Possibly, the most interesting Glock handgun introduced in some time is the Glock 19X. The pistol shows that Glock is thinking out of the box and may be the harbinger of a new line of handguns. The idea is simple enough. The 19X features a Glock 17 full size frame with the Glock 19 barrel. There is much precedent to this.
The Colt Government Model became the Commander by shortening the slide ¾ inch and SIG gave us the SIG P225 by shortening both the slide and grip frame of the SIG P220. However, the Glock 19x retains a full-size grip with the short barrel. This makes for a handgun with an excellent grip for control, a rapid draw stroke, and superior accuracy potential. Of course, the shorter slide clears leather more quickly and is more maneuverable in most situations.
The Glock 19X was a product of the U.S. Army competition for a new service gun. The 19X is clearly a reliable and rugged handgun, no need to test Glock again in that regard. The Glock 19X has the features of the Generation Glock, including the new Marksman barrel, nPVD slide finish, ambidextrous slide stop levers, and reversible magazine release.
The Generation 4 finger grooves have been eliminated. The Glock 19X features the military lanyard loop, and is finished in coyote brown. This makes for a very attractive handgun. The sights are self-luminous iron sights—an important addition. In a day when many makers supply a handgun with a single magazine, the Glock 19X is delivered with two 19-round magazines—17 round magazines with the Glock +2 spacer—and a single flush fit 17-round magazine. That is a lot of ammunition on hand.
I always carry at least one spare magazine for the carry handgun. This means 36 rounds on tap with the Glock 19x when I carry a spare magazine in my Tulster ammo carrier. It is true that most personal defense incidents require only a handful of cartridges. But then there is the man that drowned in a creek of an average depth of three feet. The Glock 19X magazine capacity will get you out of a deep creek.
The pistol features a 5.5-pound trigger compression. For some reason, recent Glock handguns have strayed more to six pounds or even more. The standard 5.5-pound trigger is ideal for most uses.
The proof is in the firing. There is no learning curve on this pistol if you have fired the Glock. Load, holster, draw, fire—the drill is the same. The firing impulse is the same. When firing the piece, the recoil and firing experience was much more like the recoil and handling of the Glock 17 Generation 5 than the Glock 19.
I have always thought the Glock 19 was the best-balanced Glock as an all-around handgun. The Glock 17, however, may be fired more accurately. The Glock 19X does indeed bridge the difference and I was able to fire the pistol as accurately as the Glock 17 Generation 5 on hand.
I began the firing session with a 120-round bargain box from Federal Cartridge Company, comprised of two boxes of 124-grain American Eagle and a 20-round box of Federal 124-grain HST. The magazines were loaded—that is 55 rounds in the three magazines—and I began firing at man-sized targets at 7, 10, and 15 yards.
I had some difficulty loading the magazines to full capacity, but with the use of the Butler Creek ASAP magazine loader (Universal Double Stack Pistol variant) I was in like Flint. The pistol tracks quickly and came on target easily. The texture of the frame aids in control and the trigger is controllable with a rapid reset.
Firing results were excellent. The Glock is a combat pistol and the target featured a nicely centered group. Moving to firing for absolute accuracy, I broke out my Bullshooters shooting rest. I added the Winchester 147-grain Defender to evaluate a heavy bullet option in the new Marksman barrel.
Firing from a solid benchrest at a long 25 yards, I secured several 2 – 2 ½-inch groups with the Federal 124-grain HST and the Winchester 147-grain Defender. Federal American Eagle 124-grain and the Winchester USA White Box 115-grain practice loads gave similar groups but overall not quite as accurate as the premium defense rounds. Clearly, the Generation 5 Glock is more accurate than previous versions. The pistol fit handily in either the Tulster Kydex holster or the Galco Stow and Go IWB.
| Glock 19X | |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 17/19/33 |
| Length | 7.44 inches |
| Height | 5.47 inches |
| Barrel Length | 4.02 inches |
| Weight | 24.83 ounces unloaded |
| Caliber | 9mm |
What would I change or ask for? Not a thing. If I wanted a shorter grip the Glock 19 is available. When I wear the Glock 19X concealed, the pistol is hard against the small of my back so I will take the longer grip. The shorter slide, however, is more comfortable to wear, particularly in the appendix position. I think the Glock 19X is a winner.
Is the Glock 19X the perfect marriage between a long frame and short barrel, or would you prefer a 1911 Commander? Share your answer in the comment section.
