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Glock 17 the best home defense handgun?

My rules for defensive handguns are as follows:
1. It must be reliable and safe
2. It must be centerfire of sufficient power to stop an attacker
3. It must fit the shooter's hand (ergonomics)
4. The shooter must be able to operate the action and manipulate the controls
5. The shooter must be able to quickly acquire and hit the target with it

Please note that "cheap" is not on the list

One size does not fit all. Some folks love Glocks and some, like me, do not because of the ergonomics. But they are dead nuts reliable. The "best" depends on what works for the shooter in defensive shooting scenarios. I have my opinions like everyone else, and naming the "best" usually ignites a "Chevy vs. Ford" argument. I have had good results with new shooters with certain post Glock modern pistols.

All that said, when I am asked by novices about a gun for home defense, I will most often recommend a pump shotgun
 
HayesGreener said:
But they are dead nuts reliable.
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That would imply that other guns are not reliable somehow.
I have run 300-400 rounds trough my Hellcat and 200 trough my Sig P365XL and I didn't have a malfunction due to the gun. Zero. Yes I hit the magazine eject button by mistake on the Hellcat (grip small for my hand, added a sleeve) and I kept resting my thumb on the slide locking lever on Sig (so slide wan't locked after last round). Oh, well, that's why I practice.
I shoot them with one hand, strong and weak hand.

My personal impressions of why I didn't bought a Glock:
I could not acquire naturally targets with a Glock, kept pointing up first and had to adjust. Grip is cheap and slippery. Bad sights. No trigger under cut for support hand. Take-down button is a joke. Lastly, that blocky rail seemed to be harder to conceal and harder to draw.

Also... I think that Glocks are not infallible, just have a lot of fanaticism... owners bought them because they were cheap and then try to cover that mentally and pretend they bought them because they are "infallible".
Like a guy that bought an old Honda Civic because it was cheap and after that claim he bought it because that's a race car. Adds lowered suspension and raked wheels, loud "turbo" exhaust pipe, intake stickers on the hood, a subwoofer to rattle doors.
Kind of what happens with the Glock mods out there - market is full of them (50% or more of mods are for Glocks) for a reason. People don't like how they are, and the latent buyer remorse is manifested by mods.

YT if full of Glocks stovepiping and instructions "how to fix stovepiping" or "ejection fix". Just search...
 
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HayesGreener said:
My rules for defensive handguns are as follows:
1. It must be reliable and safe
2. It must be centerfire of sufficient power to stop an attacker
3. It must fit the shooter's hand (ergonomics)
4. The shooter must be able to operate the action and manipulate the controls
5. The shooter must be able to quickly acquire and hit the target with it

Please note that "cheap" is not on the list

One size does not fit all. Some folks love Glocks and some, like me, do not because of the ergonomics. But they are dead nuts reliable. The "best" depends on what works for the shooter in defensive shooting scenarios. I have my opinions like everyone else, and naming the "best" usually ignites a "Chevy vs. Ford" argument. I have had good results with new shooters with certain post Glock modern pistols.

All that said, when I am asked by novices about a gun for home defense, I will most often recommend a pump shotgun
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Agreed on all accounts. I don't love Glocks. I never held one that felt right in my hands. There's no getting around the " Dead nuts reliable" factor though and when people who have no experience with handguns ask me which handgun they should buy I usually tell them to look at Glocks first. Particularly females. Of course this advice also comes with a bunch of other advice regarding taking some courses on handgun safety and marksmanship.

Likewise your advice on HD. I have a lot of very good options for a primary HD weapon. The two within reach of my bed are an HK VP9 with TruGlo Pros and a nearly 40 year old Mossberg 500, these days they call it the " Cruiser" model.
20" barrel, 7+1. It came new with a pistol grip, but these days it sports a telescoping AR style stock and a Mossberg OEM foregrip.
 
Training and muscle memory. Stronger grips. They are issued for free to them. They get used in military to them and then continue to use them in civil life. Nothing unexpected there.

Usual owner cannot afford that much training. Females especially will limp wrist more.
I spent $400 in ammo last month (or more, I am scared to add up). My buddy bought a Glock two years ago, because "it's the best" and never shoot it.
 
I saw many more videos of females having issues with Glock ejecting, but I don't feel like researching again. Common to that trend - smaller hands, less power to grip, less power to resist the recoil.
I wanted my wife to be able to shoot our gun, if I am not at home, without issues like that.

But again, that just me and my personal reasoning. Not saying I made a better choice than anyone.
 
Most of the malfunctions I see in my courses is due to bad (underpowered) ammo, poor gun maintenance, and shooter error. There is one make of gun that has malfunctioned on my range more than all the others combined to an extent that I won't allow them on my range any more.

