Gen 5 500 Round Review

[JJHNSN]

In my first impressions post I offered initial thoughts and LOTS of pictures of the Gen 5 Glock 17. In this post I'm sharing my thoughts after putting a tad over 500 rounds through it today. In no particular order, here are my post-500 round firing impressions.

No Grooves is Groovy
I really grip the handgun better without the grooves and humps, but I recognize this is a purely personal opinion, due in large part to the fact that my hands are XXX-L and I just get a better "purchase" on the grip and handgun, very comfortable. I had my Glock 26 Gen 4, a Glock 27 Gen 4 and a 17L Gen 3 with me for comparison and most assuredly, for me, no grooves is groovy.

Trigger: It's Not Really All That, But...
I really prefer a trigger shoe that is flat and will be replacing the show on the Gen 5 as I do with all my Glocks, but having said that, is the Gen 5 trigger better? Answer: Yes, it is. Smoother take up, cleaner break, and a crisper reset point. Again, I had three other Glocks to compare it to and there is no doubt this Glock Gen 5 trigger is the better of the bunch, but ... all that much better? Nope.

Sights: Standard or Ameriglo
The Glock standard sights, which I have on my 17L are just so terrible, I mean, really, really bad. I have not swapped them out with something else. I have Trijicon HDs on the 26 and on the 17 a thin fiber optic front post which for me is the best of the bunch. The Ameriglo sights on the Gen 5 I bought are much better than stock, but for me...I think I'm going to go with a fiber optic front post, and today I broke down and wore my "cheater" eye pro which are safety glasses with magnification on the bottom half...wow, I had almost forgotten what it was like to be able to get a nice crisp razor sharp front post and overall sight picture and yes, makes a big difference. But...the Ameriglo with my "normal" vision (which is not that great anymore) definitely worked, I just think I do better with a thinner front post, the Ameriglo front post fills most of the rear notch and I like a bit more light on either side of the front post, again, personal choice.

Accuracy
I'm sure any Glock barrel is more accurate than me, but ... I did get my best results today using my Gen 5 Glock, though the 17L with its long sight picture will be great for me and once I get the sights replaced, I am sure it will be great as well, but the Gen 5 barrel definitely is an improvement, compare to the standard Gen 4 and 3 barrels I had today.

New Magazines
They work, but beyond that, not much else today. I do like the extended baseplate.

The Grip "Notch"
Some folks are whining about the "notch" saying they feel it when they shoot, and it has the potential for interferring with reloading magazines. I definitely did not feel it at all, and for reloads, I think it HELPS, when I grip a magazine for reload my index finger is touching the tip round and I "point" the mag into the magwell, that notch is awesome because my fingertip goes into it and I get a great mag seating that way, no guessing, and so I say the notch actually is a help for reloads if you reload in this way, and of course, it's stated purpose is to allow you to strip really stuck mags, but I find it a perfect improvement for more accurate reloads.

Ejection
I had my other Glocks to compare and I was catching some cases from the Glock 26 to the top of my head as they came straight back, the Gen 5 was ejecting every single case in a very predictable ark off to the right, in a very predictable patter. I was shooting NATO 124 grain ammo and not a single time did I catch any brass to the face, head or shoulders, Worked just fine.

Function
Blew through the 500 rounds without out a single problem of any kind. Got it really nice and hot and it just kept on chugging away. I lubed it prior to shooting using Glock's recommended application points and amounts...worked like a charm.

That's about all I can think of.

Below is a pick of my group from 30 feet away, shooting in a regular pattern, about once per second. Good enough for me. This is an 18 round group. I was not using the magnified portion of my shooting glasses so sights were a bit fuzzy for me, but .... there you have it.

 

 

[JJHNSN]

Sorry for the "sideways" pic, not sure why it is doing that.

[Exit Plan]

Were you shooting gangsta?