Having shot and carried both, I shoot the 34 extremely well. Nice crisp trigger break right out of the Tupperware. The only down side to it, for carry is the open slide letting gunk get in it.

I carry a 34 a lot and the only gunk I've ever seen is some real light dust and dead skin cells.   I carry in a holster so not much can get in there.

Did sort of the same sold 34 and I keep banging away on my 17's

Been struggling with this choice for months.  



Really, it's which one do i get first.  




Have a 19 for EDC.    This would be more for competition.  USPSA.

Yup.

Best glock made.

Not for me. The Gen4 reduced profile made me come back to glock. Hate gen3.

It's a big difference IMO.

Me as well.I don't have tiny hands. But a thinner grip is much, much nicer

This. My vote goes to the G17.4.

"I would be perfectly fine if they stopped making the Gen 3 guns tomorrow."

Millions don't share that opinion. Were your statement the case, we'd have no Glocks to buy in California. You may have the luxury of choosing between generations, but we don't. Glock never submitted Gen 4 guns to the California DOJ for State mandated safety testing. We have no Gen 4s, no MOS options.

And please don't tell me to move. Forty years of work, family, friends, neighbors, church community make that an impractical choice or priority over a limited gun selection.

Be careful what you wish for and appreciate where you are.

I prefer the Gen3 too.   Better trigger.

The M9 I carry in the military has an open slide. Never seen or heard any issues with it being carried all over the world.

This is not true no matter how many time you say this.  I have put this to a gauge and own Gen2,3,4 pistols.  The Gen2/3 does not have a better or worse trigger than the Gen4.  Only things that make a Glock trigger better or worse is how worn together are the parts, what springs/connector are you using, do any of the contact surfaces have rough edges or burs, and placement of the finger on the shoe.

What you may be experiencing is your Gen3 pistol the parts are probably worn together really well and have mated.  This makes the trigger very smooth and can lighten it up slightly.  A new pistol will generally have imperfections on the contact surfaces yielding a crappy trigger that is not smooth, gritty, or even stagey at times.

If you do not believe me take a Gen3 and Gen4 pistol both brand new and both well used and your results will probably surprise you.  I have put this to the test using variations of new and used parts in Gen4 and 3 frames on a trigger gauge and hundreds of dry firing.  This and the Gen4 trigger bar bump are two huge internet myths.

M9 = exposed barrel.
G34 = big-ass hole in the slide for dirt/rocks to enter.  

However, there is an accessory for the G34 to address that issue:

Or you can take all the same parts tuned by Charlie Vanek and swap them between a Gen 3 and Gen 4 frame and the Gen 3 will always yield a slightly lighter trigger due to the angle of the connector on the trigger housing.  Charlie Vanek and anyone who understands the geometry of the two frames will know this.  

I know you like the Gen4 trigger, but it's not the same animal as a Gen 3.   I shot a Gen4 for a season in 2012 and going back to the Gen3 the trigger difference was noticeable.  Stock vs stock, the Gen 4 has a heavier break and more overtravel.   I like the Gen4 trigger bar because of the bump, I don't like the angle the Gen4 trigger housing puts on the connector.  It doesn't work as well with a - connector.  I like a Gen3 with a - connector, all stock parts.

I used to think the G34 was mainly a gamer pistol until I was told that they were authorized for duty carry by the big local agencies here.

My data did not show what you speak of.  Yes the Gen4 comes with a different connector that feels different than the stock connector in the Gen3 (dot . vs no mark).  When I run identical setups in a Gen3 vs Gen4 my trigger gauge does not change outside of slight variations of your standard +/-.  The biggest contributing factors to trigger feel in a Glock my results yielded outside of spring differences and connector differences was the wear of the parts together.  A new trigger bar unfired and untouched was heavier and grittier than a setup that the rough edges, burs, or anything that was not smooth on contact surfaces made the trigger heavier and less smooth.

