I think I did a thread on this last year? I bought a gen 3 19 as a backup just to run against my favorite Glock 19 gen 5 with my preferred Night fission sights and talon grip tape and carefully selected beavertail grip installed. Gen 3 was stock with plastic sights and finger grooves which I hate.

Results…no freaking difference at all on the clock 🤣

 

Ya, that seems to be a common thread and maybe I am just overthinking it.

Also, I already have a iwb holster and Safariland thigh rig that fit my g22 so both should fit the g19. I have heard Gen 5 don't fit as many of the older monsters depending on how right they are.

 

The Gen 5 has several pluses over the Gen 3. For me the magazine release alone would be worth the extra hassle in obtaining a Gen 5.

 

Ya, it is a possibility. I called a local shop and they said they don't take their transfers. Said by law they do not do ffl to ffl.

 

Personally I'd go path of least resistance. Gen 3 @ blue label pricing is the winner.

In the end both will go boom when you need them to.

 

The cost and hassle of trying to get a Gen 5 in CA probably isn’t worth it, especially if you get Blue Label pricing.

 

Blue Label pricing on the Generation 3 sounds very attractive! Love my Glock 23 Gen 3! No inclination at all to spring for a Gen 5.

 

IME a rather noticeable difference in Gen 5 23 (and 22 for that matter) compared to Gen3. More so than Gen5 19 and Gen 19.

 

Ya, I think the pricing is going to be a huge deciding factor.

Especially if I cannot find a FFL willing to do the transfer.

 

I'd probably just go Gen 3 here, short of leaving California.

Not many actually shoot enough to get any benefit out of any of the upgrades Gen 5 offers, and the old parts that were upgraded weren't really a problem anyway.

 

That is fair.

Especially if none of the local ffl's want to deal with the transfer which is bizarre to me. I really wish they would have kept manufacturing the RTF frames.

 

Gen 3 will serve most people fine.

 

So, after a lot of amazing advice and feedback I am going to just pick up a new G19.

Now, the question is because I live in California is it worth trying to find a LEO selling a Gen 5 or deal with the headache of an out of state intra-family transfer for the Gen 5?

The intrafamilal transfer is not a headache. It's surprisingly easy IF your FFL knows how to do it. It's just a matter of having your relative purchase the gun, ship it to your FFL with the requisite paperwork (a statement saying that it's a gift, sometimes along with a copy of their DL), and then you go in, fill out the DROS, pay the FFL transfer, wait 10 days, and pick it up.

Some FFLs in CA will only receive from other FFLs. Make sure you follow your receiving FFL's rules, but it's easy enough to call them up and come to agreement on a plan. They're not out to screw you - they want the fee.

Most cops I know are not selling off-roster guns due to department pressure and the uncertainty around ATF rulemaking. If you have better cop friends than I do, consider yourself lucky

 

Ya, I have called one shop and they said they do not do it.

I need to call another but I think they are closed today. If I can't find one that will do it I will just go for the blue label.

 

If you can get a Gen5 LEO transfer to you while in CA, that's ideal. Otherwise live with gen3, like millions of CA Glock owners do. Nothing wrong with gen3.

 

I sent you a private message.

 

I still have my Gen 2

 

That looks nice!

 

Gen 3’s are really great pistols. Use the loot you would save to buy ammo.

 

My new purchases have all been Gen 5’s but I darn sure am not selling my gen 2 & 3’s for replace them with Gen 5’s.

 

My last duty weapon was a Gen3 G23 and I loved it. I sold it to a buddy of mine like a dummy and then tried to buy it back but he had already sold it too. I would just get the Gen3. Or you could move to South Carolina. We don’t mind transplants as long as they think like we do and love guns. We can own just about anything.

 

Or you could move to South Carolina. We don’t mind transplants as long as they think like we do and love guns. We can own just about anything.

I love SC but your non-resident carry laws need some improvement.

 

I own and have meticulously rebuilt and maintained three third gen Glock pistols: Two model G-21's, and one Model G-19 (RTF2). Between the three of them they have fired tens of thousands of rounds — all without so much as a single hiccup!

Well, that's not quite true; each of these Glock pistols has fired flawlessly AFTER I corrected the Glock factory's mechanical mistakes, and (mostly) 'for crap' incorrectly sized extractors, ejectors, and various other 'MIM' parts.

