The Most Dangerous Gun: Glock

[LastChild]

There's some very good points on here.  I bought my first gun, a Glock 19 Gen 4 about a month ago.  I made the decision to purchase it base largely on this forum and doing other research online.  It came down to a choice between this Glock 19 and a Walther PK380.  I have yet to fire it because I'm waiting for the concealed weapons permit class.  But the gun itself seems almost idiot proof.  I watched youtube videos on how to load it, and I've even field stripped it and cleaned it based on videos and of course the manufactures instruction booklet.  It's so easy to take apart.  I never put my finger on the trigger, and I never point it at anything I don't want to destroy.  And I always check to make sure a round isn't in the chamber.  Correct me if I'm wrong but In Glaxico Burress's case, even if he had a loaded magazine in the gun, it shouldn't have been a problem as long as there wasn't a round in the chamber right?   I mean you should be able to pull the trigger all day as long as you haven't chambered a round, and nothing will happen, a drop, a snap with the booger picker, whatever right?  Call me an idiot and I see why people would want to keep a round chambered at all times, but I'm only going to do that if I'm in a threatening environment.  I always treat the gun as if a round were chambered and I never drink or do drugs around weapons.  So my question is: Is there a difference between a loaded Glock and a Glock with a chambered round.  It seems like common sense but I could be wrong.  Looking forward to my gun safety classes and going to the range, but I'm really happy with this gun and feel confident I could use it effectively in an emergency situation until then.  Now to find the best rounds, I'll do a search in the forum for that, I'm sure there are just as many good ideas.

[patrokov]

Plaxico's gun really is the most dangerous gun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpgL5kuBpMA&ob=av3e

Correct me if I'm wrong but In Glaxico Burress's case, even if he had a loaded magazine in the gun, it shouldn't have been a problem as long as there wasn't a round in the chamber right?   I mean you should be able to pull the trigger all day as long as you haven't chambered a round, and nothing will happen, a drop, a snap with the booger picker, whatever right?  Call me an idiot and I see why people would want to keep a round chambered at all times, but I'm only going to do that if I'm in a threatening environment.  I always treat the gun as if a round were chambered and I never drink or do drugs around weapons.  So my question is: Is there a difference between a loaded Glock and a Glock with a chambered round.  It seems like common sense but I could be wrong.  Looking forward to my gun safety classes and going to the range, but I'm really happy with this gun and feel confident I could use it effectively in an emergency situation until then.  Now to find the best rounds, I'll do a search in the forum for that, I'm sure there are just as many good ideas.

To answer your first question, yes.  Generally that's called condition 3, sometimes Israeli carry, and contrary to movies like Point of No Return, it's not a good way to carry your gun.  It's cool in movies because it's theatrical to see them rack the slide...over and over again. 

Your plan to only chamber a round when you're in a "dangerous" situation is...quite terrible.  "Excuse me mister intimidating gang of hoodlums; I'm going to pull my gun out, chamber a round, and then put it back in case I need it."  The safest way to carry is ready to shoot, in a holster that 1) covers the trigger guard, and 2) allows you get a good firing while still holstered.

I would highly recommend getting some tactical training above and beyond a basic gun safety or marksmanship class by a reputable trainer like Louis Awerbuck or Randy Cain.

As for the best round, any modern hollow point (as long as you don't live in a stupid state like New Jersey) should be fine as long as it works in your gun.

[billt]

If I ever walked into a gun shop or shooting range, and heard the person behind the counter say to someone that, "A Glock is the most dangerous gun in the world", I would turn around and walk right out. There would be no need to hear him say anything else after he had confirmed he was an idiot by making that statement.

[Warpalli]

Glocks are the MOST DANGEROUS GUN ON THE MARKET..... if you do not practice the fundamentals of firearm safety. My glock 23 was the first handgun i ever owned, and im glad about that because it Ingrained in me the fundamental "Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot.  Your finger is the safety, when the safety is in the "On" Position, your finger is away from the trigger,  you shut it "Off" when you put your finger on the trigger.  I feel my Glock made me a safer shooter because it completely cuts out ever using the phrase "Chill out it's on safety"  as it doesn't have one.  i can say my glock ran like clockwork, and it misfired once in around 3000 rounds that i put through it.... It misfired because of the round, the gun was fine.

