I have lost count of the amount of time I have spent trying to get the Glock 23 Gen4 to be an integral part of my carry system. It is about time to discontinue my time in Special Glockerations. In this article, I am going to discuss my closing thoughts on the Glock 23 Gen4. Many Glock fans will disagree with my perception, but that will not dissuade me from recording my thoughts and experiences. With that said, let’s get to the meat of this article. HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS It is no secret that the Glock Gen4 is one of my favorites in terms of ergonomics and general feel. The grip is grippy without being harsh, and I highly respect the simplicity of the design, including the lack of frills. I do not mind the finger grooves since my hand works perfectly with them, and the length of the grip is absolutely perfect for a full hand grip, but with minimal excess height, except for a belligerently exposed magazine. The controls are relatively easy to learn and manipulate, making this an easy platform to master in terms of the manual of arms. Despite its weaknesses in certain stock components, it is a very functional layout for the recreational and professional shooter. RECOIL/FELT RECOIL Most people that can rub two brain cells together enough to think and research for themselves understand that the Gen4 is basically the first real attempt by Glock to fix their design to withstand the pressures of the .40 caliber. Much like the Beretta 96, the felt recoil illustrates just how unfit the platform is to handle the chambered loading. The more I shot this pistol, the more I could feel the frame taking a beating from a cartridge it is still unfit to withstand long term. I would not say that the recoil is violent, but you can feel the frame taking a hard hit from the slide, despite the efforts of the recoil spring to moderate the rearward velocity. It did not affect my shooting, but it is definitely a notable difference from other pistols sufficiently built to function long term with this chambering. This feeling is isolated to feeling alone, because the muzzle does not really flip much when you use a proper grip. So that is good for those that don’t care about feelings. DURABILITY/RELIABILITY Despite Glock fixing the recoil spring and locking block, they totally failed to fix the issue of the weak slide, breech face, and slide rails. There are plenty of tests that were CREDIBLY carried out on these pistols and found these specific areas still struggle in the durability category, even in the 9mm long term. Chuck Taylor distorted the truth about his Glock test by claiming HE never replaced parts on the gun for 100k, but later the truth came out that Glock armorers did routine checks to make sure their marketing test was successful. This is called lying to you through political technicality. The recoil spring in the .40 will need to be replaced at least every 5,000 rounds, and the magazines are still not fit to support the 180gr loads, at least in the FMJ category, after a few thousand rounds and some time left loaded. You will not get a lot of service life out of these magazines in my experience, so keep spare springs on hand. However, the mags have always worked reliably with 165gr, which seems to be the optimal load for .40 caliber terminally out of a 4” barrel. BUT THE MILITARY AND POLICE… I know that many people are going to say that if the militaries and police agencies use these guns, it must be the best. However, bean counters rule this decision, and Glock is a master of mass-manufacturing, putting everyone else to shame. Realistically, they don’t have to make the most durable components or guns if they can be replaced easily and for less money. I personally don’t care to have to replace parts constantly just to keep a gun running. If you don’t care about having to do this, then fine. WRAP UP This is just my evaluation and opinion on the matter based on my experience. For myself, having a Glock is much like dating a high-maintenance and co-dependent woman. I can do better, and I would rather spend my time with a pistol that is built for functioning long-term with the caliber it is chambered in. I would rather spend time with a pistol like the M&P40 2.0 Compact. This pistol is basically a Glock 23 properly made by Smith and Wesson.
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