Stay with 9mm Glock or add .40sw to the party?

[ViennaGambit]

Looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong time lurker, little poster. Love this place and finally am in need of some good advice on my next Glock purchase....

Have a 9mm and .45acp already, the G26 and a G30sf, and looking to add a third. Having a hard time trying to decide if I should stick with 9mm (I shoot A LOT of 9mm) or add in a .40s&w (I have no guns in this caliber) for variety and just pick up a .40-9mm conversion barrel to share ammo. The conspiracy theorist zombie apolocalypse foil hat guy in me thinks that for a SHTF scenario having the option of 9, 40 or 45 might be nice, or maybe just a little too paranoid. I don't really want to stock a third caliber, but hey, you never know.

Based on the above, kindly put yourself in my shoes and, if you had a G26 and a G30, would you go for a:

G19
G17
G23 + 9mm Conversion Barrel
G22 + 9mm Conversion Barrel

Thanks
-Vienna

 

[JoeMal]

I would stick with 9mm. You already buy/load ammo for it...no need to throw .40 into the mix

Either 17 or 19 is PERFECTION...you're talking about 2 of the most loved, well built 9mms out there on the market. Would you be carrying this every once in a while? My guess is no since you have the 26. If you want a range gun, get the 17. If you plan on possibly carrying it, get the 19. Part of me thinks you should stick with the 19 simply so you don't get 'used' to the full-size frame of the 17.

And as far as SHTF....shoot yourself with a 9mm and tell me it doesn't hurt and wouldn't stop you if you were attacking someone. You also get a few more tries with the 9mm than .40. If you really need to 'go big', you have the .45. Honestly, a .40 cal seems silly to me when you could reach for the .45, ya know?

Stick with the 9mm and enjoy your new Glock, whichever you get

Oh, and welcome officially to THR

 

[mark1616]

As far as I'm concerned, nothing beats a G23.

 

[ViennaGambit]

I would stick with 9mm. You already buy/load ammo for it...no need to throw .40 into the mix

Either 17 or 19 is PERFECTION...you're talking about 2 of the most loved, well built 9mms out there on the market. Would you be carrying this every once in a while? My guess is no since you have the 26. If you want a range gun, get the 17. If you plan on possibly carrying it, get the 19. Part of me thinks you should stick with the 19 simply so you don't get 'used' to the full-size frame of the 17.

And as far as SHTF....shoot yourself with a 9mm and tell me it doesn't hurt and wouldn't stop you if you were attacking someone. You also get a few more tries with the 9mm than .40. If you really need to 'go big', you have the .45. Honestly, a .40 cal seems silly to me when you could reach for the .45, ya know?

Stick with the 9mm and enjoy your new Glock, whichever you get

Oh, and welcome officially to THR

Thank you for the advice and logic

I would like to be able to carry whichever I buy and dont like having a dedicated range gun. Is the 17 and 22 a real PITA to conceal? I'm not a huge guy, but I live in a state where if I print or someone catches a glimpse its a non-issue.

And thank you for the welcome

 

[Bobson]

Based solely on the fact that you already own a 9mm (and shoot 9mm a lot), I voted for the G19. To me, owning multiple guns in the same caliber makes much more sense than owning one gun each in a smattering of different calibers. If you choose to buy multiple firearms with the same manual of arms (and in the same caliber), even better.

And playing with the whole "conspiracy theorist zombie apolocalypse foil hat guy" in you for a moment, if you did find yourself in a situation where you needed to carry a gun (or guns) to protect yourself from who-knows-what-on-two-legs, it would make much more sense to carry just one type of ammunition, especially if all that ammunition fit in magazines that were interchangeable between your carried firearms. Nothing against .40S&W or the G22/23; I just think it makes sense to own handguns in the same caliber, with the same MOA.

The G19 is the obvious choice, if you ask me. Only reason I chose it over the G17 is because I'm not a big fan of full-sized handguns except for HD and range use (or duty use, if you're an LEO, armed guard, or similar). If you owned a G27 instead of a G26, my suggestion would have been to buy a G23. Compliment your armory, don't confuse it.

 

[Strykervet]

I have the G27 and G29, so same sizes, different calibres. I carry them IWB in Milt Sparks VM2's (not both, one or the other) on a good quality double thick 1.5" gun belt. The holster and belt are important for concealment. Those holsters are so nice when I wanted one for a 1006, I just got another. Concealment is the same here, if the wind blows and it shows it isn't a big deal. Now I'd bet that VM2 is great for the G17 or the G19.

I also have the G20SF, and so I can use the G20 mags in the G29 as a spare. You can either get the mag for the G26, or get the G17 and then have a small concealeable pistol and a full size high cap pistol.

When it came to G26 or G27, I went G27 even though I had the G17 because I wanted more power in a carry piece; later I got the G29 and got the ten bug. So I suppose you could get the G22 or G23, but instead of getting a conversion barrel for it, I'd get a G27 slide for the G26 from Glockmeister. Those conversion barrels aren't all that great, but a factory .40 upper would be. Then you'd have a good range pistol in a common calibre, a G26 to shoot 9mm, and a G27 (because when you change the upper, that is what you get) for a more powerful carry piece. They sell frames too, so later if you wanted to turn it into a separate pistol, you can. I've done this too, built my G20 this way.

You can do the same thing with the G30, get a G29 upper and have 10mm. But as far as carry, either your G26 or your G30, I vote the G30, is ideal. A VM2 and you'd be set for carry. So I'd get whatever you feel you'd have the most fun with --another reason I voted G17. The G17 and my G17L, espcially the 17L, are my favorite range pistols.

