Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Which is stronger the Glock 17 or the 19? Small frame vs. large?

Was looking at my aftermarket Lone Wolf barrel for my Glock 17 and wanted to see if it would fit into my Model 19, nope longer in dimensions between the breach and lug area than the Model 19 barrel. Looks heavier duty too.

Have read of the Model 17's lasting along time in mileage, wondering if the smaller framed versions will hold up as well?

I will take the 19 over the 17 any day

�..why? Just for ease of carry or do you shoot it better? Not judging, just curious.

�..I heard Hackathorn opine that the Glock 17 was the original-design-format and that all other models deviated from it and in the long run it's probably the ONE to have if you're going to just have ONE (however; he was carrying a G19 the last time I was on a range with him). The same argument is made with 1911's---JMB designed it to be a 5" bushing-barrelled gun and that all others are deviations from the original design. That doesn't keep me from carrying a Commander however. I know that I shoot a G-17 better than a G-19 and my wife is just the opposite; however, those are our guns---might not be true with stock or unfamiliar guns. One rarely hears of problems or kabooms with 17's versus other models------Ken also said that if he had to grab only one handgun with which to head for the hills, it would be a G-17----I think Vickers said the same thing. That doesn't make it right, just their opinion.

Will they hold up as well? Probably not. But good luck wearing one out. The G19 is a well proven piece of equipment.

If I only could own 1 hand gun I would choose the G 19 as it is a bit more comfortable to conceal. I shoot both the 17 and 19 several time/week and both are easy to shoot well and I have no problems transitioning from one to the other. Both have identical frame treatments, triggers and sights. I typically carry the 19 AIWB and the 17 in a Safariland ALS. My time to 1st shot is about .2 sec quicker from AIWB but I can live w/ either if I practice regularly. I shoot 200 rounds/week through each and have never had a malfunction. I also dryfire about 10 minutes/day from concealment as I consider this my highest shooting priority.

mike r

I'd say that's a pretty good assessment. When Glock started making guns in cartridges other than 9mm, things went horribly wrong. Non 9mm Glocks were some of the LEAST reliable pistols out there in the late '80's to early '90's. I generally don't talk about this much, because I don't want people to think I'm a Glock hater (I'm really not). But Glock has had OODLES of troubles over the years with all their guns; even the 19/17's (although the 19/17's issues were very minor).

I take points away from Glock because they really should have recalled a whole lot of guns, and they never did. They kept spinning things to buy time and not have to make refunds. I guess that's what you have to do when you have a big company, but there were a lot of people who were depending their lives on Glock's products, and it's lucky that Glock's policies never cost a life (that I'm aware of).

Where I give Glock points, is their willingness to never stop developing their product. The G17/19 is one of the most proven pistols out there (not THE, just one of), and they're just brute tough! If I were going to grab one gun and head for the hills and a G17/19 were available, I'd take that over my 1911 in a heartbeat.

�.wow Mike, that's quite a shooting regimen�.doing that consistently takes more discipline (and ammo) than most can or will devote.

You mentioned frame treatment, triggers and sights��what do you use? Unfortunately I've wound up with a grab bag of different stuff on different guns--have you altered the triggers? If so, what did you use?
Thanks,
Greg

Woooo��. the room is spinning...reality as we know it has shifted�.hell may have frozen over��.

gmoats, I work on a gunrange so time and ammo do not factor in. I love to train and instruct so I have kind of a dreamjob. My Glocks have the frames stippled to enhance the grip with some hand sanding around the trigger guard and below the tang to accomadate my girly little hands. They all have Meprolight tritium sights for uniformity from gun to gun. All have stock 5.5 lb triggers and all internals are OEM because I value reliability over all other factors in a defensive/fighting gun.

mike r

�..thanks Mike�..I've been to a couple of indoor ranges in LV�.perhaps we've met.

I'm not a Glock hater, nor do I think the 1911 is the end all. I think my LW Commander is the right daily carry gun FOR ME. I don't think it's the best gun for the zombie apocalypse, or necessarily "heading to the hills", although it wouldn't be a bad gun, provided I took an extra 9mm top half just for greater ammo choices when ammo runs low.