[bob]
I just got my 19x yesterday. I bought it from a guy that never fired it that I work with. He complained about the grip printing and didn’t even carry it out of the house. I say dress comfortably and appropriately if your wanting to conceal. I shot it yesterday 50 plus rounds and love it. I have a 19 and love it too. I also carry an FNX tactical, S&W , Walter, Springfield, ATI and the list continues. The things I like and dislike about all my carry’s is that I adapt to overcome and enjoy my weapons by either purchasing more things to aid my shooting or work on my technique.
I don’t trash a manufacturer for the way they created a weapon but question it. I also don’t trash folks that choose to carry their brand like drinking the koolaide. I enjoy the weapon and sport more than being a self proclaimed critic and throwing sarcasim at them.
I excercie my right to carry and free speech but I also choose not trash another for doing the same even it it’s not like mine.
Carry on Brothers! Super Dave.
Ok, the wait is over. Got my Glock 19X. First thing is to remove the lanyard loop, (easy). Use 2 extra Gen 4 17 round magazines for extras in case you don’t get the job done with eighteen rounds. Fits the same holsters as my G19, G23, G32. Chose the Glock with Glock Night Sights variation. Fit and finish are nice. At my age, the advantage to draw and fire and have a piece that goes bang with every pull of the trigger is perfect.
For me the G19X is going the wrong way. I’d like a G19 upper on a Gen 3 or 4 G26 grip. The butt is what protrudes IWB in 4 o’clock position.
“In like flint” is an old parody of James Bond Named Derek Flint. You can look up the movie on imdb.com In like Flint was the sequel released in 1967.
I’m continually amazed at the verbal gymnastics you people can come up with to present this abortion in a positive light. If this is such a great idea when do we see a Glock 26 slide on a Glock 17 frame; think how much faster it will clear the holster, and how much more inherently accurate with it’s even shorter sight radius,
Amen. Amen. Amen.
Everything about this article lacked either integrity, competence, or both.
This is by far the best example of gun rag “truthiness” I think I’ve ever seen.
This is what the word ‘shill’ was designed to address.
Though skeptical at first when I held one I bought it right away. This is the perfect G19 for me with my large hands. I never liked they way my pinky can’t get a grip on the 19 without an extension. Add in the finish and the better trigger and I was sold. Keep in mind that while concealable this gun was not designed for CCW, it is a combat handgun. The pics of this gun do it a disservice by having the extended capacity mags in exaggerating its proportions, it actually looks great and balanced with the flat 17 rounder.
I’m not going to dispute the clocks reliability, I own a couple of them, but they are absolutely butt ugly and make me feel like I’m holding a potato instead of a gun.
I carry a Colt Delta Elite 10mm everyday and I love it.
It is the perfect handgun.
Glock makes a fine, exceedingly dependable, and acceptably accurate product across the board.
However, when they released the “all new” Gen5’s, I snickered at how they touted removing grip contours and adding a “marksman” barrel as a full generation set of improvements.
Then, when they announced the 19x, I laughed uncontrollably at the ridiculousness of the “innovation” comments that were being thrown around about it. All this gun is is another “must have” for all the Glock Jocks, in order for them to keep selling units.
What makes me most excited is that every time they release another so-called Generation or supposed innovation, the prices of the best models – the Gen3’s, goes down a little further, and that’s just fine with me. Keep getting sucker-sold, boys!
Thanks for a great article Mr. Campbell this is a winning combo chambered in numerous calibers it will likely stay at the all time top for Glock the melding of the best qualities and component groups is a game changer….Oh and Errol was the consummate ladies man so it was him that, was,” in like Flynn,”……Ciao
Seems to me, Glock got this ine backwards. The Glock 19 frame is easier to conceal than the 17 frame. Seems to me that if Glock wanted to do something they should have given us a !9 frame with a 17 slide, providing a pistol that was easier to conceal but with a longer sight radius for better accuracy.
I have been a DieHard Glock fan and carried one since the 80’s. A couple of years ago i had an opportunity to purchase a Kimber 1911 and could not believe the difference. The Kimber is so sweet to shoot and feels like everything is on roller bearings. Although i love my Glocks, I have always viewed them as a “Willy’s-Flat-Fendered-Jeep”, meaning it isn’t pretty but it does what it does faithfully and every time without fail!! I continue to carry my Glocks for CC, but now enjoy an occasional day out with the Kimber! Gotta love the Glocks though!!
This question still remains in mind when glock is going to venture into the AR-15, Shotgun, Ak-47, and 1911 business? Not saying anything negative about Glock brand, but I’m ready to see Glock expand its horizons and also see something new, but different.
