Hickok45 loves guns, which is pretty obvious to those of us who enjoy his videos. That said, he seems to get really excited over Glocks (he and I share that)! In this video, he takes a look at the Glock 19X and sends a load of rounds downrange through the one he’s using.
Hickok explains that the Glock 19X was one of the submissions for the new military modular pistol trials, which Sig ultimately won. Since Glock did not win the contract, they offered the 19X to the civilian market. Initially, there was much upheaval among aficionados because they wanted a short grip and a long slide because they thought that’s what we “had” to have for concealed carry. Apparently, many forgot about the Combat Commander configuration, which had a standard length grip and a short slide. Lo and behold, sales of the 19X went through the roof among shooters, many of whom are loving it!
As an aside, Glock firearms are used by units of the US Military, including Army Special Forces, Navy SEALs, and Marine Recon, among others. To the best of my knowledge, they mostly use the Glock 19.
The 19X is configured to meet the military specifications, so it has a longer grip—all the better to hold lots of rounds with. In fact, the 19X is fed from either 17 or 19 round magazines (it comes from the factory with one 17-round flush fit magazine and two 19-round extended magazines, which I applaud). Of course, the 19X comes in a Coyote Brown color, including the slide. I’ll admit that, initially, it was the color that made me take a look at the 19X.
Simply put, the Glock 19X is a Glock 17 frame with a Glock 19 slide.
Hickok notes that the 19X does not have the “hump” in the backstrap of the grip like the Glock 17 does, which he believes makes the 19X grip more comfortable. I tend to agree, as the 19X’s grip is stellar, and it does not have the finger grooves on the front of the grip as some earlier Glock generations do. We both share the opinion that this is a positive thing. It does have the RTF (Rough Texture Finish) of the Gen 5 Glocks, which is amazingly effective at giving the shooter a great, non-slip grip.
Another positive is that the pistol comes standard with metal night sights, and they are quite good, in my opinion. As a matter of fact, I wish every pistol would come standard with sights comparable to these; we’d all be better off for it.
To boot, the 19X has a Glock Marksman Barrel (GMB) with enhanced rifling and a recessed crown, which makes it a very accurate pistol (I can verify this with my own 19X). As well, the front of the slide is beveled to make reholstering easier. The magazine release is reversible and the slide release is ambidextrous.
For daily carry, though, Hickok prefers the Glock 19, as it is a bit smaller than the 19X. He just likes a smaller carry gun. Personally, I do carry my 19X from time to time, especially in the colder months (we have many colder months here in PA) when it’s easier to conceal. I find that the extra weight is more of a factor for me, though, than the size.
That said, I need to point out that this pistol was not created with concealed carry in mind; it was to be a military fighting sidearm carried openly, for the most part. As such, it excels in that role and does exactly what it was created for. It has a rail on the lower dust cover, which facilitates the mounting of lasers and lights, should the shooter wish to utilize such technology.
One area where Hickok and I differ in opinion is where the trigger is concerned. He doesn’t care for the 19X’s trigger too much, saying that the break is not very crisp, that’s it’s more of a “rolling” type of break. My 19X has a very good trigger, in my opinion, and it is on the crispier side, with a nice break. To be fair, Glock triggers can vary somewhat in how they break. I suspect that Hickok just got one that’s a little on the “mushy” side because quite a few people whom I know who have 19Xs are very pleased with the triggers on theirs.
Despite his complaints, Hickok clarifies that they are the “trimmings” and that he’d be more than satisfied to carry a 19X if he had to go into harm’s way because they are so reliable. I wholeheartedly agree! If I were going into harm’s way (I have been there in the past), the 19X is the pistol I’d choose (as the backup to a long gun if I had a choice).
The shorter, 19-length slide is, in my opinion, better than the Glock 17 slide because the slightly shorter length indexes more quickly when you are engaging multiple targets and when maneuvering or clearing rooms. That fraction of a second that the shorter slide gives us might be the difference in surviving an engagement or not. That shorter slide also means we can draw it more quickly from a holster as opposed to some of the longer-slided pistols. Granted, we’re talking fractions of a second again, but a fraction of a second here, a fraction of a second there…well, it adds up. I’ll be glad to take tiny bits of time in my favor when it’s on the two-way range and targets are shooting back.
Cons
- A bit large for concealed carry
- Mushy trigger
Pros
- It works! All the time!
- Comes with steel night sights
- Comes with three magazines
- Very accurate
- Durable finish & attractive color.
- Comfortable grip. The fact that it’s a longer grip means that it deals with recoil efficiently.
Hickok reports that the recoil is similar to the Glock 19 and 17 models, which is to be expected since it’s a combination of those two. There is not much muzzle rise when firing the 19X.
Throughout the video, Hickok rattles rounds off as though there was no bullet shortage, often in very rapid fire. The 19X handled it with aplomb and asked for more. At one point, he even inserted a 33-round extended magazine and ripped through all of those rounds. By the way, if you have a 9mm Glock and don’t own a 33-rounder, I highly recommend that you fix that; they are tons of fun on the range. And for home defense…well, 33 rounds! What else can I say?
Overall, Hickok says the 19X is a great gun, but not something he wishes to purchase. Conversely, I went out and bought one and am quite pleased with it for the reasons I’ve already mentioned. The viewer may wish to check one out for himself, I think they are worth a look.
