Turned to the Dark Side I have

[JimThornTX]

Yes, I admit it. I turned to the Dark Side and bought a Glock 23 Gen 3 compact 40S&W 13+1. 

I decided to try out a Glock for several reasons:

1. Availability -- Glocks are easy to find. Parts are easy to find, replacement and custom. Magazines are easy to find.

2. Popularity -- just like the AR15, the Glock pistol is the most popular handgun in America. If ever caught in a SHTF or WORL scenario, spare parts and magazines should be easy to acquire.

3. Ergonomics -- believe it or not the G23 actually feels good in my hand. And my wife especially likes the feel of it in her hand. The full-size Glocks may be "Blocks" but the compact is not. At least not to us. I told her that if she didn't like the recoil of the 40 we could get her a G19. Same exact pistol in 9mm.

4. Price -- $499 and FREE shipping to my FFL from http://www.sportsmansoutdoorsuperstore.com

So far my only real complaints are that I wish the Glock had the loaded chamber indicator and the "cocked, ready to fire" indicator that my Springfield XD-45 does. These two small additions might help prevent some of the infamous Negligent Discharges that Glocks are known for having.

Don't worry, I'm not about to give up my CZ's. I may like other brands, but CZ will always be my favorite. 

Now for some pics:

[nalioth]

2. Popularity -- just like the AR15, the Glock pistol is the most popular handgun in America.

Somebody elected the current president.

If ever caught in a SHTF or WORL scenario, spare parts and magazines should be easy to acquire.

I'll wait for the SHTF or WORL scenario to shop for Glocks, tyvm

3. Ergonomics -- believe it or not the G23 actually feels good in my hand. And my wife especially likes the feel of it in her hand. The full-size Glocks may be "Blocks" but the compact is not. At least not to us. I told her that if she didn't like the recoil of the 40 we could get her a G19. Same exact pistol in 9mm.

Glad it works for you.  Speaking for myself, it just feels "wrong" compared to the 1911/BHP/Cz75/XD (handguns with the "natural" grip angle)

So far my only real complaints are that I wish the Glock had the loaded chamber indicator and the "cocked, ready to fire" indicator that my Springfield XD-45 does. These two small additions might help prevent some of the infamous Negligent Discharges that Glocks are known for having.

What happened to "All guns are loaded until it's definitively proven they're not." ?  How about the 4 rules of gun safety?

Do the "loaded chamber" and "cocked, ready to fire" indicators give one license to act unsafely with a firearm?


I'm not much for Glocks (yes, I've owned several in my younger days).  It is also my opinion that in buying a Glock, you downgraded from your XD.

[BGlas]

Jim,
I'm curious how the recoil of the Glock 23 compares to your P-06, when you get a chance, could you let us know?

[bemky]

my friend, who does not own a glock, but defends them consistently.. said he wants to hate my sp-01 but he doesnt. he said the glock 23 he shot had a lot of muzzle flip and is hard to be accurate with compared to his px4

[nalioth]

he said the glock 23 he shot had a lot of muzzle flip and is hard to be accurate with compared to his px4

It's hard to compare a handgun with Browning locking system with a Px4 or Cougar, as they use a rotating barrel system that doesn't produce many of the recoil movements the Browning system does.

[bozwell]

Nice gun Jim.  I have a customized G34 range toy and I've been meaning to pick up a G19 one of these days.  While I like my G34, the compacts like your G23 definitely are the best size Glocks in my opinion.

As far as the LCI, you just have to really train yourself to always handle the gun properly.  People have gotten in trouble breaking these guns down, since you have to pull the trigger as part of the process, but if you're 100% diligent with dropping the mag and then racking the slide to check for a loaded round, you'll never have a problem.   Not to mention that you should be doing this for any gun you're about to break down, so it's not like it's specific to just Glocks.    Also, if you ever decide to change anything on the gun, there's an amazing amount of aftermarket parts for these guns, and you will have no problem finding new sights, trigger modifications, etc. for your Glock. 

