Glock 17 Gen 4 Review and Dirt Test [2019]
Before and after testing.
NOTE: The dirt test section of this article was re-done to offer a back-to-back comparison with a Sig Sauer P320.
Click the link, or the picture below, to see the in-depth reliability comparison article.
Click the link, or the picture below, to see the in-depth reliability comparison article.
Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF)
Glocks are tough, reliable, highly customizable, and a little bit expensive. Regardless of generation, all Glocks differ from the competition with an unusually safety-conscious design, an oddly heavy factory trigger, and slightly softer recoil by virtue of a very low bore axis (1.26"). Despite their semi-premium pricetag, Glocks are bare-bones combat pistols. They do not feature tritium sights or light, crisp triggers, unlike many of their cheaper and (sometimes) equally-competent rivals. That said, Glocks have garnered a reputation as the one, true "safe bet" on the market. A genuinely reliable, tough design backed by decades of superb marketing has successfully pushed the Glock name to the forefront of the "I want to just know it's good" thought process, and from a sales perspective, well... that's "Glock. Perfection."
Review Contents
This review is organized as shown below. You can read the whole thing, or just use the below guide to find to the section that’s most interesting to you.
- The Glock Trigger-Cocked Striker System
- Glock 17 Gen 4 Overview
- The Glock Trigger-Cocked Striker System
- Glock 17 Gen 4 Overview
- USA-made vs Austrian-made Glocks
- Gen 5 Glocks vs Gen 4 Glocks
- Tabletop Handling Observations
- Internals
- User Interface (Trigger, Sights, Magazines, Grip, and Other Controls)
- Live Fire Handling Observations
- Bullet Salad Test
- Dirt Test
The Glock Trigger-Cocked Striker System
We'll start with a deep dive on the trigger-cocked striker system (though normally we'd leave that until the Internals section) because it's probably the most unusual and least-understood feature of a Glock. A picture is worth a thousand words, so the below animations illustrate the difference between Glocks and almost all other striker-fired pistols on the market.
Virtually all striker-fired pistols on the market today operate on the same basic principle - the striker (essentially a firing pin on steroids) is cocked back when the slide cycles and it stays back, ready to fire. When you pull the trigger, the striker is released, flying forward under spring pressure to smack into the primer and ignite the cartridge. Not much effort is needed to release the fully-cocked striker, so the pistol achieves a fairly light trigger pull, usually around 5 lbs.
Virtually all striker-fired pistols on the market today operate on the same basic principle - the striker (essentially a firing pin on steroids) is cocked back when the slide cycles and it stays back, ready to fire. When you pull the trigger, the striker is released, flying forward under spring pressure to smack into the primer and ignite the cartridge. Not much effort is needed to release the fully-cocked striker, so the pistol achieves a fairly light trigger pull, usually around 5 lbs.
Noble Empire© www.noble-empire.com
Most Glock competitors, like the Springfield XD shown above, fully cock the striker beforehand. Watch how the trigger and striker (both shown with green highlights) move independently - the striker's only movement is to slam forward, which it only does once the trigger is fully rearward.
This is similar to a single-action hammer-fired pistol - all the trigger does is release the hammer.
This is similar to a single-action hammer-fired pistol - all the trigger does is release the hammer.
When it comes to triggers, Glocks do things a bit differently. Like their competitors, they cock the striker back when the slide cycles, but unlike most of their competitors, they don't cock it all the way. A loaded Glock lives its life partially cocked, and relies on the force of your finger pulling the trigger to pull the striker all the way back before it's finally released and slams forward to ignite the cartridge.
Noble Empire© www.noble-empire.com
A Glock relies on the force of your finger pulling the trigger to cock the striker back. Watch how the trigger and striker (both shown with green highlights) move backward together before the striker is finally released and slams forward to ignite the cartridge.
The striker is only partially cocked before the trigger fully cocks it, a bit like a hammer-fired pistol at half-cock.
The striker is only partially cocked before the trigger fully cocks it, a bit like a hammer-fired pistol at half-cock.
The benefit of this system is safety, because if the striker is somehow released without pulling the trigger (through malfunction or abuse), it probably won't have enough energy to ignite the primer and fire the gun. This inherent safety feature is in addition to the three other safeties that make up Glock's "Safe Action" system, making Glocks the true safety fanatics of the handgun market.
Trigger-cocked strikers are uncommon - besides the Glock, only the Smith & Wesson SD9 and Ruger SR9 work similarly (to the best of our knowledge). The drawback of the design is a heavier trigger pull, since your finger on the trigger is actually doing some of the work to cock the gun, a little like shooting a revolver in double-action. Fresh out of the box, this Gen 4 Glock's trigger clocks in at about 8.0 lbs, although after a few hundred rounds of breaking-in it now measures 7.1 pounds (a far cry from the 5.5 lb trigger claimed by Glock's marketing material). In contrast, fully pre-cocked strikers usually provide a trigger pull around 5 lbs, which is how the Springfield XD, Smith and Wesson M&P, Sig Sauer P320, and almost all other striker-fired guns on the market get their light, crisp triggers.
Trigger-cocked strikers are uncommon - besides the Glock, only the Smith & Wesson SD9 and Ruger SR9 work similarly (to the best of our knowledge). The drawback of the design is a heavier trigger pull, since your finger on the trigger is actually doing some of the work to cock the gun, a little like shooting a revolver in double-action. Fresh out of the box, this Gen 4 Glock's trigger clocks in at about 8.0 lbs, although after a few hundred rounds of breaking-in it now measures 7.1 pounds (a far cry from the 5.5 lb trigger claimed by Glock's marketing material). In contrast, fully pre-cocked strikers usually provide a trigger pull around 5 lbs, which is how the Springfield XD, Smith and Wesson M&P, Sig Sauer P320, and almost all other striker-fired guns on the market get their light, crisp triggers.
