Out at the ranch I carried my Gen 3 G17 for years before I bought my first M4. As the M4 became more and more a part of my life the G17 became more of a “carry gun” for “in town.”
Now that I’ve had my S & W J-frame 642 for a few months, it gets carried more and more and the G17 just gets carried…not at all. I don’t even think switching to a G19 would ever get me to carry the Glock again because I just can’t have it with me in as many modes of dress as I can the J-frame.
My local dealer tells me, “Don’t sell right now. Wait for another panic.”
My thought is that I could put the money toward ammo or something else. Maybe something Ruger LCP sized? (Not that I’d buy that pistol. I don’t know enough about it).
I know a lot of people are pissed at Glock lately because the guns aren’t what they used to be, but this one was made in early 2010 just before the era when people began to say Glock’s quality had slipped. It has been flawless so far. To muddy the waters even further, it isn’t my “only” Gen 3 G17. I actually have an older one made before they started installing the “dipped” extractor. It is in near mint condition and will stay that way.
Considering how long you have had the handgun, and the fact that you still enjoy it means you should keep it. Yeah, the M4 will get the love around the ranch (as it should), and you may enjoy carrying the J-frame better now, the Glock 17 still has uses.
You could throw some night sights on it (I’m assuming it has none) and buy an inexpensive streamlight TLR-1 and have a great, reliable nightstand gun. If it is before the Glock quality "Dipped’ by all means keep it. You can never have too many reliable firearms close at hand, and there are few as reliable as a Glock 17.
Also, it’s a great gun to teach new shooters how to shoot. Low recoil, good balance, high capacity. YMMV
I would also keep the G17. It fills a role the J frame does not, in that it is a full size duty-type weapon.
It does not cost you anything to keep it, and I am assuming you already have mags and spare parts for it. Keep a reasonable stash of ammo on hand, and you will have any eventuality requiring a larger pistol covered without having to go out and reacquire one.
If you are comfortable with it, keep carrying the J frame as a CCW piece, but this way you have another tool for the toolbox already on hand.
As someone else mentioned, it doesn’t eat anything so is costing you nothing to keep. Put a light on it and keep it as a night stand gun if nothing else.
And what’s the value of that role? For the most part I agree with you and have given the same advice. But lately I’ve been thinking about having the “Must have the full size pistol” box checked and I can’t convince myself why it’s important anymore.
Now, a magazine fed 9mm compared to a J frame… yes, keep it because it can do a lot that the J frame can’t. But just in general, is there truly a role for full size pistols for a context like the OP?
I carry both a G19 and G17. But the more time passes, the more I wonder why I bother with the G17. For CCW and things like Doc Glockster’s ranch duty, a full size does almost nothing that the smaller frame can’t do just as well.
A while back there was another thread where someone asked a similar “Should I keep my G17?” question. I advised almost exactly what you just did. But someone (gotta give credit… I think it was gun71530) said he sold his own G17 to buy a second G19. There’s something to be said for that, I think.
I’m actually leaning toward something smaller than a G19 or G26. Glock should have made a slimline single-stack pistol the size of the Ruger LCP years ago. Why they haven’t makes me think they’re becoming a dinosaur.
My bottom line is that at the ranch I see only a tiny number of situations where a long gun is less appropriate than a duty-sized pistol. On the other hand, in almost every instance I can think of where a handgun is appropriate, a concealable size is also appropriate. Yes I may have to give up the hi-cap wondernine concept for a handful of rounds in an uncomfortable-to-shoot platform, but like people keep saying: the J-frame you carry is a better weapon than the full sized Glock left in the nightstand.
I’m selling it. I will still have a Glock 17 like I mentioned earlier.
To those who want me to make an offer: sorry, but I’ve got enough takers locally that shipping it is just out of the question.
If it was your only FS 9mm pistol, I’d day keep it. If you have multiples, then that one is just up to you and if you’d rather put the $$$ toward something else.
I never had a big collection to start, but I recently stream lined it further as I don’t want safe queens. My basic rule was if it had not been shot or carried in a year, it was gone.
So, went from 4 1911s, to 1, one FS 9mm (M&P which is CCW), 1 M4, one compact 9 and .40, and so forth.
Some of the $$ I used to by fire arms related stuff like Optic for the M4, ammo, etc.
I suggest keeping the G17 for a house gun and picking up an M&P shield 9 as your everyday carry gun. In a good holster you can carry the Shield all day and forget it’s there until needed. With the 8 round magazines it’s a very shootable small carry gun.
Keep. Depending on body type the G17 conceals very well with a Raven holster. The G19 may conceal better but when its time to quickly un-holster and shoot accurately, the G17 for me is the better choice.
Is it really? That’s an honest question, not a snarky one. This is related to my earlier post. Although the G17 feels better, I’ve never been able to measure a performance gain over a G19 in class work or competition.
Doc Glockster, I guess I don’t quite follow the drive to sell the G17 since you already have your preferred solution (J frame). The possible pocket 9 sounded like only a maybe. Unless you have a specific plan, I’d say keep. To turn your phrase, the extra G17 in your home is better than the other pistol you didn’t buy because you ended up spending the money on something else.
And FWIW, after shooting someone else’s LC9 a handful of times, I’d NEVER carry either it or the LCP for real CCW purposes. It did not agree with me at all.