I took the parts out of my G34.3 10K+ gun and dropped it into my G17.4 and it yielded nearly identical results +\- the G34 is consistently 3.75# +\- .15# (lighter striker, stock striker spring, lighter striker block, stock striker block, stock bar gen3 bar, Glock minus connector, heavy trigger reset spring) in the G17 it yielded the same results.  But here is the kicker when I swapped to the Gen4 bar the deviation in weights was almost no existent the +\- was never more than .05#.  I did find the little nub on the trigger bar helps guide the bar to follow the same path more consistently each time with less +\- weight changes on the gauge.

I used sticky tack on the trigger shoe to ensure the gauge was taking the measurement at the same exact spot for each pull.  I could get lower trigger pull weights if I used the gauge at the very tip of the show but it was much harder to be consistent in pulling the trigger each time.  All were measure about 3/4 the way down on the show where normal finger placement was.  The pistol was also in a vise to remove any outside influences from myself.

Next time I see my friend in Houston I will get my trigger gauge back from him and I will do the testing again.  I have a whole parts bin full of misc Glock parts, triggers, connectors, spring, etc etc.

I can't say one way or another on the 34. But I do know that the 35 in .40 is popular in some LEO circles.

If I saw a cop lugging around a G35, I'd venture to say that that dude enjoys shooting and likely has more rounds downrange than your average cop.

On a related note, I met a local cop who was in an OIS while carrying around his STI. Haha.

Small town police force local to me used to have G35's.

I'm with this.  My first glock was a 17 gen3 because at the time gen4 was still having RSA and some ejection issues. I just didn't want new hotness, I wanted old reliable.  That 17 now has a grip reduction and stipple job and it's still not as comfortable to me as a stock gen 4 gun.
That's why my lust for the 34.4 turned in to me buying a 17.4 summer special with the front serrations.  Between my Jagerwerks 17.3 and my stock 17.4 FS i'm a little bummed that I like the 17.4 more.

I vote get a 17.... i'm carrying mine right now while my 19s rest peacefully at home.

I used a stomp a cop in USPSA with a G34 while he cleared malfs with his STI doublestack.  Was entertaining at best.  


The one G35 I owned I bought off a sheriff who carried it on duty and switched to a 34.

I thought about this.
I carry IWB  in open bottom holster with muzzle sticking out, a 1911 being the most comfortable due to longer slide length not stopping in my hip, going past it a bit spreads out contact down slide more.
However, I'd been carrying a Glock 22 (cause capacity) and tolerating less comfort.
I bought a Glock 35 - you were correct, longer slide is more comfortable. Glock 35 instant new favorite.

Have always been a fan of the smaller glocks, 19, 42, 30, 36 etc. picked up a 34.4 and really like it much better than the 17's I've had in the past. So, get both!

I've been carrying around my Gen 4, 34 with RMR and TLR1 reguarly for the last week or so. I like it. :D

I don't like the 19 either but the wife and boys do.
I carry a 17L so I vote 34.

17L? That's a new one for EDC.

I like it.

Has there every been a case where someone's G34 had a stoppage from derbies entering the hole?

soon after the G34 came out, several people did YouTube videos where they put increasing amounts of dirt and sand into the hole, then small pebbles.  G34 had no problems functioning.  I would not want that hole there if I was going to war with it, but for self defense or range time it should be fine.

I always liked the full size guns , I can get a grip on it faster I would go with the 17 I just got a gen 5 in 17 and love the updates and still have a gen 4 Glock 17 . The small guns hide good but I just do not get the right grip on one . They still are selling 320s and the shops around here are still taking trade ins like everything is good to go .

Get G17L.

If you cannot find a 17L, get G34.

welp, I went and did a thing. Now I have a 34.4, a 17.3 and a 17.4. I have to say the full size it my preferred frame size for grip comfort (small hands), and between the 34 and the 17 the 34 is just a wee-bit flatter shooting. I do appreciate the longer sight radius too.
But, I'm still carrying my 17 right now.