For Serious Gun Lovers

GLOCK 19 GEN 5 Review – 2024 Guide

Glock 19 Gen 5

You may have thought that the Glock Generation 4 represented the pinnacle of everything that Glock could do, but the Glock Gen 5 that was released last year shows that Glock still has many tricks left up their sleeve.

But really, was the Glock Gen 5 even necessary? Was the Generation 4 really even necessary for that matter? After all, the saying goes that Glock is perfection.

But the truth is that some of the changes from the Gen 4 to the Gen 5 are significant. On the outside, the two guns look almost identical, with a few aesthetic changes, particularly concerning the grip and the magazine. But there are a lot of other changes as well.

 

 

In other words, it’s safe to say that the Glock Generation 5 is a new gun of its own. According to Glock, there are exactly thirty five upgrades with the Generation 5. We’ll go over the most significant of those changes now.

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Glock Gen 5 Means Better Sights

One of the major negatives of Glock pistols in general has been the fact that the factory shipped them with polymer sights, forcing the buyer to have to upgrade the sights themselves if they wanted to.

 

glock 19 gen 5 sight

 

Glock has remedied this problem by improving the sights on the Generation 5 versions. Glock Gen 5 pistols are now shipping with Ameriglo Glock Spartan Operator Night Sights. Not only are they more durable than the previous polymer sights, they are a far better choice for night shooting as well. However, you might want to check out our review of the best Glock sights, and purchase a separate model.

ROUNDED FRONT END

The front end of the slide of the Glock Gen 5 is now rounded off. This is partly for aesthetics, but it’s also supposed to make it easier to perform a press check from the front of the slide. Though granted, front slide serrations probably would have been a better upgrade for that purpose.

AMBIDEXTROUS SLIDE STOP

 

glock 19 gen 5 amb slide stop

 

Another previous flaw with the Glock pistols was the lack of an ambidextrous slide stop to accommodate left handed shooters. Shooters who were left handed would have to spend their own money to upgrade their pistols to accommodate them, but this is no longer the case as there is a slide stop on both ends of the pistol.

As with the previous slide stop, the slide stops on the Gen 5 are very minimal and unobtrusive.

Glock Gen 5 – MAGAZINE CHANGES

Some of the most significant changes with the Glock Gen 5 concern the magazine. Glock designed the Gen 5 to make it easier to reload. To this end, it features a reversible magazine release button to work with both right handed and left handed shooters.

glock gen 5 magazineFurthermore, Glock also bevelled and flared the magazine to make it easier to strip out an empty magazine and load in a fresh one.

Meanwhile, Glock has also extended the floor plate on the magazines of the Gen 5 and given them an orange follower to serve as a clear visual representation to the shooter that the gun is empty when the slide is locked empty.

There’s no reason to worry about this slight change concerning the magazines however, as all Glock magazines remain compatible with one another. The only real exception to this is the Glock 19X, which will not accept any Gen 5 magazines due to the extended floor plate.

IMPROVED FINISH

 

glock 17 gen 5

 

Previously, Glock finished their pistols with a Tenifer finish, which is extremely wear, rust, and corrosion resistant against moisture and water. Other popular pistols also employ the Tenifer finish, such as the Walther PPQ.

That being said, Glock has upped the ante by now finishing all of their pistols with a nDLC finish, that is designed to be even more weather and corrosion resistant than the Tenifer finish.

GLOCK MARKSMAN BARREL

Glock Gen 5 pistols come installed with the GMB, or Glock Marksman Barrel. This barrel has improved rifling, which naturally lends itself to greater accuracy according to Glock.

Glock also claims that the GMB has better tolerances than previous Glock factory barrels as well.

NO MORE FINGER GROOVES

 

glock 19 gen 5 grip

 

One of the clearest aesthetic changes to the Glock Gen 5 is the lack of the finger grooves on the front part of the grip. This was Glock’s response to numerous complaints that they had received on the Gen 3 and Gen 4 models.

Yes, this will irritate people who preferred the finger grooves, but it will certainly make those who didn’t like the grooves at all very happy.

Glock Gen 5 – INTERCHANGEABLE BACK STRAPS

Glock has kept the interchangeable back straps of the Gen 4 in with the Gen 5. The stippling on the sides of the grip also remain aggressive.


What Else has Improved with the Glock Gen 5?

Alright, so those are the main changes/upgrades/features of the Glock Generation 5 in contrast to the previous models.