Glock 17 Gen 4 Overview
Glocks, in particular the G17, are so well-known that an overview section seems almost unnecessary. However, we'll do our best to pretend we've never shot a Glock before and give you the rundown as if it were any gun:
The Glock 17 is a full-size, polymer-frame, striker-fired handgun marketed for duty, combat, and similar. Like most other modern duty pistols, Glocks have a useful service life that far exceeds the average shooter's budget for ammunition. Glocks are also quite reliable when faced with dust, dirt, and mud - they're not the MOST reliable pistol in the entire world, but they're better than average and definitely "reliable enough" (more on that in the Dirt Test section).
Glocks are expensive - more expensive than they ought to be. They are extremely well-made guns, but then again, there are several extremely well-made competitors that cost much less. Simply put, Glocks are expensive because people will pay it - they're incredibly popular and well-regarded, and there's a premium price associated with that.
As for why Glocks are so popular: Glock has marketed aggressively to law enforcement agencies for decades, and offered deep discounts for military and law enforcement customers. This had the (desired) effect of getting a lot of Glocks into a lot of hands, and people tend to buy what they know (or what someone they know, knows). Glock also did themselves a big favor with the release of the G34 - a factory pistol configured perfectly for competition in IDPA Stock Service Pistol (SSP) class events. Glock's G34 is factory-configured to push performance right up to the limit of what is allowed by the rules for SSP, so for some years (until Glock's competitors released their own SSP-oriented pistols) some SSP shooters regarded shooting anything except a G34 as essentially giving yourself a handicap, and so appeared yet another trove of dedicated Glock buyers.
However, the Glock's competition savvy isn't just limited to plain-jane IDPA SSP. Glocks are also popular for competitive racegun builds, which at first glance doesn't make a whole of sense. Viewed from 10,000 feet, the Glock is kind of a silly choice for a competition pistol - the trigger is designed for safety, not accuracy, and the pistol itself is butt-ugly. The reasoning here is deceptively simple: like the 1911, the 10/22, the AR-15, the Remington 700, the Moss-ington 500/870, the Saiga-12, etc. the Glock is a darling of the aftermarket community not because it's the single best design available, but because it's just so popular.
This is not to say that the aforementioned guns are not good designs, however, most-if-not-all of them have one or more well-known shortcomings (like the Glock's heavy trigger). Nonetheless, it's not profitable to make aftermarket parts for uncommon guns, so the best and most plentiful aftermarket parts tend to be made for the most popular guns, not necessarily the "best" guns.
On to other tidbits of Glock lore:
USA-made vs Austrian-made Glocks
Most Glocks are made in Austria, but there is also a Glock factory in Georgia (the state, not the country) that produces frames, barrels, and slides right here in the USA. The other parts of the pistols are shipped from Austria, and Austria still produces the lion's share of Glocks in general, but if buying American puts a spring in your step then it's a virtual certainty that you'll be able to find your desired Glock model with USA-made parts. Glock themselves, independent visitors to the factories, and many, many forum posts confirm that there is absolutely zero difference in quality in the American vs the Austrian Glocks, so buy either with confidence.
It's easy to tell if a Glock was made in the USA once you've got it in your hand - just look at it.
The Glock 17 is a full-size, polymer-frame, striker-fired handgun marketed for duty, combat, and similar. Like most other modern duty pistols, Glocks have a useful service life that far exceeds the average shooter's budget for ammunition. Glocks are also quite reliable when faced with dust, dirt, and mud - they're not the MOST reliable pistol in the entire world, but they're better than average and definitely "reliable enough" (more on that in the Dirt Test section).
Glocks are expensive - more expensive than they ought to be. They are extremely well-made guns, but then again, there are several extremely well-made competitors that cost much less. Simply put, Glocks are expensive because people will pay it - they're incredibly popular and well-regarded, and there's a premium price associated with that.
As for why Glocks are so popular: Glock has marketed aggressively to law enforcement agencies for decades, and offered deep discounts for military and law enforcement customers. This had the (desired) effect of getting a lot of Glocks into a lot of hands, and people tend to buy what they know (or what someone they know, knows). Glock also did themselves a big favor with the release of the G34 - a factory pistol configured perfectly for competition in IDPA Stock Service Pistol (SSP) class events. Glock's G34 is factory-configured to push performance right up to the limit of what is allowed by the rules for SSP, so for some years (until Glock's competitors released their own SSP-oriented pistols) some SSP shooters regarded shooting anything except a G34 as essentially giving yourself a handicap, and so appeared yet another trove of dedicated Glock buyers.
However, the Glock's competition savvy isn't just limited to plain-jane IDPA SSP. Glocks are also popular for competitive racegun builds, which at first glance doesn't make a whole of sense. Viewed from 10,000 feet, the Glock is kind of a silly choice for a competition pistol - the trigger is designed for safety, not accuracy, and the pistol itself is butt-ugly. The reasoning here is deceptively simple: like the 1911, the 10/22, the AR-15, the Remington 700, the Moss-ington 500/870, the Saiga-12, etc. the Glock is a darling of the aftermarket community not because it's the single best design available, but because it's just so popular.
This is not to say that the aforementioned guns are not good designs, however, most-if-not-all of them have one or more well-known shortcomings (like the Glock's heavy trigger). Nonetheless, it's not profitable to make aftermarket parts for uncommon guns, so the best and most plentiful aftermarket parts tend to be made for the most popular guns, not necessarily the "best" guns.
