The Glock 35 Gen 4 is perhaps the best iteration of the handgun. It definitely fits the moniker, “The practical, tactical Glock.”
By Brian Jensen
Glock
https://www.glock.com
The .40 S&W is not just a flash in the pan as some writers called it when it first came out in the late ’80’s. It is the mainstay of American law enforcement, and may even see some favor in our Spec Ops community. In both the law enforcement and civilian market, the Glock is king of the .40 heap. There is not an agency in my county, and likely my state, that doesn’t at least allow for the Glock. Moreover, the gun that seems to go the fastest right now in the gun stores is, you guessed it, the Glock. Is it any wonder why Glock is backordered around one million guns.
I’ve carried a Glock in .40 S&W in several iterations for almost 20 years and also carried other .40s as well, so I have a pretty good foundation for looking at the Glock 35 Gen 4. On top of that, I’ve carried the Gen 4 35 for almost two years now.
Basic Characteristics
By now the advantages of the Gen 4 design have been pretty well hashed out, but they are worth mentioning in general terms. First, it’s an adaptable platform. The gun can be better fit to the hands of the shooter with the multiple backstrap system (referred to as the MBS). This system also uses the new “polymid” texture on the grip to give a firmer hold on the pistol. For additional adaptability, you can set up any Gen 4 gun for right or left and shooters by moving the magazine release to either side.
Shooting the Gen 4 G35 shows how the longer slide and the new recoil assemble tames the .40 S&W into a pleasure to shoot.
The other significant difference is the new recoil spring assembly (RSA) for the Gen 4 pistols; it’s a multi-spring captured assembly similar as what has been seen for years on the subcompact Glocks. It changes the snappiness of the .40 S&W to a more straight back recoil – not necessarily less, but different in feel. Another benefit to the assembly is that it lasts longer, going to 5,000 rounds over the 1,500 to 3,000 rounds in the older plastic rod assembly. However, the benefit of the new RSA that many will really like it that it fixes what many shooters have found to be a problem when shooting a Gen 3 Glock with weapon-mounted lights. The older guns seemed to suffer malfunctions when shooting the .40s with the mounted lights. However, the problem was only on certain guns, and was not always consistent between shooters. The new Gen 4 system seems to solve this.
The Glock 35
The Glock 35 is what Glock refers to as its “Practical Tactical” model. It is at home as a tactical pistol as much as an IPSC Limited gun (non-Production class). The longer barrel puts more weight forward and will translate into less muzzle flip for rapid follow up shots, and the longer sight radius gives a better sight picture for accuracy. For those who like their full-size 1911, this is your Glock, because it handles like a 1911 with that long slide.
Both the National City Police and Escondido Police Department in Southern California issue and carry the G35, using both the Gen 3 and Gen 4 iterations. These agencies have found the G35 is the best gun for their money.
OK, so law enforcement likes it, but what makes this a good gun for the average Joe Citizen? All the same reasons. The Glock 35 is a tool, and it is as good a self-defense gun for the citizen as it is a duty gun for officers. The greater advantage for the civilian shooter is the gun is well suited for those wanting to compete as well. For those who aren’t loaded with cash, but want to shoot the occasional IPSC match, the Glock 35 you keep in the nightstand can also win your class at the range. (Or even plink cans in the backroad.)
The “polymid” texturing on the grip and the multiple backstrap system is part of the new Gen 4 system.
Firing
The G35 Gen 4 was tested with four different brands of ammunition, two JHP loads and two FMJ loads, all in the 180-grain variety. The 180-grain JHP Ranger Non-T (Load RA40180HP), 180-grain Federal HST (Load P40HST1), 180-grain Federal American Eagle FMJ (Load AE40R1) and 180-grain CCI Lawman FMJ (Load 53652) were all tried. All testing was done with the Chrony Beta Chronometer. Averages were done via a 10-shot string of each load.
Testing showed most ammo was fired at close to factory specifications, so there wasn’t a big difference as far as muzzle velocity from what the manufacturer says should come from a 4-inch barrel gun. Surprising, however, was the tremendous spread of velocities from the American Gunsmithing Intitute
Winchester Ranger JHP. For a load often carried s a duty round, the 200 + fps deviation between different shots was shocking. A similar deviation was found with the American Eagle Ball, but I wasn’t as concerned with that since it’s a practice round. All other ammo, was pretty much consistent with only minor maximum deviations in velocity.
