Given that you already carry a 19, the G48 is the obvious answer. They are very affordable right now. I would grab one, run it stock for a bit, and either
1. You will like it, finding it to be sufficiently reliable and shootable. Problem solved.
OR
2. You wont like it. You can sell it for a $50-100 loss.
I believe this is painting with a very broad brush.Originally Posted by LukeNCMX
I bought an iron sighted G19 Gen 5 in 2017 when they first came out. Racked up 6,709 rounds over 3+ years. I picked up a Glock 34 for USPSA and put an optic on it, a Holosun 507c. So I'm pretty familiar with Glocks, having owned two G19s, a 34, 43X, 48 and a 26.
I tricked my G34 out quite a bit; Apex connector and trigger, polish, etc. Best score I shot on The Test (10 rounds in 10 seconds at 10 yards, scored on a B-8 out of 100) with it was 97-5X.
After I bought my P365X, I put a Holosun 407k on it and repeated The Test. Best score with the Sig was 97-3X.
I don't consider myself to be a particularly good shooter, but I just didn't perceive any significant drop off in performance, at all. My personal opinion is that these small guns can be shot well, or very close to as well as makes no real difference, if you put a little effort in.
Now, if you have L or XL hands, this may not apply. I have M/L hands, but despite this, I still have to work on a good master grip on the draw, and constantly be vigilant about support hand, otherwise I tend to shoot low and and away. If you have L or XL hands, you're going to have problems with the small grip size of a P365, say. The ROI for that small reduction in performance is a huge increase in concealability, at least for me.
Of course that's why suits vary in size from a 36 short to a 42 regular to a 48XL, people are different sizes. To state categorically that small guns can't be shot well is a bit off the mark *rimshot*, in my humble opinion.
Are there issues with the 13 rounders? I wasn't aware of them, please elaborate
Under hard use some people have had the 13 round shield magazines shit the floor plate
If a person is really concerned or cares about what they’re going to carry, you should probably buy all three and sell the ones you don’t want or at least go rent them and spend some time shooting them. A lot of subjective information.
The 43X has a very snappy recoil. I always had a blister from it and it conceals no better than the 19.
The shield has questionable accuracy, but is very pleasant to shoot and has a good trigger
The 365 has good accuracy and is very configurable
The 365 has a bigger trigger guard if you might be using gloves someday. The 43 and the shield have a very small trigger giards
One should be using medium or lightweight, standard pressure ammunition, if you expect it to function over a broad range of lack of maintenance
The little guns are on the ragged edge so recoil and magazine springs need to be frequently replaced And if they don’t need it, you’re out 20 bucks or 30 bucks
The little guns don’t shoot as good as the big guns
Despite the rail, I probably wouldn’t put a light on a gun that small and if you dot it make sure you vette it
From reading this here very forum none of the aftermarket magazines work worth a shit if it is for carry at least if reliability is your highest priority
My father in law shoots more accurately with his Sig P365 than with his Springfield XD9, despite the XD9 being a very easy gun to shoot accurately.
Any legal information I may post is general information, and is not legal advice. Such information may or may not apply to your specific situation. I am not your attorney unless an attorney-client relationship is separately and privately established.
I stand by what I said:I believe this is painting with a very broad brush.
I bought an iron sighted G19 Gen 5 in 2017 when they first came out. Racked up 6,709 rounds over 3+ years. I picked up a Glock 34 for USPSA and put an optic on it, a Holosun 507c. So I'm pretty familiar with Glocks, having owned two G19s, a 34, 43X, 48 and a 26.
I tricked my G34 out quite a bit; Apex connector and trigger, polish, etc. Best score I shot on The Test (10 rounds in 10 seconds at 10 yards, scored on a B-8 out of 100) with it was 97-5X.
After I bought my P365X, I put a Holosun 407k on it and repeated The Test. Best score with the Sig was 97-3X.
I don't consider myself to be a particularly good shooter, but I just didn't perceive any significant drop off in performance, at all. My personal opinion is that these small guns can be shot well, or very close to as well as makes no real difference, if you put a little effort in.
Now, if you have L or XL hands, this may not apply. I have M/L hands, but despite this, I still have to work on a good master grip on the draw, and constantly be vigilant about support hand, otherwise I tend to shoot low and and away. If you have L or XL hands, you're going to have problems with the small grip size of a P365, say. The ROI for that small reduction in performance is a huge increase in concealability, at least for me.
Of course that's why suits vary in size from a 36 short to a 42 regular to a 48XL, people are different sizes. To state categorically that small guns can't be shot well is a bit off the mark *rimshot*, in my humble opinion.
The Test is fine and that is good shooting, but I like a bill drill or a retreating bill drill (something predictive that stresses grip) to figure out what performance is being offered by a platform.
Is the difference in performance relevant? Shooter dependent of course but I'll take an Open gun if I could get away with it
Regarding the small frame Glocks and RSAs: The RSA is a cheap and easy to replace part. When one starts to seem like its fading (usually sluggish closing after a chamber check), I just replace it.
This was a bit tougher during the Great Supply Chain Debacle of a few years ago but I haven't had any trouble recently.
I have seen some folks cite thousands and thousands of rounds as the expected lifespan. But, again, cheap and easy part.
Oof, i see. I only own one 13 rounder but I hope this doesn't apply to the 15 rounders as well since I just bought three of them and was going to start vetting them.
I carry the 10 rounder primarily, but would like a 15 as a backup.
EDIT - Saw pics of the issue from different people at 3 different forums. (from the same person to be fair) The floorplate is shearing up in the front. Ouch
Last edited by coN; 06-01-2023 at 05:07 PM.
Just don't drop them on their floor plates and they won't split at the front seam. Or don't drop your carry mags and just keep an eye on the practice mags. Or drop them on concrete, like me, and then call S&W for replacements when they split.
My buddy's 13 round "spacer" split the first time he dropped it during a reload onto the floor at an indoor range. I don't think they're all that well designed or executed. Lots of folks have found that newer production 13-round magazines will only hold 12, if that's an issue for you.
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