I doubt this will ever happen. Gaston Glock had the old mantra of doing one thing, and doing it better than everyone else. His initial innovations were world-class, and industry changing in the 80’s, but now his company is just on continuous replay, throwing in an occasional tweak and touting it as something awesome.
If Glock ever breaks into another market like the 1911/AR/AK or bolt rifles, it’ll probably begin with the purchase of an already established higher-end company needing a buyout.
consumerism is the antithesis of free will… Nice, but if one has a Glock (or other, similar) fine product than running out and buying another is an unnecessary redundancy. Buy a .40 caliber pistol or maybe a .45 caliber. Glock makes fine guns in those calibers as well… Or even, use the money to join a shooting club, buy range gear so you don’t have to keep badgering another shooter for some tool.
I met a guy who was on a Texas Ranger biker gang task force. We were leaving his hotel room one night to go eat and while he always carried a model 66, 2 and 1/2 inch SW, he picked up an identical gun and stuck it in his pocket. Upon inquiry, when he was on general duties he carried these two guns, if he was going on a raid or kicking a door he carried 2 identical 1911s. His claim was in his experience, you never want to reload in a gunfight and do not want to switch types of guns for something like a smaller backup gun. When in law enforcement, I always carried a backup, just never 2 of the same. FWIW
Interesting concept that Ranger has and of which you mentioned. My question is if he carried twin auto’s while in duty for raid purposes, why not ALWAYS carry such hardware as opposed to swapping for a couple of wheelguns?
Not to disparage any wheelguns, you understand. I own, shoot a d carry them myself periodically. I just fail to comprehend the reason(s) for switching between caliber and style platform, personally.
As a former LEO myself, I carried TWO M1911A1 pistols on-duty as well as off, but my primary was the a full-sized model and the back up was my Officer’s Model, both by Colt and in .45ACP.
I’ve always felt that the familiarity of keeping the same company in guns on or off duty would keep me better prepared should the day ever come when I needed one, the other or BOTH. Muscle memory can go a LONG way to ensuring mental comfort in knowing you can keep up when you run what you brung to a gunfight.
But that’s just me and YMMV, so the biggest takeaway from all this is comfort in KNOWING whatever boolet launching platforms you carry and are COMPETENT with.
Wheelguns or Slabsides can all do the job when the Operator behind the controls is proficient.
Be Safe and Take Care out there in the big, bad, world.
The main things I don’t like about glocks besides being unattractive is the ergonomics, I haven’t held a glock yet that didn’t feel like a baseball bat, square and un comfortable, the main thing is they have no manual safety, the most important part of a firearm, too much hype today about no safety on a hand gun, telling this new generation that it’s in the way, it’s on there for a reason, [ watch the video on youtube with the cop teaching a class on weapon carry, he shoots himself with his loaded glock ] if you are not competent enough to figure out how to use a safety then you shouldn’t be owning a gun, glad to see the military staying with Sig Sauer
Sig?!? You mean the same clunky gun ergonomics that just weigh more and are less dependable?
I’m no huge fan of Glock other than for their reliability, but Sig is a cash-cow joke of a company nowadays. I’ve owned 3 Sigs, and had to return all of them to the factory for one reason or another.
As for the importance of a safety, if you rely on one as faithfully as you make out, then you’re just as likely as that cop you made fun of to have your own unfortunate discharge accident. The ONLY safe chambered carry is a Beretta 90-series (with decock, trigger deactivation, a firing pin block, and firing pin disjointment all occurring upon safety activation). Otherwise, I carry with a loaded mag and empty chamber no matter the gun. It takes the same amount of time to rack on draw (with practice) as it does to flick a safety.
And if your free hand is fending off an assailant? You have a very expensive hammer in your hand.
Absotootly! If you can’t, for whatever reason, have your zombie repeller loaded and ready to pop a zombie with a single trigger press – you should reconsider your capability/readiness to “carry!”
To each his or own, I suppose, but for anyone who doesn’t like a gun because of its LOOKS?!? Well that’s just downright foolish IMO. Have you seen the Chiappa (sp?) brand of revolvers? They fire from an oddball arrangement where the barrel is lower than the typical wheelguns we are accustomed to seeing. And then the grip style and angle look horrendous, again IMO.
But outside of looking Butt Fugly, costing FAR MORE than their contemporaries and being SO UGLY that only three mothers could love it in shared eight hour shifts, they are, allegedly, decent guns.
And you think Glocks are ugly, huh? Well, beauty is in the eye of the beholder they say.
