Larry Vickers on Glocks

[hkhoosier]

Sure many of you have already seen this. Thoughts?





1) IMO the Glock 19 and 17 are the best Glock's made - both are excellent pistols - I own, use, and recommend both

2) I do not recommend the G22, G23, or G21 - based on my experience these pistols have problems (breakage, won't function with rail mounted lights, etc.) and I feel there are better choices in 40 and 45

3) Glocks as a rule are not as accurate as many other service pistols - partly due to the enlarged chamber - this can be fixed with aftermarket barrels

4) I recommend 3 things for a Glock 19 or 17; good sights (Heinie, Novak, 10-8and Warren are my current favorites) , a buttplug to keep debris out of the trigger mech (cheap insurance), and my mag catch made by Tangodown. Optional but highly recommended is frame texturing by Dave Bowie (I like the finger grooves removed also)

5) They are incredibly forgiving in maintenance and lubrication - amazing

6) Incredibly simple to operate - 2 levers/buttons and 1 is optional

7) Always remember the golden rule with a Glock; keep your finger OFF the trigger until you are ready to shoot - if you don't adhere to this expect a loud noise at some point

Bottom line Glocks in 9mm are excellent pistols - they are not my first choice in other calibers however - the S&W M&P has been called a product improved Glock ; this may be true but the verdict is still out as the M&P is a relatively new handgun vs millions of Glock's in service (mostly in 9mm I might add) and S&W has a spotty record in terms of autoloading pistols - time will tell

hope this helps

Larry Vickers

Vickers Tactical - Speed is Fine - Accuracy is Final

 

[4sarge]

Sure many of you have already seen this. Thoughts?



17's are supposed to be great guns and have often thought about buying a 19 (with Glock 18 mags) but I do not care for the 9 MM as a primary defensive weapon but fun to plink with. We never had a problem with our 21's that I can recall and we qualified 4 times a year so they did get some use but hey what do I know? I'm not in the gun selling or advice selling business. But if I was doing that, I'd tell you to buy a 38 because you could save some bucks and have the same stopping power IMHO.

 

[INJoker]

No offense to Mr. Vickers, but much of what he says is common sense... Anyone who owns a Glock would tell you 5 of the 7. His opinions on after-market parts is just that... His opinion. My Glocks are plenty accurate in terms of my ability as a shooter.

His line about G22s, G23s and G21s is the same kind of hillbilly-gun-store gossip that I hear all the time. The ISP had some major issues with a batch of G22s but I don't know a single person who owns a .40 S&W Glock that has KB'd or had any problems whatsoever.

Again, on this issue, his opinion is just as valid as mine, but I've never seen any stats that show any real issues with .40 and .45 Glocks. Isolated incidents perpetuated by hearsay and overzealous "authorities" on the issue.

My .02.

 

[indyninja]

the man has quite a resume. i don't own any of the guns in question but given his statements I would give it some thought before purchasing one.

im sure he has seen thousands of rounds fired through them

 

[AKsteve]

How can a light mounted on the front make a gun fail. I'm not saying it can't happen. I just don't get it.

 

[Fenway]

I've got a G19 so I guess I'm in the clear

 

[zerowolf]

Glock frames flex when fired. Some believe that mounting a light on the rail interferes with this. I've never mounted a light on any of my Glocks so I do not know. I do know that I have put approximatley 2000 rounds through my 21 SF with two failures to feed (230 +p Cor-bon).

 

[Beau]

My friend owns the 17. Awesome gun. His dad the 34. I own the 21 and 35. I have never had a problem with my 21. Not one failure of any kind. That may change since I'm about to start reloading in .45 ACP. Accuracy has never been a problem. My 35 is pretty new, but so far I love it. The only problem I've had with it so far was getting a round stuck in the mag. Caused by factory ammo not being seated to proper depth.

 

[INJoker]

the man has quite a resume. i don't own any of the guns in question but given his statements I would give it some thought before purchasing one.

im sure he has seen thousands of rounds fired through them

I'm not disputing his resume or his knowledge and I'm not knocking him... Or at least that's not my intent.

I'm just saying that every "expert" you run into will tell you something different.

There are guys who say, "Only shoot Sigs." or "Only shoot 1911s." or "HK is superior to every other brand in the world."

At the end of the day, you can't paint with a broad brush. Use the firearm that you are most comfortable with and that you shoot best.

For me, the G23/G19 is perfect in terms of ergonomics, capacity, concealment, accuracy and function. For Mr. Vickers, the G23 may be crap. That's his opinion and I respect it, but it doesn't mean I agree.

