The Glock 19X - Pros & Cons

First warning: This, like every other article recently posted regarding the Glock 19X, is an OPINION.  Granted, it’s (hopefully) an educated opinion, but it’s just opinion. Everyone reading it is free to disagree but such disagreement doesn’t include posting comments such as, “You’re stupid,” or “Says another dumb@$$ writer who’s never carried a gun,” etc.

Second warning: This author LIKES the idea of the Glock 19X and while I will try to remain impartial in this discussion, my prejudices will inevitably come through.

Now, with those two warnings issued… I recently was in discussion with an accomplished shooter friend of mine about the Glock 19X. His first reaction was, “Hell, yeah! I want one!”  After thinking about it for a weekend and realizing the cost his response changed to, “Wait… can’t I just get a fifth generation Glock 19 (G19-5) and use Glock 17 magazines in it to get the same outcome?” Well, sure you can… kind of.

I’ve been waiting for the announcement of this pistol – although not this exact variation –since Glock lost the Army’s MHS competition. I can remember back to the early 1990s when I got my Glock 19 (2^nd generation at the time) and my Glock 17 (used first generation variant). I WANTED to put the Glock 19 slide assembly on the Glock 17 frame. Aesthetically I just thought it looked better. I was a fan of the 1911 Commander models with full size frames and shortened slide assemblies and I wanted the same (or similar) in my Glock. Was there a functional or practical reason for it? Not really. The closest I could come to articulating a valid reason for the configuration I wanted as that I felt a shorter slide assembly was more comfortable to carry. You see, with the full size 1911 and full size Glock 17, the front end of the slide dug into my hip when I carried it in a pancake holster. (It never dawned on the younger me that simply getting a different holster that carried the gun a bit higher would alleviate the issue.) It had nothing to do with concealability although, back then, I’d have argued increased concealability without loss of capacity.

So, here I am today looking at the release of the Glock 19X which has the full height frame of the Glock 17 but the shorter slide and barrel assembly of the Glock 19. To me, the weapon is misnamed and should be a Glock 17 Commander, but I guess there might be some copyright or patent infringements to worry about there. They can’t call it the Glock 17S (for “short”) because they’ve used the “S” designation for their slimline models. The can’t use Glock 17C (for “commander”) because they’ve used the “C” for competition models. And finally they can’t use Glock 17A (for Army variant) because… well… it’s not. The Army went with a different gun and the Glock 19X is NOT the exact same as the weapon they submitted for the MHS program. I guess we’re stuck with the Glock 19X moniker… But what does that actually mean for us?

Let’s take a look at some of the specifications and design features of the G19X and see what there is to be gained… or not. My end goal is to answer the question: Is the G19X worth the price? Or can you simply get a G19 5^th Gen and use G17 magazines in it to the same end?

The easiest difference to see between the G19-5 and the G19X is that the G19X is available in desert tan (Coyote is how it’s listed) as compared to the traditional Glock black. That said, the color of the gun is easily customized. I’m a fan of OD Green guns… but that’s mostly for making them unique and easily identifiable at the range. (All of my Glocks used to be duracoated OD Green on the slide assemblies so I had two-tone guns that were easy to pick out on a table full of weapons at the range.)

There are other visible differences, obviously, but you might not notice them unless you have the two guns sitting side by side. The grip frame on the G19X is obviously longer than that of the G19-5 so that the G17 magazines fit flush. At the bottom of the grip frame, front and rear, are other differences that are important. In the front, on the G19-5, there is the standard cut out so you can hook a finger on the front lip of the magazine’s floor plate and pull a stuck magazine out. The G19X doesn’t have that cut out and, instead, actually has a piece on the front face of the grip frame that extends down to a midpoint in the floor plate. Why? I can’t imagine. I’m assuming it is perceived as some type of protective measure where the magazine intersects with the grip frame. On the back of the grip frame, the G19-5 is what we’ve come to expect: there’s a small hollow space between the back of the magazine well and the backstrap of the grip. Near the bottom of that hollow space is a small hole that can be used to hook in a lanyard if desired. Several companies that sell after-market parts make something that goes into that space and “locks” in place by way of a spring-loaded catch that secures in that small hole.  The G19X actually leverages that space to put in a larger and dedicated lanyard loop that protrudes past the bottom of the grip frame almost to the bottom of an inserted magazine (if the magazine doesn’t have the increased capacity floor plates). The lanyard loop CAN be removed so that space is available if you have a preference for some other item.

Now, let’s consider something that actually does have an impact on concealability: The height of the weapon. Way back in the day, I thought barrel / slide assembly length was the largest determining factor for concealment. That may have had some impact when comparing the difference between a 4” revolver and a 2” revolver, but when we’re talking about a ½” difference in slide assembly length the actual impact on concealability is minimal; however, when we’re talking about a ½” in length of grip frame the impact is more noticeable. With the “full length” grip frame, the G19X height is almost one half inch longer than that of the G19-5. But are we comparing apples to apples? If you take a G19-5 and put in a G17 magazine, the height different is almost negligible. If you put an extended (+2) G17 magazine into either weapon, you once again get an “it doesn’t matter” difference measurement. The only way the height difference matters is if you use the standard G19 magazines in the G19-5, BUT that also costs you two rounds of capacity. Since there is a direct correlation between height and capacity, it’s only fair to compare the two weapons with equal capacity magazines used… in which case, the height difference is essentially zero.

What about barrel length and sight radius? The barrel length on both weapons is published as 4.02” (or 4” for conversational purposes). The sight radius, using the same sights on each weapon, is reported as .04” different, with the longer sight radius on the G19-5. Four-one-hundredths of a difference isn’t something I care about.  To be blunt, I don’t think a ½” difference would matter much since we’re talking about weapons designed for combat / defense accuracy; not competition accuracy. Either weapon only needs to be accurate enough to hit an eight-inch diameter target at 25 yards or less. If you truly feel a .04” difference in sight radius matters to you that much… why the heck are you even reading this article? You’re obviously in a different league.

Both weapons have an ambidextrous slide stop and a reversible magazine release. The G19X is reported to have a 5.8# trigger pull as compared to the G19-5’s 5.5# trigger pull. I’m sure there are experienced shooters who can tell the difference but I can’t. That said, if the face of the G19X’s trigger disconnect is polished and even mildly lubed, I’d be willing to bet it can be as smooth feeling as the G19-5’s and that smoothness can change how the trigger feels. Will it be enough to offset a .3# trigger pull difference? Only the person shooting the weapon can answer that.

Both weapons have the same accessory rail, the same frame texture and the same slide serrations.

After all of that, I found myself wondering why anyone would buy the G19X? Don’t get me wrong – I still want one. The MSRP I’m seeing online is $749 with a police only “blue label” price of $455. For $455 I’d consider it a great deal as it comes delivered with one standard G17 magazine and two extended (+2) G17 magazines. At $749 I’d think it might be worth it to buy a G19-5 and a few G17 magazines. Of course, you wouldn’t get the color difference and by the time you paid for a custom color finish you’d have upped your cost to that of buying the G19X. I think we’ve determined that the G19X isn’t really going to be any more concealable than a G17 of any generation and, in fact, would be less concealable than a G19-5 (unless you’re using G17 magazines in your G19-5).

That person I was having a conversation with about the two? He ended the conversation with his declared wish for a “Glock that is the size of the 17 but single stack.”  And… I think that will end up being a discussion / article about the differences between a G17 and the G43.  Concealability is definitely the topic of conversation there with capacity attached as a strong sidebar.

Stay safe!