The Best Glocks: A Former Officer’s Picks by Use
Glock has built one of the most recognizable handgun lineups in the world, with 68 models across eight chamberings, including law enforcement-only variants. That breadth is a problem when you’re trying to buy one gun. The trick is to stop shopping by model number and start shopping by frame size and intended use, because the differences between a duty pistol, a carry gun, a competition rig, and a woods pistol come down to barrel length, grip size, and caliber far more than marketing names.
A few constants anchor the choice. The 9mm Luger ranks as the world’s most common pistol cartridge, and law enforcement agencies currently favor 9mm above other chamberings, which is why most buyers land on a 9mm frame unless they have a specific reason to go elsewhere. For most adults, a compact 9mm frame is the sensible default. With that framework in mind, here are the Glocks worth your money, sorted by what you actually plan to do with them.
1. Glock 19 Gen 5 MOS — Best All-Around
With its balance of size, weight, and capacity, the Glock 19 Gen 5 MOS is the most versatile choice for the typical shooter, according to a former police officer. Chambered in 9mm Luger with a 4.02-inch barrel and a 15+1 standard capacity, it carries easier than a full-size gun while keeping nearly identical ergonomics. It ships with the Modular Backstrap System for sizing the grip, an ambidextrous slide stop, a reversible magazine catch, and a removable slide plate for mounting a red dot. At $610.99, it’s the gun most people should buy. The one caveat: mounting an optic requires suppressor-height sights to co-witness. The Glock 19 is the best-selling Glock for good reason.
2. Glock 17 Gen 5 — Best for Home Defense and Duty
The Glock 17 is the original full-size frame layout and the most popular Glock on the planet. It runs a 4.49-inch barrel and holds 17 rounds of 9mm, the extra grip length, higher capacity, and accessory rail making it a strong home-defense and duty choice. Glocks outnumber every other handgun among American police officers, and the 17 has been central to that adoption. At $590.99, it’s affordable. The knocks are real, though: the all-black standard sights aren’t ideal for fast shooting, and the factory trigger is a weak point. Grip length, accessory mounting, and capacity are exactly the traits that make a good home-defense pistol, and the 17 delivers all three.
3. Glock 43X MOS — Best for Concealed Carry
Built specifically for concealed carry, the Glock 43X MOS uses a narrow single-stack frame that many shooters who find a wider grip too blocky actually handle better. It keeps the 43’s 3.41-inch barrel while fitting a longer grip for a 10-round magazine, giving you 10+1 capacity at just 16.26 ounces unloaded. The slide is cut for a micro red dot, and it adds a reversible magazine release. At $598.99, it’s priced like the 19. The trade-off is explicit: the slim grip costs you five rounds versus a double-stack, and like the others, an optic needs suppressor-height sights to co-witness. When a thin gun is the priority, this is the recommended pick.
4. Glock 34 Gen 5 FS MOS — Best for Competition
The Glock 34 is a common pick for shooters in production and carry-optics competition divisions. Its extended 5.3-inch barrel stretches the sight radius for better accuracy, and it comes with a marksman barrel that uses upgraded polygon rifling and an improved barrel crown. You also get ambidextrous slide stop levers and 17-round capacity. At $719.99, it’s the most expensive gun here, best suited to competitive shooters. The one complaint: the long slide could use more serrations. A longer barrel brings more velocity, a longer sight radius, and extra mass up front that steadies the gun in recoil — all of which matter when you’re shooting for score.
5. Glock 40 Gen 4 MOS — Best for Hunting and Woods Carry
For woods carry and hunting, go big. The Glock 40 Gen 4 MOS is chambered in 10mm Auto, the most powerful cartridge a Glock is built for, and rides a 6.02-inch barrel. That long tube runs nearly 1.5 inches past the G20’s, giving you a longer sight radius that makes open sights easier to run, and the slide is cut for an optic. This is the strongest Glock option for hunting. The downside is weight: at 32.28 ounces unloaded, it can be too much for all-day carry. If you want 10mm in a handier package, the Glock 20 is the duty-sized alternative.
6. Glock 44 — Best for Training and Fun
The Glock 44 is chambered in .22 Long Rifle, follows the Glock 19 outline, and holds 10+1. That makes it the ideal low-cost trainer: same manual of arms as your carry gun, cheap ammo, and almost no recoil. It’s the least expensive Glock and, according to a former police officer, the most fun to shoot of any Glock. At just 12.63 ounces unloaded, it’s also the lightest. The trade-off is obvious — .22 LR isn’t a defensive caliber — but for building fundamentals and cheap range time, nothing in the lineup beats it.
7. Glock 22 — Best for .40 S&W Holdouts
If you’re committed to .40 S&W, the Glock 22 is the pick. It chambers .40 S&W, holds 15 rounds on the standard frame, and was Glock’s first entry into that caliber. As a full-size pistol, it tames recoil better than the compact G23 or subcompact G27. It adds a captive recoil spring, steel guide rod, and ambidextrous magazine release, and at $429.99 it’s inexpensive. The honest caveats: the .40 S&W caliber is fading in popularity, and the 22 has non-replaceable sights and no modular backstrap. Buy it because you want that caliber, not as a default.
How to Choose
Start with the job. For everyday carry, the Glock 19 or 48 suit most people, with the 43X when thinness matters most. For home defense and duty, reach for the 17, 45, or 47, which give you the grip and capacity you want. Competition points toward the 34 or 17L, and woods carry toward the 20 or 40 MOS in 10mm. The spread between the cheapest and priciest gun here is only $380, so cost rarely forces the decision. Match the frame to your hands and the caliber to your purpose, and the model number sorts itself out.
The post The Best Glocks: A Former Officer’s Picks by Use appeared first on AllOutdoor.com.