If you were getting into duty size 9mm Glocks today...

[babypanther]

I’d get a G47 and a G19G5, now you have a G45 and a 19 XL if that’s your thing.

The G5 guns seem much more accurate than the G4 ones. Aftermarket stuff is so easy to find, and relatively inexpensive.

[gunslinger2401]

Some of the lesser known but important changes that came with the Gen 5 Glocks:

- The breech face cut, which aids in consistent ejection and largely eliminates the "brass to face" issues that plagued the Gen 4 and late Gen 3 Glocks (See the sticky at the top of the forum)
- The trigger spring was redesigned from a stretched coil spring to a compressed coil spring. Should last longer.
- Leaf springs were changed out for more durable coil springs
- The barrels are noticeably more accurate. Presumably due to tighter lockup. (Not because of the grooves cut into the bore which were done for easier matching of ballistic evidence)

These changes make the Gen 5 worth the extra cost IMO

[Noah]

Glocks are boring. That being said, I decided to go back to the Glock platform, because they just run. I have a Gen 2 or 2.5 G17 for over 3 decades now. It is a great shooter then and still is. My wife liked it so well, she claimed it, when I moved to other flavors of the month pistols.

A couple of months ago I picked up a Gen5 G45. fits me perfectly. Never was a fan of the G19, due to the grip. The G45 is a good compromise between the G17 and G19. Love the trigger, the grip panels and the slide serrations. I do wish, I had gotten the RMR cut version though. I've just stuck my toe in the RDS waters and I'm loving my Ruger MAX9 with the CT1550.

If you don't want to send the slide out to be milled, which is cheaper than ever, you can find an OEM MOS slide or quality aftermarket dot cut slide like Zev for a few hundred dollars all over eBay, TacSwap, Facebook groups, etc, and then sell your factory slide for little loss, or hang onto it while you try the dot, if you can afford to.

The aftermarket for Glock isn't just gargantuation in terms of retail, but also in private resale. Everyone, so to speak, is buying and selling and trading Glock parts.

[1Rangemaster]

Some of the lesser known but important changes that came with the Gen 5 Glocks:

- The breech face cut, which aids in consistent ejection and largely eliminates the "brass to face" issues that plagued the Gen 4 and late Gen 3 Glocks (See the sticky at the top of the forum)
- The trigger spring was redesigned from a stretched coil spring to a compressed coil spring. Should last longer.
- Leaf springs were changed out for more durable coil springs
- The barrels are noticeably more accurate. Presumably due to tighter lockup. (Not because of the grooves cut into the bore which were done for easier matching of ballistic evidence)

These changes make the Gen 5 worth the extra cost IMO

Basically agree with all you said. The Gen 5 Glocks have what they call “Marksman” barrel which has a distinct target crown unlike the earlier ones. I didn’t really have any practical accuracy issues with the earlier ones, but the 5 barrels take it up a notch. I like the grip texture and mag well also.

[awp_101]

Thanks for the responses so far!

Here's some random thoughts after going to a couple of shops and thinking through some of the posts:

I handled a 19.5 this afternoon and confirmed the grip length is the issue for me. As much as I like to support LTT, my problem is the front strap length not the back strap. Handling a G45 right after the 19 confirmed the full length grip is where it's at for me. Again, it's not going to be a carry piece so I'm not concerned with trying to conceal it.

I'm MOS agnostic right now but until the "one optic to rule them all" comes along I'm not crazy about the direct mill solution either.

Initially I was thinking about just having a pair of 17.5s but maybe a 45 and 47 combo would be more...flexible? Not sure why I need flexibility unless I use them for classes or something similar but the idea is growing on me.

[DocGKR]

G19 w/red-dot or G34 w/irons. Gen 5 is likely the way to go these days, but I have some many spare Gen 3 parts lying around, I'll likely stick with them for now....

[MK11]

If it's not meant for carry, how about a 34.5? Somebody described the 34 as the "Glock for people who don't like Glocks." An accurate long slide Glock sounds pretty cool.

[spyderco monkey]

If it's not meant for carry, how about a 34.5? Somebody described the 34 as the "Glock for people who don't like Glocks." An accurate long slide Glock sounds pretty cool.

This. Accurate, soft shooting, and to my eye the coolest looking Glock.

Also if using a full size WML, they end up G34 length. And WML serves as a 'frame weight' to further mild out the recoil.

[awp_101]

A 34 isn’t off the table but it’s number 3 or 4 in order of priority if I decide to chug the pitcher of koolaid that’s in front of me.

[maximus83]

G45, if you don't like or can't carry a G19.5. Nothing against the G47 at all. But for me, it's hard to see the point--the extra half inch of slide overhanging the dust cover isn't giving any game-changing difference I care about, it's just longer and it'll require different holsters, etc. The G45 is is a super reliable, accurate, soft-shooting pistol that eats every load I feed it. Aside from my 1911, the G45 is the only full/duty size pistol I still keep around. Surprisingly it's been somewhat fun to shoot (for a Glock), and pretty accurate, with an RDS and the GPT trigger.