Are Glocks really that difficult?

[sigsauerfan]

glocks are '' work guns''' ,their stock trigger is a testament to this fact. for target and match shooting,they need a trigger or at least a sring kit and the 25c trigger job as starting point. assuming your trigger technique isn't bad ,a good glock trigger can lead you quite far. the old saying about ''' if you shoot good with a glock you'll be better out of the box with any other plateforms'''' isn't true anymore seeing the outstanding number of aftermarket parts-triggers-springs and performance parts available for this plateform.

the best trigger i found for me is currently in my G35 ,consisting in a rockyourglock fantom adjustable trigger in combo with a ZEV comp spring kit and a V4 connector + some polishing here and there on the cruciform ,pin safety, striker tower etcetcetc .....after lots of work and research ,it's now on par in smoothness and trigger break weight with any 1911. on the other hand,the glock recoil is nasty when compared with more heavier steel guns and 1911's. that is where the game really is for me ; recoil control . which can harm trigger control.

[Bart Solo]

I shot my new Glock 35 at a practice match on Tuesday. Things didn't go well. Lots and lots of alpha charlies with a noshoot and a mike mixed in. I am not really discouraged yet and figure that with a lot of dry fire practice and new sights I should be able to improve significantly. The trigger pull is still something of a mystery, but for me the real problem was finding the front sight after the first shot on a target. I ordered some Dawson sights (a Dawson Adjustable Rear and a .100 wide and .300 tall Optical Front.) I am hoping the new sights help me pick up the front sight more quickly.

Unlike some, I am pretty much convinced that learning multiple platforms is a good thing for any shooter. The beauty of shooting is being challenged by something new and difficult.

[MetropolisLake]

I've been using XDms for steel for a year now and decided to try out Glocks.

So I got me a Glock 34 with a 3.5# trigger just to have a consistent trigger pull like my Spartan 1911 and XDm 5.25 but for the love of god, I cannot hit a thing.

I've been shooting/practicing with my G34 once a week for 2 months now and still have not seen progress.

Is it just me or is there a certain hold for Glocks?

I dont want to sell my other guns just to be Glock exclusive.

Want to hear something stupid? Watch the video below. I still suck but I felt the exact same way about my Glock 35, but then I embraced a different grip, based on the contents here. HUGE difference. I now want to throw my FNX-40 in the trash as I am much better with the glock.

[Cliveb]

I shot my new Glock 35 at a practice match on Tuesday. Things didn't go well. Lots and lots of alpha charlies with a noshoot and a mike mixed in. I am not really discouraged yet and figure that with a lot of dry fire practice and new sights I should be able to improve significantly. The trigger pull is still something of a mystery, but for me the real problem was finding the front sight after the first shot on a target. I ordered some Dawson sights (a Dawson Adjustable Rear and a .100 wide and .300 tall Optical Front.) I am hoping the new sights help me pick up the front sight more quickly.

Unlike some, I am pretty much convinced that learning multiple platforms is a good thing for any shooter. The beauty of shooting is being challenged by something new and difficult.

I'm willing to bet that you'll see a huge difference with the new sights - I held off changing mine for a couple of years, but then tried a mate's Glock which had Warren Tacticals with and FO front and was smitten - split times drop considerably because your eyes lock on to the front FO so much more quickly.

[Bart Solo]

I spent some time shooting three different handguns this weekend. First, I shot my single action revolvers in a cowboy match, then I shot my 1911 recently worked over by the Springfield Custom Shop. Finally, I fired a few rounds down range out of my Glock 35. Of course, my Rugers and 1911 are single action to start with and have had serious action jobs. Pulling the trigger on any of them is a joy, and you can get away with being be a little sloppy when you are playing with a trigger tuned for an action game.

The Glock is a totally different story. If I focus on trigger pull, the gun is as accurate as anything I own, but if I don't pull straight back the barrel moves sideways a little at the instant the gun goes off. The movement at USPSA distances can make the difference between an alpha or a charlie or delta. There is little room for error.

Some people might say, ditch the Glock and go with something else. I might change out the trigger, but until I do I think I am just going to work on my trigger pull. In the process I just might become a better pistol shooter.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Bart Solo

[Givo08]

I spent some time shooting three different handguns this weekend. First, I shot my single action revolvers in a cowboy match, then I shot my 1911 recently worked over by the Springfield Custom Shop. Finally, I fired a few rounds down range out of my Glock 35. Of course, my Rugers and 1911 are single action to start with and have had serious action jobs. Pulling the trigger on any of them is a joy, and you can get away with being be a little sloppy when you are playing with a trigger tuned for an action game.

The Glock is a totally different story. If I focus on trigger pull, the gun is as accurate as anything I own, but if I don't pull straight back the barrel moves sideways a little at the instant the gun goes off. The movement at USPSA distances can make the difference between an alpha or a charlie or delta. There is little room for error.

Some people might say, ditch the Glock and go with something else. I might change out the trigger, but until I do I think I am just going to work on my trigger pull. In the process I just might become a better pistol shooter.

Glock triggers tend to highlight poor trigger control more than a lot of other trigger designs that I've seen. Once you master it though, it really won't hold you back on points or accuracy. I've seen a lot of people give up on it though before really spending the time needed to master it.

[MetropolisLake]

The Glock is a totally different story. If I focus on trigger pull, the gun is as accurate as anything I own, but if I don't pull straight back the barrel moves sideways a little at the instant the gun goes off. The movement at USPSA distances can make the difference between an alpha or a charlie or delta. There is little room for error.

That's why you get an aftermarket trigger with the overtravel removed, and/or use the tip of your trigger finger and not the base of the pad.

