so i got a strange glock

ok today i took the ole taurus to the range to try to figure out why i was such a horrible shot with it (by the way its a pt145 .45acp.) so i went through about 50 rounds with no luck at 10 yards, they were all over the place. after about an hour i was like f@@k this!! i took it to the counter and asked how much they would give me for it in trade for a Glock. they took it back and said this gun plus $230 for a glock 19c. BET THAT!!!! i swiped the card bought 100 rounds of ammo, and at 10 to 15 yards i never left center mass!!!! so for fun i sent the target out to 25 yards doing head shots and all 10 rounds struck the head. for thjose who dont know the g19c has the low recoil slide and barrel exhausting the gasses out of the top of the gun to reduce the kick. i trust my life with this gun. it was a tough lesson learned but worth it in the end.......but now i have 25 federal hydrashocks and 100 winchester 230 grain fmjs and no .45 so if anyone in the area wants them i will give them to you for FREE

knox

Some lessons learn the hard way are never forgot. You got yourself a good gun now for sure. I just got one awhile back and I am trying to get the trigger reset deal down pat. Enjoy your new pistol here's mine.:mrgreen:

Standard Glock 19.:smt023
http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h268/4Baldy/003.jpg

I like Glocks, but the vents in the barrel are a problem on a fighting pistol. Just for fun one day, have a buddy shoot the gun while you hold a piece of cardboard over the vents. Once the cardboard is destroyed by one shot, ask yourself if you want these vents near your body - and jetting hot gas into your flesh or eyes - when you fire from the retention position at a contact-distance attacker.

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Originally Posted by Mike Barham

I like Glocks, but the vents in the barrel are a problem on a fighting pistol. Just for fun one day, have a buddy shoot the gun while you hold a piece of cardboard over the vents. Once the cardboard is destroyed by one shot, ask yourself if you want these vents near your body - and jetting hot gas into your flesh or eyes - when you fire from the retention position at a contact-distance attacker.

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+1

In the dark, venting gases create upward muzzle flash right by THE FRONT SIGHT. Not the best thing for your night vision in a high stress scenario.

I'm with Mike, plus a buddy of mine has a compensated barrel, and it can cover the front site very bad. Making the sight picture hard to aquire quickly. Just my .02 cents, but a G19 is still a great gun.

You guys beat me to it. Since my guns are primarily for defense of my home, most likely at night, I echo Submoa's comment about muzzle flash. Especially in the dark, that first shot better be a quality one because you will probably not have your eyesight back for a while.

i did notice the front sight getting dirty after a couple of rounds, and i hope i never have to use this as a defense weapon. i also go take the civil service test for the madison county sheriffs dept on the 11th so wish me luck!!! if i get that job i will have a g22 .40 :)..........but all in all the g19c is a great gun, its the most accurate gun iv owned besides the p22

We had a guy in the recent Gunsite 250 course with a comp'd Glock .40. He didn't have any issues in the night shoot, but that may be simply because he was shooting "training" ammo (WWB, I think) rather than hot fighting ammo.

I am not a huge fan of the C models as combat weapons due to the risk of burns when fired close to the body. The night shoot matter, however, does not seem to be an issue. I have personally been at night shoots with a Glock 22C being used and it did not seem to have an affect on the shooter. Also, the gun powder used in training ammo (WWB for example) actually produces more flash than the stuff used in premium "duty" ammo. That is one of the selling points used by ammo companies when pushing their expensive stuff to police departments.

To the original poster: I would not worry about your choice too much. Just remember that you probably should use a different gun if you know you will be conducting drills that might require shots being fired close to your body, hands etc. The Glock 19 is a great weapon and it is my semi-auto of choice as well.

U can get a regular Glock barrel for around $100, however - and U can make that 19c a regular 19 (you'll just have the openings on the slide)...

iv thought about getting the regular 19 barrel but like i said i may have a g22 in a very short time, but so far its a great gun i like the low recoil

I suspect that "low flash" ammo stuff may be a lot of marketing. The S&B and WWB I shot at Gunsite had very little flash compared to some Golden Sabers I cracked off at a different night shoot a few years ago.

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Originally Posted by Shipwreck

U can get a regular Glock barrel for around $100, however - and U can make that 19c a regular 19 (you'll just have the openings on the slide)...

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I was going to say the same thing... beat me to it.

I have a G31C (357sig) and the holes do help the recoil a lot on that round. I've never had in issue either with the night-flash thing (using both WWB and Fedral Hydroshocks). It's there and go so fast it doesn't even have time to process... I wipe the front site off about ever 100 rounds and clean it with a wet paper-towel after 200 or so. I think the seeing/ front site issue of the C Glocks is way over dramitized. However, I would not want to shoot it from the hip if not 100% necessary.

