Are They Really THAT Good?

[Vigilant]

To answer the the question in the thread title, YES!

 

[kml]

As others have said -Simple, rugged, and reliable about covers it.

Bought my first Glock in '90, a G17 that I traded a Steyr GB for. There's always been one in the safe since. They've all stayed box stock and I've never had a failure of any kind.

It's interesting to see how Glocks are viewed now - A reliable old work horse. Not very "sexy" but everyone and their mother has one.

It wasn't always that way...
I'm sure some of the others that have replied remember the less than warm reception they received from the American gun community. It was the gun that gun guys loved to hate. "Don't bring tuperware to a gunfight" was their battle cry. There was LE interest early on but actual acceptance was an uphill battle.

Though they had aced every head-to-head performance test they competed in, some folks just knew something had to be terribly wrong with them. They were being dropped from helicopters by the Miami Dade police, put in an oven to see if they'd melt, frozen to see if they'd shatter and on and on. In the end all of the high profile efforts to show why they were a bad idea just continued to show everyone how good they really were.

Are they perfect? No...

Do they fit everyone? No...

Are there other guns that, though similar, may have advantages to some people? Sure.. there are now anyhow.

 

[radar44]

If I didn't have one , I would spend some time ,every day, wanting one......yep....they're that good...

 

[pitbulld45]

I have owned a few ( 5 or 6). I have never had a failure with any of them. I did see a gen 1 go Full auto do to the trigger group having a few worn parts. The first batch of Gen 4 had some issues but Glock corrected that after the first run. The other negative in some eyes is that they are ugly. I have personally found them to be very reliable even when abused.

 

[pitbulld45]

I guess I should say I have many other brands of handguns also and by no means think they are the only good reliable guns.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

If you like one Glock, you'll like them all. The opposite also holds true.

I've never been as fast or as accurate with a Glock as with a quality revolver, 1911, Sig P220, etc. Why? I don't know. Like Denny347 said, its my issued handgun and I've put plenty of rounds down range with a gen 2, gen 3, and gen 4 Glock 22. Its not a familiarity issue. It just doesn't feel right in my hands and I'm not a huge fan of the factory sights. That is all irrelevant to you. Find what you shoot well, shoot it.

 

[Harleyrider_50]

......
Like lot'a others......hard ta beat the simplicity/reliabilty. Took me looonnng time ta wrap my mindset 'round'em(always 1911/Beretta style kind'a dude).....but since I HAVE.......it my everday/go-to weapon.......they jus' WORK.......PERIOD.....an' they spit out everthing ya feed'em.......

 

[Birds Away]

I have to be completely truthful. This is difficult. Although I do not own, nor have I ever owned, a Glock. I have shot many. The grip is not to my taste and I am not a big fan of polymer. But they are reliable and fairly accurate. Glock fanbois love to sing their praises. They love to go on and on about how fantastic they are. I personally think the reason there are so many haters is that they can't disprove what the fanbois say. Glocks run all the time. Sure they're ugly and boxy and plastic. But they run all the time. You will find it very difficult to make one not shoot. The haters really hate this. There is no perfect gun for everybody and even Glocks are imperfect. But if you were, in some alternate reality, where you truly had to use your gun everyday to survive and you did not have the means to really clean and maintain it, what other gun would you want with you? I am not a fan of Glocks. But I am an admirer of their simplicity and reliability. There, I said it, now speak no more of it.

 

[churchmouse]

You will NEVER get an objective review for the simple fact that people are different, have different physical traits (hand size, arm length, etc), have different needs and different missions.

The ONLY way to find what works best for YOU is to try different ones. Complaining that other people aren't giving you objective reviews is pointless because of that.

Further, many of us try out lots of different guns over time to find what we like best, and what we like and want may change over time.

BUT, the basic truth is that if the only gun you could ever own was a rusty old Jennings and you were motivated then you could become proficient with it and you'd learn its idiosyncrasies to use it the best you can. Luckily we have a plethora of choices.

You said Plethora.....

I totally agree. Try every one you can. Shoot what works for you or what you have, make it work for you.

Glocks are ugly but they go "Bang" most all the time.

 

[superjoe76]

I carried a Springfield XD45 for 18 months. I liked it a lot actually. I really had no desire to trade or buy anything else. I held a friend of mine's Glock and was instantly hooked. I like the feel a little better, I even liked the look better. An opportunity was presented to trade and I haven't looked back. Would I own another XD? Sure! Would it replace my Glock? Nah!

 

[Expat]

I have never understood the need that gun owners seem to have to be in certain camps. You have the Glock camp, Springfield, S&W, etc... don't even try to converse with a dedicated 1911 fan about anything else. I own and enjoy several different makes and models. They all seem to have their strengths and weaknesses.

 

[ashby koss]

Glock owners sometimes are like Apple ibots. And nothing you say or even show them will change their mind. (Glock owner here)

I would like to point out that Not everyone who uses a Mac is an ibot. I use a MAc for laptop because its damn durable and so far lasted me 3 years, at least 1 year longer than any other laptop, at its still kicing. I use a Windows 7 Pro computer for my desktop at home due to games, and other software that I need. But I run Linux distros on my server(s) since I can best manage them and they out perform everything else, but lack software support.

