I bought a Glock Gen 5 23 and have about 1,000 rounds thru it. There is alot of .40 around. I can say that there is a noticeable difference between this version and the earlier .40 cal versions.
The heavier slide is noticeable and this gun shoots more like a 19.

In this thread I got the idea the grip angle is different on the gen5. Is this true? The mags are still interchangeable so I think I must have read it wrong. I think.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
In this thread I got the idea the grip angle is different on the gen5. Is this true?

Nope.

Thanks. I guess I misread a reply.

The real difference between gen5 Glocks and previous versions is the springs. The gen5 Glocks use the same spring setup as the slimline pistols- the G42, G43, etc.

The trigger spring in gen5 Glocks is still a coil spring, but unlike previous generations, the spring works via compression rather tension. Glocks at gun rental ranges get lots and lots of shooting, and the part on a Glock which tends to break is this trigger spring. After 35 or 40,000 rounds, all that stretching of this spring causes it to fail. The gen5 Glocks- I can't imagine how many compressions that spring will need to wear it out.

In previous generations of Glocks, the slide stop lever has an attached wire spring. This has been replaced by a coil spring, just like the slimline pistols.

The one change that really warms my heart is the slide lock spring. In previous generations, this is a leaf spring- a tiny little leaf spring that gets fully compressed twice during the firing cycle. The function of that spring is to keep the barrel attached and keep the upper attached to the frame. If that spring breaks, not only will your Glock not function, it won't even stay assembled.
In the gen5, this leaf spring has been replaced with a coil spring. It might lose tension after tens of thousands of rounds fired, but it's far, far less likely to break than a leaf spring.

Again, we're talking about high volume shooting, and most Glock owners will never even approach the number of rounds necessary to break springs on their pistols. However, for an end-of-the-world handgun, you want every advantage you can get.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
In this thread I got the idea the grip angle is different on the gen5. Is this true? The mags are still interchangeable so I think I must have read it wrong. I think.

What is different with the Gen 4 & 5 is the grip diameter. A Gen 4 or 5 Glock with no backstrap is slightly smaller than a Gen 3. IIRC, the medium backstrap would be equivalent to a Gen 3 grip.

This subtle difference is the reason I finally purchased a Gen4 Glock 26.
Prior to this, Baby Glocks always felt like the proverbial brick. Absolutely hated the way it felt in my hand.
Went the Gen 4 came out, it felt (to me, anyway) like a night and day difference.

I have to say, after reading all the replies and Para's explanation of the spring changes, I am gonna get a Gen 5.

I'm looking at a new 17 this PM and I think there is a 19, too. Will buy the one that feels the best.

I, like most folks, have always shot the 17 better than the 19. So, I am kinda leaning towards it.

Thank you all again,

Bob

Definitely take a look a the G45, G17 grip with a G19 slide.

Since I got mine, I haven't carried my G19 at all.

quote:

Originally posted by straightshooter1:
I have to say, after reading all the replies and Para's explanation of the spring changes, I am gonna get a Gen 5.

I'm looking at a new 17 this PM and I think there is a 19, too. Will buy the one that feels the best.

I, like most folks, have always shot the 17 better than the 19. So, I am kinda leaning towards it.

Thank you all again,

Bob

I have gen 2, 3, and 4 Glocks. I dremeled the 3 to fit my hand. I love the 4’s. Fits my hand like a dream, grooves and all. Interesting about that little leaf spring. I don’t want to eat a slide so might be worth looking into for me, high volume or not.

You're not going to eat anything. A Glock slide comes off from the front of the frame. Besides, that little spring has been there since the beginning, some 5+ million pistols, at least. It isn't gonna fail just because you're now thinking about it.

In my Glock spare parts kit, I do keep spare slide lock springs, one each for G17, G19 and G26- they're different for each frame size. They are- or at least they used to be- very inexpensive. Part failure is one reason to keep spares of all these small parts- pins, springs and the like, but another very good reason is parts loss. If you've ever detail cleaned a Glock and dunked the frame in hot soapy water, you know that this little spring has a chance of falling out (assuming you've removed the slide lock itself), and it's small enough to go down the drain of a kitchen sink.

As a matter of fact, in my experience, I've replaced parts on pistols more often due to loss than breakage.

Para explained it much better than I could have.

I’ll mention that the slide lock spring has been redesigned many times over the years. Also the trigger bar has some new refinements, as does the trigger housing, on gen 1-4 parts, which make the trigger spring much less likely to break.

If you have an older Glock, I would highly recommend rebuilding it with these newer designed parts. Plus all new springs, not a bad idea.

Well I’ve got about 9500 flawless rounds through my Gen 3 17 and about 300 flawless rounds through my Gen 5 19MOS so the nod currently goes to the gen 3.

That said, the gen 5’s are very nice and I can shoot my new 19 almost just as accurately as my 17. The ejection is very nice in the gen 5’s as well, very strong and consistent.

Well, I had the choice of several new Glocks, 17s, 19s, 45s, new Gen3s and Gen5s.

I settled on the Gen5 19. Tough choice between the 17 and 19, but the 19 just felt right, especially without those darned finger groves, so ....

I'm unlikely to carry this one, but I could. I expect to use this one as a "House Gun" but sincerely hope to never need to use it for that purpose.

Sadly the background check system was down and I didn't want to wait for who knows how long. Got a call a few minutes ago that it was back up and I'd been approved, so I'll pick the new one up either tomorrow or the next day (it's about a 45 minute drive to this LGS each way, even outside rush hour).

Hope to test drive it at a relatively near-by indoor range either tomorrow afternoon or the next day.

Bob

quote:

Originally posted by straightshooter1:
I keep reading from posters on another Forum how much better the Gen 5 is, especialy in the area of reliability.

Sigforum is a fairly active and established firearms forum and many members have stated that they own Glocks. How often have you heard about reliability problems on Gen 4 and earlier Glocks from this forum?

My Glocks are totally reliable so I don’t know how gen5’s are better in that regard.

I am a Glock koolade drinker, I bought my first Glock in 1987. A Gen 1 I used as a duty gun or backup pistol for 3 years. Switched agencies and used a Glock model 22 for the next 23 years. Issued a Glock 17 gen 4 4 years ago I am sold on Glock's reliability. To be honest just like Para said few parts break most are lost. I have only witnessed 3 broken parts on our duty Glocks two of the small locking block pins on G22's and one trigger return spring on my duty pistol. I have observed more
Glocks screwed up by folks and cops by changing factory parts my opinion. Yes I know with a gazillion dollars you can make a Glock something else but, You bet your life on it not me. Shoot , clean, repeat...VI

OP definitely look and handle a G45 .
A nicely balanced gun .

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
My Glocks are totally reliable so I don’t know how gen5’s are better in that regard.

Well, reading is fundamental. I think I was clear- the difference will come in high volume shooting.

Well I’ve got about 9500 flawless rounds through my Gen 3 17 and about 300 rounds through my Gen 5 19MOS so the mod currently goes to the gen 3.

I was actually referring to the OP who in his original post says reliability is improved. One of my Glocks, a slightly modded 19, was my match gun for awhile and has a pretty decent round count and has been basically 100% even when I use Tula ammo which I do a lot.

I get that in 40k+ rounds perhaps the new springs add to the reliability. That makes sense. It still seems like an odd claim inferring that earlier gens were problematic.