Glock G20 or G40 as a woods gun?

[PatientWolf]

I’m curious if anyone who has experience with both would like to weigh in with their opinions on the Glock G20 vs the Glock G40 as a woods gun.

If only one, which would you chose and why?

[wild cat mccane]

What ammo are you planning on using for woods carry?

I ask, because there are currently no round for self defense that does better than a 9mm/40 Federal HST in terms of expansion AND penetration. The only factory 10mm premium round is Gold Dot (this year) and it is factory listed at 1100fps.

If FMJ is being used...well what's the point?

I wanted a 10mm until I started look at the stats. Its lore/legend precedes itself online.

[HighValleyRanch]

i carried the Buffalobore 10mm heavy outdoorsman in my Glock 20 and 29 for woods protection against 4 legged critters with the flat nose hard cast Keith bullet.
https://www.buffalobore.com/index.ph...t_detail&p=394
Advertised at 650 foot pounds ME from a glock 20.

[hogwiley]

I don't think its really necessary to use a 10mm for this purpose. If bears are the primary thing you're worried about, .40 caliber ball ammo should be as good as anything(which is to say not very good). If a bear is going to attack or behave aggressively and you actually have time to shoot, id try to put as many rounds into the thing as possible. The difference between a .40 and 10mm in terms of stopping power for a large animal is probably negligible, but the .40 will be quicker and easier to shoot.

Don't worry about using hollowpoints, penetration would be what you want.

At least that's my take on it. You can ask 10 different people and get 10 different answers on this, even among people who know better than most.

[jmr40]

I wanted a 10mm until I started look at the stats. Its lore/legend precedes itself online.

You've been looking in the wrong places. Those are all loads designed to be effective against human threats. Buffalo Bore and DoubleTap both make loads designed to work very well on the largest game on earth.

I've had a G20 for years and carried 200 gr DoubleTap Hardcast @ 1300 fps in it when in bear country. I took it when camping in Yellowstone twice and slept as well with it by my side as I would have with any other firearm. That load has taken large bear, moose and even cape buffalo in the past.

But 4 years ago bought a G29 and it has replaced the G20. It is a lot easier to carry and I only give up about 50 fps with the shorter barrel. I give up nothing at all in accuracy and can, and often do, use the 15 round magazines from my G20.

The G40 would be a better gun for target shooting or hunting. I'd expect it to be a little more accurate, especially at longer ranges. But that isn't necessary for protection and the bigger gun would be more of a hindrance than help.

[wild cat mccane]

BB and Double Tap load with inferior bullets.

Yep. I said it.

BB even states multiple times on its website a 9mm FMJ is good enough to kill a bear.

[PatientWolf]

The request was a comparison of the Glock G20 vs the Glock G40.

I am interested in a comparison of 10mm woods guns that may be used for hunting. 40 S&W and especially 9mm are not appropriate or ethical for this task.

I am not interested in a caliber war of what is “good enough”.

For those staying on topic, thank you!

[COSteve]

Hands down the G40 makes a better woods gun than the G20. The longer barrel produces much better velocities needed for 4 legged critters and the 6" slide gives you a 28% longer sight radius as well as adding about 4+ oz of muzzle weight that aids in sighting and followup shots.

I developed the first 6" slide Glock, my G20/21L as I called it, in 2004 from a German 6" G21 45acp custom slide and Jarvis 6" 45acp barrel. I talked Kevin or KKM Precision to make the first 45-10MM conversion barrrel in late 2004.



I handload for everything I shoot including my Glocks and I've got 180grn, handloads using Power Pistol powder that produce well over 1,400fps in my G20L. In addition, Ballistics By the Inch has tested Buffalo Bore 180grn in 6" barrels and gotten 1,428fps.

[agtman]

Glock G20 or G40 as a woods gun?
I’m curious if anyone who has experience with both would like to weigh in with their opinions on the Glock G20 vs the Glock G40 as a woods gun.
If only one, which would you chose and why?

Up front, ... I have all 3 10mm Glocks.

But if your intended purpose is selecting between the G20 and G40 for use only as a dedicated woods gun, then I'd recommend the G40 - 'cause that's the singular role mine plays. Produces the highest velocity with real 10mm factory ammo or handloads; 6.2" sight radius for better accuracy with the irons; MOS-capable; 15+1 capacity. Carried in a center-chest holster where it's immediately accessible.

It could also double as your handgun 'hunting' pistol if a 6.2" Glock longslide in 10mm AUTO is legal in your area.

