Glock 23 or 17?

[kinggreene]

Ok so here is my predicament, i will be able to afford one gun next month, it will be my first pistol as " I don't come from round here" as the saying goes! i would really like to get the glock 23 in drab olive, i have read lots of info for the last couple of months but all my friends keep saying that i should get a glock 17 or something else in 9mm. They say the price of ammo is too expensive to shoot .40 calbre. I kinda want to go my own way but as i am a newbie i thought i would ask here for thoughts for a beginer.
colin.

[sharontony]

Shoot one of each (borrower, or rent at a gun range) to see which you like. I recommend 9mm. 9mm ammo is cheaper (though a bit hard to find now due to war demand), lighter recoil I believe, and potent with the right ammo. My first gun was a G17 and I never looked back....

[Kb! Bob]

Shoot both to see what you like, but I strooooongly reccommend the 17. Ammo is cheaper, gun is nicer to shoot, Glocks are best in 9mm. Regardless of your thoughts on 9mm vs .40, quality HP ammo will do its job if you do yours. Want the real secret?? Get the 19 instead of the 17. Its IMHO the single finest combat handgun ever, plus its the EXACT same size as the 23, so if you get the 23 down the line all of your holsters will fit!!

[LittleRedToyota]

all imho, of course...

9mm v. .40s&w in general:

1. when speaking of modern handguns firing modern ammo, there really isn't any difference in the effectiveness (or, really, ineffectiveness) of the common handgun service calibers (which includes both 9mm and .40s&w) at stopping bad guys. so, no advantage to either in that regard...even though it is a popular myth is that .40 has more "stopping power" than 9mm.

2. shot placement and the ability to deliver quick, accurate follow-up shots under stress is what matters. the ability to deliver quick, accurate follow-up shots under stress is developed through a lot of practice...which means buying a lot of ammo...which brings us to point number 3...

3. 9mm ammo is cheaper...which means you can afford to practice more.

(some people also find the recoil of 9mm easier to handle--i.e., easier to get the gun back on target quickly--but not everyone.)

glock 17 v. glock 23 in particular

1. the glock 17 really is the most reliable semi-auto handgun ever made (and rivals even the most reliable revolvers). people talk about the reliability of glocks in general, but that reputation ultimately is based primarily on the proliferation and performance of glock 17s. when you do hear stories of glocks failing, it very, very rarely involves a glock 17. the glock 17 was the original design--and it was designed for 9mm. every other glock is a compromise of that design.

2. there have been some issues reported with the reliability of glock 22/23s when they have lights attached to them.

3. the glock 17 is a full sized gun while the 23 is a compact. i prefer full sized since i do not have any trouble concealing a full-sized gun. (really, the G17 should be compared to the G22 and the G19 should be compared to the G23)

personally, i would go with the glock 17 without any hesitation. though, if you want a compact, rather than full sized gun, i would recommend the glock 19.

again, just my 2 cents.

[jcabin]

Neither round is better than the other, I don't give a fuck what anyone says. If you don't have good shot placement, it really doesn't make a difference what caliber you have.

I was originally going to buy a .45acp for my first gun, but at the time was a full time college student and there was no way I could afford to spend $35-45 for 100 rounds of target ammo. So I went with 9mm, you could then, and still can, get 100 rounds for between $17-21.

If you only plan on shooting your gun once in a blue moon, I guess the price of ammo really doesn't matter. If you want to actually learn how to use your gun, and shoot a few times a month, you need to see what will fit into your budget.

Ammo issues now being covered, you need to see what fits best in your hand, and then if you can, see what shoots best for you.

[kinggreene]

Thanks all for the advice, seems maybe i will lean towards the G19, now to find it in drab olive lol.

colin

[IronButt]

Something nobody mentioned is that whether you get a 9mm or a .40, you'll probably end up adding the other soon after.

You could save yourself a few bucks down the road by getting the G23 & adding a 9mm conversion barrel for $100. I got a Lone Wolf conversion barrel for my G23 & it's shot a wide variety of my reloads & factory rounds without a hiccup. It may even be a bit more accurate than the factory barrel, but it's kinda' hard to tell because I'm such a bad shot.

[biggs88]

Both are great. But I would go for the 19 if your going with 9mm.

I have the 23 and I really like it. .40 is not that much more and it's more common around here(ne philly) right now. . .


If ur ever around philly pm me. I'd meet up with ya so you could try the 23.

[joecon]

I have the glock 17 and love it--my son has the glock21SF and loves it. BUT the ammo is cheaper for the 17. Also, I have never fired the glock 19, but everyone always mentions the size difference between the 17 and the 19. But when I check the specs for each there doesn't seem to be a big difference in size or weight. Feel free to chime in!

[625]

I'm gonna go with the consensus here and suggest the 17 (or 19) as well. To me, the 23 is not a fun gun to shoot. The 19 and 17 are, and so is the big 21. The 23 has some weird sproingy feeling when I shoot it. The one I shot was very accurate, and had no malfunctions, but it didn't seem to handle the .40 s&w as well as my Sig P239. YMMV.