Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Got The Glock 23 Gen 5

Heavier bullet at about the same velocity as 9mm (124 grain 9mm vs 165 grain .40, and 147 grain 9mm vs 180 grain 40), given the same barrel lengths, so there has to be higher pressures involved with the .40.

They operate at the same pressure in Standard loads which is 35k PSI. Plus P 9mm is at even higher pressure and there is no standard for +P in 40 S&W. Since the case head is a larger diameter in 40 cal, there IS more case head thrust.

The main reason 40 has been hard on Glocks is they retrofit it into their existing platform that was only designed for 9mm originally. To make matters worse, the 40 slide is actually a bit lighter since the larger diameter barrel had to fit in the same slide, metal as removed. The lighter slide and the thinner 40 cal barrel chamber were not such a good idea for longevity.

Later designed pistols like the M&P were designed as 40’s to start with then downgraded/modified to run 9mm. Going down works well, going up not so much. Glock attempted to modify their 40’s over time adding the 2nd frame pin etc to try and address the fact that 40 was wearing down their pistols a bit faster than 9mm. And we have now arrived at the Gen 5 which adds slide weight and also a thicker barrel and chamber walls. The Gen 5 40’s run much smoother than anything Glock has previously offered in 40 and make them more durable to boot. Had Glock done this design change early on, you could argue that 40 cal Glocks riding in duty holsters would have held up better and we might not have seen such a resurgence of folks going back to 9mm. After all, no one ever complained about the performance of 40 on bad guys! Only the guns being snappy which was a factor of them being too light and lightly built.

Mark in GA

I received my Glock 21 gen 5 2 wks ago and have been impressed with it as well. These are nice shooting guns!! It is not a CC firearm, but very comforting having it on my side! That 13th round is a bitch to get in. I've decided I can live with 3 12 rd for a 36 total of 45 ACP.
Mickey

I carried one in an ankle holster for 3 years when I was an SRO. They are a bit heavy but it's doable.

kwg

I actually owned a Gen 2 Glock 23 back in the early 90s, but sold it in the late 90s. The Gen 5 23 is a bit more robust, due to a more substantial (and thicker) slide (intended to make it better suited for the .40 S&W). I generally like the Gen 5 Glocks, and have one in the Model 26 and the Model 19, but thought I'd give the new, more robust, Gen 5 Model 23 a try, and see how I like it.

I took delivery of it today, and brought it right to the range. I fired 150 rounds of PMC Bronze 165 grain FMJ through it without a hiccup of any kind. No brass in the face, or on top of the head, or any sort of problem whatsoever.



I had the medium sized backstrap insert installed, which helped me to keep it from slipping out of position in my grip under recoil, and it did the job. I found the recoil quite manageable.

It came with three 13 round mags, but I put in an order for three more today with Midway.

The factory sights seem to be right on. Here's a 15 yard, off hand, group of 13 rounds:



One observation that I have is that you practically have to sit on the magazine to get that 13th round in, and forget about carrying one in the chamber besides (making for 14 rounds onboard), because pushing a fully loaded mag up in there with the action closed was difficult enough that I didn't put a whole lot of effort into trying. I guess it's a true 13 round gun.

Overall, I'm impressed with its handling. And, although the slide is thicker, it fits perfectly in my well worn El Paso Saddlery C-Force IWB holster, which was made for the Glock 17. I hear that it won't fit in the fitted Kydex or plastic holsters designed for earlier Gens, though. That's an advantage to a leather holster, I guess.

I might end up carrying this gun.

you going to put a red dot on that new Gen 5? Probably let you shoot it more accurately.

Excellent explanation. The lightening effects related to larger bore would increase slide velocity and of course weaken critical parts. Kind of an inverse explanation of the 40 being "more powerful" than the 9.The forces are not greater per se. But because the critical parts are now weaker than the same pressure requires. I don't get how a larger diameter case head would create higher thrust, although it sounded convincing at first. Seems like greater surface area would dissipate forces better, not increase them. The ladies high heel principle, stilettos, etc.? Anyway it's a cool improvement all around. Thanks.

Great looking pistol! These posts are making me really want a Gen 5. I'm a huge fan of 40S&W in general. It's a great caliber and far superior to 9mm imo. I don't understand all of the hate for it these days.

Do you all think the Gen 5 is worth the upgrade over a Gen 4?

Great looking pistol! These posts are making me really want a Gen 5. I'm a huge fan of 40S&W in general. It's a great caliber and far superior to 9mm imo. I don't understand all of the hate for it these days.

Do you all think the Gen 5 is worth the upgrade over a Gen 4?

Not a fan of electronics on concealed carry pieces. KISS, Keep It Simple, Stupid. With emergency equipment, you want to minimize the number of things that can possibly go wrong. Nothing wrong with them on sports equipment, though.

Yes. Definitely. For one, I hated the finger grooves. There are other improvements, too.

It’s ironic. I’ve got or had all the Gens except Gen 5. Back in the day the finger grooves were the rave everyone wanted them, even me.

The grooves cause my middle finger to rub on the trigger guard on some models more than others.

If the Gen 5 is closer to the Gen 1-2 then I’m all in. My Gen 2 21 is probably my favorite. It has the best trigger by far of all that I own. 4.5 pounds red label.