On Jan. 2, 2018, at 9:01 a.m. EST, the announcement of the new Glock 19X resulted in a “blizzard” of comments that matched the weather that much of the country was experiencing. There was a lot of focus on why Glock opted for a shorter Glock 19 slide on top of a full-size Glock 17 frame instead of the other way around. I don’t know, maybe everyone was suffering from cabin fever. So I was was tasked in writing followup explaining why Glock made that decision for the Glock 19X.

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It’s really not that complicated. So, let me try to answer the question again.

Glock 19X Features

I was among a small group of media that was invited to preview the Glock 19X at Glock’s facility in Smyrna, Ga. We were the first media representatives to handle and shoot the 19X.

The Glock MHS pistol was designed to meet the specifications of the U.S. Army’s Modular Handgun System solicitation. Glock officials stated that the Glock MHS met, or exceeded, the requirements of the MHS solicitation.

The Glock 19X is a commercial version of the MHS submission, with the exception of the manual thumb safety. It also combines the high magazine capacity of the Glock 17 with the shorter Glock 19 slide.

The lanyard loop was a MHS requirement but can be easily removed. It comes standard with Trijicon night sights and is, in part, responsible for a higher MSRP. The 19X incorporates “most” of the features found on Gen5 pistols.

Observations

I’m sure that few, if any, of those posting negative comments had held, much less shot, a Glock 19X. As such, their comments were based solely on photographs. From some of the comments, it was obvious that the poster had not read the articles explaining the reason Glock produced the Glock 19X.

The Glock 19X is Glock’s version of a Colt Commander. I don’t remember the Commander ever being lambasted like the Glock 19X, but then, that was in a more civil and gentlemanly time. The FN 509 is basically the same size and configuration as the Glock 19X. I didn’t read anything nearly as visceral about the 509 as the Glock 19X.

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Glock never stated that the 19X was designed for anything other than what it was: A commercial version of the Glock MHS.

Glock also never said the Glock 19X was ideal for CCW. That being said, there are a lot of people that carry, on a regular basis, a Glock 17 as their CCW. Some even carry a Glock 17 in the appendix position. They might appreciate the shorter slide.

Final Thoughts

Would the Glock 19X make a good duty weapon for law enforcement? Absolutely! The shorter slide makes it more comfortable, when seated in a patrol vehicle. And, in my opinion, it balances and indexes better than a Glock 17 (“Users may experience different results”).

Would I like to see a Glock 17 slide on a Glock 19 frame? Absolutely! For all those who are telling Glock what they “should have done,” I would remind them that the Glock 19X wasn’t made for them. It was made for the Army. Ultimately, you’re still getting a pistol comprised of two Glocks that are constantly revered as the best Glock pistols of all-time.

If you don’t like it, don’t buy it. I promise no one is going to force you to put down your credit card for a Glock 19X. On the other hand, I think that they will be flying off the shelves when they are released on Jan. 22, 2018.

One final question that I am stealing from a video posted on Instagram, by ambrosia_terrebone: “Instead of naming it the Glock 19X, you think if they’d called it the 17K, would everyone still be mad?” I’ll leave it there. For even more info, please visit 19x.glock.us.