You could never convince me to buy a Glock. Never. Stubborn, set in my ways a definitely VERY proud of my Sig Sauer. To me it was Ford vs. Chevy, it was Grape Jelly vs. Raspberry. Similar, but it was one side of the fence or the other in my eyes and the side I was on, spit on Glock.
Let me tell you where this came from.
Once upon a time I was VERY new to firearms. I knew less than I know now, and I still don’t know jack. However, I knew a bad experience when I had one and the first Glock I shot was exactly that. I believe it was a Glock model 19 owned by Lou (one of us FourGuys) and I couldn’t make heads or tails of it. I was the proud owner of not just ANY Sig P226, but an Equinox. (OOOooOOohh). I was so enamored with my nitron steel, machined finish, glowing tritium hard-on that nothing else could even compare. Glock, by side to side comparison, was ugly, felt cheap, had a rattle to it…felt like a deadly water pistol. I was not impressed. Trigger pull? WTF is this now? There was a safety in the trigger?! No manual safety, no de-cocker, I was seriously just all set with Glock with that one experience.
By comparison… to a noob such as myself… I owned a beautiful, finely tuned pistol, and Glock was the exact opposite, so I scoffed and bid the ugly black gun adieu.
Fast forward 5 years later. Owner of many more firearms, and I am pretty much smitten with ALL things that go boom. How to properly hold, trigger pull, weapon lights, tac rails holsters you name it. All I keep reading no matter what I am looking at is a comparison to Glock, or someone else writing their undying love for Glock. Weapon accessories? guess what is always available? Oh yeah, made for Glock too. I am less stupid 5 years later and think maybe I should give Glock another shot. After all, how knowledgeable can someone be about a firearm when they fired it ONCE after being a gun owner for approximately 5 minutes?
I hemmed and hawed over it and was presented with an opportunity to purchase one on the cheap. I figured if it sucked, I could sell it for the same as I bought it (that was a good price) and no harm no foul. Oh, and had to keep it secret from the other guys because if they ever found out I bought a Glock after all the hate, it would be epic.
Glock 36. Not a traditional “first-time” Glock purchase, but being the thrifty gun lover I am (sarcasm and justification to the wife) I needed a smaller CC weapon (Conceal Carry) and this Glock would fit the bill. The gentleman I bought this Glock from was also giving me a Comp-Tac IWB holster to go with it (review to follow on that as well) and several spare mags. I am now the proud owner of a never cleaned, used Glock 36 and am already feeling a little buyer’s remorse before I even leave the arrangement. I am however, dead set to getting an open and unbiased perspective so I thank the man for his weapon and head on my way.
Let’s clean this pig. I was as fair and unbiased as Fox News as I slapped gun scrubber in it. Not the nice MPro-7 or even Hoppes with some patches, q-tips and love. F that. I treated that gun like an unwanted stepchild. I hosed it…HOSED it down with gun scrubber, wiped it down, gave it some lube specifically where the manual recommended and racked the crap out of it.
Huh…(I thought to my self a little surprised) Even though I may not have given it the same TLC I give the Sig, or the Beretta or the Springfield, I would NEVER run or carry a gun that I wasn’t positive was clean and mechanically sound. I did scrub and clean, just not with as much care as ANY other gun I own. This thing cleaned in no time by comparison. Not only that, but I didn’t spend 20 minutes just trying to polish the shiny areas or get my fingerprints off it. It looked EXACTLY the same as when it was dirty…just…you know, clean. I could slide it across the parking lot, drop it in dirt or gravel and it would still be the same Glock 36. I was beginning to come around. Let’s wear it for a bit and get to the range.
I never had experience with an IWB let alone Kydex or even Comp-Tac as a brand so this was an entirely new experience all around. More on that in the review. The major thing I noticed was, I didn’t feel a thing. I was actually pretty comfortable. The Glock 36 is the slimmest Glock (I believe) Glock makes. as well as a sub-compact. I kept that in mind so I didn’t compare it directly to a full size 1911 or my 226 like an ass. 6+1, and a spare mag and I wore it ALL day. Getting more impressed, let’s go run some rounds through it.
At the range, any final thoughts of negativity or doubt were instantly set aside in less than 1 (one) magazine. We ran more mags just to be certain, but when I hit 4 out of 6 in a 3” grouping at 25 meters…with a SUB COMPACT .45 mind you, and I can’t do that with almost ANY gun I own… I was coming around.
Needless to say, I now carry that Glock everywhere. Not only that I am considering a compact or full size model somewhere down the road. I still love my Sig, and if you have the means, get one. It is a fine pistol and I appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into every one. Like I said, I own several manufacturers and LOVE every gun I own. The conclusion I have come to is, it is one thing to love craftsmanship, and another to respect engineering. My Glock 36 may not be the prettiest girl at the dance, but I can treat her like crap and use her everyday without worry (so far). At the end of the day I respect Glock and appreciate it more than I ever did before, it was just a long time coming I guess.