Polymer Frame 3 Gun Pistols
Polymer frame pistols have a number of advantages over metal frame pistols. The #1 advantage is price. Polymer frame pistols are built by the thousands, and you should be able to swap parts from one into another without any trouble. Also, they are built to slightly looser tolerances, which allow them to continue to run, and run well, even when neglected. For the purpose of this article, we will evaluate a Glock, as that is the most common polymer frame pistol in 3 gun currently.
Glock has been making pistols since the 80’s, and are currently on their 4th generation of pistols. Gen 4 Glocks have reversible mag release buttons, and changeable back straps. They also made some slight changes to the slide and frame, so they do not swap with earlier slides and frames. I will not pretend to know the differences there. I have always shot Gen 3 Glocks, and they have always run wonderfully.
Glock has a few competition models out, including the Glock 34 and 35. The Glock 34 is a 5.25” barrel model, and has a lighter trigger pull from the factory. Most Glocks come with a 5.5-7.5 pound trigger from the factory, but the 34 & 35 come with a 4.5 pound trigger disconnector.
The main thing you need to change on a Glock is the sights. Most Glock sights are plastic when new, and are prone to breaking, especially when you abuse the gun in a 3 gun competition! Do yourself a favor and buy new sights. Sevigny makes great sights for Glock, as does Dawson and a few others. I prefer a fiber optic front sight, and matte black rear sights.
Aftermarket Glock triggers have come a long way over the past few years. You can read about guys polishing their trigger components following directions to a “.25 cent trigger job”, all the way up to the $190 trigger from Vanek. The polishing jobs smooths things up, so you can get rid of some of the grittiness that sometimes exists in a Glock trigger from the factory. The Vanek Trigger comes with overtravel and pretravel adjustments, as well as a modified trigger that allows the trigger to take more advantage of the pretravel adjustment while still keeping the trigger safety functional. A good factory 4.5 lb disconnector with factory springs should come in around 4 pounds with a polish job, while a vanek trigger comes in around 2 pounds with a lot less trigger travel. Is it a 2011 trigger? No, but it’s as close as you’re going to get!
A Glock is a great choice for 3 gun, especially when you use your pistol on a stage and then have to ground the pistol on a bucket. When grounding a pistol, you have to “make safe” before doing so. With a Glock (and the trigger safety), you just have to put the gun down! With other pistols, you have to get the gun on safe before grounding the pistol. For this reason we recommend a Glock for new shooters- it allows them one less thing to think about when shooting a stage.
A common question is how much does one give up by shooting a Glock vs. a 2011? Well, the Indian is more important than the arrow (as we all know), but you really are not giving up a lot. There are things that will be more difficult with a Glock (such as fast follow up shots), but can be mastered at the same level as a 2011 given enough practice. A good example is a practice match I shot a few weeks back. I’ve been shooting my Glock 34 for the past year in competition, and I am very comfortable with it. We shot the same stage twice, so I shot my Glock first, and then my buddies STI 2011. I ran 46 seconds on the stage with my Glock, and then 71 seconds with the STI! It wasn’t the STI’s fault, I assure you- it was mine. I’ve never shot his STI, and it showed that I need some serious range time with it before I’m competent with it!
So how much are you giving up by shooting an Glock vs an STI? Most would agree that you give up less than 5-10% of potential. Well, I just bought an STI, and I’ll keep my Glocks for a while- guess I’ll find out and write more on it when I do! In the meantime check out this head to head comparison between a few Glocks, an STI, and a 1911.
Look at Metal Frame 3 Gun Pistols>
Glock has been making pistols since the 80’s, and are currently on their 4th generation of pistols. Gen 4 Glocks have reversible mag release buttons, and changeable back straps. They also made some slight changes to the slide and frame, so they do not swap with earlier slides and frames. I will not pretend to know the differences there. I have always shot Gen 3 Glocks, and they have always run wonderfully.
Glock has a few competition models out, including the Glock 34 and 35. The Glock 34 is a 5.25” barrel model, and has a lighter trigger pull from the factory. Most Glocks come with a 5.5-7.5 pound trigger from the factory, but the 34 & 35 come with a 4.5 pound trigger disconnector.
The main thing you need to change on a Glock is the sights. Most Glock sights are plastic when new, and are prone to breaking, especially when you abuse the gun in a 3 gun competition! Do yourself a favor and buy new sights. Sevigny makes great sights for Glock, as does Dawson and a few others. I prefer a fiber optic front sight, and matte black rear sights.
Aftermarket Glock triggers have come a long way over the past few years. You can read about guys polishing their trigger components following directions to a “.25 cent trigger job”, all the way up to the $190 trigger from Vanek. The polishing jobs smooths things up, so you can get rid of some of the grittiness that sometimes exists in a Glock trigger from the factory. The Vanek Trigger comes with overtravel and pretravel adjustments, as well as a modified trigger that allows the trigger to take more advantage of the pretravel adjustment while still keeping the trigger safety functional. A good factory 4.5 lb disconnector with factory springs should come in around 4 pounds with a polish job, while a vanek trigger comes in around 2 pounds with a lot less trigger travel. Is it a 2011 trigger? No, but it’s as close as you’re going to get!
A Glock is a great choice for 3 gun, especially when you use your pistol on a stage and then have to ground the pistol on a bucket. When grounding a pistol, you have to “make safe” before doing so. With a Glock (and the trigger safety), you just have to put the gun down! With other pistols, you have to get the gun on safe before grounding the pistol. For this reason we recommend a Glock for new shooters- it allows them one less thing to think about when shooting a stage.
A common question is how much does one give up by shooting a Glock vs. a 2011? Well, the Indian is more important than the arrow (as we all know), but you really are not giving up a lot. There are things that will be more difficult with a Glock (such as fast follow up shots), but can be mastered at the same level as a 2011 given enough practice. A good example is a practice match I shot a few weeks back. I’ve been shooting my Glock 34 for the past year in competition, and I am very comfortable with it. We shot the same stage twice, so I shot my Glock first, and then my buddies STI 2011. I ran 46 seconds on the stage with my Glock, and then 71 seconds with the STI! It wasn’t the STI’s fault, I assure you- it was mine. I’ve never shot his STI, and it showed that I need some serious range time with it before I’m competent with it!
So how much are you giving up by shooting an Glock vs an STI? Most would agree that you give up less than 5-10% of potential. Well, I just bought an STI, and I’ll keep my Glocks for a while- guess I’ll find out and write more on it when I do! In the meantime check out this head to head comparison between a few Glocks, an STI, and a 1911.
Look at Metal Frame 3 Gun Pistols>