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Well 2 days ago my new Glock 34 passed the 1000 round mark. So, as an addendum to my original glowing review on the G34, here's what I've learned after 1,022 rounds.
1) Zero malfunctions: there were no malfunctions of any kind, period. Five magazines, fast shooting, slow shooting, less than perfect grip shooting, not a bobble. That's a good thing in anyone's book.
2) Trigger: Even though the G34 comes stock with Glock's lightest trigger, I felt it could be just a little lighter (personal preference). Additionally, you can feel a little roughness about halfway through the pull. This roughness was there at shot 1, and is still there at shot 1,022. Is it a big deal? No, I'm nitpicking.
3) Sights: I'm fairly certain the frequency of my flinching is greatly reduced, but the gun still shoots noticeably low, even at 15 feet. A known excellent shot also experienced this. No problem, the gun has fully adjustable sights, right? Sure, but there is no indication of which screw is elevation and which is windage. I can't find any information on this, and as I plan to adjust the sights hit dead on at my next range session, I may just call Glock and ask them.
4) Ergonomics: I made a minor adjustment to my grip, and I found that I must now tilt the gun slightly in my hand to use my thumb to hit the magazine and slide releases. Others with longer fingers may not have this problem. The bottom of the mag well has some sharp edges, and twice during rapid magazine changes I caught a finger or a palm as the magazine was going in (whoops) and while the magazine still seated, I was seperated from small pieces of flesh for my efforts. The error was mine, and the solution is more practice and better technique. The pistol draws fast from my holster (as long as I disengage the retention device on the holster properly), points well, and is capable of impressive accuracy. Recoil with all loads tried is mild. The pistol strips for cleaning quickly and easily.
5) Miscellaneous: In the box with my G34 was a magazine loader, Glock plastic cleaning rod and brush, among other things. The magazine loader is a godsend, and does an excellent job of saving me from sore fingers loading those 17 round magazines. The cleaning rod is good, however it should be a little longer; the G34's barrel is extended somewhat from the G17's and I think the supplied rod is for a G17. To use the supplied rod properly you need your own jag, or you're out of luck. The brush works well, and despite my lack of top quality cleaning tools, the barrel cleans up easily. Per Glock's advice, I only use jacketed bullets. I noticed the G34 has a hole for a lanyard loop, something I didn't notice in the store; its a nice extra, along with the recessed target crown. These little things impress me with the gun's quality and attention to detail. I have not yet purchased a weapon mounted light, but when I do I will report on that. More updates to come.
Despite minor nitpicking, I am still uniformly impressed with the G34. I still stand by my opinion that it is the very best semiautomatic pistol available out of the box. Perfection? Maybe not, but its damn close. For the person looking for a good competition and defensive semiauto, look no further unless you have the time and money to shell out for a custom gun. As for me, after I get those sights adjusted I'm taking the gun to my first IDPA match next month. I know if I do my part, my Glock 34 will deliver. For the moment it sits in the safe, patiently waiting to be cleaned, and ready to "defend the castle".
1) Zero malfunctions: there were no malfunctions of any kind, period. Five magazines, fast shooting, slow shooting, less than perfect grip shooting, not a bobble. That's a good thing in anyone's book.
2) Trigger: Even though the G34 comes stock with Glock's lightest trigger, I felt it could be just a little lighter (personal preference). Additionally, you can feel a little roughness about halfway through the pull. This roughness was there at shot 1, and is still there at shot 1,022. Is it a big deal? No, I'm nitpicking.
3) Sights: I'm fairly certain the frequency of my flinching is greatly reduced, but the gun still shoots noticeably low, even at 15 feet. A known excellent shot also experienced this. No problem, the gun has fully adjustable sights, right? Sure, but there is no indication of which screw is elevation and which is windage. I can't find any information on this, and as I plan to adjust the sights hit dead on at my next range session, I may just call Glock and ask them.
4) Ergonomics: I made a minor adjustment to my grip, and I found that I must now tilt the gun slightly in my hand to use my thumb to hit the magazine and slide releases. Others with longer fingers may not have this problem. The bottom of the mag well has some sharp edges, and twice during rapid magazine changes I caught a finger or a palm as the magazine was going in (whoops) and while the magazine still seated, I was seperated from small pieces of flesh for my efforts. The error was mine, and the solution is more practice and better technique. The pistol draws fast from my holster (as long as I disengage the retention device on the holster properly), points well, and is capable of impressive accuracy. Recoil with all loads tried is mild. The pistol strips for cleaning quickly and easily.
5) Miscellaneous: In the box with my G34 was a magazine loader, Glock plastic cleaning rod and brush, among other things. The magazine loader is a godsend, and does an excellent job of saving me from sore fingers loading those 17 round magazines. The cleaning rod is good, however it should be a little longer; the G34's barrel is extended somewhat from the G17's and I think the supplied rod is for a G17. To use the supplied rod properly you need your own jag, or you're out of luck. The brush works well, and despite my lack of top quality cleaning tools, the barrel cleans up easily. Per Glock's advice, I only use jacketed bullets. I noticed the G34 has a hole for a lanyard loop, something I didn't notice in the store; its a nice extra, along with the recessed target crown. These little things impress me with the gun's quality and attention to detail. I have not yet purchased a weapon mounted light, but when I do I will report on that. More updates to come.
Despite minor nitpicking, I am still uniformly impressed with the G34. I still stand by my opinion that it is the very best semiautomatic pistol available out of the box. Perfection? Maybe not, but its damn close. For the person looking for a good competition and defensive semiauto, look no further unless you have the time and money to shell out for a custom gun. As for me, after I get those sights adjusted I'm taking the gun to my first IDPA match next month. I know if I do my part, my Glock 34 will deliver. For the moment it sits in the safe, patiently waiting to be cleaned, and ready to "defend the castle".