[billt]

Glocks are the MOST DANGEROUS GUN ON THE MARKET..... if you do not practice the fundamentals of firearm safety.

ANY gun is dangerous under those circumstances.

[howardsheppard]

I carry a Glock 19 Gen 4 and trust my life with it.  No real need to re-state what has been said so eloquently here. 

There is clearly no such thing as "idiot proof."  We keep finding better idiots!   

Sounds like Mr Burress should invest some money in training...

[nelson96]

Glocks are the MOST DANGEROUS GUN ON THE MARKET..... if you do not practice the fundamentals of firearm safety.

ANY gun is dangerous under those circumstances.

  Nuff said . . .  Some people shouldn't own a gun period. . . .  I am now walking out of the room.

[FrugalFannie]

Burress shot himself almost 4 years ago - my son was 10. The first words out of my sons mouth when we heard this on the radio were:

"Doesn't he know to keep his finger off the trigger until he's ready to shoot and to always keep it pointed in a safe direction?" - My son had just learned the safety rules earlier that year and had just started shooting with me at the range. 

[nelson96]

Burress shot himself almost 4 years ago - my son was 10. The first words out of my sons mouth when we heard this on the radio were:

"Doesn't he know to keep his finger off the trigger until he's ready to shoot and to always keep it pointed in a safe direction?" - My son had just learned the safety rules earlier that year and had just started shooting with me at the range. 

+1 for having a smart kid.

[lowland farmer]

When I had a business, customers sometimes saw my 1911 carried cocked and locked and thought that was totally insane. I have never once had a gun go off except when I had my finger on the trigger, and I've been shooting 55 years and carrying for almost as long. 

[themonk]

A little late but may be helpful for beginners doing handgun shopping.

When I first thought about getting a handgun, everyone I talked to told me to get a GLOCK. I didn't listen and I bought an FN FNX pistol because I wanted (thought I needed) a physical safety and in my inexperience I thought that GLOCK didn't fit my hand.

Well the trigger on the FN was not the best, I never used the safety I thought I needed, and it was a double-action/single-action pistol that was hard to train to. It had a long trigger pull for the first shot (double-action) and then a nice short trigger pull on-wards (single-action). Don't get me wrong, it was a great gun and it did a good job of showing me the way. I later sold it and got my money out of it.

I’m a bit of a nut when it comes to firearms safety. And once the light bulb went off in my head that my two main safeties are my brain and my trigger finger, it seemed like the mechanics of pistol manual safeties just got in the way - just my opinion. This is what led me to GLOCK. The gentlemen that the OP is speaking of, in my humble opinion, does not understand the foundation of firearms safety or how to articulate it to his customers.

If you are looking to purchase a handgun, my recommendation would be to get input from others but at the end of the day a handgun needs to act as an extension of your body. You need to find a pistol that fits your hands and naturally points at the target. Shoot as many different models as you can and then decide on which is best for you. You will be far happier and a much better shot.

[Docwatmo]

themonk, That was kind of the same "Light bulb" thing that happened to me.  I was used to safeties and thought I needed one.  But once you spend a little time reading real world scenarios and how people react, even highly trained people can miss the safety during an adrenalin dump, I decided I no longer needed that little extra piece of interference.  I went with an XD instead of a glock, (Just fit my hand much better).  But I will no longer have a safety on my personal defensive sidearm. 

[wilsh]

I'm thrilled about my GLOCK 19. The only malfunction I experienced was a failure to feed, which was due to using some faulty re-loaded ammo my buddy gave me. They weren't sized correctly, and got jammed up in the magazine. Otherwise, it has always operated flawlessly. (If only I could say the same for myself!)

The moral of this story? Buy factory loaded ammo. Even the cheap stuff works. You just have to clean your gun more often, which is good to do anyway. Common sense.

I've also heard someone (maybe James Yeager) say the two most frequent reasons GLOCK pistols are sent back to the manufacturer are (1) excessive lubrication, and (2) insufficient lubrication. Use a good high temperature grease, and follow the instructions in the manual. Issue resolved!