Now, that said, if you toss in concealed EDC as a alternate use, then I'd choose the G20 instead. It can serve 'good enough' in both roles even if not as well as the G40 does purely as an outdoor/'trail & boonies' gun.

[reddog81]

The guns are very similar. The only significant difference I'm aware of is the 4.6" barrel vs 6" barrel and the 40 comes with the MOS cutout for using optics. If you're planning on using optics the 40 is the only reasonable option. 4.6" vs 6" is a personal choice. At any self defense ranges the longer sight radius on the 40 is negligible. For longer shots the extended sight radius could be very helpful. The model 20 is going to be easier to carry.

The model 40 could have just as easily been called a model 20 long slide. Anyone who's says one is significantly better than the other is only fooling themselves. I was planning on getting a 40 but found a good deal on a 20 and went with that instead.

[T. O'Heir]

"...the Glock G20 vs the Glock G40..." There is no 'VS'. Those are the same pistol in different barrel lengths. The only difference that matters is the 5 ounce difference in the weight. Five ounces will matter a whole bunch if your part of the "woods" has a lot of up to it. Otherwise, it's how either one feels in your hand.
Using Hornady 200 grain XTP ammo, the difference in velocity between a 4" and 6" barrel is only about 100 FPS according to BBTI's tests. That applies to all bullet weights too. Not enough to matter. http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/10mm.html
"...human threats..." Far more of an issue than Yogi, or anybody he lives with, will ever be.

[agtman]

The only significant difference I'm aware of is the 4.6" barrel vs 6" barrel and the 40 comes with the MOS cutout for using optics. * * *

One noticeable difference I failed to mention above is that the factory trigger on my Gen4 G40 is waay nicer than the factory triggers on my non-Gen4 G20 and G29.

In a handgun hunting context, the 'better' trigger (smoother, lighter let-off) is an advantage.

[reddog81]

As far as I know the triggers should be the exact same. There will be variations from one gun to the next but you're just as likely to get a model 20 with a better trigger than a model 40.

[TruthTellers]

I'm not really sure what the G20 does that the G40 doesn't in terms of being a better gun for defense. The longer slide/barrel does nothing to make it more difficult to conceal, but a slower draw may be the only downside. If it's a faster draw that one wants, then there's no reason to bother with either and go with the G29.

The more I think about it, the more I feel the "Full Size" Glocks are unnecessary in lieu of the Tactical/Practical Glocks like the G34/G35 or the competition Glocks like the G40/G41.

[JohnKSa]

As far as I know the triggers should be the exact same.

Glock's website indicates that the G40 trigger is about 1lb lighter than the G20 trigger.

[Model12Win]

Glock 40.

Much more velocity, the short 4.5" bbl on the G20 does not let the 10mm do its thing IMNSHO.

When staring down Big Bruin or Rabid Rhino, you'll want all the velocity you can get if you MUST carry a 10mm in the woods. I prefer a .44 magnum at a minimum. YMMV.

[agtman]

As far as I know the triggers should be the exact same. There will be variations from one gun to the next but you're just as likely to get a model 20 with a better trigger than a model 40.

Well, you don't know then.

The Gen4 trigger is both lighter and smoother in pull. My G29 and G20 are two Gens earlier than my G40, and while their triggers are manageable for self-defense use, I prefer the G40's trigger for hunting or targets.

Glock's website indicates that the G40 trigger is about 1lb lighter than the G20 trigger.

Correct.

[JohnKSa]

Much more velocity, the short 4.5" bbl on the G20 does not let the 10mm do its thing IMNSHO.

There will be more velocity from the longer barrel, but the 1.42" difference between the G20 and the G40 barrels shouldn't make a huge difference.

Linear interpolation of the velocity data from all 9 loadings on the the BBTI website suggests that the average velocity difference between a 4.61" barrel and a 6.02" barrel is about 62fps.

The biggest velocity difference (129fps) was with a 135gr loading. Excepting that loading, the range velocity differences across the remaining 8 loadings was 76fps to 34fps when going from 4.61" to 6.02".

Looking only at the loadings with bullets 150grains or heavier (more suitable for hunting) resulted in an average velocity difference of about 53fps between a G20 and a G40 barrel length.

[DaleA]

A quick recap (my personal preference would be the G40).

