I might have an opportunity to purchase a used Gen II Glock 17.
I’m mostly familiar with Gen III Glocks. I will be doing to online purchase so I only get to see pictures of it. Are there any concerns with durability or reliability of gen II Glock 17’s.
Any known issues?
Thanks in advance.
Paul
Deleted.
I just recently sold a really nice Gen II G17 after buying it online for the following reasons:
I like the light rail. Sure, I’ll never use it 95% of the time but I want the option.
I like the loaded chamber indicator/extractor of Gen III Glocks. I don’t care if the Glock Aficionados say that it was the better extractor, and I don’t feel like coming out of pocket an additional $20 to upgrade it.
Gen II’s (and early Gen III?) G17’s have 2-pin frames instead of 3. My other Glock is a 3-pin. I don’t believe that you can use a 3-pin extended slide release in a 2-pin gun and I like commonality of parts.
I marginally prefer the finger grooves to the smooth grip.
And finally, non drop-free magazines suck. Hard. And I don’t feel like going through the hassle of selling them and buying replacements.
If it was any one or two of the issues, I would have kept it. All together, it was just too much of a hassle and I wanted to get everything I liked in one package.
So with that being said, I’m kinda on the market for a good condition Gen III Glock 17…
I would have no problems buying a Generation II Glock. Several years ago, my department traded in our older Glocks (Generation II) for newer ones (also Gen. II). I then bought my old Glock from the department’s distributor. I couldn’t have been happier. This Glock now rides in my “Go Bag” in my squad along with extra Glock mags and AR mags.
A few years ago, the department again switched out our Glocks from the Gen. II to the newer Gen III Glocks. Due to money constraints, I did not buy that second Glock. I am still kicking myself for that decision.
I like the Second Generation Glocks better. But that is just my humble opinion. I am not an expert in Glocks or most handguns. I just know what I like. The grip on the Gen II are more comfortable for me personally.
BTW, the Glocks I was refering to were Glock 22’s. I would love to eventually get a Glock 17 and eventually a 19.
i have bought 2 used gen II glock 17s. both have functioned flawlessly (many tens of thousands of rounds through one and a few thousand through the other).
they were both police trade-ins and looked pretty physically beat up when i bought them (and, thus, they were cheap 
).
i say buy it. i would not hesitate personally. chances are very, very high that you will not have any problems with it. and, the worst case is that you send it back to glock, and they replace everything in the gun for free.
(i will likely never buy a newer than gen II glock unless they stop putting finger grooves on them.)
gen II glock mags are drop free. only the 1st gens were not. i think glock changed the mags and frames from gen I to gen II at the same time, so, if you bought a gen II glock, and it came with a non-drop free mag, someone may have switched the mag at some point.
Glock regularly introduces upgrades to their guns, often unannounced, often quite subtle. I personally think that the current Gen III G17 is a better gun than a Gen II. I believe that the current guns are generally more tightly fitted (particularly in the barrel-to-slide fit) and have better out-of-the-box trigger pulls.
I personally prefer the current receiver-I index to it better than I did with a previous Gen II G23 that I had. However, thare are certainly many experienced and knowledgeable Glock users who feel exactly the opposite. If you can, try one of both Generations, and see how they feel/point/index to you, and then make your decision accordingly.
Glock is very good on providing upgraded parts at little to no cost. The easiest way is to attend a GSSF match, where the attending GSSF Armorer will thoroughly go through your Glock and provide upgrades at no cost. Alternatively, you can send it to Glock (but you’ll have to pay shipping, at least to Glock).
If you’re in law enforcement, your department armorer should be able to go through it for you, or the Glock Regional LE Rep when he visits.
An additional factor to consider is price-if you fit within the definition of a Homeland Defender/First Responder/Military/LE/EMT (usually active, reserve, or retired in any of these categories), you can get a new Glock of your choice at both a hefty discount and with 3 magazines (at least concerning the full-size and compact Glocks); Alternatively, you can join GSSF for $35, and request a certificate (which enables you to buy 1 Glock at the same discounted price, but with only 2 magazines, and only from select participating LE dealers)-see www.gssfonline.com for details, or call Glock at (770)432-1202.
If you find that you prefer the Gen II to the Gen III, I’d go for it (also assuming you like the price of the Gen II).
Otherwise, I’d recommend going the Gen III route.
Best, Jon