Glock 21-C Compensated .45 ACP?

[Bill T]

I just bought one of these yesterday at Cabela's. I have a plain Model 21 .45 ACP with 22 extra 13 round magazines, and I've been curious about the compensated models for some time, and I thought it would be better for my wife because of reduced muzzle flip. Plus, we wanted another Glock, so we went ahead and made the purchase. It will be a couple of weeks before I'm able to toss anything downrange with it, and I was wondering if anyone else shoots a compensated Glock, and would like to hear your opinions. We both like the 21 because we both have large hands, especially me. My standard 21 has Trijicon night sights, the 21-C has the standard fixed white notch rear and front white dot. Both line up quick, and make target acquisition a snap, even in low light. Now all we need is a 30 to complete the set! Bill T.

[Micah]

I've shot a 17 and 19 C a few times and felt that the ports did a little bit to reduce felt recoil. The 40 cal variants provided a greater perceived reduction in recoil fwiw.

[MichiganShootist]

I don't own a 21 - C but a friend/neighbor does.... and I've shot it quite a bit. (side by side with the same ammo in my standard 21)

I don't feel that the comp. vents make much difference. (maybe 5% - 10%) If blind folded I couldn't tell the difference.

It's my opinion that the low operating pressure of standard .45 ACP (compared to .40 S & W... .38 Super...44 mag..etc.) really reduces the effectiveness (function) of the compensation system.

I have some Magna-Ported rifles... and the lower the pressure the rifle generates the less the porting seems to "help/work". Same concept!

P. S. I dumped my G-30 a long time ago.. it was hard enough to hide that I might as well have packed a G-21... and if you have big hands suited for the G - 21 then the short grip of the 30 is a PITA....... then I found the G-36... The Commander of Glocks.... Now that is a good carry gun... it's just too damn bad it holds so few rounds:(

Edited April 6, 2009 by MichiganShootist

[LPatterson]

Purchasing another Glock is never a bad idea especially without having to buy new magazines. I too have a 21C but I don't shoot it much any more. I found that the front sight gets very dirty fast from the comp ports. I am not sure how much reduction in muzzle flip there is because I have never tried it side by side with another G21. I do have a Magna-ported 4" 29 which has substantially less recoil. The 21C is now an Open gun with a 3 port comp and C-More.

[Braxton1]

My agency has used the G-22C since they came out.

The main downside to the C-models for me is the noise. They are SIGNIFICANTLY louder to my ears. When we're on the outdoor range, I don't have a problem if someone fires a G-22 near me if I don't have "ears" on. If it's a C-model, I don't like to be within 30 yards of them without protection.

Others don't like the fact that if you shoot it from a Retention Position close to the body, you may eat some of the high-speed particulates (unburned powder and flakes of metal) that exit through the vents. We worked around that by teaching a retention position that cants the gun to the outside at approximately a 45-degree angle.

You may also want to avoid plated bullets. I have seen a 21-C that would strip two chunks out of the bullet when it passed the ports. There were two lead streaks running down the rifling that began at the ports. The bullets would often keyhole, reducing accuracy. The same gun shot GREAT with "real" jacketed bullets.

[Duane Thomas]

Others don't like the fact that if you shoot it from a Retention Position close to the body, you may eat some of the high-speed particulates (unburned powder and flakes of metal) that exit through the vents.

I know two shooters who've nearly blinded themselves firing comped auto pistols from the retention position when the hot gasses and brass fragments flowed up and behind their shooting glasses, in one case blowing the shooter's protective eyewear off his face and across the range. Add to that the GREATLY increased muzzle blast (already mentioned). Also in my experience when firing a comped auto in low light they are much more injurious to night vision, i.e. you get a much bigger muzzle flash because instead of burning powder gases simply flowing out the front of the gun and away from you, with the comp you wind up with a big plume of gas flowing up and right across your line of sight.

Add to that the fact that comps don't, as many people assume, reduce recoil. They reduce muzzle flip while increasing recoil. Because the comp in use pushes down on the front of the barrel, that retards the barrel unlocking from the slide, i.e. the action is locked together into a unit, longer so you get whacked with much more recoil. (Competition shooters are willing to pay that price for a gun that has less muzzle lift during extreme rapid fire.)

Add all that up, my vote is: thumbs down for a compensator on any handgun that might be used for self-defense.

