Posted: 10/24/2006 9:37:25 AM EDT
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Ok, I have just about settled on Glock for the basis of our home defense platform for the wife and myself. We are in the "NOLA West" part of Houston. Have had several home invasions and car jackings in my immediate area over rthe past few months. Things are actually much worse than portrayed on the PC news outlets. Reasons behind this decision: (1) I already own four of them in 9MM. ( Please no thread drift 9MM bashing) (2) They are as reliable and simple to operate as auto loaders get. (3) Time is of the essence getting the wife up to par. Concern: Wife is small in stature and lacks hand strength. She shoots dead on with my G17 that has a 3.5 disconnect and LP striker spring (IDPA gun...pull is a little under 3#). However, with the box stock (new and not yet broken in) G17, G22 and G34, she milks the grip and POI is quite low. (Consistently well below COM) This is bad to the point she gets frustrated as heck with the stock guns. She works out regularly with weights, but there have been no improvements to speak of. Same problem with DA revolvers in DA mode. SA is OK. So, notwithstanding the input from the guardhouse lawyers I am gonna get, from a practical standpoint, what would you do? Rework the whole batch of Glocks or switch to DA revolvers and train in SA mode? |
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What is wrong with her keeping the G17 that she "shoots dead on with"? She can use that and you can use the G34. Same mags and same ammo. The G34 has the light trigger pull like the G17 that she likes and shoots well with. It sounds like you want our permission to buy a new gun As far as a Kahr K9.... I bought one of those boat anchors for my wife about 8 years ago. It was a POS! The 24 lbs recoil spring was hard for her to work, the rear slide seraations were "sharp" and hurt her hand as well as mine. The thing was hard to take apart and get back together again because of the streagth of the recoil spring. The slide release lever was "sharp" and hard to push down and whenever you tapped a mag on your palm to seat the rounds and then inserted it into the mag well and dropped the slide the first round would always not feed properly and the weapon would jam. It was real hard to try to train myself to not tap the mags with just one gun. I sent it back to Kahr with the list of complaints and they sent it back and said everything was in within tolorances. I then tried to sell it and it took me 1 1/2 years to get rid of the thing!! I was able to trade it in for a Glock 26 My vote for you is to stick with the G17 for your wife and whatever you want for yourself
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 I would advise to rework all the triggers to 3.5 lbs, the glocks all have a long trigger pull thus giving her the option to take up some slack and still being able to release the trigger without taking the shot if not necessary. With me it came naturally after A while.
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I would try standard Glock 3.5lb connectors and see what she could do with them. I am surprised she does not shoot the G34 somewhat better than the G17 even though it is modded, and honestly think it is a trigger control issue more than a gun or trigger issue. Have her squeeze a hard rubber ball instead of working on the weights...that will increase hand / forearm strength, which is what she needs. Keep the Glocks and do what you have to. Good luck! |
| KyRed, I say make it Glock and keep it stock. I find the factory triggers to be the perfect blend of safety and light trigger pull. double taps are so easy with my Glock 19. As was stated, Kahrs are nice little guns, but for the extra weight, extra price, less availability of parts and less reliability you really don't get anything extra in return. The grip is nice for a small handed person though. I've hand some experience with the Kahrs and the reliability issue bothered me. quite a lot of stove pipes. For the money one of the used police trade smith and wesson compact 9mm would be a cheaper and more reliable gun. Good luck whatever you choose. |
| If she has small hands, I'd get her a G26 and leave the trigger stock. Then have her train with it. I find the 26 very shootable, little difference between that and my 19 actually. I have the same trouble a lot of people have, in that I just can't shoot the full size Glocks. I got rid of a 17 and a 22 and swore off Glocks altogether before I discovered the 19 and 26. Now they're all I want to shoot. Actually if it's going to be a home defense gun, I'd think about going heavier on the trigger, maybe NY1, which is 8lb, if not mistaken. Again training makes perfect. |
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Do some real training, not just standing there analyzing shot groups. If you've ever been in a violent encounter, you no doubt understand what stress and anxiety do to the heart rate, the accompanying perceptual narrowing, and the related endocrine system jolts. If you can tell the difference between 7 and 3.5 lbs during a gunfight, you deserve to carry the 3.5 lb version. My guess is that most people will never become innoculated to combat stress enough to discern the difference in trigger weight. In combat shooting, most moderately trained people don't "squeeze" the trigger, they pull it. It takes a lot of rounds to get to the meeting of the conscious and subconscious mind that being proficient under high stress levels will require. That said, you have to start somewhere. Get some dummy rounds and o ball and dummy drills until she overcomes the flinch and gets her confidence up. Good luck. |
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there is no doubt that i would switch all the glocks to the 3.5# disconnect. i honestly can't see the downside to doing this to all your glocks. hell you can even get a factory part for it. an LEO friend of mine does it to all his glocks, including his duty gun. and as long as she shoots enough to know to keep her finger off the trigger till she's ready to kill someone, then i think she's ok. but then, i'm not one of those "scared of light triggers" guys. if i'm pointing the gun at someone, i'm ready to shoot anyway. again, i can't see the downside. it's cheap and easy. and really, who doesn't like cheap and easy?
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Glocks work best at Glocks come, don't go doing any home gunsmithing(except sights). If the grip size is the problem send it off to David Bowie and let him slim the grip. Here is an article on some of his work. I have shot guns done byhim and they are superbly done and work. Bowie Glock 19 |