[SMSgt]

If you'll read your owners manual closely you'll find the Glock does have a loaded chamber indicator. The extractor protrudes out visually and by feel. Much less obtrusive and obnoxious than those of other makes.

Glocks are great guns but, like all other makes, not perfect. There's always something that could be better for each individual. Never had a failure with my Glock. But then, I've never had a failure with my S&Ws, my CZ, or my Sig. Some folks seem to have problems with everything.

[bozwell]

If you'll read your owners manual closely you'll find the Glock does have a loaded chamber indicator. The extractor protrudes out visually and by feel. Much less obtrusive and obnoxious than those of other makes.

Glocks are great guns but, like all other makes, not perfect. There's always something that could be better for each individual. Never had a failure with my Glock. But then, I've never had a failure with my S&Ws, my CZ, or my Sig. Some folks seem to have problems with everything.

The only problem I've had in my Glock is with some undercharged Winchester white box ammo, where a round didn't have enough oomph to properly cycle the slide.  That said, I find that pretty much all of my guns have run without problems, provided the ammo doesn't create a problem.

[zze86]

Hey no need for excuses, you got a new gun! Yay! 

Glocks are nice utilitarian pieces. My friend LOVES his Glocks and has two G23's in fact. For some the blockiness is a turn off, for him he loves it. I can't get used to how they just sort of sit on top of my hand, however the Gen 4's seem to have corrected that and they do have a much nicer grip.

[bemky]

he said the glock 23 he shot had a lot of muzzle flip and is hard to be accurate with compared to his px4

It's hard to compare a handgun with Browning locking system with a Px4 or Cougar, as they use a rotating barrel system that doesn't produce many of the recoil movements the Browning system does.

i did compare them. because theyre both semi-auto pistols. just because beretta has more tech in theirs doesnt mean i cant compare them.

[nalioth]

i did compare them. because theyre both semi-auto pistols. just because beretta has more tech in theirs doesnt mean i cant compare them.

You're not getting it.

You're comparing apples to oranges.

Wankel engine to a Chevy small block.

. . . and so on.

The Beretta rotating barrel technology actually dates back to about the same time frame as when John Browning was perfecting his drop-link system (the Steyr models of 1907 & 1912 were the first [and until the Beretta Cougar, the only] pistols that used a rotating barrel).

So, it's not "new technology" in the Beretta - just different.

[TN.Frank]

Don't forget that they are easy to maintain. I could totally detail strip my Glock to a pile of parts in about 2 minutes.  Show me any other gun that you can do that to with only a pin punch and then I might like it as much as I do Glock.
 I really miss my G19. Soon as I get working again and funds become available I'm going to join GSSF and order a new G19 for $425 through their certificate deal. As much as I like my CZ82 I really loved my G19 and I miss it a lot.

[JimThornTX]

Jim,
I'm curious how the recoil of the Glock 23 compares to your P-06, when you get a chance, could you let us know?

I'm hoping to try the G23 out this weekend. The P-06 has a pretty sharp recoil, depending on ammo brand. Prvi PPU being the mildest and Speer Lawman being the hottest.

G23 = 21.16 oz empty

P-06 = 29.12 oz (1.82 oz) empty

The Glock is obviously lighter, but they say the plastic frame flexing helps absorb recoil. It will be interesting to see if this is true.

As far as the "cocked" indicator, I am a visual person. I'm used to seeing a hammer on a gun, and knowing right away if the gun is cocked or not. Having the indicator on the XD-45 is a nice feature, IMO. Obviously not absolutely necessary, but still a nice feature.

And, yes, I did forget to mention how easy a Glock is to field strip. Not that a CZ is really that hard to field strip, but it's definitely easier on a Glock.

[bugboy]

Be careful with those Glocks,,,,, I read somewhere that something in the plastic lowers your testosterone to dangerous levels. So much so, that you may take to buying and wearing mall ninja gear!

[DenStinett]

NO ! ! !
say it isn't so