[Braxton1]

We tested the heck out of 'em before adopting the 22C. We found that with our standard duty load, shot in TOTAL darkness, the shooter only got a dull orange glow around the front sight from the gases venting out of the ports. It was a bit worse with training ammo (primarily WWB, which gave a yellow flash visible to the shooter). It was NOWHERE NEAR the "fire-breathing dragon" effect like in the picture in the Glock ad. (I know how they shot that picture and in my opinion, it was a marketing faux pas.)

In a practical sense, TOTAL darkness hardly ever exists. Most likely, there will be ambient light in some form, be it a street light, headlights of my patrol vehicle, or my flashlight. Without some form of light, I shouldn't be shooting anyway....

In low-light situations, the flash isn't any more noticeable than on the standard model 22. And the flash is so brief that it doesn't cause after-image on the retina nor a depletion of rhodopsin (visual purple). I do a LOT of low-light shooting when I'm teaching and have yet to see an after-image unless a student got careless with a flashlight. :-)

If you go downrange and look uprange towards the shooter, the perceived flash is actually LESS than on a standard model. Perhaps that is due to the venting of gases in multiple directions (two comp ports and the muzzle) instead of just one, sorta like a flash suppressor on a military rifle.

Comp blast is a genuine concern and there's no way to deny that. We just train "cant the gun 45-degrees if you have to use it up close". That was an easy thing for us to do because we've always taught that technique since going to semi-autos, as it will mitigate the risk of entangling the cycling slide with clothing and body parts. So it really wasn't a new thing for us.

Glock probably won't appreciate this, but: The comp ports on the C-models are nowhere near as efficient as those on an expansion chamber-style compensator. They do vent pressure. Some gases do come out at high velocity. I wouldn't want to hold my hand or other body parts over the ports unnecessarily, but it wouldn't be anything like hovering over a 38S/9Major compensator.

Edited April 8, 2009 by Braxton1

[Duane Thomas]

Yeah, the era of flash retardant powders has greatly reduced the super-flamethrower effect of a lot of loads, most notably things like the 125-grain .357 Magnum. Having said that, it can still be a problem, not with the higher priced, more refined self-defense loads, but with the lower cost generic ammo that doesn't feature flash retardant powders.

Interestingly - a bit of thread drift here but I do think it's interesting - not only have ammo makers been able to reduce the amount of muzzle flash, but they've had considerable success changing the color of the flash, as well. The flash colors most injurious to night vision - or so I've been told - among those we commonly see are white and yellow. The least, among those we commonly see, are orange and red. I once went onto a darkened range and fired both old production Winchester 115-gr. Silvertips without flash retardant powders, and the new version of the same load with. The results were pretty dramatic. With the old stuff you got a huge white fireball, about the size of a basketball. With the new stuff it was a tiny dark orange flash about the size of a golfball.

The load that always impressed me the most was the Cor-Bon 115-gr. JHP +P+. That's the only ammo I've ever seen that generates a tiny, dark green muzzle flash.

[Bill T]

I'm on a "Glock kick" lately, and I am off to Bear Arms in Scottsdale this morning to pick up a new Glock 30, (full size, not SF), with Meprolight Night Sights that he was nice enough to put on hold for me. It was the last one he had. These are getting increasing hard to locate since the election, and the buying frenzy that has accompanied it. Has anyone purchased these sleeves you place over standard Glock 21 magazines which give the 30 a full 13 round capacity, and a little longer grip handle?

http://glockstore.com/pgroup_descrip/3_Fac...2BExtensions%2F

I've got a ton of 13 rounders for my 2, 21's so I think I'll try a few of these. If I get a chance later today I'll try and post some pics. Bill T.

[Bill T]

My 3 Glocks. A Glock 21 with Trijicon Night Sights, a 21-C (Compensated) with standard sights, and a Glock 30 with Glock Night Sights. The only one left in .45 ACP I need to get is the single stack Model 36. Bill T.

[Crabbys44]

I've used the Glock 22C. If you fire from "close contact" it will be an enlightening experience

I carry the Glock 21 (when I feel the need for more than 6 rounds) that had the grip reduced by Robar (small hands). Personally, I have never noticed much difference in .45 compensated or not.

As far as a dirty front sight, at least you won't have to use a Sharpie to keep it black

BTW My S&W 629 Trail Boss is Magna Ported and it seems to help A LOT in muzzle flip, the recoil is straight back. The only problem I have is I keep melting the plastic insert in the front sight.