My Gen 3 G19 was bought brand new in March of 2008, and has provided stellar service ever since. Interestingly, the dated expended cartridge casing included with the gun had an August 2006 date, so mine was either at the bottom of the G19 pallet or was banked by Glock prior to going to a distributer.
Early mods applied by me were to switch out the serrated G19 triggerbar immediately for a smooth G17 one, and later with a early production smooth improved triggerbar that Glock launched midway through the Gen 3 production cycle. I also went with a Glock extended slide release, and at later dates added a Pearce butt plug, and a Hogue HandAll Beavertail grip sleeve. My OEM sights were Trijicon tritiums, which I was pleased with for years, as they provided an eminently adequate day- and night-sight picture, and were easily acquired on draw.
Recently, I obtained three additional components for long-term testing and evaluation; 1) Leupold's DeltaPoint Micro RDS, 2) Langdon Tactical Technology's G19 Grip Anchor, and 3) Three current production Glock 10 round magazines; shortly before, I'd purchased 3 Magpul 10 round G19 magazines as well.
Older (left, with blue baseplate) and current production (right) Glock 10 round G19 magazines:
Older Glock 10 round follower:
Current Glock 10 round follower:
Magpul 10 Round G19 GL9 magazine follower:
Why the 10 round magazines? Well, my state of Washington became a limited capacity magazine state last year, and while my existing high capacity magazines are grandfathered for carry and use, I can't buy more or trade or sell my existing ones. So my post bill protocol has been primarily to preserve my high capacity magazines, using them for EDC and duty, while using the 10 rounders for competition (primarily IDPA).
For years in Glock Armorers courses it has been put out that the 10 round Glock G17 and G19 magazines should not be utilized for duty/carry, due to reliability issues with hollow point cartridges. In discussions with Glock, it came out that the G17 and G19 magazines have been modified relatively recently, so my question was, "Are the OEM Glock 10 round G17/G19 magazines suitable for use with contemporary hollowpoint cartridges"?
I obtained 3 current production G19 Glock 10 round mag, and I also had older AWB vintage Glock 10 round magazine; my intention was to use, evaluate and compare them with my recently purchased Magpul G19 10 round magazines. Here are the 3 magazines:
Top: Older Glock 10 round with 2183-1 follower;
Middle: Current production Glock G19 10 round with "9mm3" follower;
Bottom: Magpul 10 round G19 magazine with orange follower.
Interestingly, the more recent Glock and Magpul followers use more of a straight chute approach.
Additional pieces of kit applied are the newer Hogue Beavertail HandAll grip, which is produced for multiple generations of Glocks, both fingergroove and non-fingergroove models, and the Langdon Tactical Technologies G19 (but presumptively also G23, G32, et al) Grip Anchor.
A favorable consideration for all of these items tested is that they either are, or have variants that are Glock generationally applicable, so that you're not compelled to throw out (or expensively retrofit) an otherwise vetted and perfectly viable Gen 3 or Gen4 Glock to obtain the benefits of RDS dighting application.
While the earlier Hogue HandAll grip sleeves provided an increased non-slip grip surface, over time they could loosen and move around on a receiver; the new Beavertail variants are much more tightly molded, and applied to specific platforms/models. The LTT Grip Anchor provides greater extended butt gripping area for the compact Glocks, aiding in both control and reloads, providing a magazine chute and minimizing hand-pinching during speed reloads. The Grip Anchor is available for multiple Compact Glock generations.
So, how did they work? Well, their initial collective deployment a couple of weeks ago in an IDPA match was a bit of a train wreck from several standpoints. First, neither the older or current production Glock 10 round magazines worked well with Federal 147 gr HST Tactical cartridges,with the bullet stumbling on the feedramp both in static reloads, active reloads, and in mid-magazine use. Secondly, the Leupold DeltaPoint Micro, after working perfectly for several months, in mid-match decided to sporadically turn itself off then on. After apres-match cleaning and lubricating, it stopped working period, even after switching to a brand new battery.
However, the Magpul 10 round magazines worked without any hitches whatsoever, with the Federal 147 gr HST Tactical, Blazer Brass 124 gr ball, and some old Triton 115 gr +P cartridges. The LTT Grip Anchor was a success, providing subtle, but appreciated support in both shooting and reloading.
Leupold Tech Support was superb; they stated that some early production DPMs had some issues with the battery caps, where a majority of the electronics for the sigh are housed, and they openly offered me 2 alternatives: 1) to replace the entire unit, or 2) to replace just the battery cap, at least initially, and see if a current production one resolved the issue; if not, then they would reppace the entire unit, but the choice was mine. I chose to select option 1, just replacing the battery cap module first-and the new one totally resolved the issues and is fully functioning and functional; we'll see how it holds up. I was very favorably impressed with the Leupold CS response and transparency, both in the issue discussion and provision of alternative options, leaving the selection up to me.
Last weekend I ran everything again at another IDPA match, much more successfully; everything worked this time. The Glock 10 round magazines worked like a sewing machine with Speer Gold Dot 124 gr JHP cartridges, and the Leupold DPM worked without any faults.
So, where am I in my assessments? First, I think that LTT and Magpul have winners, regarding the Magpul 10 round magazines for the Glock G19 (and I've successfully used their 10 round G17 magazines as well). and the LTT Grip Anchor is a great add for a G19; effective as advertised and inexpensive to boot. Second, while I like the Leupold DPM, there's a bit of a cloud on my endorsement of it; we'll see how it holds up under continued use. I'm also fiddling with the best dot intensity for ease of acquisition and accuracy, but that's on me; the DPM provides a good range of adjustability and mode(s) of adjustment. The good thing is that even if the electronics die, the sight picture is a very effective ghost ring setup, using the OEM front sight, the ring aperture, and the milled dots drilled into the base of the DPM.
I must add the caveat that my cartridge testing was hardly exhaustive, consisting of several magazines of the discussed cartridges, not hundreds or thousands of rounds scientifically tested in the gun/magazines.
I think Glock would be well served to readdress their 10 round magazines for all-cartridge/bullet configuration reliability. There are now 9-10 states with magazine capacity limits, with more probably going to move to such restrictions. In my state, while I cna be uninhibited in my use of my existing high capacity magazines (at least as I write this), I cannot transfer or sell them. Concurrently, any new and used Glock G19s(or any Glock with a higher than intrinsic 10 round capacity) must be provided either with no magazines or with restricted capacity ones in compliance with state laws. Either Glock needs wo specify that theirs only work with certain cartridges/bullet weights or surrender the field to Magpul. While the Magpuls have been perfectly functioning to date with my G19 (and G17) they are of significantly lighter construction than the comparable Glock 10 round magazines, as the Magpuls are of all polymer construction, so it'll be interesting to see how they hold up durability-wise.
This upcoming weekend I'll again reprise my use of the Gen 3 G19 as equipped.
Best, Jon
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Originally Posted by 1Rangemaster
