I currently own three Glocks and consider them some of the toughest and most reliable guns in today’s market. They have served me well throughout the years, as I have often bragged about their superior performance and reliability. Glock pistols are used by many law enforcement agencies throughout the country as their duty sidearm. Several officers that I have spoken with claim that Glock handguns give them the confidence they need when they have to use their gun on duty.
We have also seen Glock change or improve their pistols with every new generation. It seems that every six years or so, Glock changes their pistol in some format and calls it the next generation. Until recently, Glock has produced generations one through four with various feature and ergonomic changes that gain worldwide popularity. There is no pistol that can light up the internet quite like a new model Glock or a change to their original design. To top if off, Glock holds the candle to aftermarket parts and accessories that allow the owners to personalize their pistol to suit their individual preferences.
Last year, rumors broke that Glock was developing a Gen 5 pistol that addressed some features that their loyal customers have wanted for years. It was their Gen 3 models that included finger grooves that people either loved or hated. Personally, I never cared for the finger grooves because they didn’t fit my hand very well and dug into my fingers as I gripped the gun. Also, left-handed shooters wanted ambidextrous features to prevent over-adjusting their shooting style made for a right-handed gun world.
Just recently, Glock released their Gen 5 handguns with the Glock 19 and 17 models. As history has taught us, people either loved or hated the changes Glock made to the pistols. Externally, they removed the finger grooves, flared the bottom of the mag well, added an ion-bonded finish on the slide, rounded off the muzzle end of the slide, installed a slide release lever on both sides for left-handed shooters and put an orange follower in the magazine. These changes were fine, but many people were hoping for front slide serrations and metal three-dot sights. As the classic song goes, “you can’t always get what you want.”
The majority of the Gen 5 changes were with the internal components. Glock claims the Gen 5 models have more than 25 changes that improved the pistol. I was fortunate to get my hands on a Glock 19 Gen 5 for review. I took it to the range expecting the Gen 5 to function as well or better than all the reviews I read claiming the Glock Gen 5 is a superior pistol. For good measure, I brought my Glock 19 Gen 4 along for comparative purposes.
My original intention was to compare the Gen 4 with the Gen 5 and point out any noticeable differences I experienced. As the video demonstrates, the Glock 19 Gen 5 shot well but the ejection was weak and erratic. Many of the cases came back and hit my arm or head. Take a look at this video and let me know if you think this is a problem with the Gen 5 model or I just happened to get a lemon of a gun to review.
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