G40---longer barrel/slide, heavier, Modular Optics System.
1. The longer sight radius might make it more accurate in your hands. I realize the longer barrel does NOT make the gun more accurate but the longer sight radius might aid in aiming.
2. The longer barrel will allow you to get higher velocities than the shorter barrel.
3. Heavier weight and longer barrel/slide will absorb recoil and reduce muzzle flip. Probably get you quicker and more accurate subsequent shots.

G20---handier pistol

For all our pontificating about all the points that have been raised it might just come down to can you stand carrying the longer slide/barrel of the G40? I could easily see where the irritation factor of the longer, heavier G40 would outweigh every positive feature of the gun.

Guess it’s up to you to decide. (Gosh Captain Obvious, thanks for the insight!!!)

For what it’s worth you could have the G20 slide modified to take an optical sight if that is a big factor, and I would give some consideration to agtman’s opinion about the trigger, although that too can be modified for a price.

[TruthTellers]

The thing about 10mm and the MOS red dots is do the red dots hold up to the recoil of the 10mm? Not the wimpy Federal 10mm loadings, I'm talking about the hot stuff from Doubletap and Underwood.

[FairWarning]

G40 all day long! It's pointless to have less than 5" for 10mm IMO, and when 6" is available in the same format, even 5" is pointless for the woods. If you can't draw the 6" gun, you wouldn't be able to draw the 5" either. You'd be bear breakfast.

The G40 is one impressive and practical package. Too bad I'm not into Glocks....

[agtman]

G40 all day long! It's pointless to have less than 5" for 10mm IMO, and when 6" is available in the same format, even 5" is pointless for the woods. If you can't draw the 6" gun, you wouldn't be able to draw the 5" either. You'd be bear breakfast.

That's why mode of carry and holster-type matter for a dedicated 'woods gun,' especially the longslide G40.

As long as open carry is legal in the backwoods, boonies, and on the trails, I don't even entertain the idea of 'concealing' my 'woods gun.' If I need it right now, I don't want to first spend extra seconds digging it out from under a buttoned or zippered overcoat or layered garmits (like a sweater or sweatshirt), which is exactly what happens with the typical OWB/IWB concealment rigs.

Then it becomes a question of selecting an O.C. holster that will position the gun effectively for the quickest immediate access, while keeping it secure and with the least obtrusiveness when you don't need it.

Necessarily compromises are involved ... People tend to forget that while in the woods, on the trail, around the camp site or cabin (if you do 'outdoor' things like hiking, camping, or fishing), your hands are often occupied with other tasks or chores that don't involve shooting anything.

So the one holster I've found that best fills the niche of keeping it out of the way but still 'convenient,' is the center-chest holster. I studied up on its use in Alaska by pilots and guides, and it seems to make a lot of sense for a dedicated outdoor/woods gun.

I happen to have Galco's leather version (Great Alaskan) for my G40 - which also fits the G20 - but there's also Diamond D's leather 'Alaskan Guide Holster.' He's an AK resident and offers the AGH for many different pistols & revolvers. Another is the Kanai, which is Kydex, and likely fairly light-weight. The Kanai is also made for a lot of different handguns.

Not pushing any C-C holster over the others, but here's the link to the 'customer photos' page of Diamond D's website. The pics will give you an idea of what the C-C holster actually looks like on real people with different handguns:

https://www.diamonddcustomleather.co.../photo-gallery

[wild cat mccane]

I'm not going to make any friends in this thread.

Just got back from a week of hiking in Homer, Alaska last week. Never ran into a single person on a hike one of the days. I go to Alaska at least once a year to go hiking. I live in Utah and hike every weekend.

I have never met a person with a real bear story. Or any "woods" gun worthy story. It's the talk of all internet gun boards. I've always assumed marketing departments of big revolver companies have done a particularly fine job of hitting the fear button.

That said, I have large caliber revolvers. Meh.

Another option is the $400 EAA imported Witness 10mm in 3.8" and 4.5" barrels. Which is annoying because the 9mm versions are low $200.

Even G29/G2s have slow resell in Utah. Something to consider as I imagine the 6" barrel would sell particularly slower as it would have to go to a limited buyer pool.

[PatientWolf]

Thanks for all the feedback.

For Wild Cat Mccane, I would just point out that as alluded to in my posts, for me a “woods gun” is also used for hunting.

Also, it seems that sometimes with patience, the path is obvious. I walked into a LGS today and they had a used G40 that looked all but unused for 5 bills. Made the decision easy.

[reddog81]

Originally Posted by PatientWolf

I walked into a LGS today and they had a used G40 that looked all but unused for 5 bills. Made the decision easy.

Nice score. That one is a no brainer.