Are Glock grips really that fat?

[GunMaverick]

Or is it just people with small hands complaining and trying to hide their manliness by saying "oh it's just the grips are too fat". I'd say I have average size hands, and I might get a Glock, but I can't decide 21 vs 21 sf because of the grips. If anyone with personal experience with Glocks could give some input that would be great.

GunMaverick

[SIMP]

Welcome to the forum!

I didn't like Glocks until the gen 4 models came out. They fit me pretty well and I have small to medium sized hands. I have become fond of their squared off grips now and shoot them accurately.

[Lohman446]

I have owned several Glocks over the years in various calibers. I really wanted to like the Glocks in 10MM but found the grip was simply too large for me. The newest generation with the interchangeable grip panels (none installed) solved that issue for me. I am rather happy with it.

Prior to that I did not have any complaints with various 9MM and .40s. I never tried a .45 Glock.

[CleanDean]

Early gen 1&2 Glocks have blocky feeling grips. (AWKWARD FEELING)
The wooden grips on my early Beretta 92s aren't any thinner, but they feel better . The contour is more ergonomic to me .

[sarge83]

I really wanted a Glock 30 but the grip was just too big for my hands. I can handle the Glock 21 for some reason, it works, but the 30 is a no go.

[GunMaverick]

You all have been so helpful! Thank you! So do you think I should go with 21 or 21sf (I have average size hands)

[mete]

When Glocks first came out the grips were smooth , no checkering or other gripping texture !! :eek: That was the first thing I noticed and commented on.
However you can checker or otherwise texture the platic . Even do some carving !!:p

[TxFlyFish]

While it might just a fraction of dimensional difference, the SF reduces an otherwise borderline "too large" of a grip for some to a more manageable width and trigger reach.

The difference on paper is minute but definitely noticeable

[Gats Italian]

It's not so much that the grips are "fat." It's that they're misshapen.

For lots, not a few, but lots of shooters, the Glock finger bumpers hit in all the wrong places no matter the model. Some people will only own Glocks from Gen 1 or 2 for the 17 or 19 as a result.

The trigger guard where it meets the front strap, rubs a lot of people the wrong way, and finally, the "hump" on the back strap annoys some, but Gen 4 has mostly minimized that since it can now be modified without tools.

If there weren't legitimate issues about Glock grips there wouldn't be a whole cottage industry built around burning and sanding them. The demand is real.

[boatdoc173]

JMHO-- Glock needs to take a hint. walther, springfield(mod 2) and H+K all have much better ,more comfortable grips than the block of glock(even gen 4)

and they are adjustable too. Glocks only get bigger.

the ONLY reasons I own glocks are price and reliability--certainly NOT comfort when using

[Ocraknife]

You bring up a good question. I have fairly large hands and the Glock grips seem big to me, especially the Glock 20. That said, I really don't know if they're any bigger than any other gun.

[GunMaverick]

I guess the only way for me to find out is obvious...use a Glock

[BigJimP]

Go to a range that rents guns....and try them first...

Its not just the size ( width )....its the grip angle, etc.../ ...but if you can reach all the controls ( mag release primarily ) without shifting your grip, it should be fine. I'm not a glock fan ( I hate the grip angle and the triggers - how they break and reset )...but they do run pretty well.

But rent some of their competitors guns too.... HK, Sig, S&W, etc....make notes - and compare before you buy is smart.

[Frank Ettin]

I have small hands (I install short triggers in all my 1911s). I can manage the Glock 17/19 size okay but not the 20 or 21. I'm not, however, real fond of the shape of the Glock grip.

I just had ROBAR do grip reductions on my two Glock 19s, and it's a significant improvement for me.

[Skans]

I have a Glock 17. The grip is fine. If you want to know what a "fat" grip feels like, try the following:

S&W 2nd Gen 9mm 659
Taurus PT99
Desert Eagle XIX
Megastar

Basically, it's a tad thicker than a 1911 with slim panels or a Hi-Power.

[jmr40]

The G20, G21's are too big for some people and the SF versions help. The actual dimensions and grip angle of the G17, G22 family of guns is actually darn near identical to an original 1911 with an arched mainspring housing.

If you don't like the arched mainspring housing on a 1911 and prefer flat then the G19, G23 family will probably work much better. These guns don't have the hump near the end of the grip.

