new to the pistol world and am soon purchasing a G17. was wondering what the thoughts where on the gen3 v.s. the gen4 why or why wouldnt you purchase one over the other? looking forward to yalls input thank you
There are lots and lots of threads on this subject. You might get faster answers with a search.
I have not personally seen the Gen 4 issues but have to put some stock in all the reports. Considering that for me there’s nothing lacking with Gen 3 compared to Gen 4… and the one I found was a little cheaper ($20)… it made it a no brainer that my latest purchase was a Gen 3.
FWIW, the test fire date on this Gen 3 was 3/11 and I don’t own any Gen 4s.
thank you for the link and the posts…i do have larger hands then normal so im looking for the larger grips. the texture of the grip unfortunately means nothing to me yet. looking forward to more posts, keep em coming yall i need all the info i can get. possibly any other gun that would be good for a “rookie” to start out with open to any ideas!!!
I also have larger than average hands which is part of why I say the Gen 3 doesn’t lack anything for my needs. Anecdotally, I get the sense that many people like Gen 4 because the “small” grip (ie, no extra back strap) makes a Glock comfortable to them for the first time ever. But for my hands, the normal Gen 3 grip is just fine so I didn’t see any ergonomic need to go to Gen 4.
Since you asked for other options, ergonomically the M&Ps are best for my bigger hands. I just personally haven’t been able to get past the trigger yet and I’m not interested in tinkering with it.
Me I would go for the gen three. My hands are average but I have the grip stippled so that takes just enough off to help the fit. OP you may find there will be many more people siding with the gen three because there are more out there. I personaly do not own a gen 4 and dont have anything against them. Many have had issues with the gen4 but hell people have had issues with the late model gen threes. Most issues can or have been worked out. I could think of a whole hell of a lot worse choices . Again if you ask me I would go with the gen three but if all I could get was a gen 4 I wouldnt be that mad. Either way if you dont like it Im sure you wouldnt have any issues trading or selling.
Good luck
I purchased a G-17 RTF2 for about $100.00 less than the newer Gen 4’s were going for. For some reason lots of people hated the pyramids on the grip and the “fish gill” sererrations on the slide. I personally could care less how it looks as how it works. I buy a weapon to function when I need it too, I could less how pretty it looks when it is doing the job that I need it to. Good looks are just icing on the cake.
My RTF2 G17 is my favorite. I have had nothing but great luck with four Gen 4 9mm’s but if it were only one, it would be the RTF2 G17.
I have owned gen 2, and currently own gen 3, 3 RTF2 and gen 4.
I personally like the Gen 4 the best for its smaller grip, grip texture, mag release and I believe the Gen 4s are more accurate.
I’d personally go with the Gen 3, I realize that Glock has done a lot here lately to address the issues that emerged early on. If you like the grip texture of the Gen 4 compared to the Gen 3, I would look into a RTF2 in the Gen 3. I have a Gen 3 Glock 22 (same size as the 17) RTF2 and love the texture compared to the standard Gen 3. The only drawback is it isn’t much of a concealed carry pistol, unless you are carrying with an undershirt between you and the pistol. One hour of skin-to-frame contact with an RTF2 will bring a whole new meaning to misery.
Gen3, in fact I jsut picked one up today.
Gen 3 has my vote.
Picked up a gen 3 19 this past Saturday. 
I own both and prefer the grip texture and magazine release on the gen 4 model.
I have a Gen 3 G17 and G34 and a Gen 4 G19. For me, it really doesn’t matter, but I do slightly prefer the full-size Glocks as Gen 3. I think the slightly smaller grip on the Gen 4 works better for the compact and sub-compact models.
I do really like the new mag release and the texture on the Gen 4.
I own two Gen 3 G17’s. I have not shot a Gen 4 G17, but have held one, and I’m not a fan of the texturing on the grip. That could change with some shots down range, but just holding one I don’t like the texture. Since you’ve never shot one, you have nothing to compare with, so why not see if you can hold each in a store at the same time. To me, that is probably the only thing that would sway me to the Gen 3 over the Gen 4. As for reliability, I think Glock has all the bugs worked out of the Gen 4’s, so you should get good reliability out of either.
How does the RTF feel against your skin AIWB?
Back to the OP, I like many features of the Gen 4 (texturing, mag release, smaller size and accuracy), but prefer the trigger on a Gen 3.