new shooter, safety features and compensation.

[Guest JLaugh]

I am very new to shooting. In my entire life (excluding bb guns) I have fired a total of less than 15 rounds. I have been researching handguns though in preparation of purchasing. I have not fired or even held most of the models I am considering. My research has brought me to be interested in the glock 19c.

My questions are how reliable is the safety features?

Does compensation help enough to be worth the trade off? (I understand the trade off to be hazard of being burnt by gases and night blindness.)

Caliber choice: I have heard the 9 mm glocks can be converted to .40 by changing the barrell and magazine. Is this unique to these glocks or common in many guns spanning multiple calibers in the same model line? I like 9mm and .40 switch because as i understand it .40 and 9mm are the most common calibers in use in the US.

Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Jon.

[DWARREN123]

For myself I would not choose a compensated gun for SD, fine for range or competition uses.

The G19 is a fine handgun and as safe as any when used and handled properly. Keep your finger off the trigger until ready to shoot.

On converting a handgun caliber it will work going smaller not bigger. Convert the 40 S&W to 9mm not the other way.

Hope this helps.

[kb4ns]

I don't think you'll really need the compensation, especially on a 9mm. I've owned one compensated gun in my life and, after firing it at night, I made sure it was the last compensated gun I'd own.

You cannot convert up. If you want to shoot 40 and 9, get a Glock 23 and a 19 barrel / mag. You can put a 9mm barrel into a 40, but not vice versa.

I have a G19 (9mm) and have never felt the need to do anything to it but add night sights.

[Guest mikedwood]

Dunno about the compensated stuff but I love my G19 and they are very ultra reliable.

[jeremy155rr]

where is suntzu when you need to tell someone what a safety is I like glocks, don't like compensated models myself, somebody else that likes them may have better info on those, they may be beneficial for competition purposes. As for the conversions, maybe glockmiester will chime in on this one but 9mm-.40 is a no go. You can get a 23 and go down to a 9mm but I wouldn't do it myself. A glock 19 is a fine handgun though, I love mine. Make sure to get a hold of one first. The glock grip doesn't work for everybody but it works for me and naturally points better than any of my others past and present (although that may just be my familiarity with the model). Safety features? Every gun is loaded, glocks go bang when you pull the trigger. Welcome to the shooting world!

Edited March 11, 2010 by jeremy155rr

[Guest JLaugh]

I appreciate the advice greatly. The caliber conversion would have been a great dissapointment when I went to actually do it. I guess the 23 is now my choice. To state my concerns with the safties more clearly. I plan to carry at all times, so the safeties of the gun are important to me. I worry that the glock could go off while holstered or something. I have looked at the springfield XD also but I worry that the grip safety may not be the best idea? In the heat of the moment if I don't grip the XD just right will I be dead before I adjust my grip? Is a 1911 with more traditional safeties safer to carry? The idea of the glock safety features sounds good to me, but the real world is different than a gun manufactuers R&D department.

[Guest JLaugh]

Not saying I believe it would/will happen, or that i know what things would be like if/when it does happen, if we ended up in an armageddon or violent revolutionary situation having a weapon that will fire the two most common handgun rounds in the world (I believe .40 and 9mm are most common???) would be benficaial. Is the conversion ideal? I dunno I am new to this, but "luck favors the prepared"

[safeandsecure]

JLaugh, while I personally like 1911's (.45 cal), and do not care for Glocks ... to each his own. My son is a huge Glock fan, and all of the LEOs that I know love them (with one exception, who carries his personal S&W 5906, which is a 9mm). I would highly recommend trying one before purchase though. In my opinion, which is worth what you're paying for it (absolutely nothing, you see), a 9mm is a very respectable self-defense caliber, and much cheaper to practice with than a .40 or .45. You may find that Glock is a perfect fit for you. On the other hand, if you don't try it first, you might find, like me, that a Glock just doesn't fit ... even though it is a great weapon.

