Glock 34, 9mm

[GEARHEAD]

anybody have one of these? how do you like it? do ya wish you got the 35 (.40) instead?

[wraithen]

Got the 27 and love it. It's less about the bullet size than where you hit in this case.

[thinkingman]

What is the intended purpose?
In the 34/35, the debate is mostly around major/minor power factor.

[GEARHEAD]

i thought it was a rather simple question. these are both the same gun, and only an owner can answer this question.

[wraithen]

Knowing the intended purpose would help a lot. I get that you aren't looking at subcompact but we also don't know why you are looking at the models you mention. Home defense? Targets? Concealed carry? Hammer?

[300rum]

I have a 34 and have shot it thousands and thousands of times.  It is technically my wife’s production USPSA pistol but I shoot it often. 

I don't know what to tell you other than it is a longer G17.  It is very, very, easy to shoot with very little recoil loaded to minor power factor.  It is very easy to shoot loaded to any power factor!  It is also very reliable, much like any Glock that I have shot/owned.   

I shoot moly coated 125gr bullets out of an OEM barrel and it is very accurate and easy to load for.  It is also very cheap to load for.  I am probably in the $80/thousand range with range pick up (free) brass.  Mags are very inexpensive and can be easily had under $20 used.  I like having lots and lots of mags.

The downsides are the trigger which can be fixed very easily and inexpensively.  The stock sights aren't to my liking either but are also easily switched out.  Other than that it is a great fighting or competition pistol.

I don't wish that I would have went with the 35.  The 34 does everything that I need and is very competitive in USPSA Production with minor upgrades (if any).  If you are into competition and want to shoot Limited, you are better going the 35 route as it can be loaded to Major and unless you modify it too much, you can also shoot production.

If you are just walking out in the woods or want it for protection, the 34 is very hard to beat and will serve you very well. 

 

[GEARHEAD]

thank you Rum.   i have the 35. it replaced my trusted 17. thinking about switching to the 9mm, i didnt think the extra recoil would be much more, but it is, gives me a slower aquisition than my 17, so it cut my speed way down, thinking i shoulda gone with the 34. i've been shooting glocks since 1989.
trying to decide if i should just go with better sights than factory, and which to go with, maybe it will help with my speed. gun is for carry, but also purchased with comp shooting in mind someday.

[300rum]

I was going to add that the 35 is a bit snappier. 

Dawson Precision has just about every Glock sight combo to take a look at on their website.  You may want to look at a skinnier front post for faster target acquisition.  You may also want to consider a fiber optic front.  I don't care for the FO front but many do.  You can see the front sight lift and return to the rear notch much easier but since the FO rod is in the middle, I felt that it was a little less precise. 

A perfectly acceptable way to change sights without spending a whole lot would be to black out the rear stock sight and add a skinnier FO or black front sight.  As far as sizes go, I would call someone at Dawson, let them know what you are intending to do and they will be able to lead you in the right direction rather than just guessing on how skinny a post to go.  I wouldn't go too much skinnier than the stock post at first.   

You may also want to try to black out the rear sight and "dot" on the stock sights prior to purchasing a new sight.  I will take a guess that you will speed up.  It is best if you can try it with a timer but if not, just see how it "feels".  Your mind will automatically nestle the front sight into the rear notch, you don't need the white on the rear sight at all it is more of a distraction.  Watch the front sight lift out of the notch, then come back down into the rear notch.  Shoot sloooow fire (watch what happens) and after a few rounds you will be able to speed it up a bit.  At first I would use a dirt bank or close target (7 yards or so).  A light colored (white) background works best.  Your not trying to hit anything, your not "aiming" at any target or "spot", you just want to see the sight lift and come back down into the notch.  Watch what happens right in front of you, don't focus on the front sight, in fact you may just focus on the trigger and watch what happens to the sights in recoil.  Once you know what you are looking for, you can speed things up a bit.  I would use ear plugs and ear muffs.  You can't see anything if you are blinking, you must not blink in recoil!  Blinking may be the reason why you aren't seeing as quickly.  Double plugging helps.   

One other thing, and this is purely a personal thing.  If you are competing I would go with the 34 in Production.  The 35 will be competitive in production but isn't the best choice because it is snappier.  The 35 can be downloaded to Minor Power Factor but if you are not reloading I think the 34 is the better choice as Production is scored minor and the 35 has no advantage over the 34 in production. 

In limited, you will be able to use the 35, shoot major and load your mags all the way up but a box stock 35 isn't so competitive in a division where you will be up against $3k+ race guns with trigger jobs and mag wells the size of an upside down oil funnel.  Now, after saying that, there are lots and lots of good shooters who are very competitive and win with pretty much stock Glocks in Limited.

If you are on the fence about competing, I would suggest just showing up at a range who has USPSA competitions.  USPSA is more "free style" than the other games and will be a little easier to start out in.  Some clubs on the West side have a required class to take prior to your first match so you may want to check that out.  All that you will need is your 35, a holster of some kind, 3 mags (if you only have 2, show up anyway.), and a mag pouch that holds two mags.  A lot of guys don't bring enough ammo their first time out, you will probably want to bring 250 rounds or 50 more rounds (at least) than the published round count.     

thank you Rum.   i have the 35. it replaced my trusted 17. thinking about switching to the 9mm, i didnt think the extra recoil would be much more, but it is, gives me a slower aquisition than my 17, so it cut my speed way down, thinking i shoulda gone with the 34. i've been shooting glocks since 1989.
trying to decide if i should just go with better sights than factory, and which to go with, maybe it will help with my speed. gun is for carry, but also purchased with comp shooting in mind someday.

[GEARHEAD]

Thanks for your time Rum, pretty much you are confirming my own feeling that i shoulda gone with the 34. i went with the .40, as it is a more effective defense, round, but find that i dont shoot it much as a result, it is however super accurate, its fun to plink with it out to even 300 yards. i assume the 9mm is just as good, more fun to shoot and better for comp shoots. besides i found a Cor-Bon 9mm round that seems on paper at least to match the .40 for self defensive shooting.

i have been looking at the sights you mentioned, and thank you very much for the tip on darking out the back and maybe the front, never thought of that, will give it a try. still may trade a like 34 for my 35 if i can. thanks again. may also try and find some factory minor loads to play with.  i currently have 135 gr cor-bons in it, for carry, but they are too expensive for me to play with to experiment, lol.

[thinkingman]

http://seattleguns.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=66862
I have no interest in the listing other than it's relevant.

[Quackin_Archer]

Knowing the intended purpose would help a lot. I get that you aren't looking at subcompact but we also don't know why you are looking at the models you mention. Home defense? Targets? Concealed carry? Hammer?

Love my 27! Just get the pierce grip and your good to go! oh, and zombie bullets from Hornady (you never know) lol

[DoubleJ]

I've had the 34 and it was a bit on the snappy side.  For just a little bit more size, I like my G19 way better