It took awhile; but, now that I've finally got all three of these Glocks up and running like 'a Swiss watch', and the BTF problems, and sporadic failures to return-to-battery are all finally things of the past, I've got to say that I really like my third generation Glock pistols!

In fact I far and away prefer each of these gen three Glocks to anything the factory has come out with since. I like the finger grooves, don't need gizmos like adjustable backstraps, or reversible magazine releases; and, in my own opinion, an enlarged magazine release head is just plain stupid. (I would know because I've kicked more than one fallen Glock magazine across the ground while moving fast with a Glock in hand! Experience has taught me that the smaller those inherently weak Glock magazine releases are, then, the better the magazines will be retained inside the pistol — where they belong!)

Here a personal suggestion for you: I've been working with and on Glock pistols, now, for more than 22 years. (I had no choice; I had to learn how to become an adept Glock armorer because, from time-to-time, the factory service out of Smyrna was so just plain drudging awful.) If you want a particularly trouble-free third generation Model G-19, I suggest you try to find a G-19 pistol that has a serial number that starts anywhere from 'A' to 'L'.

My own G-19 had a 'P' first letter serial number on it. The extractor was one of those early MIM junkers, and the ejector was two factory revisions too soon in order to work properly. Here's some more free advice for ya; please take it for what you will:

I would suggest replacing the 'captured' factory recoil spring with a Wolff Gunsprings, 'non-captured' guide rod, and a 17# Wolff spring assembly. (Yes, I know that 17#'s is one pound too light; however, Smyrna went to the current 18# spring weight in order to accomplish two things: First to, at least, mitigate the G-19's all-too-common BTF problems; and, second, to make the pistol more 'drop safe'. 17#'s is the original spring weight; and, if nothing else, it will give any G-19 a much sharper, cleaner trigger pull; and it will still be as 'drop safe' as any Glock ever can be. (No! Perfectly safe a Glock pistol will NEVER be!)

Here's a couple of pictures for you:

G-19(RTF2) Obverse

G-19(RTF2) Reverse

G-21 Obverse

(The barrel is by Bar-Sto Precision. I have these barrels on all of my Glocks, now.)

 

I own and have meticulously rebuilt and maintained three third gen Glock pistols: Two model G-21's, and one Model G-19 (RTF2). Between the three of them they have fired tens of thousands of rounds — all without so much as a single hiccup!

Well, that's not quite true; each of these Glock pistols has fired flawlessly AFTER I corrected the Glock factory's mechanical mistakes, and (mostly) 'for crap' incorrectly sized extractors, ejectors, and various other 'MIM' parts.

It took awhile; but, now that I've finally got all three of these Glocks up and running like 'a Swiss watch', and the BTF problems, and sporadic failures to return-to-battery are all finally things of the past, I've got to say that I really like my third generation Glock pistols!

In fact I far and away prefer each of these gen three Glocks to anything the factory has come out with since. I like the finger grooves, don't need gizmos like adjustable backstraps, or reversible magazine releases; and, in my own opinion, an enlarged magazine release head is just plain stupid. (I would know because I've kicked more than one fallen Glock magazine across the ground while moving fast with a Glock in hand! Experience has taught me that the smaller those inherently weak Glock magazine releases are, then, the better the magazines will be retained inside the pistol — where they belong!)

Here a personal suggestion for you: I've been working with and on Glock pistols, now, for more than 22 years. (I had no choice; I had to learn how to become an adept Glock armorer because, from time-to-time, the factory service out of Smyrna was so just plain drudging awful.) If you want a particularly trouble-free third generation Model G-19, I suggest you try to find a G-19 pistol that has a serial number that starts anywhere from 'A' to 'L'.

My own G-19 had a 'P' first letter serial number on it. The extractor was one of those early MIM junkers, and the ejector was two factory revisions too soon in order to work properly. Here's some more free advice for ya; please take it for what you will:

I would suggest replacing the 'captured' factory recoil spring with a Wolff Gunsprings, 'non-captured' guide rod, and a 17# Wolff spring assembly. (Yes, I know that 17#'s is one pound too light; however, Smyrna went to the current 18# spring weight in order to accomplish two things: First to, at least, mitigate the G-19's all-too-common BTF problems; and, second, to make the pistol more 'drop safe'. 17#'s is the original spring weight; and, if nothing else, it will give any G-19 a much sharper, cleaner trigger pull; and it will still be as 'drop safe' as any Glock ever can be. (No! Perfectly safe a Glock pistol will NEVER be!)

