The new 40 Auto chambered Generation 5 Glock pistol, the G23 – compact service pistol – has been introduced here and here. There’ve been a few shooting trips with it and I wanted to get it on record in my Comparative Standards – explained here.
To prevent having to go back, it’s essentially a Gen5 GLOCK 19 analog -- 4.02” barrel of the compact line of GLOCK standard frame guns, a 13-round standard capacity .40 S&W magazine like previous generations, it’s all apparently about the same. The firing pin safety plunger shows a Gen5 angled surface and the trigger is “Gen5-like” in feel.
The slightly heavier weight – around 3 oz. more than a similar GLOCK 19 – comes from the 2mm (.08”) wider slide. That weight did make a difference in shooting – and in finding holsters that fit. Comp-Tac announced some of their line fit for the Gen5 40-cal. GLOCKs but I’ve not used them yet.
I did have the Safariland M578 GLS Pro-Fit; it fits a range of compact-analog guns by adjustment of a frame jack in the holster. It’s worked thus far in the evaluation and it was my choice to run the Comp Standards with.
On arriving, I set out my (taped-up) target and loaded up with Federal Premium 180gr. Hydrashok HP ammo. It only takes 20 rounds to shoot the course. It’s a mix of singles from the holster at distance, singles from guard, pairs from the holster – both hands, strong-hand only and weak hand only – a failure drill, a reload drill and a single shot to a small (“head”) target.
The Gen5 G23 was back on target quickly even with service-style 40 ammo, above. Below, it wasn't difficult to handle one-handed either.
The entire course of fire consumed almost 35 seconds with penalties. Fortunately, there were only two penalty points. Remarkably, I was slightly faster than some 9mm service guns (e.g., Lipsey’s Glock P80), some 9mm service compacts, and compact 9mm single stacks. So much for the vaunted snappy recoil of the 40 Auto; this pistol seems to shoot about like a 9mm.
Since I shot the standards cold, a good idea, I did a little warm-up I’d seen on an online video a few weeks ago. I used a business envelope stapled up in portrait mode from 4 yards.
The warm-up exercise is a draw to single, then a pair, three hits, four and five hits. Pushing for time caused me a few high hits. I can outrun my ability to precisely run the gun.
The target for the standards wasn't horrible, but it showed work was needed. The 'business envelope' target, below, was used for a work-out with the GLOCK 23 and a rimfire analog too.
As I saw there was rust to knock off, I used the gun and some 180gr. ball ammo to work out on another business envelope. This included the following stages:
- Draw to single hit, 10 repetitions
- Draw to a single hit, strong hand only, 10 reps.
- Weak hand only from low ready to a single hit, ten times.
- Shooting “out of the notch” (i.e., the Stressfire point index), single hits each string from low ready, 10 repetitions.
That was good stuff. And the Gen5 GLOCK 23 is still chugging along. We’ve past just a few hundred rounds, but I’m not getting the soreness in the forearm, wrist and elbow consistent from shooting 40 Auto in a lighter gun. That few ounces may have made a difference. Maybe the recoil system difference from the Gen3 guns to the Gen4, then Gen5 could be a contributing factor.
Regardless, this seems like a real upgrade for agencies that specify the 40 S&W cartridge. GLOCK really has something here.
-- Rich Grassi
