As Gio just pointed out in another thread, and USPSA and IDPA (the Vogel games) results confirm, a Glock is no disadvantage in high level competition in Production, Limited, Carry Optics and whatever the IDPA equivalents of these divisions is. Consider that a $500 hunk of plastic that weighs about half as much and costs 1/2 to a 1/10 of a metal pistol, can run with those dedicated competition guns.
So why is this so? It certainly is not because of the Glock trigger. While we make them work, no one designing an optimal interface between the shooter and the pistol, would design a Glock trigger. It certainly isn’t because of the inherent precision of Glock pistols. While the Gen 5 pistols are pretty good in this area, no one would pick a Glock to compete in bullseye competition. It certainly isn’t because of the weight of the Glock pistol, as the trend in competition is towards heavy pistols. It certainly isn’t because of polymer, because many pistols are polymer.
My theory is what makes the Glock so shootable is the very thing many people despise about the Glock. I believe the Glock grip angle is a big part of the secret sauce. If a Glock points high for you, you are not taking advantage of what is the most important shooting attribute of the Glock. To make the Glock point right, requires you to set the proper wrist angle and tension, and that proper wrist angle and tension are what I believe is the key to shooting a Glock fast and accurately.
A related consideration is finger grooves, and how that relates to your strong hand control over the pistol. I used to think recoil control was all about support hand grip, but lately I have come to believe that the strong hand is the key for me, and that finger grooves allow me to more effectively C clamp with my strong hand. If you put a finger groove Glock in your hand, and then do the same thing with a Gen 5 or model with no finger grooves, you may notice that the finger grooves add control over the grip.
So, my guess is those that are getting the best results out of a Glock believe it points naturally, and those that do not believe the Glock points naturally for them, are leaving a lot on the table.
Discuss!