective of the excercise. I find them inspiring in their function and performance pretty much each time out.

[Tamara]

Thankfully, inspiration is not something I normally find myself seeking from a CCW pistol. It's like expecting my socks to be "inspiring".

[JConn]

I suppose I have never spent any amount of meaningful time shooting any other platform. That being said, I like my glocks because I can shoot them well. If a different gun would allow me to shoot better, I imagine I would use that. Maybe I just need to shoot other types of guns, but until I win the lottery, it probably won't happen.

[BLR]

Thankfully, inspiration is not something I normally find myself seeking from a CCW pistol. It's like expecting my socks to be "inspiring".

Maybe "inspiring" was a bit strong - let's say satisfying. Not arguing it's capabilities or anything else to that effect, though (I'm done on that topic).

But I'm surprised at your response - from reading your blog it seems you have a bit of an epicurean streak.

[JHC]

I suppose I have never spent any amount of meaningful time shooting any other platform. That being said, I like my glocks because I can shoot them well. If a different gun would allow me to shoot better, I imagine I would use that. Maybe I just need to shoot other types of guns, but until I win the lottery, it probably won't happen.

Definitely a factor. I've got volume on S&W revolvers, 1911s, BHPs, 92FS, M&P and the P7 for comparo, less but some on metal S&W, Sigs, HKs. If I put the time in I "think" I could find Sigs to compete seriously as a fav.

[skyshark]

Agreed, but that's not what I'm talking about. Actually shooting the Glock was frequently, for lack of a better term, joyless.

Joyless. Thank you! That sums up my feeling about shooting Glocks better than anything else. Like Tamara said, I don't need to be inspired by my EDC gun; but I at least want to to get a big kick out of it (pardon the pun).

[BWT]

I did not lose confidence in the mechanical capability of the pistol. If anything, the gun today is more trustworthy than it was when I bought it. It's fired a lot of rounds and I'm pretty confident it could fire another 35 if I need it to. If it had no "historical" meaning to me, I'd send it to Glock, have the slide replaced, and keep shooting/carrying it. But I never get my test guns repaired. I keep them as-is at the end of the test.

Do you still have the P30? Dude, that thing went through the ringer!

My enthusiasm for the pistol, though, definitely waned. I simply didn't enjoy shooting it, and that translated into less consistent performance (and less organized practice, which of course spiraled back into even less consistent performance). That's not the gun's fault.

You know... It's similar to dating. I had a 1911 as my first carry gun, and I can go ahead and tell you, you have more rounds through yours than I had through mine, and yours is just frankly. Much more reliable than mine, much more. But even though I hand selected everything about that gun. I tried to make it work. It just kept failing me, and I just got sick of putting time and money into it. I couldn't get excited about it if every other magazine I expected it to fail. Or I was buying some other do-hickie to fix this new issue. I was chasing issues constantly. That's just not a reliable carry gun. I don't think that's entirely the case with the Glock and you, but, it seems similar. You just struggle to get excited about it, because you begin to expect disappointment.

I imagine there are more than a few people reading this who'd happily accept the burden of shooting 50k+ through a different gun each year with no responsibilities beyond weekly (-ish) reports on a website.

That's crazy talk. Well, I appreciate it, regardless. I respect the modesty.

Agreed, but that's not what I'm talking about. Actually shooting the Glock was frequently, for lack of a better term, joyless. I got tired of shooting it. In comparison, at the end of the M&P test I was all ready to do another M&P test until Smith got upset about me posting pictures of a cracked slide. At the end of the P30 test I would have been happy to shoot another P30... and another, and another, and another. The HK45 -- even though it was bigger and lower capacity than what I'd consider ideal for a modern CCW pistol -- was also great and if not for the fact that I wanted to avoid becoming "the HK shooter" I would have done a third HK the next year.

It's purely a personal thing. A large part of it is that I just never got as comfortable with the trigger as I felt with literally every single other gun I've ever used (Berettas, SIGs, the M&P, the HKs, even SAO guns). Given the number of absolutely rabid Glock fans out there, it's fair to guess mine is the minority opinion.

I understand the it's not exciting, this is mundane. I admit, I feel the same way about my Glock, but... what can I say, in the almost 1,000 rounds I have through it, it's been reliable. I can't say I'm upset. But I also can't say I don't still have the bug for another handgun. When I got my AR-15, I felt complete, I had a good solid rifle. I got my AK after that because I wanted it. I think my Glock is reliable enough, and simple enough. But I still long for a better platform.

I want something different.

I've heard it said that Glocks have no soul before, I truly feel that way about them. There just doesn't seem to be an identity for me. I know this sounds weird, but some guns, you look at it and it takes you back to a memory, or you remember something about it, you remember what you've done with it, it develops a personality. Like, my 1911 and me, we aren't on speaking terms. I've brought it out of the safe to clean it 3 times, and I just can't. I just... I just don't want to, hahahaha, it failed me so many times, I don't want to set eyes on it, and I certainly don't want to clean it.

But my Glock... I don't really feel like it's mine. Maybe it's the Austrian furniture manufacturer feel, feels like it's an Ikea Particle Board desk, and it works well enough that you don't want to get rid of it. But, you really wouldn't care if it was replaced by another. It does what it needs to, but, that's about as deep as that goes.