Okay, I think it is time for me to be honest about how I feel about this pistol now. I am pretty much ready to move on. I am eyeballing another gun already, and I am not really having that fun of a time with this pistol. I am well past 3000 rounds with this pistol and it is running like a top now with just my reloads to satisfy it's needs. However, there are a few things that are really bothering me about this pistol. Perhaps it is just the reviewer in me that likes to run a gun with a few thousand rounds and then move on, but I mostly am finding that it is just how the pistol is in general that is rubbing me the wrong way.
TRIGGER FINGER PUNISHMENT
It is no secret that I train with my guns alot. I dry fire with snap caps and go out to the range often. However, with this pistol, I am finding that my trigger finger is taking quite an unprecedented amount of punishment from shooting even factory ammo. The safety lever on the trigger of the Glock makes firm contact with my finger and rubs the hell out of it during cycling. It started as a blister but formed into a callus after a little rest for the blister to heal. Even though my finger is callused over, I still experience a bit of discomfort when firing. This is not to incite people to call me a whimp, but rather to make the point that when you have a trigger design that is not smooth, you can end up causing discomfort if you shoot enough. I had this same problem with other pistols as well, but I think if you are shooting a light caliber like SAAMI spec 9mm, this problem will go virtually unnoticed. This is simply a problem I have had with Glock triggers in the higher calibers.
FELT RECOIL
I can't say that this pistol is the snappiest pistol I have ever handled, but I can comfortably say that the recoil on it leaves much to be desired. The light flexible frame seems to transmit every little vibration straight into your hand, not unlike my Beretta 96A1. The Glock 23 was not specifically designed AROUND the .40 S&W but the Gen 4 does seem to have a good recoil spring system that helps with longevity and felt recoil compared to the older models. I am not saying that the felt recoil is too much for me to handle, but being that I have used most of the popular .40 caliber pistols on the market, I can comfortably say that Glock is not gonna win popularity contests when you pass the 200 round mark in fast paced shooting.
GRIP ANGLE
It is no secret that the Glock is generally disliked for it's ergonomics despite the fact that there was alot of research done by the designer. The size of the Gen4 is not what I dislike, but rather the grip angle itself. As with many other people, gripping the Glock naturally causes the muzzle to be slightly lifted. This means I have to consciously bend my wrist down at the perfect point every time. I can only think of a few pistols that have actually caused me to need to do this kind of dramatic tweaking of my grip, and none of them were worth keeping around. I simply have not found it to be ergonomic and natural in my hands.
CONCLUSION
Overall, I can say that i am able to perform pretty well with this pistol, but it is a fight. The grip angle is unnatural, the trigger design is painful, and you can feel the frame getting smacked by the slide. I am not trying to find a reason to hate on this pistol, but i just am having a hard time genuinely enjoying reviewing this gun when every range session and practice session is a fight to make something unnatural feel right. I don't know how many rounds I am going to force on this pistol, but I am starting to feel that it would be wise for me to move on to another gun for testing and carry. The Glock 23 is optimal in size for all year carry, but who knows if the burden is actually worth it.
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