[T. O'Heir]

Only ever played with one Glock a copper had left unattended on our range, long ago, when Glocks were brand new things and there was only one model. No idea which. Found it fit my short but wide hand ok but was kind of slippery.
Anyway, a 9mm M17 is 30.00mm/1.18" wide. A .45 ACP M21 is 32.5mm/1.27" wide. That 2.5mm or 90 thou isn't much, but you would feel it.
"...Desert Eagle XIX..." Yeah! Still laugh about that. My finger came to the side of the trigger. And the thing's frame had been reduced by Cylinder and Slide I think was.
"...arched mainspring housing on a 1911..." Has a purpose that's more than just feel. Pushes the pistol's muzzle up.
"...can't decide 21 vs 21 SF..." Same size anyway. If the thing doesn't feel right, pass on it.

[JERRYS.]

the "standard" G17 size grip fits the medium sized hand. folks with small hands with say its too big and folks with large hands will say its usable but will prefer the larger G20 type grips.

grip sleeves allowed folks with large hands to find something more to their liking and the SF short/slim frame allowed folks with small hands to gain a little more something to their liking.

the Gen4 allows medium size hands to be happy and large hands to get something too without having to add non-Glock stuff to the gun.

[P71pilot]

The generatiom 3s and prior model 21 amd 20 have absolutely huge grips, and you wlnt notice it until you fire the weapon. I had a model 20 a few years ago, and have a medium/large sized hand. I think i where a size 8 glove, anyways because the recoil and thr fact that my hand could not properly grip and contain the grip, the weapon would torque in my hand and i could not achieve decent accuracy. I was not flinching. I tried about 400rds of 10mm and got my grouping to shrinl but it was still way too poor for my liking.

[jr24]

The smaller (9mm, .357, .40, .45 GAP) grips are really no fatter than anything else, thinner even, than some wood grips. As some have mentioned, the oddly placed finger grooves, palm swell, and general square shape make them FEEL fatter.

I hated Gen 3 Glock grips for years, until I picked up a Gen 4 Glock 21, love at first grip (I have medium to large hands). Now most of my collection is Glocks.

So for the 21, I would say get a Gen 4, or SF at least. The Gen 4 feels (to me) a smidge smaller than even the SF.

[jmstr]

The 30SF fits my size 9.5 glove hands much better than the 30. This isn't the 21 you are referring to, but is similar to the type of change.

I have a 22 [gen 3] and a 23 [gen 4]. I find the gen 4 23 [with no adaptors added] fits my hand much better than the gen 3 22.

In gloves, I always had a 'touch' of space left over at the end of my fingers that wasn't filled, as my palm breadth was wider than my finger length. That makes the reach to the front of the trigger feel a bit awkward with the Gen 3 standard size grips.

With a G21, they are that much thicker, and I would NEVER buy a G21 [or G20] UNLESS it was an SF. I would take one as a gift, I guess. However, when I shot a G20 [same frame as G21], it did feel 'like a brick' in my hand. The G22 feels bad enough, but I couldn't pass it up for the price [police trade in with NO wear and NS, for $300 locally].

[Bart Noir]

"...can't decide 21 vs 21 SF..." Same size anyway.

O'Heir, I must disagree with you. The SF version is smaller, fore-and-aft on the grip. When they came out with that version, I started buying them.

The compacts in the SF fit me quite well, and the big brothers (G20 and G21) are more shootable, all due to the SF change.

The rear of the grip has a curve which is moved upward on the compact models (29 and 30) and they just fit me.

I can certainly praise the G30S, the one with the slim slide of the G36 on the SF frame. It balances in my hand and fits my hand so well that I bought the first one I found for sale.

Bart Noir

[Pert316]

I have medium hands (wide palms medium fingers ). The gen 3 G21 is a large gun but have no problems at all with it in my hands. The facts are I shoot it more accuratly than I do smaller Glocks. It's a tack driver which may seem crazy, but I like the results I get with the larger gun. Definitely my choice for friendly range competition with friends.

[kozak6]

It's not that they are that fat, it's that they are that fat the whole way across (they might be a little bit long, too).

