I’ve made a habit of carrying both a Glock 19 and Glock 17 recently. It started as an academic exercise because I had the crazy idea that carrying a G17 was totally bananas. As it turns out, I have found myself carrying my Glock 17 more than my Glock 19. However, I wouldn’t call it a love affair.

I have fairly large hands, and I do shoot my Glock 17 Gen 4 better than my G19 Gen 4. But the G17 does have a few issues that can only be solved by addressing the length of the barrel. Specifically, the Glock 19X offers a solution that results in both a more wieldier firearm and one that brings the balance back into the palm of your hand while also chopping off a small, but significant, portion of the barrel.

Range Time

I will start this by admitting that I did not – at first – shoot the Glock 19X particularly well. It felt great in my hands, but I did struggle a bit to get on target. I can’t blame the trigger, or the grip, or even the sight radius. Frankly, the gun feels very wieldy and maneuverable. I say that understanding that Glocks have a love-hate relationship with many shooters when it comes to ergonomics.  

My first time shooting the G19X was, I suspect, tainted by the fact that I spend most of my time shooting Gen 4 pistols. I have grown accustomed to the finger grooves. I did improve on my second range trip with some added dry-fire practice. If I had to make a bold statement, it would be that the gun is as accurate as the shooter. 

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However, I would be negligent to not readdress the balance of the pistol. By chopping the barrel length back and increasing the magazine capacity, the weight of the gun lays closer to the web of your thumb. It’s a noticeable improvement and one that makes the gun feel more like a net-zero weight in your hand. I actually suspect that the improvement in the balance of the gun threw me off a bit while shooting, but I can’t really complain about that too much. Subsequent trips to the range had me shooting about on par with my Glock 17.

Carry Time

If concealed carry is a game of inches, the near-half-inch difference between the Glock 17 and the Glock 19X does change the game a bit for daily carry. It might seem insignificant, but a small increase in the barrel length is enough to make a handgun uncomfortable enough to leave behind.

I normally carry in the appendix, which does create occasional issues when sitting down with a larger gun. I tolerate that with my Glock 17, but I would prefer not to deal with it if I could avoid the issue entirely. Beyond that, the G19X also hosts a dehorned slide and the Glock Gen 5 grip. I would consider both to be a net positive over my personal Glock 17 Gen 4.
 

Final Thoughts
 

It’s easy to miss – I did – but the G19X has a telltale feature that marks it as a bit of a service gun. I’m almost ashamed to admit that I spent months taking this pistol to the range without noticing it had a lanyard loop on the base of the grip. I would also call that a positive feature, given that it never bothered me while shooting or carrying the gun.

If I didn’t already have a Glock 17 and a Glock 19, I would likely find a way to justify adding a G19X to my collection. It gives me a better balance than the Glock 17 with the same capacity and improved comfort. I find it hard to disagree with that.