On to other tidbits of Glock lore:
USA-made vs Austrian-made Glocks
Most Glocks are made in Austria, but there is also a Glock factory in Georgia (the state, not the country) that produces frames, barrels, and slides right here in the USA. The other parts of the pistols are shipped from Austria, and Austria still produces the lion's share of Glocks in general, but if buying American puts a spring in your step then it's a virtual certainty that you'll be able to find your desired Glock model with USA-made parts. Glock themselves, independent visitors to the factories, and many, many forum posts confirm that there is absolutely zero difference in quality in the American vs the Austrian Glocks, so buy either with confidence.
It's easy to tell if a Glock was made in the USA once you've got it in your hand - just look at it.
The Glock 17 we obtained for this review was made in the USA, as evidenced by the rollmarks of Georgia on the slide and printing on the frame.
However, figuring out which Glocks are made in the USA and which aren't is much trickier when buying sight-unseen online. Expect to do some digging on forums and get handsy with part number catalogs to figure which is which, a task that gets especially complicated when distributor modifications like frame colors and sight setups start getting accounted for in the model number.
Gen 5 Glocks vs Gen 4 Glocks
Superseded by the Gen 5 Glocks, the Gen 4s are nonetheless still in production and remain a popular choice. The Gen 5 Glocks offer minor tweaks, the details of which are covered on Glock's website, but most of these changes should really be categorized as "sidegrades" rather than true upgrades. Left-handed shooters will whole-heartedly welcome the Gen 5's ambidextrous slide release, but outside of that buying group, the Gen 4s remain a popular choice over the newer Gen 5s due to their lower price, virtually identical performance, and more robust aftermarket support (although Gen 5 aftermarket support will build over the next few years).
Gen 5 Glocks vs Gen 4 Glocks
Superseded by the Gen 5 Glocks, the Gen 4s are nonetheless still in production and remain a popular choice. The Gen 5 Glocks offer minor tweaks, the details of which are covered on Glock's website, but most of these changes should really be categorized as "sidegrades" rather than true upgrades. Left-handed shooters will whole-heartedly welcome the Gen 5's ambidextrous slide release, but outside of that buying group, the Gen 4s remain a popular choice over the newer Gen 5s due to their lower price, virtually identical performance, and more robust aftermarket support (although Gen 5 aftermarket support will build over the next few years).
In the Shop:
Tabletop Handling Observations
Glocks are politely described as utilitarian - another word might be 'ugly'. Everything about them, from the trigger pull to the grip texturing, is straightforward and practical. But, you probably already knew that, so we'll focus on things might not know about Glocks:
Glocks do not have a Picatinny rail nor a Weaver rail under the barrel, it's a "Glock Universal Rail" - a bold move to call it 'universal' when it fits neither of the two most common rail patterns. We measured the slot with calipers and it's 0.15" (3.8 mm) wide - Weaver rails are 0.18" (4.6 mm) wide and Picatinny rails are .206" (5.2 mm) wide, so Glock apparently just said 'imma do me' and made up their own rail (see our article on rails for more info). We mounted up a Streamlight TLR-2, and sure enough the TLR-2's Picatinny key was too wide and wouldn't fit. Instead, mount up the Glock-specific key for the TLR-2, and you're ready to play. In other guns, this odd rail could be an inconvenience, but since the Glock is so massively popular, pretty much all weapon light manufacturers bend over backwards to ensure their light fits on the Glock's rail, odd measurements notwithstanding.
Glocks are politely described as utilitarian - another word might be 'ugly'. Everything about them, from the trigger pull to the grip texturing, is straightforward and practical. But, you probably already knew that, so we'll focus on things might not know about Glocks:
Glocks do not have a Picatinny rail nor a Weaver rail under the barrel, it's a "Glock Universal Rail" - a bold move to call it 'universal' when it fits neither of the two most common rail patterns. We measured the slot with calipers and it's 0.15" (3.8 mm) wide - Weaver rails are 0.18" (4.6 mm) wide and Picatinny rails are .206" (5.2 mm) wide, so Glock apparently just said 'imma do me' and made up their own rail (see our article on rails for more info). We mounted up a Streamlight TLR-2, and sure enough the TLR-2's Picatinny key was too wide and wouldn't fit. Instead, mount up the Glock-specific key for the TLR-2, and you're ready to play. In other guns, this odd rail could be an inconvenience, but since the Glock is so massively popular, pretty much all weapon light manufacturers bend over backwards to ensure their light fits on the Glock's rail, odd measurements notwithstanding.
Glock's unique, single-slot accessory rail is a departure from the standard Picatinny rail most of its competitors use.
Glocks have a boxy, surprisingly beefy slide for a gun with such a low bore axis - the slide is essentially the same height as a Sig Sauer P320, despite the P320 having a bore axis that's over half an inch higher. This ensures a competent, confident grip for racking or clearing the pistol, but the slide shows its heft on the a scale - the Glock's reciprocating mass is a weighty 16.8 oz. A heavier slide translates to more felt recoil, which is why windows and lightening cuts are often seen in the slides of competition raceguns. For comparison, older 9mm duty guns with more complexly machined slides can weigh more than three ounces less, and even fractions of an ounce make a difference when the slide is slamming back against the rear frame stop at umpteen miles per hour as the gun cycles.
Despite having a slightly longer barrel and slide, the reciprocating mass of the CZ SP-01 clone (left) is actually a full
ounce lighter than the equivalent Glock assembly (right), largely due to the Glock's slide being simply and boxily machined.
ounce lighter than the equivalent Glock assembly (right), largely due to the Glock's slide being simply and boxily machined.
