[Guest]

I just purchased my first gun, a glock 19. I was an infantryman in the Marine Corps, so I'm familiar with shooting, but I've never shot a pistol before. I debated long and hard over pistol v shotgun for home defense. I chose the pistol because one of my primary concerns is ease of use for my wife. With a pistol she can use a phone, call 911, open a door, turn on a light, hold one of our kids, etc, and still have the gun ready, with a shotgun, she couldn't do that.

I chose 9mm because I again wanted something the wife could use easily, I would have prefered .40, but there is pleanty of research to show 9mm is very leathal.

I chose the Glock 19 again because the small size vs the Glock 17 would be better for the wife. She held both and didn't prefer one to the other, but I still figured smaller would be better. Also I can carry it concealed if I ever want to. I would have gone with the long slide G34 or G35 since I love the increased accuracy and look (and I have no desire to carry concealed), but that would only intimidate the wife, and the longer barrel use all but useless inside a house. Still I even have the chance I'd love to own one.

Finally 9mm is cheaper than .40 and I figure the more practice the better off we'll be.

Now my questions.

Can anyone recommend good practice and home defense ammo? Where should I get it?

Can you recommend a good light for under the barrel? Glock and streamlight and the ones I'm familiar with?

Snap caps? What brand is good? My wife is pregnant, so she can't practice until the baby is born, but I'd like to show her how to operate the pistol just in case.

How about night sights? Are Trijicon the way to go or are other brands comparable?

Any other good advice is always welcome.

Thanks for you help.

 

[DFWM]

i just got some pachmayr snap caps. they are 20 for 5 but are aluminum and should last forever. they have this little hard but jelly center so that you dont break the firing pin. so good i enjoy them

 

[bigweatherby]

Congrats on the new gun!

Practice ammo can be anything cheap. Usually 115 grain ball ammo from Wally World or something does just fine. For defense ammo, stick to premium hollowpoints. The list is long of good ones. You can go +P if you want, but it will be more difficult for your wife to control, it will be louder and will punch through more building materials in the house if you miss. A good conventional design hollowpoint from a major manufacturer will do great. Be sure to test whatever you pick before depending upon it, even in a reliable pistol like your Glock.

Streamlight and Surefire both make great lights. The Glock light is probably good too however I prefer LEDs. Just me personally, I like to have a handheld light insstead of a weapon mounted one. That way I can shine it on something without pointing my gun at it. Handhelds are usually available in brighter models too.

Snap caps are fine but your Glock can be dry fired with no worry about damage to the gun.

I prefer Trijicon night sights. They are definitely one of the best, if not the best on the market. Meprolight makes good ones too. I like the Trijicons since they are made here in Michigan.

It might be a good idea to take a class with your wife if you get the chance. If not, then at least get her out to range frequently enough to ensure that she can handle it.

 

[djegators]

Any name brand factory ammo will be fine. Buying in bulk will save you some money, and you will always have enough to practice with. Go to the range at least once a month, and dry fire practice a few times a week. As for Trijicon, all of their products are top notch, you won't be disappointed. I think it is a good idea to put several hundred rounds through any gun you are using for self defense, including 50 to 100 of your defense round.

 

[DFWM]

walmart has the cheapest ammo for around here but they dont allows have it. paying 16 dollars for 50 or if they have 100 then its 23 dollars. i have a spare mag of home defensive ammo but its like 35 dollars for 50 so hope i dont have to use it.

Like bigweatherby said maybe some kind of class would be good. just this last week i took Basic Pistol class *nra* and thought it was pretty good.
http://www.nationalgunforum.com/member.php?2221-bigweatherby

 

[bigweatherby]

If you find yourself wanting to carry it around the house or something and need an inexpensive holster, I have used the one Glock makes and it will work fine. It isn't fancy, but it is cheap to buy and works.

 

[StangF150]

A Glock 19 & what do you need? Hmm....
Well, LOTS of Ammo for starters.
A Place or Range to Shoot at
An to watch this Video......