That being siad I'm rather the same way about Glock. I only own 1. I bought it years ago as a "forever" gun. When I hadn't started collecting and I was a poor college student, I could only really afford 1 gun. I saved and saved and finally just bought it. Better to buy 1 and done, than to spend money you don't have to get cheaper firearms that you dont 100% trust. Now that I'm not in college and happily employed. I have an assortment of firearms. I like variety and options, but I still have yet to purchase a 2nd Glock, but I do still to this day and for the foreseeable future have it as my EDC.

Not saying I havent eyed the glock models.... but if i want a 45ACp I'll get a 1911. If I want a .380 the glock at least is (now) an option that would widen my options. 9mm truthfully, id look at the S&W shields.

After everything is said and done, my time with Glock has ruined me in 1 main way. Easy cleaning. Out of all my firearms, the glock is by far the easiest to clean and maintain due to lack of needing it other than regular oil (which can even be debated) . On the other hand somtimes its just nice to sit back on the couch with the 357mag torn apart and clean it slowly. Getting all the parts really just perfect. cleaning a piece of mechanical art. That is also to this day been just as reliable as my glock. (yet alot heavier)

 

[Tactical Flannel]

I know I will get plenty of crap for this thread, but I have to bring it up. Glock reviews are very biased!

Yep, this is where I get all kinds of crap from Glock owners, but hear me out. This is a legitimate complain from someone who desperately wants a realistic, objective review of the products so that I can make a decision on whether or not to buy one.

Now, this mostly pertains to YouTube reviews, not at all to INGO reviews (I haven't looked at any yet), but a lot of Glock reviews fail to mention the negatives of the firearm. Maybe there aren't many, but there are some and the minority of firearms enthusiasts who don't own one yet would like to know what they are.

For example, the new Glock 42: sorry guys but is a sub-compact, or maybe even a sub-sub-sub compact. Either way, it is not a pocket .380. At 14oz, it is very heavy for that class (polymer framed anyway) and it is much to long. So don't compare it to the ruger lcp, when it is a ruger LC 380 at best.

Rose colored glasses are fine until you start misinforming people.

P.S. Don't mean to offend, just a cry for help.

It appears to me that most reviews are biased as they are based on a person's first hand experiences and what 'they' feel is good information they've received. Very rarely do people experience things, situations, etc... in the same manner so I find that no two reviews of the same weapon regardless of make and model are alike.
As far as Glocks go, there is a lot to be said positive about them and some negative. But that all depends on what criteria an individual finds important.
To answer your question," Are they that good?", I'd agree with others that for the money they are difficult to beat. From a reliability stand point my experience has been they are very reliable. I've put thousands of rounds down range without a weapon related failure. I've been able to train many with its use and maintenance in a short amount of time due to its consistent function and simplicity of operation. And I've been able to maintain and easily fix the few problems that arise generally due to neglect and abuse. There is an almost endless amount of after market accessories, some good and some not, for the Glock. Allowing you to personalize your Glock to you without a huge expense.
In my opinion, is it perfect? No
Am I confident that it will allow me to come home every night? Yes.


Stay safe

 

[gjclark]

Glock owners sometimes are like Apple ibots. And nothing you say or even show them will change their mind. (Glock owner here)

I disagree... I mean I totally understand the analogy and maybe because I haven't owned mine long enough but I really enjoy my glock a lot but not to the point where I would start buying hats and shirts and I by no means think they are the be all end all of guns... Where as Apple freaks think that Mac is the only product worth owning.

 

[echoagain]

Gun reviews are performed by gun enthusiasts and they are all opinionated, just like the folks on this board. I tried a lot of others before reluctantly becoming a glock fan. I still own and use others, but glock set a new bar for simplicity and reliability. In the last several years other makers have certainly tightened or closed the gap, but the glock is still the standard for modern pistols much like colt is still the standard for classic single actions. But i still like my Ruger blackhawks

 

[247survivalmindset]

I have never understood the need that gun owners seem to have to be in certain camps. You have the Glock camp, Springfield, S&W, etc... don't even try to converse with a dedicated 1911 fan about anything else. I own and enjoy several different makes and models. They all seem to have their strengths and weaknesses.

Absolutely! I really enjoy that about what few firearms I have as well. Variety is the spice of life.

 

[247survivalmindset]

I disagree... I mean I totally understand the analogy and maybe because I haven't owned mine long enough but I really enjoy my glock a lot but not to the point where I would start buying hats and shirts and I by no means think they are the be all end all of guns... Where as Apple freaks think that Mac is the only product worth owning.

As with most things of this nature, there are three types. Fanboys, Haters, and people who just enjoy being able to experience it all. I consider myself the latter. I do think there are more Glock fanboys out there than any other in the firearms group. More vocal ones at least.

 

[Denny347]

"Beware of the man who carries one gun, he probably shoots it well." Glock models are so close to each other that they can almost be considered "one" gun.

 

[BiscuitNaBasket]

My first handgun was a Gen 3 Glock 22. I carried it for two years before selling it to buy a Gen 4 Glock 17. As others have said, it's a simple gun, requires little maintenance, and always went bang. It is not perfect and no gun is, but for a reliable semi-auto under 600 it's hard to beat.

 

[nakinate]

As a non-Glock owner I'll say this; I plan on owning at least one Glock eventually. I don't think there is a good reason to hate them, but I enjoy all sorts of handguns, so I will never be a Glock exclusive gun owner.