And of course, everyone agrees that Fords are far superior to Chevrolets. 😁
 
SoNic said:
Training and muscle memory. Stronger grips. They are issued for free to them. They get used in military to them and then continue to use them in civil life. Nothing unexpected there.

Usual owner cannot afford that much training. Females especially will limp wrist more.
I spent $400 in ammo last month (or more, I am scared to add up). My buddy bought a Glock two years ago, because "it's the best" and never shoot it.
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First off...women usually have issues because their tough-guy macho boyfriends/husbands never bothered to teach them proper technique (likely because they didn’t know it themselves)...they just laughed and said “that’s too much gun...here, have a .380” like a typical testosterone-addled dimwit. Seen it countless times...but show her the proper grip & technique(and a few other pointers), she’ll run that Glock better than the guy will in under 30 minutes, I’ll put money on it.

Second—when the SEALs switched to the G19 from the Mk25 (Sig P226R) 5-6 years ago, that was with a LOT of input from the Teams; it wasn’t a top-down decision. Most of the members at DEVGRU (aka Team 6) had been running Glocks over Sigs for years, having a bit more leeway in what they use; the other Teams took note. When it came time to look for new sidearms, the G19 was by far and away the Teams top choice by a landslide. It was lighter, same capacity, just as reliable, more compact, just as accurate...there was no downside.
 
HayesGreener said:
Most of the malfunctions I see in my courses is due to bad (underpowered) ammo, poor gun maintenance, and shooter error. There is one make of gun that has malfunctioned on my range more than all the others combined to an extent that I won't allow them on my range any more.

And of course, everyone agrees that Fords are far superior to Chevrolets. 😁
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I bet I can guess the make of gun not allowed on your range in 2 guesses. It's either Hi-Point or Taurus.
 
As to women's preferences, I wish more women would post here with their own direct observations and opinions. That said, my wife is not a big Glock fan. She has tried many brands and configurations and calibers. Her daily carry is a Boberg 9mm (now the gun is a Bond Arms Bullpup). She tried an XDs in both .45ACP and 9mm as well as several compact 1911 style 9mms. She really loved the 1911s but found them too heavy for daily carry. She does like the Hellcat but always goes back to the Boberg.

The slide is easier to rack (once proper racking for the gun is learned), the perceived recoil is less, and weak wrist issues are non existence. The gun is also easier to conceal.

Her bedside shotguns are semi auto because she cannot seem to train around short stroking under stress. Her shotguns are the same as mine: 12 gauge Remington 1100 and Remington Tac 13 for close quarters.
 
Wow, yea, I love Glocks, own my share, I don’t really like the grip of the G17 myself, I love the G19, they are very reliable in my opinion, not a so-called fanboy myself, not sure of that meaning, just the facts, when I worked at my sheriff dept, most deputies used Glocks. There like most guns, you either like them or not, personally I don't care for the S&W M&P’s, but I wouldn’t talk down someone just because they like the said weapon. I know lots of guys who hate the 1911, l happen to love the 1911 also. Good post BangBang, thanks for sharing.
 
Annihilator said:
Wow, yea, I love Glocks, own my share, I don’t really like the grip of the G17 myself, I love the G19, they are very reliable in my opinion, not a so-called fanboy myself, not sure of that meaning, just the facts, when I worked at my sheriff dept, most deputies used Glocks. There like most guns, you either like them or not, personally I don't care for the S&W M&P’s, but I wouldn’t talk down someone just because they like the said weapon. I know lots of guys who hate the 1911, l happen to love the 1911 also. Good post BangBang, thanks for sharing.
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Urban Dictionary definition

A fan boy:

An extreme fan or follower of a particular medium or concept, whether it be sports, television, film directors, video games (the most common usage), etc.

Known for a complete lack of objectivity in relation to their preferred focus. Usually argue with circular logic that they refuse to acknowledge. Arguments or debates with such are usually futile. Every flaw is spun into semi-virtues and everything else, blown to comedic, complimentary proportions.

Known for using the phrase
"Object of affection = Best Ever"
However, while people only really say that as hyperbole, fanboys truly believe it.

I was critical of the article because it gave little information or facts that supported the premise. I have owned a number of Glocks over the years and like them as open carry duty belt guns. They are just too thick for concealed carry and I tried to carry a Glock 36 when they first hit the market. As soon as the SA XDs came along the Glock was gone. I still own and really like my first generation Glock 30 and now that I have replaced the sights it would be my carry gun if it were not too thick to conceal well in the summer.
 
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