Starter Glock: GenIII or GenIV?

[mjbskwim]

WOW a lot of huge posts on a simple question. He didn't ask about a Sig or an H&K.
Any Glock generation you can find is a good glock.
If you have smaller hands,try the gen 4
I have larger hands so I won't spend the extra money on the 4. Heck I hate spending extra for new on a glock. I won't be buying from a PD so it won't be destroyed.

 

[Oklahomie]

When I first set out to buy my first pistol, this would be my first firearm in general, I first looked at a Glock 17 gen3 and I absolutely hated it. It felt like a huge block in my already huge hands, I immediately decided That although I'm sure Glocks are awesome they just weren't for me. So I fiddle around with a Beretta px4 decided that was the pistol I wanted it fit in the hand great looked different than most guns....so I ponied up and got a Springfield Xd45 because it was on sale.

Great gun but fast forward a year and I see a mint and what appeared to be a used unfired g17 gen4 sitting in my local Mega outfitters store for a damn good price...which I now know why. Anyway long story short traded up or down how ever you feel it and I was a proud owner of a g17.

Maybe it was the particular back strap or a change of heart but I picked up that ugly thing and it felt "right". Needless to say I did the bad thing and bought without test driving first and I walked away lucky...again. my gen4 has been flawless but I do notice that the ejection pattern is random sometimes it flings them 30 ft away and sometimes right on top of my head.

I second the nomination for an m&p those are fantastic weapons.

 

[Dinged]

Holy thread resurrection, it's 9 months old.

To answer the thread though, I have a Gen 3 17 and a Gen 4 19. The frame of the 4th Gen alone is worth it. The huge mag release is great too, as I found the smaller one on the previous Gens tough to reach without moving my hand and altering my grip. I have smaller hands so the 4th Gen is perfect.

 

[JC9995]

I would go with Gen4. I like the rough texture, I like the fact that you can change grip size, and I like the duel recoil spring (RSA). I do have a G23 and the duel recoil spring really helps. I also have a Lonewolf conversion barrel so I can shoot 9mm out of it and it's really nice and it's like having a G19. The bigger mag release button is nice too and the finish on the slide is also a plus. On my pistol.... the recoil spring that came with it was fine, I had no issues after 500 rounds but when I found out that Glock was doing the latest recoil spring assembly exchange, my pistol qualified and I ended up with the newest RSA and after a few hundred more rounds my Gen4 G23 is still reliable as heck.

I agree... Having owned both a Gen3 and Gen4 G23...there is a significant difference...the Gen4 is over all a better gun in my opinion. More aggressive texture on the frame, 3 mags instead of only 2, and the frame is molded slightly better. On all the gen3 frames ive ever seen, the "nose" of the plastic frame swoops up slightly into the slide....it has always driven me nuts.... the Gen4 thankfully isnt molded that way.
Lastly, the dual spring found on the Gen4 is a vast improvement...and I was shocked the first time I shot the gen4 at how much it reduced the recoil.

 

[ORHunter79]

.......

 

[G-19]

Gen 4

 

[PolishedBrass]

I suggest a G27 Gen3 plus a Galco Small of Back Holster Plus Pierce +2 Pinky Grips for the magazines.
Ad to the package 2 15 Rd Asian made 9mm magazines and a Lone Wolf 9mm match barrel.
Now you have 2 guns in one for a minimal price ... the 9mm barrel is thicker and slightly heavier in the G27 than the G26 (Far superior control and accuracy.)

 

[bwchase]

Have gen 2, 3, and 4. Why not the gen 2, smooth grip, add your own grip cover to fit your hand and you are good to go. If you ever want it upgraded, send it to glock and they will go through it and upgrade to gen 3 for a very reasonable cost. Like the trigger on the gen 2's better than on gen 3 or 4.

 

[raindog]

So basically, try before you buy and get what feels good to you.

One other thing, some accessories (lasers, conversion kits) may or may not be available for your Gen 4 right now. I'm sure they will in the future, you may just have to wait a little while.

On that note, I much prefer the CrimsonTrace for the G4 vs. the one for the G3.