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Originally Posted by Spartan

I have a G31C (357sig) and the holes do help the recoil a lot on that round. I've never had in issue either with the night-flash thing (using both WWB and Fedral Hydroshocks). It's there and go so fast it doesn't even have time to process... I wipe the front site off about ever 100 rounds and clean it with a wet paper-towel after 200 or so. I think the seeing/ front site issue of the C Glocks is way over dramitized. However, I would not want to shoot it from the hip if not 100% necessary.

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I agree that retention shooting with a comp'd gun is a much bigger problem than night shooting. Shooting from retention is much worse than from the hip, since the gun gun is up next to the pectoral muscle, and thus maybe less than a foot from the eyes.

Many civilian gunfights occur at literal touching distance (no one can rob, rape or stab you from seven yards). A gun that doesn't allow for good contact distance fighting seems a questionable choice for defense.

Not that it's the only way I practice, but when I'm using my G32C, it has alot of hot gas coming outta those ports, so I practice shooting from retention with my hand turned over to the right (right handed) by 90 degrees. It keeps the port blast out of my face and still keeps the gun close to the body. It did take a while to get used to it, but I actually like it better with all my pistols now, even the non ported ones.

Zhur

Rotation can work, but it makes the gun a lot easier to take away, also.

Mike,
Any recommendations aside from get a new gun when it comes to contact shooting? I realize that rotating your wrist outwards reduces stability, but putting that flash in your face would most likely take you out of the fight. What about simply firing downwards? (45degree downward from vertical) It'd likely end up in the hip area of the BG if it were at contact distances and put the flash in their direction not yours. I don't think you'd lose stability in rotating it downwards in that fashion as much as I do by rotating it 90 right.

Your thoughts?

Zhur

I think rotation is a good adaptation, if you need (for whatever reason) to use a comp'd pistol for fighting.

I'd not considered the downward-angling technique. However, I am not thrilled about intentionally missing the attacker's COM when he is literally right in my face. A guy that close is a very major threat, and he needs to be stopped ASAP.

I think an outboard rotation like you're doing is a better solution. It reduces control somewhat and makes the gun easier to snatch, but it does allow good center hits, which I think is the overriding concern in a contact-distance fight.

It all seems like a lot of trouble just to reduce recoil a little.

Good choice and welcome to the Glock family!

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Originally Posted by Ptarmigan

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Also, the gun powder used in training ammo (WWB for example) actually produces more flash than the stuff used in premium "duty" ammo. That is one of the selling points used by ammo companies when pushing their expensive stuff to police departments.

...

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This agrees with my personal experience as well. My comped Glock was a 32C in .357, and the cheap ammo was the flashiest stuff, by far. Even then, it seemed to be much more noticeable to spectators than it was to me when I was shooting; the flash seems to "bloom" far enough above the gun to stay out of the shooter's direct line of sight. I could see the flashes reflecting in the nearby tree branches off to the side (outdoor range), but my night vision was never compromised, my night sights were visible throughout the shoot, and the hits were all good.

G32C is gone now (traded); couldn't afford to shoot the darn thing as much as I wanted/needed to.

Huh. Several years ago, I shot Hydra-Shok and Golden Saber 9mms next to WWB 9mm. The WWB just had a dim little flicker, while the premium stuff had a bright little fireball. Neither was enough to impair night vision, though.

Someone posted an ammo test on the web a few years ago with photos of different ammo being fired at night. I seem to recall that the cheaper stuff had more flash than the premium stuff.

Either way, I agree that the muzzle flash most likely does not affect anyone's night vision and that the main concern with the C model Glocks is the potential for injury when firing close to the body.

One of the guys over at Glock Talk posted on the subject of flash from a comped/ported gun recently, and added a video he took of him firing his G23C on a semi-darkened indoor range. He fired five shots each, of three different .40 caliber loads:

1st five rounds = 180gr. Blazer Brass FMJ (used for practice)
2nd five rounds = 180gr. Hornady TAP FPD JHP (used for CCW)
3rd five rounds = 180gr. Federal LE Tactical HST JHP (used for CCW and practice)

And the movie clip can be seen here (until it gets too popular and they pull it for bandwidth reasons):

http://s172.photobucket.com/albums/w...t=P1010658.flv

He also stated: "It should be noted that I personally believe that WWB flashes bigger than any of the three that I had on hand. But if you look at the video you will notice a great difference between the cheap practice ammo and the expensive Hornady carry ammo."

Less flash, AND less recoil with the TAP. It was a whole different sound!

Interesting...

JW

DJ Niner, great info. Thanks for posting that. :smt023