[MetropolisLake]

Some people might say, ditch the Glock and go with something else. I might change out the trigger, but until I do I think I am just going to work on my trigger pull. In the process I just might become a better pistol shooter.

I didn't see this... if you use your finger tip, all lateral movement goes away. Using the base of your pad as leverage while curving your finger in will jack it to the side every time, unless you stiffen your joints and pull straight back like your finger is a lever.

However, you may be killing it when getting excited too. To be honest my Glock trigger pull sucks but if I actually aim I can hit any USPSA target I want. Meaning, I usually do the same thing you do, but it's not nearly enough to get really poor hits with. I'm not sure how it would unless you're killing the trigger.

Edited February 3, 2014 by MetropolisLakeOutfitters

[Bart Solo]

I shot the gun over the weekend with my new Dawson adjustable rear and fiber optic front sights. The improvement was immediate. The first 11 shots were in the bull at 10 yards. No need to even make an adjustment. It was amazing. (I kept the target.) Maybe I am getting used to the trigger, but I just focused on the front sight and following through. I was able to do pretty well at speed at least out to 25 yards (the distance of the indoor range.) I am not going to worry about hitting the target at USPSA ranges. I am just going to focus on the front sight and watching the barrel start to rise.

Edited February 3, 2014 by Bart Solo

[carlosa]

Sounds to me like your timing is off..

What caliber are your xd and 1911?

My Xdm, STI Trojan and Spartan are all 9mm all with 3.5# trigger jobs.

You mean timing with the trigger reset?

not with reset no... sometimes trigger can all gauge the same weight but have totally different feels.... so when trying to uperate the trigger you might actually start fighting recoil right before the shot fully breaks but well into your trigger pull...

sometimes it can happen so close the point of ignition to you don't visual perceive it...

[troupe]

Glock triggers take more concentration than many other designs. I have carried Glocks for work for 20 years and during qualification, I still have to seriously pay attention to trigger control. People say that they can get very close to a 1911 trigger on a Glock, I have never felt one yet.

[Bart Solo]

After a couple of weeks in the deep freeze I was able to shoot a practice match last night. The new sights are a giant improvement. I dropped a few points to charlie and had two deltas on the night but overall my point total was back toward the top of the table. No misses or no shoots. My stage times improved. I am now within hailing distance of the average shooters in my club. I am picking up the front sight much faster with my new sights and am gaining confidence in shot placement. My Glock shoots as straight as my 1911 which has a similar sight system. In short I am getting used to the Glock.

At this point I have to say my Gen 4 Glock 35 is much easier to shoot than I thought it would be. The only aspect of the Glock that makes shooting it difficult is the sight system. No wonder a lot of people pull the stock sights off as soon as they first open the Glock box. The trigger is different from the 1911 but after a lot of dry fire drills it is usable. I don't see any need to spend a bunch of money swapping out trigger parts just yet.

Edited February 12, 2014 by Bart Solo

[eric nielsen]

If your shots hit target when you're benched but not when you're offhand/freestyle: the problem is with your trigger press. You'll have to own up to that to get through your hump IMO.

Yep!

If you take rooster's advice, you are really doing yourself a dis-service as you will be on for just one distance and trigger speed. The trigger has to be pressed straight back and with the Glock, unless you have almost perfect technique, you will get what you have found. When that trigger finger is applying a force vector that is other than straight into the center of the trigger at the point of firing, you will have disrupted the sights. The gun IS hitting where you are aiming at the point of firing, just not where you were pointing it for much of the trigger take-up.

What Mark said, perfect.

The way I see the ideal trigger is squared up in these aspects:

--travels straight to the rear and therefore moves in the same line as your sight-line to the target

--breaks straight to the rear (no side-side wobble either)

--trigger face is flat & square to its travel from top to bottom

--trigger face is flat & square to its travel from side to side

Sounds like a 1911 with a flat trigger, yes?

Some designs, like a Tanfo SA-only gun with a flat trigger, introduce 1 minor handicap - a curved travel front-rear

Some designs, like the XDm, have a 2nd handicap - trigger face curved top-bottom

But at least those 2 triggers travel consistently w/no wobble; they feel solid under your fingertip for the prep & for the break

The Glock design adds 3 more challenges:

--face of trigger rounded side-side

--safety trigger puts all the pressure into one tiny line of applied force (which you must pivot around in 3 dimensions of travel)

--the whole process wobbles; you can easily pull a Glock trigger to one side or another by a millimeter or more

Some people manage to master this shooting problem but after a few years of trying with a 28-oz trigger I just said heck with that.

Edited February 13, 2014 by eric nielsen

[ericjhuber]

I think it can take awhile to get used to striker-fired pistols in general. My previous shooting experience with with my Beretta 92FS as a police officer and a just a little bit of Glock at the end of my law enforcement run since I was working for a department at the time that required Glock pistols. I shot thousands and thousands of rounds with the 92FS. Not so much the Glock...

I went Glock for USPSA Production when I started USPSA last year and it took me about a year of learning, practice and experimenting with the Glock to get to the point where I'm finally comfortable with the platform. My breakthrough moment was at the recent Florida State USPSA Championship at Frostproof where I was able to successfully get through the match with very few Mikes or No Shoots using my Glock 34 Gen 4. The moment of truth was the stage that had four small plates at 35 yards. I watched lots of people on my squad struggle with them, but I ended up having no problems with it. So my initial struggle with my Glock was all shooter as I suspected.

So I'll never think badly of someone who can't get on with a particular pistol because I'm really learning more about the differences in the various platforms. It really seems to be a function of your preferences and what you are used to dealing with in the end.