Here's a couple of pictures for you:

G-19(RTF2) Obverse
View attachment 1299465

G-19(RTF2) Reverse
View attachment 1299464

G-21 Obverse
View attachment 1299466

(The barrel is by Bar-Sto Precision. I have these barrels on all of my Glocks, now.)

I need some enlightenment, sir. What is BTF? How does an increased recoil spring weight make one more drop-safe? I'm not following the logic here, I guess. And how would it give a sharper, cleaner trigger pull? I could see how a firing pin spring could do that... I really would like that explained to me if you be so kind.

 

I think gen5 is the best generation but outside of competition the upgrades over gen3 are not very noticeable to me.

 

BTF=Brass To Face

Best Regards,
ADP3

 

Gen 3 is much easier to rack with its single recoil spring assembly and more reliable than the Gen 5, in my experience.

 

Then I have also read that Gen 5 are the most reliable version to date.

I don't guess I remember reading anywhere about a Gen 5 being more reliable than a Gen 3. Who proved that? My Gen 3s have been 110% reliable. Will a Gen 5 go 10,001 rounds vs. 10,000 without an issue?

 

The Gen 3's are proven without a doubt. The Gen4's have a slightly smaller grip, and the Gen 5's incorporate the smaller grip, no finger humps, marksman barrels, and redesigned internals for better long term durability, or so Glock says.

It's hard to argue which Generation is more reliable, as they are all based on the same design. The Gen3's have been around longer than the 4's and 5's, so you have to take that into consideration. There are more of them out there, and in use. The Gen4 guns didn't stay in mainstream production as long since they weren't a far departure from the Gen 3's The Gen5 were a pretty big step from the Gen3 guns. There were some considerable issues with the guide rod assemblies and spring weights and brass to the face issues with the Gen4 when they were released which put them in a bad light.

I have sold off all my Gen3's except one 17, and I have one Gen2 19. All my others are Gen5 guns. My Gen5 have been at least as reliable as my Gen3's were, so reliability for me is a wash between them. If what I have heard about the Gen6 guns hold true, there will be a pretty significant change to the design, but I have no idea when they will start showing up.

I personally feel like jumping through the hoops for a Gen5 is worth it over the Gen3. All the Glock generations have solid aftermarket support, and all are easy to mod. The Gen 3 isn't any easier to mod than the Gen 5. The Gen5's typically don't need the modifications most do to the previous generation pistols.




TXPO

 

That is what I am noticing. There are a lot less people modifying their Gen 5s.

I am going to hammer out prices and processes today.

 

Here’s my take. There is nothing wrong with Gen 3, but I wouldn’t sell one just to get a Gen 5. New gun purchase, Gen 5 every time. California is the only reason the Gen 3 is still in production. It would be nice to see Glock up its game, get the Gen 5 approved for California and stop Gen 3 production.

 

Im not sure where you got your imfo G21.4Me ? But Glock 19 gen 3 2 pin guns didnt even start production till 1998 with prefix CPP. Thats the start of tenifer guns for gen 3 production. Id prefer a earlier gun in great shape rather than a new blue label gun. The finish and tenifer metal treatment are very good. Worthy of seeking one out. They can be found for 400-500 used. And after years of use can still look new.

 

I'm not sure where you got your imfo G21.4Me ? But Glock 19 gen 3 2 pin guns didnt even start production till 1998 with prefix CPP.

Okay, thanks! I fix Glocks. I fix them well; and I am not much of an historian.

I guessed at the early Glock 19 serial numbers. I do not profess to be an expert on these numbers. In fact, I have only a rudimentary knowledge of how the Glock serial number system works. (But, you already knew that right!) 😉

The point is that anyone who wants to avoid BTF problems should seek to obtain a G19 with a serial number that begins with the letter 'L' or lower — THIS I am sure of!

 

Do the 5th gens benefit from the NY1 and "-" connector combo?

 

I haven't used a NY trigger since the my 2nd Gen days so I can't speak to them in the Gen5. I've even moved away from the standard Glock triggers and moved to the GPT with Vex shoes in all my Gen5's now.




TXPO

 

I prefer Gen 3.