Well, there’s another side to this coin! Please don’t confuse me with a Glock apologist – Something which I, definitely, am not. (I loath the taste of Kool-Aid!) However, in defense of the Model G-17 I will say this: It is the most popular and frequently used pistol in the world – Period. Can it be forced to deliberately jam? Yes, it can; but, let’s be entirely honest about this, so can a Model 1911-A1.
The salient point is not, ‘Can I force a jam on a Model G-17?’ The fact is that with the right ammunition and properly held, the G-17 is an effective and highly reliable combat pistol. What is more, the shooting experiences of a novice shooter are not sufficient reason to label the G-17 as, either, a troublesome or inferior combat weapon.
In my own experience as an instructor I’ve found that far more students will limp wrist and choke a 1911 than they ever will with any Glock design. I watched many a novice shooter buy his first Model G-17, take it to the range, and fire hundreds and hundreds of rounds without so much as a single FTF!
On the other hand I’ve known a few students who couldn’t get a dozen rounds out of a 1911 without a, ‘stovepipe’. Now, ‘Why’ is this? I used to think that the Glock’s increased slide speed was a factor; (and it may be) but, more significantly, I believe the Glock’s shallow grip angle and low bore axis give it an advantage over the higher-angled hold and raised bore axis on the 1911 frame. Each pistol’s center-of-gravity is different: On the Glock I always feel the weight of the gun bearing down along the front strap, pressing on top of my middle finger – The Glock has a decided, ‘forward pointing’ center-of-gravity.
With a 1911 design I feel more of the pistol’s weight bearing down along the back strap, pressing into the web of my hand. The Browning design places the 1911’s center-of-gravity more toward the rear of the frame in a, ‘downward balanced’ grip. Experiment with these two designs for awhile; you should be able to see what I’m talking about. Which design is the more natural pointer? I really don’t know. I do a lot of point shooting; and, I always seem to do slightly better with the 1911. This may be more the result of growing up with a Colt rather than anything else, though. There is a lot of, ‘personal tuning’ to the feel of the weapon in point shooting.
Of one thing I’m certain, though: It’s easier for a sparsely skilled student to limp wrist with a 1911 than it is with a Glock design. Now, the question of a combatant limp wristing under the stress of combat? Ahh, in my opinion, this ain’t never going to happen – Never! Taking a hit or a loss of nerve are the only reasons I’m able to imagine somebody limp wristing (or dropping) his pistol in the middle of a gunfight. Exactly the opposite is usually the situation. The sudden stress of a gunfight more generally causes the weapon to be held with a, ‘death grip’ rather than anything, even remotely, resembling a limp wrist.
As to the question of whether or not the 9mm Parabellum is a deficient combat round – a man-killer rather than a man-stopper? Well, it certainly used to be! Heavier bullets and modern hollow-point designs have, now, changed all that. Today it is no longer necessary to, ‘freight a man down’ with an entire magazine of 9mm FMJ or second rate (Silvertip) combat ammunition. If I were to carry a pistol charged with Gold Dot, 9mm, +P, 124 grain HP’s, I’d both know and feel that I was using a first rate handgun combat round; and, the Winchester, 9mm, SXT, +P+, 127 grain HP would, also, do the same thing for me!
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_7_51/ai_n13785378/pg_4 So what is a, ‘typical gunfight’? The latest statistics I’ve read use the formula: ‘3+3+3’. That’s 3 shots exchanged, at or inside 3 yards, in 3 seconds or less. Wow! I’d have to say this, pretty much, agrees with all those convenience store robbery tapes I’ve seen on TV. Anyway, this is (almost) exactly how I train. I start at 3 yards and work my way back to: 5, 10-12, and 15 yards. At each station I draw and fire as fast as I’m able to accurately hit the target. The first shots are always from point, and then rise to the line of sight as the distance increases. Sometimes, at the end of a session, I’ll do some old-fashioned postal shooting from 25 yards. (I don’t know, ‘Why?’)
I very much doubt that I’ll ever fire just one shot in a gunfight. Me? It’ll probably be, at least, three. With sighted shooting I’m a firm believer in getting a, ‘rhythm’ going with a pistol. Once the front sight is there and the elbows are slightly bent, (I use the isosceles stance.) I’ll just work that front sight on the target with: minimal rise, minimal hesitation, and high practice ammunition costs!
It’s funny; but, if you want to see really lousy handgun shooting (Exactly the opposite of what I’m talking about here) watch Robert De Niro use his 1911 in the movie, ‘Ronin’. It’s going around, right now, on TV. Absolutely horrible pistol handling form on De Niro’s part! I don’t know how he managed to hit any of the bad guys. (De Niro must have been the star of the movie; but, then again, this film is loaded with numerous technical faux pas!)
Do you need more than the conventional six shots? Yesterday, I would have said, ‘No.’ Today, however, I’d have to say, ‘Yes!’ Multiple assailants, like increasingly popular, ‘gangbanger’ robbery and hit teams are, now, commonplace in modern American society. So are barricaded combatants, running pursuits, moving targets, and everyday lousy marksmanship. All of these factors contribute to the need to carry more rather than less bullets.
What do I carry everyday? It’s a Glock Model G-21, with an extra 17 round magazine; I, also, carry a Beretta, ‘Tom Cat’ as a BUG. Of course my belt-load, also, includes a large CRKT folder, and a cell phone.
Would it matter to me if I were to carry a Model G-17, instead? No, not with the right ammo package, it wouldn’t. Besides, who really knows? Nowadays, the extra rounds might come in handy; and, if the wrong situation should arise, you may count on me to hold that G-17 properly.
