Glock 17 vs Glock 19

The Glock 17 by Gaston Glock has been around for more than 3 decades with its introduction back in 1982 to the Austrian Military and Law Enforcement. Glock guns have been one of the most recognizable handguns ever and are now one of the most sold handguns to the civilian market in the United States. 

The Glock 19 made its way into the civilian hands about 6 years later and has been one of the “go to” options in concealed carry. The reason being is that it has a shorter barrel and shorter grip of about .5” making it ideal for everyday carry.

The G17 holds 17 9mm rounds with a standard magazine while it’s predecessor holds 15 9mm rounds with its standard factory magazine. This gives the Glock 17 an edge when talking about round capacity. It does, however, hinder its concealment capabilities with its weight and size compared to the G19.

The Glock 17 fully loaded weighs in at right under 2 pounds while the G19 weighs in at 29 oz which is only a 2 oz difference from the G17 full-size gun.

Now, I know what you are thinking, “2 oz??? That’s not a whole lot!” And you are right, it’s not a whole lot. Consider this though, that’s 2 more ounces on a gun with 2 extra rounds and a more than slightly larger frame which makes it harder to conceal.

This is the biggest reason why most people choose the G19 over the Glock 17 for concealed carry. It’s hard enough to carry on a daily basis without having to tac on more weight to your rig for 2 more rounds. 

Now, I get that those 2 rounds could mean the difference between life and death in a very specific scenario but now you are playing against the odds. Most people will go through life without ever having to use their firearm to stop a threat and thank God for that. Just know that if you are going to play the “more rounds” game, there is always a bigger gun out there with more round capacity.

The overall length of the longer barreled Glock 17  is 7.95 inches long with a barrel length of 4.49" and has an overall width of 1.32 inches. The Glock 19 measures in with an overall length of 7.36 inches with a barrel length of just over 4" and an overall width of 1.26 inches. The G19 is 5" tall while the G17 has an overall height of almost 5 and a half inches tall.

These measurements don’t mean a whole lot when it comes down to conceal-ability. As many who have carried before though know that the hardest thing to conceal when carrying on your waistline is the grip of the gun and with half an inch going in favor to the Glock 19, it makes it the choice of many American civilians for a concealed carry gun.

Glock handguns now come with interchangeable backstraps. This allows the end user to customize the grip of the gun. So, if you have smaller hands, your gun can be adjusted for a smaller grip. This is available on most Glocks including the 17 and 19.

Choosing the right gun is ultimately going to be the choice of the end user. There is no right or wrong here, just a matter of opinion. The Glock 19 and 17 are some of the most reliable guns on the market today. That is a measure that can not be forgotten when choosing a gun for concealed carry or home defense. 

Know your state and local laws and do your due diligence when considering to carry concealed. 

It starts with you.

We hope this article was helpful 

Thanks for your time

Rene Aguirre

Rene Aguirre is an avid individual in concealed carry with more than 10 years of daily carry. He is also a part of his local church security team with over 10 years of service. Rene is also the owner of Bravo Concealment.

Rene Aguirre is the founder and owner of Bravo Concealment. Rene has been carrying concealed on a daily basis for over 8 years and has been a CHL (concealed handgun license) holder for more than 20 years. Finding a high interest in firearms for many years, Rene started Bravo because of the “lack of” a good concealed carry holster on the market.