Internals
Let's pop the hood on this thing. The most interesting feature of a Glock, internally, is the trigger-cocked striker system covered at the top of the article in the Glock Trigger-Cock System section. Still, there are a few things worth discussing here:
Let's pop the hood on this thing. The most interesting feature of a Glock, internally, is the trigger-cocked striker system covered at the top of the article in the Glock Trigger-Cock System section. Still, there are a few things worth discussing here:
The G17 breaks down fairly easily into the four main food groups - slide, barrel, action spring, and grip.
Glocks use the now-standard "stubs" for frame rails. This leaves plenty of room
for grit to blow free, while still keeping the slide aligned on the grip.
for grit to blow free, while still keeping the slide aligned on the grip.
A multi-piece nested spring assembly became standard on the Gen 4 G17s. Glock claimed reduced recoil and increased service life - we don't buy the reduced recoil claim, but increased service life is definitely possible. Some shooters opt to return to the previous generations' uncaptured spring design, which makes swapping springs to tune the action much faster and easier.
User Interface
Trigger:
Glock claims a 5.5 lb trigger pull, but we have never had much faith in that. Measured on our trigger pull gauge, we clock the the trigger on the factory fresh G17 Gen4 we obtained for this review right at 8.0 lbs. A few hundred rounds later, it clocks in at 7.1 lbs, so Glock triggers will wear in, but frankly we'd be shocked if this trigger ever got down to 5.5 lb by itself. For reference, we use the exact same pull gauge in all of our reviews, and it's clocked a Steyr M9-A1 at 5.2 lbs and a Sig Sauer P320 Carry at 5.9 lbs, which is right around what you'd expect. Long story short - don't expect a 5.5 lb trigger from your new Glock no matter what the brochure says.
Glocks just have heavy triggers - its a fact of life with the trigger-cocking system covered at the top of the article in the Glock Trigger-Cock System section, so you can't just polish the heaviness out it. The aftermarket offers up softer striker springs, lightweight striker components, and various other tweaks that can dramatically lighten the Glock's trigger, but our polite recommendation is NOT to muck around in your trigger pack if there is any chance you will use your Glock for self-defense. Glock spent a lot of time and money developing its trigger pack, and the exact weights and materials of its internals are proven by countless rounds of testing by both Glock themselves and buyers for military and LE agencies. Anything aftermarket is a gamble by comparison, no matter how many glowing reviews it has. The one exception to this rule might be swapping out the standard 5.5# connector for the Glock OEM 4.5# connector, which will lighten the pull a little (although the 4.5# connector will not give a 4.5 lb trigger pull, no more than the 5.5# connector will give a 5.5 lb pull). The 4.5 lb connector is a factory Glock part installed in the G34, G17L, and other competition-oriented Glocks. Being an OEM Glock part, we might...MIGHT...consider trusting it in a self-defense pistol.
Still, the long and the short of it is - if you're buying a Glock for self-defense, you're probably stuck with the heavy trigger. On the plus side, a heavier trigger isn't such a bad idea for a combat gun which might be held by sweaty, adrenaline-charged hands. Aside from the heavy pull, the trigger is quite competent - it has a reasonably crisp break, an unmistakable tactile and audible reset click, and a pretty respectable reset distance of 0.2” (5 mm). Glocks can also be re-cocked with only a tiny opening of the slide, so there's no need to eject the whole round if you want a second try on a failed ignition. The trigger blade safety is thin and surprisingly stiff, so it can dig unpleasantly at your finger at the end of a long day of shooting, but this is a minor complaint and the stiff spring backing up the blade ensures it doesn't jam when the gun gets dirty, unlike the more comfortable but also more dirt-susceptible trigger blade safety on the Steyr M9-A1 and L9-A1 [review].
Trigger:
Glock claims a 5.5 lb trigger pull, but we have never had much faith in that. Measured on our trigger pull gauge, we clock the the trigger on the factory fresh G17 Gen4 we obtained for this review right at 8.0 lbs. A few hundred rounds later, it clocks in at 7.1 lbs, so Glock triggers will wear in, but frankly we'd be shocked if this trigger ever got down to 5.5 lb by itself. For reference, we use the exact same pull gauge in all of our reviews, and it's clocked a Steyr M9-A1 at 5.2 lbs and a Sig Sauer P320 Carry at 5.9 lbs, which is right around what you'd expect. Long story short - don't expect a 5.5 lb trigger from your new Glock no matter what the brochure says.
Glocks just have heavy triggers - its a fact of life with the trigger-cocking system covered at the top of the article in the Glock Trigger-Cock System section, so you can't just polish the heaviness out it. The aftermarket offers up softer striker springs, lightweight striker components, and various other tweaks that can dramatically lighten the Glock's trigger, but our polite recommendation is NOT to muck around in your trigger pack if there is any chance you will use your Glock for self-defense. Glock spent a lot of time and money developing its trigger pack, and the exact weights and materials of its internals are proven by countless rounds of testing by both Glock themselves and buyers for military and LE agencies. Anything aftermarket is a gamble by comparison, no matter how many glowing reviews it has. The one exception to this rule might be swapping out the standard 5.5# connector for the Glock OEM 4.5# connector, which will lighten the pull a little (although the 4.5# connector will not give a 4.5 lb trigger pull, no more than the 5.5# connector will give a 5.5 lb pull). The 4.5 lb connector is a factory Glock part installed in the G34, G17L, and other competition-oriented Glocks. Being an OEM Glock part, we might...MIGHT...consider trusting it in a self-defense pistol.
