I bought a Glock 19!

Zippy and I own a few long guns, a shotgun and one pistol. The handgun is a Glock 23C that Zippy’s dad bought for her. I really enjoy shooting it a lot. It’s a .40 caliber compensated (ported) model. It’s a bit noisy (as if any gun isn’t) but it is really great to shoot. The only real downfall of the Glock 23C in my virtually worthless opinion about guns is the price of ammo. Whether you buy those .40 cal bullets by the case (1,000) or box (50) it dents the pocket book for as much as I’d like to shoot. My buddy Shawn knew how much I like to shoot the .40 and I help him out a lot with purchasing gun parts over the net so he recently bought Zippy and I a 29 round magazine for the beast. It hangs waaaaaay out of the bottom of the pistol grip and adds quite a bit of weight to the gun but it definitely lets you shoot longer without reloading.

Here is Zippy’s Glock 23C with an empty 29 round mag in it.

Since I have been shooting Zippy’s glock I’ve really grown fond of how it functions, how it field strips & cleans, the size and how fits/feels in my hand. I’ve had a few friends come over with their guns to shoot on our makeshift shooting range in my yard and I just haven’t been impressed with them. A lot of people seem to dislike discharging ammunition from a piece plastic. I find it more comfortable than holding a piece of metal. Although it’s half plastic, the Glock still feels very sturdy and comfortable. With all that in mind I decided to purchase the Glock 19. It’s darn near exactly the same gun as Zippy’s (Minus being ported) but the 9mm ammo is much cheaper, especially in bulk. The 19 is a little lighter than the 23C and the standard mag holds two more bullets (15 rounds vs 13).

Taken right before I put the first round through it.

Still before the first shot. The targets are actually a bunch of turkey targets a few inches square stapled right next to each other.

Zippys on the right (G23C), mine on the left (G19).

G19 on the right G23C on the left.

Now it seems everyone that doesn’t own some guns, shoot for fun or have some overwhelming paranoia of pending doom always asks me, “Why do you need a gun?” or “Why do you need a hand gun?”. I have yet to “need” any guns. I do however like and want them. All the guns we have can be used for hunting or self protection. I personally & very simply like guns because I find shooting them to be an extremely enjoyable hobby. I’m not a naturally good shot and I really like watching, reflecting on & feeling the progress I make as I get better at shooting. I spend 99% of my time shooting still targets and I love it. I really can’t think of too many friends of mine who don’t enjoy shooting with me. Zippy and I intend on going to a weapons training course on July 19th so we can learn everything the state of Missouri wants us to know about carrying & using a weapon. After which we will promptly apply for our Missouri (and/or Utah) conceal & carry permit. Since we have guns to use, enjoy & protect our self with then why would we not want to be ‘officially’ trained on their proper use? Whether we actually carry a concealed weapon or not has no bearing on the fact that we legally do not have the choice to do so if we don’t have the permit.

I will follow up with some pictures of both the Glocks. I haven’t even taken a picture of just the gun itself yet but everyone knows what a glock looks like. Work has kept both Zippy and I pretty busy so we haven’t had much time for extracurricular activities. Work during the day, code at night & work on the homestead on the weekends.

What’s next? I’m interested in adding a nice compound bow to our collection.

[edit] I’ve put ~400 rounds through it now. I don’t know if it’s just in my head or not but it already feels like it’s shooting better although I still seem to pull down and to the side a little at the point the trigger clicks to release the pin. I have to work on pulling the trigger with the tip of my finger while maintaining a straight shot.