1. Battle-Tested
The Glock 19 in 9mm Luger is quite possibly the most popular handgun on earth, which is rather amazing considering its relative youth. It serves today as a military sidearm, police-, park ranger- and security guard- weapon, not to mention the thousands upon thousands in private collections.
You will find the G19 on duty everywhere, from the U.S. State Department to bodyguards in Mumbai. I carried one when I was in the military, and so did an absolute gaggle of contractors and Iraqi military units. It also wasn’t uncommon to find in the hands of bad guys in that particular theater.
Needless to say, the G19 is battle-tested.
2. Reliability
It says Glock on the side, do I really need to say anything else? After the Glock 17, the G19 is probably the most abused handgun on earth. And they just keep on going and going and going. With a well-earned reputation as the “Kalashnikov of Handcannons,” I don’t think we really need to expound here on reliability.
3. Versatility
In my mind, the G19 is the pickup truck of firearms. It doesn’t do any one job the best, but it does every job pretty well. The U.S. Army thought the same thing, which is why the G19 was extremely common in Special Forces during my time. It was the first gun that did an acceptable job as both a backup gun during an assault and or a stuck-in-your-pants gun walking around Nairobi, which simplified logistics quite a bit. And for noobs, I would contend it also makes an absolutely fantastic first gun.
SEE ALSO: Glock 19X – A Commander Sized Glock
The G19 is big enough to actually enjoy shooting on the range. Unlike a true pocket pistol, it isn’t going to wear your hand out after two magazines. With a reasonably wide-body, it disperses recoil over a big area. The sight radius is long enough to make hits easily, though perhaps not as easy as it cousins the G17 and G34. But it does work. I have known several people that compete in both USPSA and IDPA with a G19, and it gets the job done.
4. Capacity
For carry, we can find smaller guns. No doubt. But the G19 will absolutely work, and work for a very long time. It isn’t the most comfortable gun to stick in your waistband, but it still beats anything all steel.
Like a lot of people, at one time, the G19 was my everything gun (G-23 for me actually, the same gun in .40 S&W instead of 9mm). With a well-built holster, such as the CrossBreed Super Tuck, the G19 is surprisingly concealable. And if you ever need it, you will be quite happy to have a big boy gun with 15+1 rounds on tap to handle your problem.
5. Customization
The other nice thing about the G19 is the insane ability to customize it to your liking. Prefer a full-size grip, with the shorter slide, ala Glock Commander? Buy the X model. Want a red dot? Cool. Not only does Glock make one from the factory, but an “RMR cut” is easy enough for any Glock shop to machine in for you. Threaded gold barrel and a compensator? All available, and anything else you can think of.
A Glock 19 is very much like a backpack. Even if you don’t use it often, you are pretty much required to have one. As a starter gun, it is an excellent choice. And as an only gun, it is also an excellent choice. Two decades after my first G19, and with access to new guns every week, what sits in my nightstand? A G19X, which is about all the endorsement I can give.
Shop for a Glock 19 on GunsAmerica.