:thumbsup:

 

[3/325]

You didn't ask for this advice but I think it's important enough to recommend:

1. Get your wife to the range asap.
2. School her on real-world ballistics; bad guys are rarely stopped by one or two pistol shots (regardless of caliber), and she needs to be mentally prepared to rapidly empty at least half the mag into an attacker.

There are many excellent choices available for self-defense pistols, and the G19 is definitely one of them.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for your help everyone. I appreciate it. I am going to get the wife to the range ASAP. She is pregnant right now, so it will have to wait until after the baby is born. So far the jury is out to lunch as to whether women can shoot while pregnant, between the loud noise and lead particiles in the air, it is best to wait.

 

[JazzCat]

Thanks for your help everyone. I appreciate it. I am going to get the wife to the range ASAP. She is pregnant right now, so it will have to wait until after the baby is born. So far the jury is out to lunch as to whether women can shoot while pregnant, between the loud noise and lead particiles in the air, it is best to wait.

You're absolutely on the money! Waiting is the best decision...and I don't think baby would appreciate that ruckus anyway.

The G19 is a great choice and both of you should get used to it pretty darn quick. I would also add that it's not too early to start thinking about a quick access safe for your gun. Your little one will be toddling around the house before you know it.

Best wishes for you and your family!

 

[Freedom]

Wipe her down but not totally clean on the rails. buy bunches of ammo and go have a rip roaring time.

 

[bigbore]

As was posted earlier the Glock is a pistol that can be dry fired without damaging it as it is stiker fired as opposed to having a conventional firing pin. Haver your wife handle (with the mag and chamber empty of course) the firearm racking the slide and practicing sight picture and trigger control at home. Everyone has posted good suggestions for ammo and the only other thing I might add is to never use reloaded ammo for home defense as it WILL cause a multitude of leagal headaches if the gun should, god forbid, need to be used.

 

[popcan assasin]

The glock may be dry fired but I have to say it sure seems to work smoother with a little dab of oil.

 

[threefeathers]

Hi. I am lucky enough to have a large hand gun collection but have also gone to a Glock for life saving activities.
I've gone through Mas Ayoob's LFI I, II, III and other training with my G-19. I'm one who doesn't subscribe to having a light under the gun. I carry a Surefire flashlight seperately.
Here is what I suggest.
1. Butt Plug, yes I think it does stop crap from getting into the gun.
2. Night sights of some kind. I have the Advantage system on my G-32, and am installing one of the Tube-light gthering systems on my G-19 next week. (I'm old) But both allow you to find the front sight quickly.
3. New York trigger. Very defensible in court.
4. Snap caps, and dedicate one magazine by painting it white and never having anything but snap caps in it.
5. A great IWB Holster, I use the Wild Bill Covert carry.
6. A Serpa retention holster for outside the waist carry.
7. Get ammo by the 500 pack from Ammunition to Go.

 

[gatopardo]

night sights

I just purchased my first gun, a glock 19. I was an infantryman in the Marine Corps, so I'm familiar with shooting, but I've never shot a pistol before. I debated long and hard over pistol v shotgun for home defense. I chose the pistol because one of my primary concerns is ease of use for my wife. With a pistol she can use a phone, call 911, open a door, turn on a light, hold one of our kids, etc, and still have the gun ready, with a shotgun, she couldn't do that.

I chose 9mm because I again wanted something the wife could use easily, I would have prefered .40, but there is pleanty of research to show 9mm is very leathal.

I chose the Glock 19 again because the small size vs the Glock 17 would be better for the wife. She held both and didn't prefer one to the other, but I still figured smaller would be better. Also I can carry it concealed if I ever want to. I would have gone with the long slide G34 or G35 since I love the increased accuracy and look (and I have no desire to carry concealed), but that would only intimidate the wife, and the longer barrel use all but useless inside a house. Still I even have the chance I'd love to own one.

Finally 9mm is cheaper than .40 and I figure the more practice the better off we'll be.

Now my questions.