My reality is painted by the FACT that I'm much more likely to be hit by lightning TWICE in the same day, as to need to just "head for the hills" spontaneously while I'm at 7/11 with no warning or time for any preparation whatsoever.

I have the highest respect for Glocks. They are such a great choice for a military...but I'm not a military nor will I be in a military situation. I carried a Glock when I did executive protection in Mexico because that's what was handed to me, and I was quite happy with it.

What I don't get is the slathering Glock-a-holics who think it's the end all, and must be the end all for everyone.

To be dragging the same pistol through extreme conditions, for years at a time, the Glock would be very hard to beat. But on a daily basis, I don't need that, nor do I envision that I ever will.

As great as a Glock is, it's just not the gun for me. If I want the ultimate in reliability, I'll go with a Browning Hi Power since it fits my hand better, carries easier for me, and I shoot it much better than a Glock. I have yet to see any pistol that is more reliable than a Hi Power; and that includes Glocks.

Here's what I NEED. I NEED a pistol I shoot well; very well. I shoot a Glock well, but I shoot the 1911 much better.

I need a pistol that is 100% reliable with my carry ammunition. I have that. In the 11 years I've carried my LW Commander, it has yet to malfunction on me even once. I shoot about 1k rounds per year through that pistol.

I need a pistol that is flat, light weight, and easy to carry. The LW Commander is as light as a Glock, flatter/thinner, and every bit as easy to conceal with an IWB holster as a Glock 19 (ON ME).

So if I have a choice between two pistols, all else being equal; why would I choose the one that I shoot worse over the one I shoot better?

If the answer to that is "because someone tested it, and it's able to digest more thousands of rounds before it malfunctioned"; my answer would be...I carry two mags; what does that extra supposed reliability get me when the pistol is empty? And if anyone has studied gun fights, especially civilian gun fights, you know that magazine capacity is never the deciding factor; it just isn't. Hits count, that's it. High magazine capacity??? You can never miss fast enough to catch up.

�.you mean this wasn't you, Kevin??
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mjI8AxZnrx8
�..there's nothing wrong with a Glock that wouldn't be improved if each came from the factory with a muzzle or at least a gag-order for their owners.

�..like you, I carry a LW Commander (Wiley Clapp gun in my case); however, one thing that the Glock has over 1911 is that the Glock comes straight out of the box with no pride of ownership. I never worry about scraping, scratching, dropping or losing the Glock----with the 1911 I do. It's the Bic-lighter analogy. I've been in a couple of situations that I wished I wasn't carrying as nice a handgun as I had on at the time. Obviously, when the SHTF, that feeling will evaporate quickly.

�..I would love to see someone do a probability study on the quantity of ammo used in a civilian encounter. I bought a book titled "Probability for Morons" and discovered that the probability was that a moron won't finish reading the book (I didn't)�..however I also bought a book titled "The Drunkard's Walk, How Randomness Rules our Lives" which I did read and left me with the distinct impression that random events are immune from standard probability equations---someone smarter than me will have to figure it out. It does beg the question tho, "how much ammo is enough?"

Speaking of randomness, since a lot of malfunctions in semi-auto pistols are caused by mags perhaps carrying a spare would be a good thing.

mike r

It seems like when a lad decides to buy a handgun, many times it is in a 9mm and also many times it's a G19. Great choice and a great value....not the greatest gun but a great gun.

After he decides that he likes this shooting thing and decides to get more into it he postulates that he needs more shooters. It's then that the purchases become much more specialized for given situations for him than before. He may decide that he needs a .22lr auto pistol or a 44Mag. He becomes interested in finding those pistols/rifles that meet specific needs.

On the other hand if you have someone who has been through that learning curve of finding out whether this shooting business is for him; he will have a tendency to buy those specialized handguns from the get go and acquire many of them.

To me the G19 is a great entry gun. The G17 and the G26 talk to me as meeting more unique needs. I see it as like someone who decides that he wants to start hunting/shooting centerfire rifles and is told that a .243 is a great "starter" caliber. "you can shoot coyotes and deer and antelope with it" is the call to purchase. Another lad will decide that he needs a dedicated varmint rig and will buy a .204 or a 22-250 and then maybe a .300Win Mag to the deer/elk end of it.

