Firearm: Glock G19 Gen4 (MSRP: $599)
We’re taking another look at the Glock G19 Gen4 pistol in this episode for a variety of reasons. First, for those who prefer the finger grooves on the grip, the Gen4 was the last iteration to wear them, and the only iteration to offer the grooves in conjunction with interchangeable backstraps to fit the pistol to the shooter’s hand. Second, Glock continues to offer this generation of G19, albeit as a law enforcement option, but that gives it an even dozen years on the market at this point. There’s plenty out there on the used market, too, and with law enforcement trade-ins, there’s a good chance to pick one up with a low round count at a great price.
There’s another reason to choose the G19 in general, and it’s easy to see on this Glock in particular: the aftermarket. There’s a Brownells optics-cut slide, Trijicon night sights, a CMC Triggers flat-face trigger and a Magpul magazine well installed on this pistol, and that’s barely scratching the surface of what’s out there for the Glock series of handguns. Holsters, spare magazines, barrels, triggers; you name it, you can replace it with an upgraded component. Compensator? Sure. Threaded barrel for a suppressor? Yep. While I don’t think the Glock has yet surpassed the 1911 as the king of customizability, it’s way ahead of whatever’s in third place.
And, the G19 is just about as “Goldilocks” as you can get in a handgun. Overall length is a hair over 7 ¼ inches; height is 5 inches, the barrel’s just a tad over 4 inches and the weight is 21.2 ounces. The grip is large enough to get all three fingers of the shooting hand on it, with plenty of real estate for the support hand, too. Capacity is a generous 15 rounds, meaning you’ve got 16 rounds total in the gun, and when it comes to backup magazines? Well, since the G19 can use anything for the G17, up to 33 rounds are available (although the 33-round magazine is a little hard to conceal…)
In fact, one of the items we’re using here today is brand-new for the Glock, and these are 18-round magazines from Ektar USA. The EM9-18 magazine gives an extra round of capacity over the Glock G17 OEM magazine, is drop-free, can be loaded to capacity and inserted on a closed slide and costs $11.95. While OEM magazines are recommended for daily carry, having more magazines available for training and practice is always a great idea. And if you can pick them up for $12 each? That’s a bargain indeed.
Holster: Bravo Concealment Torsion IWB (MSRP: $40.99)
Another area with plenty of options for the Glock G19 is in the holster arena. Just about every holster manufacturer out there has an offering or two for the G19, like the Bravo Concealment Torsion IWB holster we have in today’s kit. Features include sandwich-style construction, adjustable retention, suppressor-height-sight channels, a semi-open muzzle for threaded barrels and a sweatguard to keep the pistol separate from the body.
As the name implies, the holster itself has a slight bend in its construction that’s designed to allow the holster to naturally pull the grip of the handgun in toward the body. This helps minimize printing in the same way as the wing that is often included in appendix-carry designs. Two belt clips anchor the Torsion to a 1.5-inch belt, and with the removal of the canted clip, allow the Torsion to be tuckable if desired. Right- and left-handed models are available for a variety of handguns.
Optic: Holosun HS407C (MSRP: $282.34)
Since we have a pistol with an optics cut and a holster that will accommodate it, we’ve added Holosun’s HS407C red-dot sight to this kit. The HS407C offers a 2-MOA red-dot compatible with the Trijicon RMR footprint. Twelve brightness settings are available: two night-vision compatible and ten daylight settings. The unit has a 7075 T6 aluminum housing and a glass lens, and a green-dot version is available at a slightly higher cost.
The HS407C offers a claimed battery life of 50,000 hours on setting 6 with a standard CR1632 battery, mainly through Holosun’s “Shake Awake” technology that turns off the sight after a period of inactivity and turns back on when motion is detected. The sight uses Holosun’s Solar Failsafe technology that provides power to the sight even if the battery dies. The battery is even located in a side-mounted tray, so the unit doesn’t have to be removed from the pistol to change batteries. It’s a well-thought-out piece of engineering all-around in a solid, affordable red-dot option.
