Would you Glockophiles school me on the generations...

[kcub]

the good, the bad, and well, we are talkin' about Glocks so the ugly goes without sayin'

[Revoltella]

Gen1: smooth front and back straps. Glock 17 only, though a very small run of 19s were done for a police department.

Gen2: serrated front and back straps.

Gen2.5: finger grooves, no rail

Gen3: finger grooves, rail and 3rd pin in trigger group.

Gen4: RTF3 finish, larger mag release that can be switched to right side, SF frame with additional backstraps. Thinner one makes grip feel like the Gen3, thicker one makes it feel Ike their .45 models. Dual recoil spring assembly.

[Quentin2]

Revoltella gave you a great rundown.

For the "bad" you need to be more specific on which model and vintage you're thinking of. For example recent 9mm Gen 3 and 4 had weak ejection issues for a while. There have been other issues throughout the years but Glock normally corrects them. Tell us what you're looking for.

[SteelChickenShooter]

My gen 3 in G22 was superb in gripping. Felt like sharp coarse sandpaper. No slip sliding around there on a hot day with sweaty palms. Was hard on fabric for those in uniform. The gen 4 smoothed that out, but I always preferred that rock solid gen 3 in the hand if needed for defense. Can't say much about other differences such as the internals.

[Theohazard]

Originally Posted by SteelChickenShooter

My gen 3 in G22 was superb in gripping. Felt like sharp coarse sandpaper. No slip sliding around there on a hot day with sweaty palms. Was hard on fabric for those in uniform. The gen 4 smoothed that out, but I always preferred that rock solid gen 3 in the hand if needed for defense. Can't say much about other differences such as the internals.

The Gen 4 has a MUCH rougher grip than the Gen 3; the Gen 3's grip is a little too smooth in my opinion. I'm assuming your Glock 22 was a special RTF (rough textured frame) model.

[SteelChickenShooter]

If a special rough textured model, I guess I'm just not aware of that. No Glock expert here. To aid the OP just a bit if he wants the bad as well as the good. I did have one Glock 9mm mag that went BOING! when loading during a match. Have had plenty and quite a lot of Glock action. That magazine popping apart and flying loose during loading was a surprise. A minor aspect of Glock I do like is the 33-round magazines. I like the idea of having a couple of those loaded to about 25 or more rounds each. Not paranoid, but in my area there have been bad things that happen, I like the idea of having that quantity available if ever needed. Oh, there was one sort of fun event that did take place. I attended a fun shoot where it was not stipulated on the amount of ammo to defeat the targets. I slipped in a pair of 33-rounders and was the only shooter to blast away enough to win the challenge at hand. The planner presumed everyone to have the typical couple of normal round capacity. A trivial other note about Glock being bad: I did not appreciate the Glock brand illuminator NOT fitting my Glock pistol. While it DID readily attach to my CZ.

[carguychris]

Gen4: RTF3 finish, larger mag release that can be switched to right side, SF frame with additional backstraps. Thinner one makes grip feel like the Gen3, thicker one makes it feel Ike their .45 models. Dual recoil spring assembly.

Don't forget the little Gen4 logo on the slide.

AFAIK Glock did not actively promote the Gen1-Gen2 or Gen2-Gen3 switchovers, at least not to the extent of the Gen4 models; hence, the earlier pistols did not get the little logos.

Originally Posted by Quentin2

For the "bad" you need to be more specific on which model and vintage you're thinking of. For example recent 9mm Gen 3 and 4 had weak ejection issues for a while. There have been other issues throughout the years but Glock normally corrects them.

Precisely. Not every Glock design improvement corresponds with a generational switchover. Additionally, some models do not exist in Gen2 form, and others actually seem to be more common in Gen2 rather than Gen3/4 form.

A little more about the RTF finish...

Originally Posted by SteelChickenShooter

My gen 3 in G22 was superb in gripping. Felt like sharp coarse sandpaper... The gen 4 smoothed that out..

Originally Posted by Theohazard

I'm assuming your Glock 22 was a special RTF (rough textured frame) model.

(Emphasis mine)

Late in the Gen3 model run, Glock offered a special texture on the sides of the grip, consisting of tiny sharp-pointed pyramids rather than the previous standard "crinkle" texture. This texture was called RTF2, and was initially developed for LE and military users who complained that the standard finish was too slippery, particularly when wet. RTF2 pistols were initially sold with rounded "fish gill" slide serrations, although these were apparently dropped later. RTF2 and standard Gen3 Glock pistols were sold side-by-side. I've heard some Glock fans call the RTF2 pistols "Gen3.5", but others insist this is a misnomer, as the RTF2 pistols were no different than contemporary standard models in any other major respect.

Many Glock fans call these pistols "RTF" for short, but the official designation included the "2", as the earlier RTF (or "RTF1") finish was not used for any pistols commercially sold in the USA. RTF/RTF1 pistols were either sold to LE/military users on a very limited basis, or were only used on trial models that were never sold at all, depending on who you ask; I'm not sure which is right.

Glock introduced the slightly smoother RTF3 finish on the Gen4 pistols to address consumer complaints that the RTF2 finish was TOO rough; notably, RTF2 tends to cling to loosely hanging cover garments, which can cause printing.

[J-Will]

For some reason I don't have the ability to qoute a post, but in response to the gen breakdown above I have a correction.

The RTF2 is technically a gen 3 texture. "rough texture frame". As well as the SF models are gen 3. Gen 4 is just that, a gen 4, marked on slide with a more agressive texture than regular gen 3 models, but less agressive than the RTF2. They also come with 2-4 backstraps to increase grip front to back.

[Mystro]

The Gen 2 is the most sought after in my experience.