Still, the long and the short of it is - if you're buying a Glock for self-defense, you're probably stuck with the heavy trigger. On the plus side, a heavier trigger isn't such a bad idea for a combat gun which might be held by sweaty, adrenaline-charged hands. Aside from the heavy pull, the trigger is quite competent - it has a reasonably crisp break, an unmistakable tactile and audible reset click, and a pretty respectable reset distance of 0.2” (5 mm). Glocks can also be re-cocked with only a tiny opening of the slide, so there's no need to eject the whole round if you want a second try on a failed ignition. The trigger blade safety is thin and surprisingly stiff, so it can dig unpleasantly at your finger at the end of a long day of shooting, but this is a minor complaint and the stiff spring backing up the blade ensures it doesn't jam when the gun gets dirty, unlike the more comfortable but also more dirt-susceptible trigger blade safety on the Steyr M9-A1 and L9-A1 [review].
The thin, stiff trigger blade safety on the Glock (left) is less comfortable than the wide, soft trigger blade safety on the Steyr M9-A1 (right),
but the M9-A1's trigger blade sometimes froze up when the gun got dirty, effectively disabling the M9-A1's safeties.
but the M9-A1's trigger blade sometimes froze up when the gun got dirty, effectively disabling the M9-A1's safeties.
Sights:
Most Glocks come with a set of plastic sights featuring Glock's white 'bracket-notch' rear sight and a plain white dot on the front. Plastic sights are a step down from the steel sights most other manufacturers include from the factory, but they work okay. Glock's rear sight has a flat front, which gives good leverage for one-handed racking on belts or equipment. For reasons we don't really understand, this feature is getting less and less common as other brands move to ramped rear sights.
The Glock we obtained for this review was a TALO Edition, and came with AmeriGlo Hackathorn sights (tritium front, target rear). We recommend trying to dig up one of these "distributor exclusive" Glocks when shopping - now that the Gen 5s are wreaking havoc with Gen 4 pricing, the distributor exclusives tend to be comparably priced to the plain factory models despite their improved features or nifty colors.
Most Glocks come with a set of plastic sights featuring Glock's white 'bracket-notch' rear sight and a plain white dot on the front. Plastic sights are a step down from the steel sights most other manufacturers include from the factory, but they work okay. Glock's rear sight has a flat front, which gives good leverage for one-handed racking on belts or equipment. For reasons we don't really understand, this feature is getting less and less common as other brands move to ramped rear sights.
The Glock we obtained for this review was a TALO Edition, and came with AmeriGlo Hackathorn sights (tritium front, target rear). We recommend trying to dig up one of these "distributor exclusive" Glocks when shopping - now that the Gen 5s are wreaking havoc with Gen 4 pricing, the distributor exclusives tend to be comparably priced to the plain factory models despite their improved features or nifty colors.
TruGlo Hackathorn sights are a solid upgrade over the Glock's factory plastic sights.
Magazines:
From Gen 4 onward, Glock has included three magazines with each pistol, one more than pretty much every other manufacturer out there (except FN). Ironically, Glock's popularity has really pushed down the price of their magazines, so whereas in another manufacturer this third, free magazine would represent an added value of $35 - $55, for the Glock, you're really only saving $10 - $20. Still, it sure was nice of them.
As for the magazines themselves: they're metal-reinforced plastic, with witness holes for all 17 rounds on the rear.
Grip:
The Glock's grip is in its slimmest configuration when it is first unboxed, with no backstrap installed from the factory. However, included in the box is a healthy array of backstraps to accommodate various hand sizes across shooters. Included backstraps are sizes M (medium) and L (large), and both sizes come in a variant with an extended beavertail as well as one with a standard beavertail, so there's a total of four backstraps to choose from. The factory no-backstrap configuration act as the size S (small) and does not have an extended beavertail option.
The extended beavertail backstraps will be appreciated by those shooters that opt for a high-hand hold, a grip style which is further supported by the Glock's trigger guard undercut. High-hand holds aren't for everyone, but they're popular for competition shooting and the Glock grip's beavertail-undercut combo is particularly well-suited for this type of hold.
If you plan to do any customizing of your Glock, you may have to stick with the slim factory grip size. Many aftermarket add-ons, from magwells to grip weights to carbine conversions like the CAA Roni, only work with the factory no-backstrap configuration for the grip.
From Gen 4 onward, Glock has included three magazines with each pistol, one more than pretty much every other manufacturer out there (except FN). Ironically, Glock's popularity has really pushed down the price of their magazines, so whereas in another manufacturer this third, free magazine would represent an added value of $35 - $55, for the Glock, you're really only saving $10 - $20. Still, it sure was nice of them.
As for the magazines themselves: they're metal-reinforced plastic, with witness holes for all 17 rounds on the rear.
Grip:
The Glock's grip is in its slimmest configuration when it is first unboxed, with no backstrap installed from the factory. However, included in the box is a healthy array of backstraps to accommodate various hand sizes across shooters. Included backstraps are sizes M (medium) and L (large), and both sizes come in a variant with an extended beavertail as well as one with a standard beavertail, so there's a total of four backstraps to choose from. The factory no-backstrap configuration act as the size S (small) and does not have an extended beavertail option.
The extended beavertail backstraps will be appreciated by those shooters that opt for a high-hand hold, a grip style which is further supported by the Glock's trigger guard undercut. High-hand holds aren't for everyone, but they're popular for competition shooting and the Glock grip's beavertail-undercut combo is particularly well-suited for this type of hold.
If you plan to do any customizing of your Glock, you may have to stick with the slim factory grip size. Many aftermarket add-ons, from magwells to grip weights to carbine conversions like the CAA Roni, only work with the factory no-backstrap configuration for the grip.