You won't ever catch me telling someone, "Taurus's are crap."

I've fired several and IMO, some are. But I also know people who shoot some of those "crappy" models very well, trust their lives to them and have never had any quality issues with them.

That said, if I find out you carry a Lorcin, I may break my own rule...

 

[hkhoosier]

Careful with reloads through a glock.

That may change since I'm about to start reloading in .45 ACP.

 

[sparkyfender]

I think GLOCKS are excellent weapons, no matter what the caliber.

I have a G23C on my side as we speak.....................

 

[turnandshoot4]

Careful with reloads through a glock.

Only reload within manual specs and don't shoot lead bullets. That is all I really know about reload problems in glocks. Load away!

 

[Mike Elzinga]

I have seen 3 Glocks in .40 blow up. I dont think the loose chambers help any, but I am not gonna call them the root of all evil either.

Any gun you cant shoot reloads in is completely worthless, IMO. If your reloads are junk, your going to blow up every gun you put them in.

$100 will get you an aftermarket barrel with a tight chamber, capable of shooting lead.

again, nothing new under the sun. decide for yourself what you want and how you want it

 

[pierce195]

The just dont understand how a light mount on the gun will cause failures. I have 5000 to 6000 rounds through my G22 with about 90% of the time with the light mounted on the front. I have never seen and issued that I could relate to the light on my weapon.

I understand he's is an expert, but some times experts can be wrong or mislead on issues.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

The 17 is a wonderful weapon. I own 4 of these and two 21s. Want to get the 21s Robarized and thin them down.

However, the 23 was my carry gun as a LEO. One had to ensure that that ammo was fresh. I did experience a KB once and it was my own stupid fault for chambering a bullet with "setback".

The KB did not hurt the pistol. Glock had check it and returned it to me inside 2 weeks.

I believe a lot of the "KBing" .40s are related to ammo.

My only complaint is with the trigger at long range. Can be done, but it takes practice (like everything else).

 

[SilentWarrior1]

I personally, have owned/shot several models/flavors of Glocks with 1000's of rounds and I can honestly tell you from good, honest experience that I have NEVER experienced one single failure, not one KB, not one FTF, misfeed, stovepipe, nothing.

However, this has all been with factory ammunition. I don't trust myself with reloading... yet.

Glocks are solid. You can like them, or not like them all you want. They're ugly... they're plastic. But they work, and they're more accurate than most of us will ever be.

 

[Lars]

I won't bash the Glock. Although I'd openly admit I'm not a fan of the trigger, or grip at all.

Would I in a life or death situation choose a glock over a letter opener? 100% of the time..... AND I'd expect it to go bang when my booger hook hits the boom switch.

Owning one myself, I think I'll pass. Larry Vickers is a bright guy, He's certainly got the resume to back up his opinions. For the most part however they are opinions.

1911 Guys have lots of opinions about "Combat Tupperware", Glock guys have lots of opinions about everything else. That's fine. To each his/her own.

 

[INJoker]

Larry Vickers is a bright guy, He's certainly got the resume to back up his opinions. For the most part however they are opinions.

1911 Guys have lots of opinions about "Combat Tupperware", Glock guys have lots of opinions about everything else. That's fine. To each his/her own.

Very well said.

Believe me, when a guy like Larry Vickers gives his professional opinion on anything related to firearms, I'll listen. It doesn't mean I will agree or that my own experiences will support his claims, but I'll listen.

Can anyone here tell me why it is that proponents of the 1911 believe it is the be-all, end-all answer to firearms?

I love the platform and I love 1911s. My issue is with capacity. I feel that the low capacity is the only thing keeping the 1911 from being in my "top three" firearms on the planet.

 

[bwframe]

Can anyone here tell me why it is that proponents of the 1911 believe it is the be-all, end-all answer to firearms?

It's certainly not be all end all, but is there such a thing?
These links describe some of the 1911's attributes.

M1911 pistol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

.45 ACP - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Personally, I'll take a few rounds of something I feel is more likely to work, than a bucket of those I feel may not work as well.
Any handgun is a stop gap to get you out of the trouble or to your long gun which is what you'd have brought if you really thought you were gonna have to defend lives.

 

[TomN]

I carry a 1911 and I don't worry at all about capacity issues. Most altercations are resolved with 3-5 rounds anyway. And if I find myself in a really bad situation that requires more rounds, well, that's why I carry 2 spare mags. 1911 mags are so thin anyway that I don't even feel them.