As for no safety, a cop shoots himself because of alleged missing safety, yada, yada, yada.
BULLOCKS! I say!
WTH would want a gun to have a bunch of doo-dad’s hanging off of it ready to get snagged on an article of clothing thereby slowing your draw in some cases? Better a “smooth” and unencumbered handgun without all the purty bells and whistles. Like a Purty Lady: Smoooooooooth! 😉
As a former LEO myself, I know of TWO A.D. (or U.D. for those who prefer the term) BOTH by fellow Deputies, while on duty. One in close proximity to another Deputy’s head which rendered him permanently deaf in both ears and the second shot himself in the Glutimous Maximus (ASS cheek for the unknowing).
BOTH commited with M1911A1 pistols, one by a SWAT team member and the other while practicing Quick Draw McDraw tactics under the tutelage of a SWAT Deputy. Holy CRAP, Right?!?
You’d “think” that the SWAT personnel were supposed to be the cream of the crop WRT gun handling, safety, accuracy and proficiency, wouldn’t you?!? And you’d THINK that in both cases each operator would have been practicing with an EMPTY gun or at LEAST had the safety on, wouldn’t you? But in BOTH cases, neither was the situation and folks paid for the error in judgements made.
But without further dwelling on the topic, it is a downright fallacy to believe one gun is “safer” than another if there is only an idiot holding it. If you want a “SAFE” gun, one that is 100% “SAFE” then put it inside of a damned SAFE and leave it there, fer cryin’ out loud!
All the comments I’ve read over the years about manual safety-less guns being inherently unsafe tells me ONE thing: the OPERATOR of said gun is THE problem and NOT THE GUN!
KOWABUNGA! Whoda Thunk It?!?
You don’t start out your driving career learning on a tractor trailer do you? No, you start small and work your way up as you gain proficiency.
Same with firearms. Nobody starts out learning with a machine gun, do they?
But if gun owners would LEARN to keep their damned Booger Hooker OFF the Bang Switch until they are ready to shoot, BAZINGA! We’d have fewer to no more people accidentally shooting themselves, wouldn’t we?!?
Same with failing to keep a round in the chamber until the moment before you expect to need to fire it.
Foolishness sez I.
For but just one example of how foolish (and deadly) that practice can be, one need only Google the video clip where a man is being robbed at gunpoint and cannot manage to manipulate his pistol slide fast enough before the thugs shoot him AND his son to DEATH.
Police reports after the fact blame his inability to be able to conduct even GROSS motor skills in a life threatening shooting situation as the root cause of his being unable to defend himself in those shootings.
Do you REALLY want to go down in history as being one of THOSE guys and having that information carved into YOUR tombstone?
Or, worse yet, have your good(?) name dragged through the mud on social media as being THAT guy???
You decide. It’s YOUR ASS, not mine, but I’ll say this: you won’t find MY name in either of those classifications as being too untrainable as to being unable to SAFELY carry a handgun that doesn’t have a manual safety nor will I be THAT guy who is so frightened of an A.D./U.D. that he doesn’t keep a round in the chamber.
Nope. Not gonna happen to THIS guy!
But I’ll snicker if I learn it is THAT guy.
That is unless he dies for his (lack of) effort to LEARN his particular gun platform.
If he does die, well, I’ll just shake my head and mutter WTF is WRONG with some people’s kids?!?
And for the record, I grew up learning to shoot handguns at a early age. My first experience with shooting a handgun was firing an M1911A1 in .45ACP at the age of 8. Hit the target, too, but it was purely dumb luck because nobody even explained how to use the sights. But I’ll take it for a WIN! LOL
Oh, and also for the record, I shot EXPERT with a well-worn M1911A1 when I was in the military each time we had to qualify, then when I carried my Colt M1911A1 as a Deputy Sheriff for many years.
I still carry Ol’ Slabsides now and again but after much kicking and screaming and gnashing of teeth, I finally (!) tried out a Glock for grins and giggles. Once I became familiar with the different grip angle from what I’d become accustomed to in OVER 30 years of carrying my Colt, i found the Glock platform to be just as reliable and accurate as any gun I’d tried before. So you CAN teach an Old Dog new tricks but the Old Dog has gotta WANT to LEARN new tricks.
But, still, some guns just don’t feel right as opposed to another gun. I get it.
But to make the silly claim a Glock is inferior because it doesn’t have a manual safety?!?
I will say that is NOT the problem whatsoever.
I think it is Operator Headspace and Timing that is the problem.
There you go.
