It's Been Sometime Since I Last Posted

Well, it's been a long time. Seems a lot is going on in my life, some good, some not-so-good, some I am not sure which. I finally did something I have long thought I would not do. I bought combat Tupperware. Basically, due to some financial difficulties, I sold off all but 2 of my handguns. I kept the Hi-Power and a double barrel derringer, both in 9mm. Honestly, the Hi-Power is pretty and it shoots nice, but it isn't the easiest gun to carry concealed especially in the summer. I also tend to sweat, a lot, so that gorgeous blue job isn't going to last. It will either die from my sweat or from the excessive rubbing due to cleaning. So I finally decided I need to try a polymer-framed concealed carry piece with the new super durable finishes. I miss my .45, so I initially intended to buy a Springfield XD compact in .45 ACP. I hit a snag or six. With the XD M making its debut, most of my local stores didn't have much in the way of the old XD's and the .45ACP isn't available in the compact version of the XD M yet. Not to mention the M adds about a $100 to the price locally. Then a couple of coworkers told me that had purchased Glocks from the same dealer my Hi-Power came from. There was a gun show that week in a nearby town and I went. The dealer was there and I questioned him about the Glock and ended up leaving with a model 19. The only .45 ACP they had with them was the full size and I really wanted the shorter model. I previously owned for a very short time a generation 1 Model 17. The generation 4 seems a little more comfortable, but I really wasn't planning on a Glock.

The Glock has an excellent reputation, but it is UGLY. Especially if you appreciate the look of the 1911 or Hi-Power. It feels weird, it points weird. This is of course my opinion. It is shared with some other people, but still is opinion not fact. When I left, I thought I would try it and if I did not like it, I could probably get most of my money back. Glocks do hold their value very well. Now, I am not so sure about selling it. Let me break it down.

I didn't measure, I can try if you want but this is estimation. The Glock has a barrel about a half to three-quarters of an inch shorter than my H.P. It is a bit thicker by looks and feels a lot thicker. It also seems to weigh about two-thirds what the H.P. does. The clips weigh about half what the Mel Gar and KNC clips do. I don't currently have a holster specifically for the Glock, haven't had time or money yet, but the IWB holster I used a lot with the H.P. works okay.

I have never carried the H.P. in an IWB holster without experiencing pain, sometimes intensely.
I know the old saying that carrying a concealed weapon is supposed to be a comfort, not comfortable, but there are just all kind of things on the H.P. that feel really sharp that close to the body. Given a preference, the H.P. is a belt carry or a shoulder holster carry. The Glock, on the other hand has nothing pointy or sticking out to either side. It curls up right next to you and just about purrs. It is thus far the most comfortable carry gun I have seen. The next closest was a .380 Bursa Thunder and that is a single stack .380 not a high capacity 9mm. I suspect it will belt carry just fine also.

The Glock is a very utilitarian weapon. It simple has neither bells nor whistles. No external safeties, loaded chamber indicators, ect. The XD has some of those things. I don't have an XD to compare it with. Taking the Glock down to clean is a LOT simpler than the H.P.

Going from a single action to a safe action is a big step. My first experience with the G19 had me shooting a bit low. By the second magazine, I had figured how to compensate though. The trigger seems very hard to pull for the first shot. Oddly, after the first shot, it seems lighter, although I know there is no difference. The G19 is capable of more accuracy than I am. After over 100 rounds, I still seem to shoot just a bit to the right, but I think as I get used to the trigger pull that will smooth out. The gun groups nice, and I actually seem to pull tighter groups rapid fire than with slow fire. It doesn't have any more recoil than the H.P. although it does have more muzzle climb. I still think I get tighter rapid fire groups with the G19 than the H.P. I also think I can empty the H.P. faster than the G19, even though they have the same number of rounds, but I think the G19 stays on target better despite the muzzle climb. I think I will shoot it a bit more. The ugly bastard has just about won me over. If I get used to the trigger, I just might end up picking up the smaller 9mm and the mid-size .45. I want to check out an XD first though. Got to be fair.