For those of you who are fans of the combat Tupperware, the wait is over!
The Glock Gen 5 has arrived. GA team got their hands on the new Glock 19 and Glock 17 Gen 5. Aside from some cosmetic changes and few functional changes, they function just as we come to expect from Glock — flawlessly.
Updated Ergonomics
Goodbye to the finger grooves. The Gen 5 gets back to the roots of the original. Considering this is one of the first things requested when customizing, it just made sense. The Gen 5 grips look like a Gen 1 and Gen 4 hybrid. It has the texture of the Gen 4 with grip of the Gen 1.
Although similar to the Gen 4 models, it comes with the modular back straps and beavertail that allows users to swap out from two different sizes of back straps each with or without the beavertail.
A left side slide release makes the Gen 5 models finally fully ambidextrous, as it retains the Gen 4 reversible magazine release. I have only owned one Glock from the pre-finger groove times, so this is relatively new to me.
I don’t feel it is a huge difference, but I like the feel of the new model. The coating is a “nDLC” finish on the barrel and slide. According to Glock, this is more durable and tougher than previous finishes.
It’s currently exclusive to Gen 5 models.
The magazine well has been flared, which is nice for both tactical and competitive shooters. Looks like Glock caught the fever of the SIG P320X5 on this one, but it is a nice touch. Reloads with the Gen 5’s are a snap.
Competitive shooters are going to love this update, and it will pretty much make the purchase of a Gen 5 mandatory. For Production class add on magwells are a no-no. But if your gun happens to come from the factory that way — it’s good to go.
The new Glock Gen 5 magazines feature an orange follower and floor plate that is extended in the front for faster mag changes. These mags are also interchangeable with previous models.
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The biggest upgrade is what Glock calls the new “Marksman barrel.” This change supposedly halves the accuracy of the old Glock standard. Before, the barrels came from the factory with 4 inches at 25 yards as the standard. Now the bar has been raised to 4 inches at 50 yards.
Time will tell if this matters to most shooters, but it is nice to know the possibility is there. When I field tested the guns for accuracy against a Gen 4, the new model did have a slight edge.
It also remains to be seen, if Glock will make the new barrels in Gen 3 for all the poor people stuck in Commie-fornia. An interesting point is the new barrel drops the polygonal rifling in favor of regular rifling.
There have been major changes to the geometry of the safety plunger. This is the part that makes the Glock drop safe. It is now angled, which makes for a better trigger pull out of the box.
The entire trigger group has changed, meaning your 5-gallon bucket of disconnectors and different springs is now a boat anchor. No doubt the aftermarket will be scrambling to catch up. The Gen 5 is still not a custom-tuned single action, but it is an improvement.
The coating on the Gen 5 is a Glock proprietary finish called nDLC. This, we are told, is the toughest wearing finish every applied by Glock. I suppose it will take a few thousand draws from the holster to tell, in my experience the Glock finish was already among the best.
The internals got a bit of a facelift as well, with the return to a two pin rather than 3 pin frame. Glock says the Gen 5 will only be available in 9mm, and much of the old pin design was directly related to the 40 Cal.
As a believer in 40 S&W, this is a bit of bad news to me. The takedown lever has been fully redesigned, switching from a leaf spring to a coil spring. The striker has changed, along with the firing pin hole. It is now tear-drop shaped, to allow more tolerance for foreign objects in the firing pin channel.
This is supposed to offer a substantial decrease in the odds of a light strike due to grime. We were told that the Gen 5 Glock has set a new record in testing for mean stoppages between rounds at 11,000.
The Gen 5 comes with the Glock standard plastics sights, but also now offer Ameriglo tritiums as an option. I used these sights at the Glock Operators Course earlier in the month, and they are a great set up. If you plan on using your Gen 5 as a duty or carry gun, I recommend them highly.
Glock Operators Course
Earlier in the summer, I had the opportunity to run an abbreviated Glock Operators Course with the new Gen 5. The Glock Operators Course (GOC) teaches you to drive or “operate” a Glock. And at least the chief architect of the course can lay some claim to the word, my friend Joseph Parent.
Parent is an old hand from 2nd Force Recon, a former SOTG instructor, and a 3 Division USPSA Master class shooter. Parent can sling a pistol, as can all of his assistant instructors. He has assembled an all star cast of other gunfighters.
I really liked that his crew had a mix of U.S. military, police, and SWAT members. No one organization has a monopoly on the best training or ideas. Every one involved in GOC is a consummate professional, bringing years of experience to the venue. Or in the case of his instructor named “Gen1” four decades.
I hesitate to call the GOC a basic course because no one likes a basic course. The market demands a Level 54 Paladin with ninja stars and SWAT rolls course. A better description would be a course with something for shooters at all levels. It is not for new shooters that is certain. To even get in the door, you must be active Military, Police, an NRA instructor or a Glock Shooting Sports Foundation (GSSF) member.
Much like my preferred teaching style, the course begins with a rapid overview of the basics. This is very important. You can’t build a foundation on sand. The overview is designed to offer tweaks to existing skills or identify missing parts. You would be amazed how many experienced shooters have chunk of knowledge missing. Every skill is both explained and demonstrated, then done at speed live fire.
The course involved lots of work from the draw, and we utilized BladeTech holsters. Every skill imaginable with a pistol is covered, from draws to one handed shooting, to shooting on the move. Our course was compressed from two days into one, so the pace was kept high.
There is enough here to challenge anyone, and if you carry a Glock, it is worth checking out.
For more information about the Glock Gen 5, click here.
To purchase a Glock pistol on GunsAmerica, click here.