i stopped by the range today and rented a glock 19. i’m in the market for a compact 9mm pistol, and since these are so popular, i figured i’d give it a shot. i’ve shot one once in the past, but it’s been a while.

once i got used to the light weight, i found it pretty accurate. it’s real easy to use as the safety is integrated into the trigger, so you can just pick it up and fire it. it comes apart easily enough, as the guy at the range field stripped it in seconds. and glocks are pretty much ubiquitous; parts and accessories can be found virtually everywhere.

the down side? they’re ugly as sin and very “boxy”, and the 19 is not much smaller than my s&w 5096. i looked at the g26, which is a slightly more compact model, but not that much more compact, and the grip only has enough room for 2 fingers as opposed to 3. with a 9mm, i feel i need a good grip for control, especially in a polymer frame model. a magazine extension is available, for a price, and i may try the 26 next time i go.

there a few more brands i’d like to look into, like kahr, discontinued s&w models like the 3913, and a few others, as i prefer stainless steel or alloy to polymer frames. of course, i’ve been informed that one can actually purchase a stainless steel (and aluminum alloy, and titanium) after-market glock replacement frame.