I also have a G21, and that one is fun too, but I plan on converting it to .50GI someday. I load, so calibre selection means little to me as long as components are available --hence my fancy with 10mm.

 

[Frank V]

I'm a little different, I'd go for the G23 & Lone Wolf 9mm barrel, then I'd add a Lone Wolf .357 Sig BBL
The 9 is incredably inepensive to load (compared to larger calibers) & with our modern ammo, effective, plus it's EASY TO SHOOT WELL WITH.

Frank

 

[Wanderling]

You already have a G26. G17 would complement it perfectly. G19 isn't that much smaller to make a real difference for an occasional carry, and you already have your perfect EDC.

 

[Zundfolge]

As someone who's EDC is a .40 (along with most of my auto loaders) I say stick with 9mm.

Its cheaper to shoot and the .40 (or .45 for that matter) are not significantly more powerful.

If you can't do it with 9mm you won't be able to do it with .40 (then there's the extra round or two in the mag you get with 9mm).

 

[Prosser]

Well, here's my 2 cents.

When ammo is short, it's nice to have ALL the service calibers, so, if you you see a great deal on something, buy it. I did this with Federal 9mm HST 147 grains, and I didn't own a 9MM at the time.

Now, I would go with the Glock 29. I like the heavy slide, and I like the 10MM.
If you can't find ammo, buy another barrel, and some magazines, and convert it to .40.

You get the best of both worlds, and something you don't have. Right now, I think thanks to Fish, the only inexpensive Glock at my local gunstore is the 29.
Actually, the only inexpensive GUN....

 

[beatledog7]

I enjoy loading and shooting both 9mm and .40S&W and would not want to part with either. Having both a CZ and a Glock in both calibers one of my mid term goals.

 

[W.E.G.]

I have the G17 and the G22.
Prefer the G22 for carry.

I've saved enough money to pay for a good chunk of the G17 by practicing with cheap 9mm rather than taking a hit on .40 ammo every time I go to the range.

Get the .40 if you think you need the extra horsepower.
In the context of MODERN 9mm defensive ammo, I'm not sure the .40 offers enough extra to warrant stocking two different calibers. Whatever suits you. Any excuse for another gun.

I think I need a 10mm. That .40 just aint gittin' it.

The mini-Draco isn't that hard to conceal is it?

 

[MikePaiN]

Based on my preference not to have too many calibers and that I'm in a full size gun mood lately. My recommendation is the Glock 17. You won't go wrong with a G19 either.....personally the full size Glocks fit my hand better.

 

[Shadez]

I agree that sticking with the 9mm. I have a 17 that I use for competition and would also be my End Time Scenario sidearm. In my locality gun shops have to keep a percentage of stock for the local and county police in emergency situations. So during the ammo shortage .40's were hard to find.

1. 9mm is a standard NATO round. Drop me anywhere in the world I can probably find it.
2. In police shootings 8 out of 10 rounds miss and police practice more than I do. This = Rounds on target is key.
3. Cheaper means more shooting = proficiency = more rounds on target.
4. More rounds in the clip = more rounds on target.

I agree that there is a small difference in stopping power, but I don't think It is enough for me to try and switch.

Good luck.

 

[ViennaGambit]

Thank you very much for the continued advice. It is very helpful!

One question, since I have a Glock 26 already, do you think the G19 is too close in size or are they really that different of a feeling gun?

Thanks!

 

[needmorecowbell]

I too say stick with 9mm. I'd go with the G17. It's still not that big of a gun and can be carried fairly easy. I'm not a fan of the 40. I think it's the hardest one to shoot accurately between 9,40&45. Plus I prefer the NATO rounds.

 

[sedona]

The 19 feels different in my hand than the 26.The G17 feels better than both.In the winter i carry a 17 in the summer i carry a 19.

 

[greenlion]

Your last choice makes the most sense. G22 with a 9mm conversion bbl.

 

[dbro822]

Had to vote for the 19, it is my EDC, it feels better in my hand than my 22, but to each their own. The 19 really isn't much smaller then the 17, but it shure feels smaller to me when carried.

 

[justice06rr]

G19 is a no-brainer. Overall 9mm is cheaper to shoot and have more capacity than .40cal.

Perfect mid-size and still takes the G17 mags. would be better for carrying too. For SHTF I'd say stick with only 2 calibers and stockpile those.

For even more kicks and giggles, buy a couple of the 30rd 9mm mags...

 

[miles1]

I guess im only one of the few that think you should get a glock 23 40SW.As it was already pointed out;You can get a LW 40-9 conversion barrel for around $99 if you really want a compact 9mm.Ive never shot a 10mm but it does also sound interesting and most certainly different.

 

[Ben86]

I don't see .40 as offering much more performance over 9mm, or at least enough to justify the extra recoil, and more expensive ammo.

I think a Glock 19 would be a very versatile addition to your collection. G17s are great too, or try a S&W M&P9.

 

[2zulu1]

With a 9mm and 45auto there's not much need for a 40.

G17, the one and only.

 

[mgmorden]

When ammo is short, it's nice to have ALL the service calibers, so, if you you see a great deal on something, buy it.

There is merit to that. I remember back during the "great ammo shortage of 2008" while you couldn't find hardly anything else on the shelf (nor even primers to reload), .40S&W was everywhere. I came EXTREMELY close to buying a Sigma in .40S&W just so I'd have something to shoot . . .

 

[miles1]

There is merit to that. I remember back during the "great ammo shortage of 2008" while you couldn't find hardly anything else on the shelf (nor even primers to reload), .40S&W was everywhere. I came EXTREMELY close to buying a Sigma in .40S&W just so I'd have something to shoot . . .

Agreed.All the 9mm pistols won't help if you have no ammo as everyone already knows.