Glock 47 Review & Return to USPSA

[OperationHitFactor]

Hello Enos Forum,

 

Skip ahead a few paragraphs to get to the review or skip this in general. TLDR - Glock 47 is okay, it's a Glock 17 Gen 5 MOS. Nothing special. Everything else below is just me getting back to Enos Forum and USPSA with a bunch of rambling.  

 

Backstory and Plans - After a long extended break I am about to return to USPSA, wish me luck. A brief skim of the rules it would appear my equipment fits nicely into Carry Optics Division. Maybe that will change in the future but for now that's the plan. I shot USPSA over 10 years ago in my late 20s at the time I was a Criminal Justice Training Coordinator in Florida. Basically I filed paperwork and scheduled courses for active LEOs aka desk duty admin guy & one of the finest LEO paperwork dudes in Florida. In the process, made friends with my range coordinator, then met a lot of active Patrol, SWAT and GWOT vets. Had so much fun training with those guys and learned an absolute ton through knowledge transfer. 

 

In the midst of all that I kind of got away from USPSA. I tried Open, Limited and Production, went through the buy skill and gear acquisition syndrome phase, the gunsmith phase. As we all know or will learn, nothing substitutes training. You have to get those reps in and until you accept, everything else is just a distraction. Ultimately life happens so I spent more time with my hero friends who were busy trying flashlights and slide ride dots on guns it was a whole equipment failure extravaganza only I did it for fun and their lives depended on it. Basically all that Magpul Art of Pistol and Rifle stuff was super popular at the time and there was a ton of new toys to test. 

 

Eventually, I left the LEO world and found myself in banking and finance but still trained regularly with friends. Earlier this year I got a membership at Volusia County Gun Club near New Smyrna Beach since I don't have the FDLE and County Range access anymore. I walked by the local USPSA match watched a few rounds and was like oh I miss this. So here we are getting my gear sorted, still need to renew my USPSA and Practiscore Memberships so I can turn up at a local match. Also I needed to post on Enos Forum because the people I met here and at matches rocked. So hello old friends and new friends. 

 

The Road to a Glock 47  -  Over the years I settled on, then trained with a Gen 3 Glock 17 which eventually led to milling for an RMR. Probably 50K+ rounds on that platform, but I occasionally tried the Sigs, FNs, Walther, M&Ps insert new polymer 9mm here. I guess I've just got so comfortable with the 17 platform that I kind of just accepted that I am a Glock 17 guy for better or worse. I have also tried every Glock trigger imaginable but I like a stock trigger. Seems like most aftermarket triggers give up the reset and I personally like a firm, positive reset. I don't really care about a super light trigger and as for the break, eventually with enough reps you get used to it. 

 

Earlier this year, I upgraded to the Gen 5 17 then added a Zev Duty Slide with RMR so I could switch between Optic and Irons. Yes, skipped the Gen 4 completely. I like to have a back up gun set up exactly the same so when my main gets crazy hot from drills or I am taking a training course and a part fails I have one on standby. My range bag consist of 2 similar Glocks, like 12 mags, some Glock specific tools, and a handful of replacement parts and springs. At any rate, my back up Glock 17 Gen 3 was a baby rattle, it served me well through 2 barrels and countless parts and springs but it was done. So I decided I'll just grab a Glock 17 Gen 5 MOS to go with my Zev17Gen5Glockything, went to my local gun shop guy he was like, "I just got this thing in it is a Glock 47". I asked, "what it was and if it was good?" To which he replied, "it's stupid but you'll probably like it and it appears the Glock 17 Gen 5 MOS is gone for the foreseeable future." We took it apart and it appeared to be a Glock 17 with a reduced dust cover and a 19 recoil spring. At any rate, I was said, "it'll work" so I bought it.

 

Glock 47 Review - It is a game changer the best gun I have ever owned. I am kidding, it's a Glock full size in 9mm and I can't tell a discernable difference from my 17. I realize there is this whole new modularity thing in the gun world and I guess this was scientifically designed for a Border Patrol Contract for swapping parts. Bottom line it is just like a 17, YMMV but for me it feels the same, with drills time is the same. It was a okay fine this will work for me purchase. So the 47 and Gen 5 17 with a ZEV Duty Slide with matching RMRs paired along with SurefireX300 are my set ups.

 

Final thoughts and opinion, I think Glock the 47 is fine and works as a substitute for a 17 Gen 5 MOS. Maybe one day I will buy one of those fancy gucci glocks, built for the most discernable and distinguished Glock Aficionados. For now I am not going to dwell on equipment and I hope I learned my lesson about the gear race. It works, now I need to do my part and train for some USPSA matches and have some fun.    

 

If you made it this far I am sorry... and thanks... Hope to see some of you this fall at some local Central Florida matches and here on Enos Forum.