Other pistols have grips with a palm swell that fat (or fatter!) in the middle, but they taper down to a nice rounded grip with slim rounded edges.

The Glock's grip is the same thickness the whole way across to a square edge, increasing the circumference quite a bit.

Or is it just people with small hands complaining and trying to hide their manliness

Yes. All of the other manufacturers SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES for studying actual human hands :rolleyes: and offering ergonomic grips that can be configured to fit most people. What a bunch of nerds :mad:.

Seriously, though, I think I could almost deal with the grips if it weren't for the "Glock hump" making it point high.

I've been meaning to try a Gen 4 without any extra backstraps, but I'm not sure how much of a difference it will make.

[Theohazard]

I can't decide 21 vs 21 sf because of the grips.Keep in mind that your choice only applies if you've decided on a Gen 3 Glock. There are no SF models in Gen 4 because all of them are smaller sized (without the backstraps) than the Gen 3 models. For example, the Gen 4 Glock 21 has the same sized grip as the Gen 3 Glock 21 SF.

[Fishbed77]

So do you think I should go with 21 or 21sf (I have average size hands)

You are the only one that can answer this question.

[Tactical Jackalope]

I don't understand the complaints about Glock and how it feels in the hand. Are you going to worry about how it "feels" when you are using it in self defense? Try it out by shooting it. If that doesn't work for you, then fine. But give a try.

You don't just sit in a car before you buy it. You test drive it, don't you?


Try it out. Take all the opinions with a grain of salt for now until you try it for yourself.

Remember, an ambassador of a brand will always knock the competition every chance they get.

[Dashunde]

I have a few glocks around here, the G21 is noticeably larger than the G19/23/17/22/34/35, for example, its just the nature of a double-stack 45.
The reach to the trigger on the G21 is fairly long too.
I half-heartedly sold the G21, my last remaining 45, mostly to fund my switch to all-40s&w with a G35 for the nightstand... Had I gone with the G21SF, I might have kept it.

[JDBerg]

How a particular gun feels in your hand at the gun counter is often very different from how well you hit the target with it. I have the large backstrap and the large grip shells on my 9mm HK P30. I have the large beavertail backstrap on my Gen4 Glock 21. I did some experimenting with both guns and with my X-Large hands I'm convinced I shoot these guns better since I've set them up this way. But I don't think the gun stores would sell a single one of these guns configured the way I have them set up.

[Ozzieman]

I have an early G26 and a new gen 34. The only difference I see is that I can’t get my trigger finger position on the 34 as well as the 26.
Its shoot able, no problem but its just not as comfortable.

[Dragline45]

Not at all, it's more that Glock grips aren't very ergonomic. Compare a Glock grip to say a Sig or Beretta and you will find the Glock is a good deal thinner.

[Bart Noir]

Dragline, I am not arguing, but wish to know which SIG and which Beretta you ask us to compare to the Glock.

Both of those companies make metal framed pistols, and both make polymer framed pistols.

Bart Noir

[Don P]

I really wanted a Glock 30 but the grip was just too big for my hands

Did you try the G36 single stack

[iraiam]

I install the biggest back straps on my Glocks, even my G21 has the biggest back straps on it, but my mitts are rather large, I have problems holding small pistols because of it.

[wizzamen]

I have small hands and own both a 21 Gen 3 and 21sf. I like them both, I just find the 21sf to be a little bit more comfortable to hold. Though it may be nice to hold a pistol that feels comfortable, I find that a good trigger is more important to me than grip size.

My personal rankings would be:

1. Glock 21 Gen 4 (I love the Gen 4 grip texture)
2. Glock 21sf
3. Glock 21 Gen 3

I wouldn't sell my 21 Gen 3 to buy a 21sf or 21 Gen 4, but if I was buying a 21 for the first time it would be the Gen 4.

[Seven High]

I read somewhere that the angle of the Glock 17 was the same as the Luger. Does anyone own both for a comparison?

[Theohazard]

I read somewhere that the angle of the Glock 17 was the same as the Luger. Does anyone own both for a comparison?
All you need to do is look at these two pictures and you can tell they have a very different grip angle:

http://www.rockislandauction.com/photos/57/p_standard/MIT656-G-F1-H.jpg
http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/takenfilm/images/7/7b/Glock17-CA-2.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140408181856