The Case for the Glock 19X

Glock released their newest pistol, the G19X, in early January 2018. The G19X is a civilian version of the G19MHS - Glock's submission for the Army's Modular Handgun System trials which concluded last year. Sig won those trials with their new P320 before testing was completed, a decision which resulted many in the gun community crying foul. Not to let their MHS design completely go to waste, Glock tweaked the design and released it to the public earlier this month.  

It's been a very polarizing debut - with people either loving or hating the design. The G19X is a hybrid of the venerable G17 and popular G19 pistols, but not in a way which initially seems intuitive. It mates the longer grip and capacity of the G17 with the shorter, more concealable slide of the G19. Immediately, many gun aficionados and industry professionals alike were asking why. Would it have not been a better design to mate a longer slide with a compact grip? This would seem to be a better approach.

On the other side of the fence, those who had the opportunity to shoot the G19X felt that it was successful blending of the G19 and G17 designs, which had evolved with numerous improvements. More grip for larger hands, improved rifling, an ambidextrous slide release, steel night sights, and an interesting new corrosion and wear-resistant nPVD finish process.

To be honest, I fell into the former camp of "hating" it. It's long grip looked silly. I owned numerous G19 and G17 framed Glocks already. Didn't make sense to invest in a hybrid of the two. I felt this way until I had the opportunity to shoot one during a recent firearms training session. I was really impressed with it. It was nothing like I thought it would be - literally everything was a little better with this Glock from what I have been used to for the last 25 years. Shooting the G19X changed my mind to the point where I went out and purchased one a few days later.

Reviews and technical specs are abound, so I won't redress them here at the risk of beating a dead horse. It's the same with people who love or hate the G19X: arguments are fast and furious on both sides. And many of the negative arguments are logical, well-based ones, such as:

• The G19X is too large to conceal well.
• The G19X has a shorter sight radius than a G17.
• The G19X can't use standard Gen 5 Glock magazines.
• Why not just use a +2 base plate with a regular G19 to extend the grip?  

The G19X was a redesign for the MHS program, not an enhancement of any one Glock model. The engineers looked at what the Army wanted and created a model based on those standards. It would have been more cost-effective for Glock to have just slapped a manual safety on a G19 and submit it, but to remain competitive, this would not have worked. It was much the same way with the Ford Crown Victoria and the Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. They looked the same on the outside, but other than that, they were not the same.

One thing I tell people to put them into a different mindset is:

"Don't think of the G19X as another type of G19. Think of it as a Commander-sized G17."

The original Colt Government 1911 design had a 5" barrel - and it stayed that way for decades. Then, Colt debuted the Commander in 1950 at the behest of the government in an attempt to make a lighter 1911 for military officers. The Commander was still very much a 1911 at heart, but with a shorter 4" barrel amongst the design changes. The grip remained the same size as on the Colt Government. Back in the day, this new model Colt came under scrutiny of 1911 connoisseurs as well. But, over time, the Commander-sized 1911 became the most popular evolution of the 1911 pistol design. This remains true today.

The G19X is not for everyone. It's not meant to be. It's just another model in Glock's product line up which may or may not have features which appeal to you. I would still recommend a good Gen 3 G19 for someone's first Glock. But for someone who puts a lot of lead downrange and practices practical handgun application, I'd recommend the G19X in an instant. It's simply better than a G17 or G19 in the role it's intended to fill, which is an intuitive, accurate, and reliable military-styled handgun.

My advise is that you refrain from judgement until you shoot one. The case for the G19X is open for you to decide...