The Glock (left) has a more pronounced trigger guard undercut and the option to extend the beavertail - as shown, it has a size L backstrap with extended beavertail installed. The Sig P320 Carry (right) doesn't receive a pronounced undercut or beavertail until you buy Sig's competition-oriented X-Grip module for extra cost.
The grip texturing is plain and rough - some brands get pretty poetic about their grip texturing, but Glock opts for a simple pattern of square studs and modest finger grooves on the Gen 4. The result is an almost sandpapery feel that is undeniably difficult to lose hold of.
Other Controls:
Glock's have had a sparse control set since their introduction in the 1980s with no manual safety or decocker to clutter up the slide - the Gen 4s are no different. Glock's numerous internal safeties are charged with avoiding negligent discharges as a result of drops and smacks, but overall, the shooter's trigger discipline is the only real "manual safety" on Glocks and most other modern striker-fired handguns. However, models with a manual safety are occasionally encountered on the used market, usually a remnant of a custom order by a police department.
Glock's have had a sparse control set since their introduction in the 1980s with no manual safety or decocker to clutter up the slide - the Gen 4s are no different. Glock's numerous internal safeties are charged with avoiding negligent discharges as a result of drops and smacks, but overall, the shooter's trigger discipline is the only real "manual safety" on Glocks and most other modern striker-fired handguns. However, models with a manual safety are occasionally encountered on the used market, usually a remnant of a custom order by a police department.
The Glock's control set (left) is uncluttered and the reach to the slide release is easy, whereas some older designs like this CZ SP-01 clone (right)
crowd safeties, decockers, and other giblets into the same area, resulting in only a thumb-tip grip on the slide release.
crowd safeties, decockers, and other giblets into the same area, resulting in only a thumb-tip grip on the slide release.
In the Field:
Live Fire Handling Observations
Glocks are about function over form - this extends from the design and appearance and over into the shooting experience as well. The trigger is heavy, but reasonably crisp and very competent overall. The grip texturing is plain, rough, and profoundly adequate.
An unusually low bore axis of 1.26" yields slightly below-average recoil, although being a polymer-framed handgun, a Glock will never kick as gently as a steel-framed 9mm like a CZ-75, Browning Hi-Power, or Kahr K9 (article: Beyond Bore Axis: Decreasing Recoil in Pistols). We fired the Glock back-to-back with two other polymer-frame guns, a Steyr L9-A1 and a Sig Sauer P320 Carry, the former being the king of low bore axis at 1.15" and the latter having an unusually high bore axis of 1.78" (article: Pistol Bore Axis Comparison and Explanation). The Steyr kicked a bit less, and the P320 kicked a bit more, which is exactly what we expected. While a low bore axis isn't a make-or-break feature for most shooters, it is generally accepted to be a nice extra, so it's unsurprising that Glock has one of the lowest bore axes around.
Accuracy is 'good not great', to be expected given the 7.1 lb trigger. It will more than get the job done if your hands aren't shaking, but don't expect to hollow out any dimes. We had trouble getting the holes to touch consistently at 10 meters standing, which we've done without issue using a few of the Glock's competitors. Some trigger upgrades would lighten up the Glock's trigger and certainly improve the groups, but as mentioned before, mucking about in the Glock's trigger pack is not recommended if there is a chance the gun will be used for self-defense.
Oh, and magazines drop free energetically, loaded or not.
Glocks are about function over form - this extends from the design and appearance and over into the shooting experience as well. The trigger is heavy, but reasonably crisp and very competent overall. The grip texturing is plain, rough, and profoundly adequate.
An unusually low bore axis of 1.26" yields slightly below-average recoil, although being a polymer-framed handgun, a Glock will never kick as gently as a steel-framed 9mm like a CZ-75, Browning Hi-Power, or Kahr K9 (article: Beyond Bore Axis: Decreasing Recoil in Pistols). We fired the Glock back-to-back with two other polymer-frame guns, a Steyr L9-A1 and a Sig Sauer P320 Carry, the former being the king of low bore axis at 1.15" and the latter having an unusually high bore axis of 1.78" (article: Pistol Bore Axis Comparison and Explanation). The Steyr kicked a bit less, and the P320 kicked a bit more, which is exactly what we expected. While a low bore axis isn't a make-or-break feature for most shooters, it is generally accepted to be a nice extra, so it's unsurprising that Glock has one of the lowest bore axes around.
Accuracy is 'good not great', to be expected given the 7.1 lb trigger. It will more than get the job done if your hands aren't shaking, but don't expect to hollow out any dimes. We had trouble getting the holes to touch consistently at 10 meters standing, which we've done without issue using a few of the Glock's competitors. Some trigger upgrades would lighten up the Glock's trigger and certainly improve the groups, but as mentioned before, mucking about in the Glock's trigger pack is not recommended if there is a chance the gun will be used for self-defense.
Oh, and magazines drop free energetically, loaded or not.
The Glock's slide (left) is squared with minimal beveling. This gives good grip on the slide for racking.
While we found a Steyr's heavily beveled slide (right) to be light and low-recoiling, it was a bit more slippery at times.
While we found a Steyr's heavily beveled slide (right) to be light and low-recoiling, it was a bit more slippery at times.
Bullet Salad
We had enough 9mm on hand to feed the G17 what we call bullet salad - a quick way to learn a pistol's appetite. Skip to the results section if you’re familiar with the GunTweaks bullet salad concept.
Bullet salad is a three-magazine recipe that starts with a clean, lubed gun:
Magazine #1: Load with USA-sourced brass-cased target ammo (Winchester white box, Federal Premium, etc.)
