If anyone were to ask … yes – I saw the video. The ca. 4-minute affair by a former member of service was a screed against the gun that has been the most issued law enforcement polymer-frame pistol and the trend-setter for pistols of that kind bridging the late 20th Century to the 21st. 

To summarize, he railed against (1) the trigger and (2) the ergonomics. 

The Lipseys P80 re-intro confirmed the original pistol was hard for this shooter to learn. Below, the Gen3 G19 and G26 were the guns that moved me into the system, both carried on duty – at the same time. The effort was worth it.

A word about those: the purpose of the sidearm is defensive; “… to stop fights,” in the words of the father of the Modern Technique. That it’s lousy at that job is fodder for another day. Let it suffice to say that if you can’t hit the target you’re attempting to service, it’s lousier. On that we can agree.

Part of putting rounds on target is, in fact, a manageable trigger. And I know some real trigger snobs – of which I’m not one. The job is to put rounds in the target – managing the trigger is my problem, not the gun’s. Likewise, having a gun that helps you in delivering the sights to the “preferred scoring area” is preferred to one you have to learn. 

My story – told often enough that many will put me on “pause” and move to the next paragraph – is that I was teaching nationally while employed by an agency that issued 3rd Generation S&W autoloaders. This was well into the “that ship has sailed” era when we couldn’t get holsters, spare parts and other needed items to support the system. Everywhere I went, LE students wondered about that “metal pistol” I used, which distracted those GLOCK-equipped children from the message. I sighed, got one of the “reprehensible” pistols, and expended 3 cases of ammo in training classes, practice and skill development to put me in control of the pistol. 

It worked and now re-configured frames by reputable custom shops (ROBAR was one) aren’t quite an advantage for me. 

Handling the gun is the user’s problem. Make it work. 

In the presenter’s defense, he did just that. The purpose of his story was that when he had the choice to use something else, he took advantage of the opportunity. No problem.

For my part, I find some aspects of “the original’s” design to be especially attractive. Aside from the fact that it’s ideal for issue due to broad after-market support and parts availability – as well as an active armorer’s program – it’s just a smart design.

First, that trigger. Many makers have gone to a “pretensioned” striker (not single-action, a term from the hammer-fired design era). Some have gone to great lengths to make that trigger drop (and handling) safe. I much prefer the partly-pretensioned striker which uses the sliding action of the draw bar to press the striker back into firing position before releasing it. It prevents the need for additional widgets and gizmos. That’s part of the trigger issue the video presenter had with the system.

The only GLOCK pistol with a trigger that needed help: the Gen4 G19. The trigger was sorted out with OEM parts (Guardian) from glocktriggers.com; in a more recent retirees LEOSA course, the back-up G19 was shot with good results. Sights are Trijicon.

Next is the use of solid pins for construction. If you have an active armory in an agency (or a commercial range), keeping roll pins in stock to replace one every time you knock it out (you do annual inspections for safety and serviceability, right?) is an expensive chore. How Glock got those solid pins to stay in his pistols is a wonder. The idea behind the spring steel roll pin is that the “spring” in the steel puts tension on the surrounding frame, keeping that pin from “walking” out with vibration. 

Finally, you don’t need a hydraulic press to push sights out. If you’re an armorer and “Fred” comes in with the pistol he dropped on the range (that he brought it in shows he didn’t try to grab it as it fell), you know that it’s going to take some effort – and perhaps a trip to the factory – to sort out. 

With the current system GLOCK uses, sight replacement is simple. It’s also simple to lose a sight if you don’t check that screw for snugness every time you clean the gun. 

You don’t get something for nothing. 

And I haven’t even written of the solid reliability of the piece – which is considerable. 

For those who are responsible for the issue of (and upkeep of) duty pistols, there are advantages. For individual users, “let those who ride decide.” 

— Rich Grassi