Why Glock? Why 9mm?
I am often asked "Why a Glock" and "Why 9mm"?
Since 1990 I have carried on duty Beretta, Sig, Smith & Wesson, H&K,
Colt, Les Baer, Springfield Armory, Para Ordance, Kimber, and Glock
(there may be others that I can't recall right now)
I have had the opportunity to shoot Styer, Taurus, Walther, S&W Sigma,
Wilson Combat, Ruger, CZ, Desert / Baby Eagle, STI / SVI, Browning HP,
and others that can't remember right now.
Since the late 1990's I've narrowed my handgun choice to 1911's and
Glocks....because it's what I shot best and what I felt most
comfortable with.
Up until 2001 I had always been a fan of the .45acp, but felt
comfortable with a .40cal....And felt that the 9mm was under powered.
I generally carried a 1911, but when it came to stressful shooting (ie.
SWAT qual, Firearms Instructor's qual, etc) I would use a Glock
because I felt more comfortable with it under stress, and found time
and time again that I shot better with a Glock under stress. The Glock
had the same trigger pull every time, the grip angle was perfect, no
grip safeties to worry about in ackward positions, the size of the
grip was just right, no safety levers / decockers, etc.
In 2001 I took a Tactical Response (formerly OPS Southeast) Tactical
Pistol class. I shot the first day with my Les Baer Thunder Ranch
Special and the second day with my Glock 35. It was after this class
of shooting 500 round through each gun, back to back, that I realized
that the Glock was much better suited to me.
I have been through other classes, matches, and training, and shot
both guns and found that under stress, shooting one handed, shooting
in awkward positions, shooting on the move, shooting while trying to
perform other tasks other tasks, etc. that the Glock was better suited
to me.
"Why the 9mm"? During my first class with Yeager he made the comment
"Pistol bullets poke holes, rifle bullets tear shit up".....That quote
stuck in my mind. I thought back to the after effects of shooting on
both animals, victim's of shootings, and Officer involved shootings
that I had seen personally and read about during my career. Not one
shooting I could think of would the effects not been the same with a
9mm or a .45acp.
With 9mm being approximately half the price of .45acp, the recoil of
9mm being less than the .45acp, and knowing shot placement is much
more important than caliber, it's not hard to understand why I
switched over to 9mm. And now that I'm buying only 1 pistol caliber,
logistically it's much easier for me when buying ammo.
Me: How many boxed of the 9mm Winchester White Box 100 round value
packs do you have in stock?
Wal-Mart employee: 21, how many do you need?
Me: I'll take all of them.
Wal-Mart employee: (cocks head and has a bewildered look on his face)
Man you must shoot a lot.
I started to rethink my mentality on pistols and pistol calibers, and
after some deep soul searching found that I was an anti - 9mm guy, and
loved the 1911 because I had listened to everyone else's hype. Every
time I had taken a pistol class, shot in a match, practiced at the
range, etc, it solidified that I shot better under stressful
conditions with a Glock. But I was carrying a pistol and caliber due
to hype, not on what pistol and caliber suited me the best.
Choose what best suits your style, don't believe the hype, and try it
before you dismiss it.
All Glocks, All 9mm
Semper Fi,
Jeff