Any pistol worth its salt should be able to eat this first mag. This step verifies the pistol is working properly, and helps the gun "wake up" (spreads grease around evenly, knocks down any machining burrs left from manufacturing, etc.)
Magazines #2 and #3: Load the magazines with as many different manufacturers, case materials, bullet weights, and bullet types as you can afford, two to four rounds at a time, in a known order. This is only a little bit more expensive than stacking deep with just one or two kinds of bullets, and it's worth it to see how your new gun behaves.
A bullet salad test takes a little planning - be sure to write down the order that the mags are loaded in. That way, if the gun jams, you can count how many rounds remain and determine which type of ammo caused the malfunction. Loading two to four-round "stacks" completes several full firing cycles for each type of bullet - firing, ejecting, and re-chambering, giving the gun several opportunities to choke on the particular ammo before moving to the next.
For extra credit, use a different target for each bullet type to add in a small accuracy test.
If the gun gets through all three mags without hiccuping, you can give a small, appreciative nod - you might have a decent firearm on your hands. Three magazines is by no means a conclusive reliability test, but you've at least verified that it's not picky eater and you can begin reliability testing in earnest with your favorite ammo.
If the gun does run into problems, that's not the end of the world. Just buy more of one of the ammo that it ate happily and use the "bad" ammo for plinking - you only committed to a box or two.
Bullet Salad Results
Here are the flavors that we fed to the G17, ranging from 80 gr frangible bullets to 147 gr JHPs and brass, steel, and aluminum casings:
Magazine #1: 115 gr FMJ – brass-cased Federal American Eagle
Magazines #2 and #3:
The G17 experienced not one single malfunction despite firing 7 different flavors of 9mm back-to-back.
After the G17 ate bullet salad happily we ran through several more boxes of mixed ammo types, to a total of somewhere around 300 rounds and still no malfunctions. A blend of slow-fire drills, holster-to-fire double taps, and other drills gave us a good feel for the pistol (see the Live Fire Handling Observations section), and with nary a malfunction throughout, it was time to put the G17's reliability to the real test.
We had enough 9mm on hand to feed the G17 what we call bullet salad - a quick way to learn a pistol's appetite. Skip to the results section if you’re familiar with the GunTweaks bullet salad concept.
Bullet salad is a three-magazine recipe that starts with a clean, lubed gun:
Magazine #1: Load with USA-sourced brass-cased target ammo (Winchester white box, Federal Premium, etc.)
Any pistol worth its salt should be able to eat this first mag. This step verifies the pistol is working properly, and helps the gun "wake up" (spreads grease around evenly, knocks down any machining burrs left from manufacturing, etc.)
Magazines #2 and #3: Load the magazines with as many different manufacturers, case materials, bullet weights, and bullet types as you can afford, two to four rounds at a time, in a known order. This is only a little bit more expensive than stacking deep with just one or two kinds of bullets, and it's worth it to see how your new gun behaves.
A bullet salad test takes a little planning - be sure to write down the order that the mags are loaded in. That way, if the gun jams, you can count how many rounds remain and determine which type of ammo caused the malfunction. Loading two to four-round "stacks" completes several full firing cycles for each type of bullet - firing, ejecting, and re-chambering, giving the gun several opportunities to choke on the particular ammo before moving to the next.
For extra credit, use a different target for each bullet type to add in a small accuracy test.
If the gun gets through all three mags without hiccuping, you can give a small, appreciative nod - you might have a decent firearm on your hands. Three magazines is by no means a conclusive reliability test, but you've at least verified that it's not picky eater and you can begin reliability testing in earnest with your favorite ammo.
If the gun does run into problems, that's not the end of the world. Just buy more of one of the ammo that it ate happily and use the "bad" ammo for plinking - you only committed to a box or two.
Bullet Salad Results
Here are the flavors that we fed to the G17, ranging from 80 gr frangible bullets to 147 gr JHPs and brass, steel, and aluminum casings:
Magazine #1: 115 gr FMJ – brass-cased Federal American Eagle
Magazines #2 and #3:
- 80 gr frangible – Glaser Safety Slug Blue
- 115 gr FMJ - steel-cased Winchester Forged
- 115 gr FMJ - aluminum-cased Federal American Eagle
- 115 gr FMJ - Remington UMC
- 115 gr +P JHP - Barnes TAC-XPD
- 124 gr FMJ - Winchester 9mm NATO
- 147 gr JHP - Fiocchi Extrema
The G17 experienced not one single malfunction despite firing 7 different flavors of 9mm back-to-back.
After the G17 ate bullet salad happily we ran through several more boxes of mixed ammo types, to a total of somewhere around 300 rounds and still no malfunctions. A blend of slow-fire drills, holster-to-fire double taps, and other drills gave us a good feel for the pistol (see the Live Fire Handling Observations section), and with nary a malfunction throughout, it was time to put the G17's reliability to the real test.
NOTE: The dirt test section of this article was re-done to offer a back-to-back comparison with a Sig Sauer P320.
Click the link, or the picture below, to see the in-depth reliability comparison article.
Click the link, or the picture below, to see the in-depth reliability comparison article.
The original dirt test (non-Sig Sauer P320 comparison) is below:
Skip to the results section if you're familiar with the GunTweaks dirt test.
A gun that chokes a lot during the dirt test can still be a perfectly good gun - there are many fantastically accurate and soft-shooting competition guns that practically implode if they even look at a pile of dust. However, we recognize that a weapon's reliability in the great outdoors is a principle concern for many gun owners, so this test simulates all kinds of unfortunate events, from a firearm hitting the dirt during an emergency vehicle dismount to a gun left holstered or slung all day in the gritty wind before being pressed into action under fire.