As for the compensated issue ... I had a Springfield V10 (.45 compensated). Loved it. Not a huge factor, for me, with night vision and I never got burned. Only drawback that I found was that a lot of shooting left the white "dot" on the front sight so blackened that it had to be cleaned in order to be seen. Traded it. Still miss it. But choosing a gun is a very personal thing. It needs to fit YOU, not me or someone else. So good luck shopping, and try everything you get a chance to try.

Oh yeah ... safety features ... ... best safety feature is to keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire. That being said, I personally like a grip safety. The wife likes a "thumb" safety (hammer block or slide lock). But if you get a good quality handgun made by a reputable manufacturer, most are safe out of the box. Nothing, and I'll repeat that, nothing, beats knowing your weapon inside and out, practicing until you don't have to "think" what to do (so that it becomes natural), and keeping that finger out of the trigger guard until ready to fire.

[Guest JLaugh]

I will carry in a shoulder holster most likely. My concern with the safety features is my shirt getting snagged on the trigger or some other freak accident. I guess the best way to explain my concern is, I want to maximize safety while maintaining shootability. I want a gun that will not be suseptable to accidental firing, but won't be so secure that it hinders its carrier in unexpected situations.

[Mark@Sea]

I like the grip safety, personally. I like having a thumb safety as well. The best safety is the one between your ears. Keep your finger off the trigger, you shouldn't have a problem.

[Guest RangeMstr]

If you don't pull the trigger - it won't go bang..........

[Retired Navy GMC]

I will carry in a shoulder holster most likely. My concern with the safety features is my shirt getting snagged on the trigger or some other freak accident. I guess the best way to explain my concern is, I want to maximize safety while maintaining shootability. I want a gun that will not be suseptable to accidental firing, but won't be so secure that it hinders its carrier in unexpected situations.

Any holster that you use will cover the trigger and trigger guard, so your shirt getting snagged on the trigger is unlikely if not impossible.

I have never seen any firearm "accidentaly" fire. They don't "just go off".

There is a sequence of events that have to happen for a firearm to go bang.

As for caliber changing.... I'm not real familiar with Glocks, but I do know that a Sig Sauer P250 can do caliber changes. You can buy a separate slide and magazine kit to change the the P250 to either 9mm, .357 Sig, .40, or .45

[Mike.357]

I don't know of anyway you can grip and XD to fire it and not depress the grip safety.

[enfield]

In all the years I've been carrying revolvers and semi-autos without safeties, I've never had an accidental discharge. Modern firearms in good working condition will not fire unless you pull the trigger.

Edited March 11, 2010 by enfield

[Steelharp]

IF you are going to go the 23 to 19 conversion route, do not use a factory Glock 19 barrel. Get a Lone Wolf barrel that is made for that purpose. The factory Glock barrel will be too loose and cause problems.

Try a Glock first, the grip angle is different than most every other handgun out there, and if your hands are on the smallish side, it will feel blockish. I love a Glock, personally. That being said, my EDC is an HK P2000... I love it more.

[Trekbike]

I sense that you won't feel totally comfortable without a manual safety on the pistol. If that's the case, you may want to check out S&W's M&P models that have the optional ambidextrous thumb safety. They are just about the best I've seen for quick deactivation/activation. It just takes a quick thumb sweep while drawing. Very similar to a 1911. They are optional on the full size and compact models.

I've got one of the .40 models with the safety and don't mind it being there. When I went looking for an M&P I wasn't looking for one with the safety but the shop at the time didn't have a non-safety model. After handling it and saw how quick and easy it was, I bought it.

Like others have said, the real safety is between your ears and keeping your finger off the trigger. In a sense, having a manual safety model can at times be more dangerous than a non-safety model IMO. It can give the operator a false feeing of security of "it's okay for me to stick my finger on the trigger because the safety is on". And then you quickly find out you "thought" the safety was on when it wasn't and then you have an accidental discharge.

