Originally Posted by Kenneth
I'll do some research, but for starters, Glock 19 is a DA? Safety?

why is the Glock so preferred?

Looks like no one answered your specific questions.

Not DA or SA per se, but a pre-loaded striker design (pre-loaded might not be the right term but it sounds better than "half cocked" wink ). It's been called a staple gun trigger. Once it's cocked it fires with a light, very short pull through kind of like a very short DA as you bring the striker back the last few millimeters to its release point. It can take a little getting used to.

No safety of any kind on a Glock except the "safe action" trigger which means you have to depress the little lever sticking out of the middle of the trigger before you can pull the trigger.

There have been accidental discharges with Glocks where some piece of clothing or something has caught in the trigger guard as the owner was holstering and fired the pistol.

They are uber reliable which as far as I can see is why they are so popular (I rarely use the term uber), they really do go bang every time. They have a blocky grip that not everybody likes but the Generation 4 models have replaceable backstraps to modify the grip somewhat, or you can just sandpaper the grip to suit.


Other striker fired models of similar size and reputation for reliability are the S&W M&P models, some of those come with a standard manual thumb safety, also Springfield Armory makes some very nice models that have extra features over the Glock like a cocking indicator. IMO they have a more nicely contoured grip than the Glock so one or both of these models may fit your hand better, especially the M&P. Both come in multiple sizes as well. I happen to have a Springfield XDm .45 ACP and it is a bit large for concealed carry but absolutely 100% reliable and just as accurate as it needs to be.

All of them are black and not exactly Italian fashion designer pistols but have a certain functional beauty if one appreciates those things.

Folks have their individual and much defended preferences for one of these three but any of them would serve you well in a hi-cap striker fired pistol, or a single stack smaller frame if that is what you want. Ruger and some other folks also make striker fired models but the aforementioned three are the only ones I've fired or looked at closely so can't comment on any others.



The other brand to look for which is kind of a personal favorite of mine are the Kahr models. These have a much longer DA feeling trigger pull but lots lighter than any DA revolver. They are single stack so only hold 6+1 or 7+1 in 9mm but are fairly small. The ones I've owned are incredibly accurate, even more accurate than several full size pistols of my experience. Actually they are far more accurate than they really need to be but they are also 100% reliable. Some folks report that their thumb accidentally drops the magazine when they fire one but I guess that's up to the way an individual holds it. They don't come with a manual safety either but that long DA pull makes them about as safe as any standard DA revolver. They sell high dollar models and economically priced "C" models - CWP, CMP etc. that are almost the same as the high dollar ones but with a pinned sight instead of dovetailed, standard instead of polygonal rifling and no fancy machining on the slide. IMO they are the much better buy over the "P" models unless a dovetailed front sight is a deal killer for you.


OR, you can go back to a traditional single stack, SA, thumb safety model like the 1911 in any of the 1001 different configurations they are made in today.

Lots of folks still like the 1911 design and especially the SA trigger pull, as do I, but having owned a few of those and a few of the new striker fired pistols I'll have to say the striker fired ones eat up more different kinds of ammo more reliably than any 1911 I've ever owned. "Ol Slabsides" (I never call it ol' slabslides) had its place and still does but for an efficient and reliable self-defense pistol the Glocks, M&P's, Springfields et al are the way to go in the early 21st Century.

Hope that helps some.


Gunnery, gunnery, gunnery.
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