Choosing a firearm is a daunting task for the first time buyer and the experienced collector alike. There are so many options and factors to consider that it is easy to get lost in the vast ocean of options and opinions in the market. Sometimes that means we need to get back to fundamental principles and universal truths. One of those universal truths is the staying power of a 36-year-old design model that has no sign of fading any time soon, the Glock 19. It fills multiple roles, it is the standard of reliability, it is not expensive, and it is established in about every field a handgun is categorized in. Sadly, many have forgotten this and that warrants a revisit. 

The adoption of the Glock 19 by firearms professionals started almost immediately. In 1994 Glock 19s were being issued by NYPD and by the 2000s became the “go to” duty pistol for law enforcement all over the world. At the same time, the civilian market was growing fond of the polymer framed, striker fired idea. For the last 20 years Glock 19s have stayed in the top 3 most sold handguns in the civilian market. That was a long time ago, right? Well, many contemporary designs have come out in the last 15 years trying to replace the Glock 19 with mixed success, at best. Many elite groups have come back around to accept the Glock 19 as king. In 2015 the Navy SEALs started issuing the Glock 19, in 2016 Army Special Forces started issuing the Glock 19, in 2019 the US Secret Service officially started transitioning to Glock 19s…. it is almost like the world’s best tactical organizations have looped back around to the old Glock 19 after a lot of testing other platforms. Why would that happen and why does that matter to civilians? 

One of the most important things about a Glock 19 is that it is quite easy to learn to shoot. Experienced shooters may have preferences that pick other firearms but they mostly all agree that the Glock 19 is simple and fast to learn to operate. It has internal safety systems that make them incredibly safe in rough use. The trigger is a practical duty trigger that can easily be turned into a precision pull if you would like it to be. It is on the larger size of the term “compact” but also makes it more manageable to shoot while maintaining concealability. I have taught defensive shooting off and on for almost 15 years with every student being able to comfortably shoot one of my Glock 19 style pistols with ease. Simply put, it is a great pistol to get your foundation with.  

So, why all the hate and contrarians? Well, some of that is just part of the firearms world and some of that is because it is not the shiny new thing anymore. I get it, the Glock 19 might be boring to some people at this point and that is ok. Boring is not always a dreadful thing. There is nothing terribly new to say about the Glock 19 but that is because it has been uncharacteristically reliable for more than 3 decades. There are polymer striker guns out today that could not get past their first 5 years without controversy and liability suites. I will happily take boring over dangerously questionable. There is a reason why competition shooters in the US begin their weapons platform choices with 2011 or Glock. Glock just plain works.  

The cool part is that the innovations for Glocks have come in unbelievable waves through the aftermarket offerings. The Gucci Glock trend has been going on for years and also seems to have no end soon. Buy a nice factory Glock and keep it OEM to carry every day and then buy another one to experiment with. Get the custom adjustable trigger, the compensator, a tuned recoil spring, extended magazines, and any other cool guy stuff that makes a gun that is already fine into a custom shooting experience. It is a great platform to learn how to customize a handgun. You will rarely run into an issue that requires a gunsmith to get involved unless you are getting terrible advice on what to do. Stick with good information from credible sources and you will be all right. If you are not sure what that is then just sit down and watch Johnny Glock videos until your brain cannot handle any more talk about cruciform engagement.  

Whether you are a seasoned shooter or a first-time buyer it is important that this conversation does not disappear behind all the “cool kid” talk in the industry. If you want to start competition shooting, do not walk past the Glocks to grab something new and fancy without considering it. If you want a new carry pistol that you do not have to worry about functioning when it matters, just go grab a Glock 19. If you have never bought a handgun and need to know that you are picking a reliable and safe weapon…. you guessed it, try a Glock 19. Also remember that if you outgrow it or change your mind there will always be someone out there that will happily buy it off you. So, there is no real reason not to. 

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