 

Peace, 

 

Mike

 

 

[45 Raven]

Mike:  Very nice and interesting story.  Welcome back to competition.  Good looking equipment, too.  

 

You are going to be a great asset to the sport and your home club.  Best wishes for nothing but success.

 

 

[gigamortis]

I have a Gen 5 G17 and a Gen 4 G34.  I have found that the longer recoil spring assembly of the Gen 5 G17 makes for a flatter cycling gun than anything Gen 4 and earlier.  I even bought a G17 top end for my G34.4 frame and it isn't quite as good on tracking as the G17.5.  There is certainly something beneficial about the .240" longer recoil spring assembly of the full size Gen 5s.   I have owned and tried the G19.4 and the G45.5.  Their shorter G19 length recoil spring assemblies do not follow up on double taps nearly as consistent and effortlessly for me as the G17.5.  The G17.5 and 147gr loads with the stock recoil spring runs and tracks better than any spring or bullet weight combo I have tried with my G34.4 or G17.4.

 

I shoot a good bit of IDPA and USPSA and the improved performance of my G17.5 has relegated my G34.4 and G17.4 to being backup guns.

 

With all that said, I am suspicious of the G47's 17 length slide running on the shorter 19 based recoil assembly being any better of a performer than the G17.5.  In all fairness, I haven't had the opportunity to shoot a G47 yet, so any range reports are certainly welcome. 

Edited August 19, 2023 by gigamortis

[RedDotsOnly]

Great read, great story

[usmc1974]

And so, How many companies are making Glocks now? They can call it anything they want but it's a Glock.

[OperationHitFactor]

22 minutes ago, usmc1974 said:

And so, How many companies are making Glocks now? They can call it anything they want but it's a Glock.

 

Right! It's kind of gone the way of the ArmaLite Rifle 15 or Colt 1911. Some custom, some cheap, lots of components, lots of companies, lots of arguments on what is better and why, some legit, some snake oil. In the end, buy what you like and shoot. If it's anything like the AR-15 or 1911 now 2011...

 

We'll be debating for decades to come on what is junk standard, optimum, and premium

[floater]

Welcome back. I to have a weakness for a glock 17. I have also shot a 47, that said I'll keep my 17. The 47 was fine, and I felt with more than 3 mags I could be fine with it. For me I have put to many rounds thru and am too use to the feel of the trigger and recoil impulse of my 17, but could totally mve to the 47 with enough time on the platform. That said I get what the US boarder patrol was after with this contract. 

[dsmarty386]

i like the glock 47 with the glock 44 recoil spring installed. the are the same length and its a reduction in spring weight which improves the recoil impulse quite a bit

[OperationHitFactor]

Update: Now that I have spent some significant time with both over the last month. I can tell a difference between the 47 recoil impulse vs the 17. Not that one feels better, it is just different and clocks different with drills. Also having the RMR cut into the slide vs the MOS cut is also noticeable in back to back drills indexing. I consistently shoot the 47 better under time and I am not sure why. For some reason my hit factors are consistently better. Not by much, but numbers don't lie. I have absolutely no idea why either, maybe the recoil impulse of the 47 due to the shorter 19 recoil assembly paired with my grip just works for me better. I am truly puzzled, for no discernable reason I shoot one better over multiple weekends and practice sessions.  

 

Also, I actually found some Glock alternatives I really like. Shot the Canik Sfx Rival-S and the Springfield Echelon as well. I would need more time with them to really gauge and form opinions but I didn't hate them. I also finally tried the SRO and RMR HD. 

 

The Canik with the SRO was a dream to shoot. I might have to swap somethings around and pick one of these up. I cannot really see it replacing my Glocks, but for sure it is a fun range gun and maybe competition specific gun. I may grab one and run some drills over the months ahead. I would never consider this for a defense or duty gun but it is a lot of fun.  

 

The Springfield Echelon was solid, didn't hate it, not really anything I was super excited about or willing to change for. I did really like the RMR HD solid upgrade over the RMR if it proves to be as reliable. I will be curious to see what Springfield  does with the Echelon line in the future. For sure the Echelon is way better than the XD series. It is kind of like the Smith & Wesson M&P series for me, seems great but don't see the point in changing from a Glock. 

 

 

[floater]

On 9/18/2023 at 5:52 PM, OperationHitFactor said:

For sure the Echelon is way better than the XD series. It is kind of like the Smith & Wesson M&P series for me, seems great but don't see the point in changing from a Glock. 

I would 100% agree, it is the Glock/ M&P for the folks that don't like the other. I would add that it is also the P320 for those that don't like them either. I do think in the full size duty gun platform it dose offer some good stuff, is it better than a P320 or Glock, or smith and wesson, I don't know.