Still, there are also a number of smaller changes or features as well that we will now cover here.

One feature worth of note isthe dual recoil spring system. Glock originally featured this on the Glock Generation 4 for improved performance, and they have chosen to keep it on the Gen 5 as well.

 

glock gen 4 recoil spring assembly

 

That being said, Glock has also removed the locking block pin of the Gen 4, instead replacing it with the two pin system that was previous in the Gen 1, 2, and 3. The reason for this switch back to the old style was because there would be fewer moving parts in the gun, and thus lesser chances of a failure (even if it’s only minimal).


Glock Gen 5 Review Conclusion

Is the Glock Gen 5 better than previous generations? It’s not that it’s better, or worse, it’s just that it’s different. Glock kept some features of the Gen 4, transitioned back to some of the other features of the previous models, or added completely new features entirely. The dimensions remain largely the same, meaning you could check this guide to find out what the best Glock 43 holster is if you’re looking for one.

In summary, the changes and features of the Glock Gen 5 are:

  • Marksman Barrel Design
  • Upgraded Sights
  • Upgraded Finish
  • Bevelled and Flared Magazine Well
  • Updated Magazines (extended floor plate and orange followers)
  • Lack of finger grooves
  • Rounded front end of slide
  • Ambidextrous Slide Stop and Magazine Release
  • Transition back to two pin system
  • Dual recoil spring system of the Generation 4

Now regardless of what you personally think of the Glock Gen 5, one thing is undeniable: it is the future of Glock, at least for the time being.

The Generation 1 and Generation 2 guns are already phased out. However, the Generation 3 guns are in the process of being phased out; certain models of the Generation 3 are no longer available anymore. That said, the Generation 4 is still in complete production, but once the Generation 3 has been discontinued it is easy to assume that the Gen 4 will follow.

And that will leave the Generation 5, which will represent the mainstay of Glock’s armory, until at least the Generation 6 comes out a few years down the road.

Glock Gen 6?

And speaking of the Glock Generation 6, which features do you anticipate it to have? What do you think Glock will keep, what do you think they will take away, and what do you think they will add onto from the Generation 5?

Because remember, a lot of the changes that were made to the Generation 5 were made as a result of customer feedback. So if you’d like to send feedback to Glock to communicate what you would like to see on a Generation 6, now is the time.

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4 Responses

  1. The cutout on the lower front of the handgrip is annoying, and I am guessing whoever owns the pistol with the Pierce magazine floorplates agrees. When firing the gun, my pinkie gets pinched between the magazine and cutout in the grip. While I much prefer the new gen 5 grip without the finger grooves, I hate the cutout. And that is why I bought the same Pierce floorplates.

  2. Gen 5s, July 2021, do not ship with night sight or upgraded sights. They ship with the standard plastic ‘ball in a cup’ sights.
    What should Gen6 have?
    18 degree grip angle vs 22.
    Modular design where the internal firearm comes out as easy as the P320.
    Metal sights – no more plastic sights
    Flat trigger that breaks when vertical
    3 mags in the box and one s/b extended
    Include a plug for the hole in the bottom of the grip
    make them select fire – like the 18

  3. I owned the G17 Gen 3 and while I would not call the G17 gen 5 revolutionary, I’d call it improved.
    Improved enough to recommend it over the gen 4?
    Sure…and, here’s why:
    -I do like the forward slide serrations(I wish they were a bit deeper, but again that’s my fat fingers preference;))
    -I also like the “slightly” improved trigger system simplicity and, while I never minded the finger grooves on the older generations, I do like the Gen 5 better now that I’ve shot it the snot out of it..
    And, like a previous poster noted, they have removed that half moon cut out on the grip that was on earlier released versions. Bought mine in Oct. ’21 and it does not have them.
    I wish the trigger was a little shorter travel, but I’ve already upgraded that and, well, everyone who owns a Glock knows those triggers are the 1st things to be upgraded…other than the Glock sights, that is.
    I also wish Glock would just do the “extended” slide lock, standard…it’s just too damn short by about a millimeter…
    Speaking of sights, unlike the one in the review, mine came in with plain ole’ standard Glock sights, NOT the Ameriglos.
    I opted for Trijicon 3 dot night sights, as I’m comfortable with them on my “older” SIGs.
    I really like my Gen 5..and when I’m done tweaking it…lol..I’m sure I’ll love it.

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