Can anyone recommend good practice and home defense ammo? Where should I get it?

Can you recommend a good light for under the barrel? Glock and streamlight and the ones I'm familiar with?

Snap caps? What brand is good? My wife is pregnant, so she can't practice until the baby is born, but I'd like to show her how to operate the pistol just in case.

How about night sights? Are Trijicon the way to go or are other brands comparable?

Any other good advice is always welcome.

Thanks for you help.

Here are my two cents, easy on the budget, easy to install, trouble free check my pics of a Kel-Tec PF-9

here are my night sights

trijicon glow is faint at best if perdurable, Glow-on if take advantage of is all the way better, nonsense and easy to apply,(I didn't say install which means a lot of work or money), here one more time:

 

[sig232]

Glock 19 is a great choice for home defense, carry and for the wife.

The stock trigger is not light at about 5.5 lbs as is and will take some training to master. I have had more difficulty with the Glock trigger than other guns in my collection, but I consider it a very safe system.

Lots of good advice listed in the posts above and I can't add much to the info supplied by other members.

Find a nice defensive hollowpoint ammo for home defense, like Hornady Critical Defense or Hydra shok by federal. About anything that is reasonably priced will work well for practice. Stay away from Lead Reloads! Dangerous stuff with the Glock Barrels.

Congratulations on your purchase and good luck with the new toy. Buy a inexpensive safe so you can lock it up when you are not at home if you choose not to carry the pistol.

 

[comsubin61]

Maybe you could get a laser for you G19. It might make things a little easier for the wife. There are some good ones out there fairly inexpensive. or you can get lasermax that is very easy to use but a little expensive. Anyway the idea is that if your wife is not proficient in the handling/aiming of the weapon a laser sight will definately help.

 

[gun guru]

that 100 lot white box 9mm at Walmart is not a bad deal. i buy it sometimes even though i handload, its decent target ammo, feeds well, and when im done the once fired brass makes nice +P loads. as for combat/carry ammo. modern ammo puts the 9mm square on the playing field, no matter what the 45 only crowd says. i have had good luck with remington +P ammo, cor bon ammo is just insane hot, but within cup limits, (so they say). i wouldnt use it for other than, combat only, im sure it would rattle a gun after a while. the 9mm has real penetration, if you live in an apt or carry, you might consider a glaser saftey slug for the first round in the snout. i attended an autopsy with a guy hit with one. the pattern shredded the heart, holed every great vein in the chest, both lungs and the copper jacket was found in the retroperitoneal muscles. winchester also makes a wicked hollow point. the 115gr bullet seems to be the best for the 9mm overall, although the 124gr is a close second, in my opinion. Glocks seem to feed about anything well. a few spar mags and you're good to go. good luck

 

[zebramochaman]

1. Thank you for your service in the USMC
2. Congratulations on your soon-to-be fatherhood
3. Congratulations on your wisdom to have purchased a Glock-19

Now that we have the priorities straight, if it were me, I would spend my money on things that would help me perfect my skill with the weapon. I own a Glock-32 and a Glock-21. The Glock-32 is the same size as your 19 and I love it. Instead of buying add-ons I would invest in some range magazines (KCI Korean Magazines in my experience are very reliable and can be had for around $10 a pop) by the way, get G-17 mags. They will fit and they hold more rounds for the same price. Next I would buy an Uplula magazine loader (about $30 when I bought mine). I have not met or talked to anyone who was sorry about buying this accessory. And finally I would buy range ammo in bulk and go to the range as often as possible. As a Marine you know the value of training. When your wife is able to join you, give her the benefit of your experience. After you have achieved confidence in the weapon, then consider the extras.

 

[Wagner]

I'm a complete noob here so I'm afraid I can't offer anything useful re. your Glock, but wanted to say best wishes for your new baby!

Just curious - I was in the Army - MI, so I had no training with pistols. But I always thought all infantrymen, Army and Marine Corps, were trained with/issued sidearms. Don't know why I thought this. Is it only officers & SF who get pistol training?