The method is simple - drop the (unloaded, but with an empty magazine in place) gun into the dirt, twice on each side (four times total). This forces some dirt into the nooks and crannies. Then, scoop up a heaping handful of dirt and pour it over the action, once on each side, to make sure everything is nicely coated.
It’s also worth noting that “dirt” is an understatement. What we have at the range is more like silt, taken from the backstop berm where it has been pounded by years of bullet impacts into fine, powdery nastiness that gets into every crack and crevice.
A gun that chokes a lot during the dirt test can still be a perfectly good gun - there are many fantastically accurate and soft-shooting competition guns that practically implode if they even look at a pile of dust. However, we recognize that a weapon's reliability in the great outdoors is a principle concern for many gun owners, so this test simulates all kinds of unfortunate events, from a firearm hitting the dirt during an emergency vehicle dismount to a gun left holstered or slung all day in the gritty wind before being pressed into action under fire.
The method is simple - drop the (unloaded, but with an empty magazine in place) gun into the dirt, twice on each side (four times total). This forces some dirt into the nooks and crannies. Then, scoop up a heaping handful of dirt and pour it over the action, once on each side, to make sure everything is nicely coated.
It’s also worth noting that “dirt” is an understatement. What we have at the range is more like silt, taken from the backstop berm where it has been pounded by years of bullet impacts into fine, powdery nastiness that gets into every crack and crevice.
Once the gun is pulled from the dirt, just load a full mag, rack, and fire. No cleaning allowed, not even dry-racking the action or blowing out grit with your mouth. This is an absolute worst-case scenario – bone-dry, silty dirt and no chance to even rack the action a few times beforehand. The weapons are only fed quality brass during this test.
Now, the results:
Now, the results:
Dirt Test Results
The G17 needed only one shot to shoot clear.
Shot 2 and onward were fired normally and the G17 ran fine the rest of the day.
Notes:
Shot 0 is the slide rack after loading a full magazine.
FTE - Failure to extract/eject
Dirt Test Results Discussion
Thus far, no handgun has outperformed this G17 in the dirt test, and it's become our “reference” gun for handguns, i.e. the gold standard we cite in all our other dirt test articles. The G17 had no failures to feed and no failures to battery, which is particularly impressive because almost every pistol fails to achieve battery on that first gritty, crunchy slide rack.
We speculate that the Glock's strong closing stroke is due to the trigger-cocked striker system, which gives the action spring less work to do on the closing stroke. Most striker guns rely on the action spring to fully cock the striker at essentially the same time as the spring is also working to fully seat a round in the chamber (see animation of the Springfield xD at the top of the article), and all of this happening at the time when the action spring is the least compressed (has the least energy to apply to this effort). In constrast, the Glock cuts the spring some slack by only demanding a partial cock to the striker. Only hammer-fired guns are kinder, as the hammer is fully cocked by the slide's backward movement so entire fire control group is "out of it" by the time the slide is riding forward in a hammer gun, so the spring's only real job is getting the fresh round fully into the chamber.
The Glock maintained a gritty, crunchy trigger pull until the gun was torn down in detail and cleaned (cleaning at the field strip level did not fully clear up the trigger).
From online research, particularly watching testing videos similar to our dirt test, we are confident that there are only a few pistols that are conclusively more reliable than the G17, maybe even just one or two. This puts the Glock in rarefied air, and while we haven't tested every pistol on the market by a long shot, so far this is the best we’ve seen a handgun do.
The G17 needed only one shot to shoot clear.
- Shot 0 - success
- Shot 1 - FTE, racking the slide ejected the casing, and the slide closed to full battery without assistance
Shot 2 and onward were fired normally and the G17 ran fine the rest of the day.
Notes:
Shot 0 is the slide rack after loading a full magazine.
FTE - Failure to extract/eject
Dirt Test Results Discussion
Thus far, no handgun has outperformed this G17 in the dirt test, and it's become our “reference” gun for handguns, i.e. the gold standard we cite in all our other dirt test articles. The G17 had no failures to feed and no failures to battery, which is particularly impressive because almost every pistol fails to achieve battery on that first gritty, crunchy slide rack.
We speculate that the Glock's strong closing stroke is due to the trigger-cocked striker system, which gives the action spring less work to do on the closing stroke. Most striker guns rely on the action spring to fully cock the striker at essentially the same time as the spring is also working to fully seat a round in the chamber (see animation of the Springfield xD at the top of the article), and all of this happening at the time when the action spring is the least compressed (has the least energy to apply to this effort). In constrast, the Glock cuts the spring some slack by only demanding a partial cock to the striker. Only hammer-fired guns are kinder, as the hammer is fully cocked by the slide's backward movement so entire fire control group is "out of it" by the time the slide is riding forward in a hammer gun, so the spring's only real job is getting the fresh round fully into the chamber.
The Glock maintained a gritty, crunchy trigger pull until the gun was torn down in detail and cleaned (cleaning at the field strip level did not fully clear up the trigger).
From online research, particularly watching testing videos similar to our dirt test, we are confident that there are only a few pistols that are conclusively more reliable than the G17, maybe even just one or two. This puts the Glock in rarefied air, and while we haven't tested every pistol on the market by a long shot, so far this is the best we’ve seen a handgun do.
Wrap-up: Glock 17 Gen 4
A well-made and reliable pistol with tons of aftermarket support, but if you want it to be its 'best self', just unbox it and leave it alone. The trigger is a bit heavy but unusually safe, and to be frank the gun itself is a little pricey when you look at what the competition has to offer. While the design is utilitarian, that's not a bad thing in a duty pistol. Plus, it looks pretty snazzy in a leather holster:
And that’s it. Happy shooting.
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