I’m moving toward shooting 9mm Glocks only, atleast for the time being. I already have a G19 that I carry daily and would rather dedicate my time and training funds to being really good with what I have instead of buying a bunch of different guns since money is really tight right now.
That being said, I’m looking to purchase another Glock in 9mm as a back up for training classes etc. Would it be more beneficial to get another G19 or should I consider something more like a 34 or 17 to take to training classes and us on the range.
I would get another 19. That’s what I did in fact. In my opinion there isn’t anything signficant that a 17/34 can do that a 19 can’t. Unless you have massive hands, a 19 likely gives you a full grip. Also has sufficient capacity, sufficient barrel length/sight radius to have a “real gun” feel, and is more easily concealed. Side benefits are 100% parts/mags/holster compatibility. I know that any Glock magazine I have will work in any Glock that I happen to have in my hand as both are 19s, and I have 15- and 17-round magazines.
Since your intentions are to maximize your training benefit, I vote to buy another G19. That way you maintain the same gun feel, handling, and round count so that you don’t do anything to screw up your muscle memory.
If you want to get the maximum crossover benefit from your training to what you carry in real life, train with what you carry in real life. With the G19 you’ve got a gun that is certainly suitable for intense training, and the small benefits that you may reap from a G17 or G34 will do nothing to improve your actual skill level.
Getting a backup G19 makes much more sense. All your holsters, accessories, and magazines will be 100% compatible between the two. If your primary breaks, you can seamlessly switch to your spare while the first one is repaired.
Just want to add more of the same. I actually have three 19s currently, but will be getting rid of one here soon for a 17 which I haven’t had in awhile. The 19 is my main carry gun so I will always have at least two of them.
I would recommend another 19 as well. I’m going through a similar excercise myself, but on the 17 as that is what I prefer.
My guns will be the 17’s, but my wife has a 19, and my daughters will end up with 19’s too. All of my spare mags are 17’s so they’ll work in either gun.
We’ll, looks like I’ll be picking up my second G19 this weekend. Having all the mags and holsters interchange will be a big plus as well as a money saver.
one as a back-up for my carry gun and also to dry-fire with.
one lives in my BOB and is a back-up to my back-up.
i used to have a few other flavors, but all they did was collect dust…so i sold them to buy more ammo and training for the glock 17s.
unless you want to collect different handguns just because you like to collect them or because you enjoy shooting different guns, i don’t see any reason to not just stick to the one that works best for you.
I own 3 glock 9mm’s: 19, 26 and 34, for me it works because the manual of arms is exactly the same on all of them, and the feel of all of them are very similar.
I like having variety as my 34 is my production gun, my 19 my typical CCW, and my 26 is my pocket gun. I am very happy with my collection and wouldn’t give up any one of them. I find that If I practice with any one of them, I am still training myself to be proficient with all of them. They all have different functions so this layout works for me. I’ve got true grip, a vanek 2lb trigger and warren fiber optic sights on my 34 (something I would never carry), and my G19 is plain jane minus heinie straight eights and a smooth trigger.
sounds like you have a great plan, but my layout is a viable option IMO and works well for me =)
Great question as I am currently exactly in your boat and I’m wringing my hands on whether I should buy another G17, or a G19…I would like a G19 for easier concealability , but then I’d have to get extra mags paraphernelia for it too, whereas I have stuff for the G17 including plenty of mags. I don’t have much trouble carrying the G17 IWB, but the lure of a slightly shorter grip and nose is appealing.
Absolutely, the difference from my 34 to the other 2 is huge. Its much smoother, alot light, and breaks cleaner. I find that I can press thru the trigger much faster after prepping the trigger without disturbing my sight picture which makes alot easier IMO to hit at speed. and the feel is much "closer’ to my 1911, very little over travel.
The stock triggers are much crisper and require just a tad more urging on to break which I consider an asset in a carry gun. I don’t experience trigger freeze, I just have to be a little more patient to ensure my sight picture while firing.
If you want to give USPSA a try with a glock vanek makes a terrific trigger. but at $200 it was a hit in the piggy bank =)
Trigger control is the single most important aspect of accuracy with a handgun. It’s also the most difficult aspect of shooting to retain under stress.
Having a game gun is fine and dandy…but if you’re building muscle memory for that 2 pound trigger it may adversely effect your ability to use the stock Glock triggers on your other guns. Regular practice with the guns used for serious social purposes helps defray that a bit, but I would strongly encourage sticking to the same trigger on all your guns in the same family.