Very well explained. Grew up with 1911’s, both collecting and shooting. Now I carry Glock only, with one chambered. (condition one). At my age, draw and fire is the sequence that I trust.
I can’t wait to put hands on one myself although I am hoping for this model in basic black in the near future as there are situations where a tan gun just won’t do. I could see this as a huge seller in the LEO market as well.
First of all, who the hell is “Flint”? It’s “in like Flynn”! It references the Casanova-like abilities of an old, long gone, actor named Errol Flynn. Do your research kids!
bout 1,420,000 results (0.42 seconds)
Search Results
In Like Flint (1967) – IMDb
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061810/
Rating: 6.2/10 – 4,388 votes
Action · Super-spy Flint takes on a cabal of women plotting to rule the world.
James Coburn in In Like Flint · Derek Flint · Full Cast & Crew · Trivia
Pretty certain Jame Coburn would have bitch slapped Errol Flynn.
One generation used Flynn, another Flint, and now we mix it up.
Thanks for reading.
So many old sayings are lost on the young generation.
Polymer frame firearms have their place, even for us purists. I have two steel frame 1911’s, a Browning Hi-Power and my EDC is a a Sig P938, but the gun that resides in the nightstand is a Glock 17 with a Crimson Trace laser. My wife is proficient with it, and she knows that, should someone break in when I’m not there, she just puts the little red dot on center mass and pulls the trigger.
Ho Ho Ho Here’s to Heavy Metal ! Have to admit I own one “polymer” Glock 43, It’s like lighting an old school cherry bomb in your hand but it is light weight. Hats off to Beretta Inox,S&W’s, Colt 1911’s, Savage 32 Autos and JC Higgins made by High Standard, fine sights on 22 Squirrel rifles. When this generation forgets the old ones maybe i can afford them 🙂
I saw a test fire of the Glock 19 mod5 & the complaint was that the shells eject towards your forearms instead of to the sides
Harbringer of a new line of handguns??? Are you joking? FNH, Sig Sauer, Springfield Armory, have all been doing a 4inch slide with a full size frame for years…..now that Glock does it, it’s supposed to be a new thing, give me a break.
Exactly…just like them adding a barrel with actual cut-in rifling is called a “marksman” match-grade barrel. It’s laughable.
Glock has become the quintessential car-salesman of guns. Every little cheap hat-trick or tweak is supposedly some new groundbreaking innovation. There’s a lot of people who drink the Kool-Aid though.
Glock 19X. Let’s face it, polymer handguns are just butt ugly as are polymer stocked rifles. Man, for the good old times just in 22 cal– Smith Model 41’s and 17’s, Colt Match Targets, High Standards,etc. As a play on the song by the Kingston Trio goes–Where have all the great guns gone??? Gone to polymer everyone–except reissues.
LOL! Hey, everybody loves the “pretty,” all metal guns. Problem being, only the masochistic love packing all that weight ALL day every day! Same for the military. The Marine Corps Drill Team still uses the venerable old M1, because, you just can’t do complicated drills with those “Mattel Toys.” I packed that 9 lb sledge hammer, bak-in-tha-day. Tell me how much you would prefer that boy to the Mattel rig on ANY 10 mile forced march! I pine for that Match M1 I cleaned and won the NRA 600 yd match with one year. Would I want it in some close quarter combat scenario, uh, nope; ONLY if I was outta ammo and needed a sledge hammer! Finally, as some wag, probably long dead, said, you show all your friends your “pretty guns,” you show the bad guys your Glock! 😉 I pack one, 24/7 – rides me bedside holster when asleep.
Waiting for my 19X to arrive at my dealer. I grew up shooting 1911’s and I only carry a Glock now. Capacity and reliability are the two things that are most important to me.
Yesser, yesser, 1911 .45, all they issued in the day. Though I always shot Expert with that slab sided rattle trap, I never grew accustomed to how it recoiled in the hand. Additionally, everyone, including the military were behind the 8 ball in practical pistol shooting instruction, at the time. Instructed in and learned to shoot one handed was the custom. NRA bullseye competitions continue that! “Learning” to shoot one handed is necessary. Only because you can’t assume you will have the use of “both” hands at crunch time! Every other situation with two healthy limbs and TWO handed shooting is “potentially” way more accurate. Annual military qualification allowed only the one hand option – two hands was not even discussed. Hmm, chased a rabbit in that. The 1911, single stack, metal gun aside, there are excellent, high capacity, polymer, .45 caliber rigs available – if you are capable with the BIGGER round, you need not downsize. 😉