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| Glock 20SF (www.wikipedia.org) |
Glock 20SF Review
What can be said about Glock pistols that hasn’t been said already? They are reliable, accurate, inexpensive, and highly customizable. Glocks have become the most popular handgun choice in the united states for both private citizens and Law Enforcement. Most reviewers talk about the more popular models like the 17 (9mm) or the 21(.45ACP) but I have always been a fan of less popular and obscure cartridges and it just so happens Glock makes a pistol in my favorite caliber, the 10mm Auto.
A History
The 10mm Auto was the brain child of the late, great, Col. Jeff Cooper. He envisioned a medium velocity cartridge that gave flatter trajectories and increased energy over the classic .45ACP. In 1983 the ammunition company Norma then began to work with short lived firearms company Dornaus & Dixon to create the cartridge for their infamous Bren Ten pistol. What Norma came up with was a significantly more powerful than what Col. Cooper imagined. Sadly, the Bren Ten never took off, however both Colt and Smith and Wesson introduced the Delta Elite and 1006, respectively. The Delta Elite was based off of the 1911 and was used in FBI trials for the cartridge, as was the 1006. The FBI eventually adopted the model 1076 from Smith & Wesson, a shorter barrel variant of the 1006 with a frame mounted de-cocker. Shortly after adoption, a number of FBI agents were complaining of the stiff recoil and large frame guns the 10mm Auto came with. Eventually the FBI designed a 10mm Auto cartridge that was significantly lighter in recoil and velocity, but it started to create reliability problems with the guns, so Smith & Wesson helped develop the .40S&W off of their “FBI Lite” loads. And the rest, they say, is history....
Performance
If you have shot one Glock, you have shot them all. The battery of arms is the same on all models so if you own a Glock already or are familiar with it, you will be right at home with the G20. This model features a 4.6 inch barrel with Glocks signature “U” style rear sight and white dot front. A lot of people (myself included) prefer the traditional 3-dot sight system, but the standard Glock sights perform very well. One thing to keep in mind about the G20 (as well as the G21) is the size of the grip. The grip on these models are huge. Even for someone with pig paws like me, the grips can feel very uncomfortable. Luckily, about four years ago, Glock introduced the “Short Frame” versions of the 20 and 21. The Short Frame models cut down the grip circumference make them significantly more comfortable to shoot.
Reliability in the Glock is second to none. I have fired thousands of rounds from the G20, and have only had ONE malfunction. It was a failure-to-feed from an original batch of hand loads out of a progressive press. Otherwise, everything has performed flawlessly. Besides my hand loads, I ran four different manufacturers through the Glock:
-Remington UMC 180gr FMJ
-American Eagle 180gr FMJ
-DoubleTap 135gr Nosler JHP
-Hornady Critical Defense 165gr FTX
All loads performed perfectly. The DoubleTap’s were the least accurate, but weren’t awful. The American Eagle loads were very mild, producing only a hair over 1000FPS through the Glock, while the UMC’s launched the bullet at over 1150FPS. For a defensive load, the Hornady Critical Defense offerings were very accurate and provided great control.
The trigger on the Glock is pretty basic. It isn't heavy, but isn't light either. The trigger broke around six pounds on the gauge, but broke crisply with only a little bit of creep. The trigger does have a lot of take-up and a long reset but it is very consistent. One thing that does annoy me about the Glock is is slide release (or lack there of). While the Glock has a slide release, it is very slim and in my experience not very easy to manipulate. Another gripe is the magazine release. It sticks out of the frame a little over 1/4 of and inch but has sharp edges and when you shoot heavier loads it has a tendency to cut into my palm. Easy fix: dremel tool.
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| photo courtesy of 'danofthedead' |
Customization
One of the really cool things about Glock pistols are the ability to customize them. They are almost as customizable as a 1911 or even an Ar-15. There are a slew of companies out there that make custom accessories for Glocks. You can get barrels, slides, frames, trigger, ect. Anyone can essentially rebuild a Glock into whatever they want it to be. If I wanted a 5” ported barrel chambered in 9x25 Dillon with a stainless steel guide rod and custom engravings, it CAN be had!! A lot of people consider the AR-15 as the barbie doll for men, I could make the same argument for the Glock. Caliber conversions are probably the most common for the Glock. A simple barrel change can make a 10mm into a .45ACP and visa/versa. While they can be expensive, .22LR conversions have become very popular since the price of ammo has been skyrocketing the last few years. If you have a stock Glock and want a truly custom piece... it can be done very easily!
Final Thoughts
Most people either love or hate Glocks. When I first got into firearms, I thought they were the ugliest guns on the market and I vowed never to own one. When I was introduced to the 10mm Auto, I wanted one in the worst way but the only option was an $1100 Kimber or a $950 S&W 610 revolver and Colt no longer made the Delta Elite (which has since been re-introduced as of 2009). I bought the Glock as kind of an impulse buy and I am glad I did. I have learned to appreciate the design and simplicity of the Glock. Its hard hitting, easy to control, and just fun to shoot. Coming in at under $600 doesn’t hurt either. The only other “inexpensive” alternative would be to hunt down a used S&W Mode 10xx series pistol for around $700, or just buy a new Glock for under $600. In my opinion, you cannot go wrong with the Glock.