[dats82]

I am not a glock fan. I am not sure what it is, but they just do not feel natural in my hand. You should really go to the store and handle a bunch of guns before even thinking about picking one out to buy. You need to pick a gun that just fits you. Then worry about caliber and different models in that line.

I have shot a compensated Glock. I do not know what model it was, but it was a .40. I could not see that much difference in it and a regular .40. What ever you get, just practice with it.

[LagerHead]

[...]I have looked at the springfield XD also but I worry that the grip safety may not be the best idea? In the heat of the moment if I don't grip the XD just right will I be dead before I adjust my grip? Is a 1911 with more traditional safeties safer to carry? The idea of the glock safety features sounds good to me, but the real world is different than a gun manufactuers R&D department.

I don't know of anyway you can grip and XD to fire it and not depress the grip safety.

Bingo. Gripping the gun by the grip/handle depresses the grip safety. About the only way I could think of that you wouldn't depress the grip safety is if you held it by the barrel. Doing that feels very unnatural though, and can be dangerous to your health.

[Fire/hunting guy]

I am only about a year ahead of you in gun ownership/carry. I am a big fan of the springfield xd because of the main reason that you stated....safety. XD's actually have 3 safeties built into them, one being the grip safety. Also being a novice, I liked 2 other features that xd have, that is the striker indicator and the loaded chamber indicator. I can look at my gun, or run my fingers over it and know that it is ready to fire or not. That being said, I believe some of the Glocks also have a loaded chamber indicator also. Like everyone is stated, find a range nearby that will rent guns and try them out, that's what I did and decided the XD fits me best, but that's me, figure out what fits you the best.

[Steelharp]

You know, you don't need a "loaded chamber indicator" if you adhere to the rule that "every gun is loaded." Until you check/clear the weapon, it's loaded; period.

[BigPoppa]

I worry that the glock could go off while holstered or something.

Guns don't "go off".....guns discharge when somebody contacts their finger to the trigger.

I have looked at the springfield XD also but I worry that the grip safety may not be the best idea? In the heat of the moment if I don't grip the XD just right will I be dead before I adjust my grip? Is a 1911 with more traditional safeties safer to carry?

1911 platforms also have grip safeties....

...........

[BigPoppa]

I will carry in a shoulder holster most likely.

May I ask why ? Shoulder rigs look cool on Miami Vice, etc. but in real life they are less than practical.

[BigPoppa]

The best safety is the one between your ears. Keep your finger off the trigger, you shouldn't have a problem.

If you don't pull the trigger - it won't go bang..........

I have never seen any firearm "accidentaly" fire. They don't "just go off".

There is a sequence of events that have to happen for a firearm to go bang.

In all the years I've been carrying revolvers and semi-autos without safeties, I've never had an accidental discharge. Modern firearms in good working condition will not fire unless you pull the trigger.

what they said................ + 1

JLaugh, you see a pattern here ? All of the above is quality information. I'm not beating up on you.....you said you were new to guns, and (IMO) you have been exposed to some misinformation and/or some of the "gun myths" that get perpetuated.

I don't know where Afton, TN is, but I'd strongly recommend you find a quality instructor in your area and get some good training before any bad advice or bad habits become ingrained.

Edited March 11, 2010 by BigPoppa

[jeremy155rr]

You know, you don't need a "loaded chamber indicator" if you adhere to the rule that "every gun is loaded." Until you check/clear the weapon, it's loaded; period.

yep, lots of echos in this thread about safeties etc... imho the indicators on xds are useless, if i'm checking my weapon its visual (of the chamber) and physical. They wouldn't make me not buy an xd, but I wouldn't buy one because of them either.

[Mike.357]

You know, you don't need a "loaded chamber indicator" if you adhere to the rule that "every gun is loaded." Until you check/clear the weapon, it's loaded; period.

assuming it is loaded could cause a problem if you need it to be ready to fire and it is not. just sayin....

I like these two features on the XD, at a touch I know i am chambered and cocked.