Glock Perfection. I’m sure you’ve heard Glock’s slogan before, but just how much truth is there in it? A lot might depend on whether or not you’re a fan of Glock…

Though I’ve shot many Glocks over the years, I’ve only recently become a Glock owner. I’ve long been more of a Smith & Wesson M&P guy, which is arguably Glock’s biggest competition in the market. So here’s a long time M&P fan’s perspective on the Glock Perfection claim. I will be primarily using my Gen 4 Glock 19 to make my case.

Perfection Hits

First I’d like to point out some things I really like about the Glock. I have recently become a Glock fan (convert?) of sorts, and for good reason. Glock gets a LOT right. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are some things I really like about Glocks in general, and my Glock 19 specifically.

Size/Weight Ratio

Pretty much every Glock model is the Gold standard for size and weight in its class. You’ll be hard pressed to find a gun that carries the same number of rounds, at a smaller size and/or a lighter weight. There probably ARE examples, but none come to mind.

The point is, Glocks are extremely size efficient and lightweight. This is a big deal to me, because in my opinion, size efficiency and weight are two of the biggest benefits of plastic guns.

Reliability

Aside from the well documented Gen 4 bobbles, Glocks are some of the most reliable handguns in the world. Glock reliability is legendary and speaks for itself.

Accuracy

In my experience, Glock’s are pretty accurate across the board, and this includes my Glock 19. I might do some M&P/Glock accuracy head to head comparisons in an upcoming post (I don’t currently own a stock M&P), but over the years I have always been impressed with Glock accuracy.

Perfection Misses

Glock gets a lot right, but it is no means perfect. No need to wait for the wrap up on this one – Glock Perfection doesn’t exist out of the box. Here’s where I think it falls short.

Plastic Sights

The first miss is in some ways the most obvious and well documented – the stock plastic sights. They just plain suck in my opinion. Now to be fair, let me say that yes, they absolutely do work. But I’ve only had my Glock 19 for a couple weeks now, and the front sight is already starting to show holster wear.

I will be replacing stock sights with a set of 10-8 Performance sights.

Ergonomics

Another big area where Glock Perfection falls short is ergonomics. In the past, I have never been a big fan of Glock ergos. With the Gen 4, this has improved somewhat, but the Gen 4’s ergonomics still fall well short of the competition. I’m also not a huge fan of the Glock grip angle, though admittedly it’s much improved with a Grip Force Adapter installed.

Mag Release

This probably belongs under the ergonomics category, but I dislike it so much that I’m giving the mag release it’s own space. I think it sucks. Yes it works, but again comparing to the competition, it’s hard to actuate and not as usable. Some will argue that it should be a little hard so that you don’t accidentally drop the magazine…ok maybe. But the M&P mag release works great, and I’ve never had a problem with the magazine being dropped accidentally, so I’m not sure how valid that argument is.

I will be replacing the mag release, so if you have a suggestion let me know in the comments below.

Wrapping Up

So that’s my opinion – Glock Perfection doesn’t exist out of the box. Once I replace the sights and mag release and get a few more rounds down range, we’ll talk again.