I love my G17 gen4 and shoot it very well along with my G27 for CC. I don't know if one of those frames is stronger than the other....different needs = different pistols.

And I also have an old G19 and a .243 that now Mrs. Redhill shoots.

I don't consider myself a Glock fanatic, but I do own several of them. And like Kevin, my prefered personal every day carry pistol is a 1911 LW Commander in 45acp.
I do find in teaching TX CHL Shooters, that new shooters with no experience seem to be able to shoot a Glock better, and more accurately with a shorter learning curve on trigger control. All though turning a new shooter loose with a handgun without a manual safety causes me a lot of concern.

The one statement that I do disagree with is that a Glock 17 is "stronger" than a Glock 19, or other Calibers adopted to Glock's 9mm original platform. If that statement was true, I seriously doubt that Glock would ever release a .357 sig, 40s&w, or the .45 Gap on the same frame.

Personally, I have put many thousands of rounds down range through my Glock 32, which is the same as a Glock 19, except in the .357 Sig caliber. Plus several thousand rounds down range through my Glock 20 in 10mm with +P handloads. And at least 1000 rounds or more through a Glock in .45 GAP.

And I bought both my Glock 32 in .357 Sig and my Glock 20 in 10mm when they were first released, and "early" versions. And ive Never had a failure or so called "kaboom" with ANY of my Glocks. Period.

Like I said at the top of my post, my daily carry gun is a LW 1911 Commander in .45acp. It's a Kimber Custom Shop Super Carry Pro. Its Super reliable & very accurate.
But if I was forced to sell all my handguns and could only keep one for personal defense, hunting, ect, it would be my Glock 32 in .357 sig.
Why??? Because it's indestructible and IMO, a more powerfull and versatile cartridge.

OMG the man just said something that makes sense.

Mike as long as you're being an arse, I'll call you an arse. But every damn time you say something that makes sense, I'll give you credit.

Here's what I learned from John Farnam & Mas Ayoob...

When there is an encounter that involves shooting, you do your shooting and the first chance you get, you head for cover. Once you reach for cover, you reload, and here's why.

1 - No one has ever counted rounds in a gunfight
2 - You may not get another chance
3 - Do you want to face the next engagement with an unknown number of rounds in your gun?
4 - You don't discard the magazine, put it in your pocket in case things get really desperate.

You also rake the slide when you reload, and here's why:
1 - By doing so you ensure that your pistol is fully loaded, and functional. What if your pistol malfunctioned on the last round of the first engagement? In a gun fight you'll be focused on the threat, you won't be focused on your gun. If your training has you reloading in such a manner, than ensuring proper function of your pistol during a gunfight becomes automatic.

Plinking and competitive shooting involves some different practices than training for combat.

A Glock is a very tough pistol, and they will go more rounds than most before things start coming apart. But the Glock and other synthetic frame pistols do have a weakness that is very specific to synthetic frames. They are vulnerable to impact damage to the frames. Honestly this is a very small deal as it's rare a pistol is taken out of action from impact damage, but it does happen on battlefields. Guys running with a pistol in their hands, they take a face plant, and the pistol goes down hard on a rock. I've seen broken dust covers and even grips that were broken half way down (just past the trigger guard).

I have a very close friend that is a part time instructor for Clint Smith at Thunder Ranch and also a Krav Maga instructor (DocRocket knows him). He has "torn" the slide off of numerous Glocks doing "improvised baton" training (it's his "why you never use a Glock as a club" demonstration).

I probably shouldn't get in this dogfight, but then i am not sensible. I like to say glocks are a pistol that have no soul, and are kind of uncouth, but they usually work. Having taken the top off one with a squibb load one time, they will take a lot. Courtesy of a poster on here, i got a new slide/barrel, and the pistol is still working like a top.
They are just a tool for the masses, really. Now my heart really belongs to a 1911, if for no other reason than the trigger, or even better the model of 1935, Which is what john moses intended, after he had time to think about it.
The first time i shot a hi power probably 40years ago, i was amazed at how controllable it was, and how i could hit with it.
I can't see wacking anybody with a glock or synthetic, but i sure can with some of those ol steel guns.
But with advancing age, gasp, i still probably shoot revolvers more than anything, and that truely dates me.