Handling was easygoing, even with the snappy .40 S&W round, a credit to the longer sight radius and the recoil spring assembly. Some .40s are bear to shoot for a long period of time, but most could shoot the G35 all day long. The felt recoil is categorically different from, say a Gen 3 Glock 22 in .40. The extra barrel length and new recoil system together work to make this feel more like a 9 mm than a .40.
The gun pointed naturally, but shot slightly to the left. Doing point-shooting drills with the gun was like it was an extension of your hand, with follow-up shots falling within an inch or two of the first neat hole in the target. I actually do better shooting with the gun in this role than when doing rested shots from a sandbag.
Shooting from a rest the Glock turned in a 2.5 inch group with Federal HST loads.
The advantage of the longer barrel beyond taming the muzzle flip of the .40 is the extended sight radius. This weapon is wearing Warren Tactical sights, which are an improvement from the plastic factory version I’ve seen shear off on Glocks after repeated draws. If there was anything I suggest to someone who buys any Glock is to dump the factory plastic sights, and invest in metal sights, if not night sights. With the longer barrel length, the sight picture is clear, but it will overemphasize any shakiness in your hold, so bear that in mind.
Accuracy is dead on, bearing in mind that the only limitation was skill level. The gun is capable of more than we saw in testing. With a rest the best group was with the Federal HST that gave a 2 ½ inch group at 25 yards, with a flyer that opened it up to 4 ½ inches.
Four different loads were used for testing. Just getting a hold of four boxes of ammunition in California right now is cause for celebration.
This Gen 4 Glock is equipped with what Glock aficionados refer to as the “dot” connector. The new Gen 4 system seemed to raise trigger pull by about a pound on most models. The fix for this a new connector in the trigger housing that is marked with a “.” or dot that was supposed to bring the trigger pull down to the original specs of 5.5 pounds. The tested pistol was slightly higher, averaging out a 5 pounds, 14.3 ounces using a Lyman Electronic trigger pull gauge. The take-up was standard Glock as the spring tension is taken up until the firing pin makes contact with the connector, with a crisp let-off, and the traditional crisp trigger reset Glocks are known for. (It’s no 1911, but still not bad at all.)
Overall, handling was boringly reliable. Point, pull trigger, gun goes bang, bullet hits target. There were no malfunctions of any kind. While this gun has over 1,000 rounds through it, it should be noted there was no break in period. The gun worked straight out of the box, without a single malfunction in those 1,000 rounds.
The new recoil spring system takes snappy calibers like the .40 S&W, making follow-up shots quick and easy.
So, is this the .40 S&W for you? Well, it does a lot of things really well, all in one gun. It can defend your home, and shoot IPSC courses. It can wear a light, or not, it can be carried concealed with some effort. It has a potent caliber for a handgun round, and can even be adapted to fire the .357 Sig round with an aftermarket barrel. Imagine that for a backwoods handgun, a 5.32 inch .357 Sig. Moreover, it does what many other guns have failed to do, tame the .40 S&W for those who hate that snappy cartridge. In short, this gun has a tremendous area of potential, whatever your needs.
Love the 40S&W round. And the G35 G4 is my favorite 40 S&W handgun at any price. Had an STI, but it cost me like 3 G35’s, and I shoot as good a group with the G35. If all would consider that the 40 S&W started out as a bad stepchild of the 10mm that many couldn’t handle. So that means that it started out without all the research of other rounds. The 180 grain 10mm projectiles existed and needed a new home. So the 40 S&W was borne out of a failed 10mm auto no one wanted. Time passed and the 40 S&W had time to develop. Now it is the very best semiauto of the three: 9mm, 45acp, and 40S&W. i dare to say that I have done as much testing, loading, and research as any novice on the 40 S&W. I came up with this updated conclusion after literally thousands of rounds of 40S&W. The shorter case does not do as well with the 180 grain boolits as it can. My testing and research finds the 165, and 155 grain boolits are the dark kept secret of getting amazing performance out of the 40 S&W. Look at Underwood 155 and 165 grain boolits. I am cronoing 1288Fps and higher with a 165 grain boolit out of my G35 with threaded 6 inch barrel. Thats 6oo Ftp energy. As fast as +p+ 9mm, but with heavier boolits, and as much or more Ftp of energy as a 45 acp, with a faster, flatter shooting boolit. i also have done the ultimate, poor mans ballistic testing material: 1/2 inch plywood. Using the same Underwood boolits in all three calibers, the 165 grain 40S&W always wins. Plywood penetration just plain old tells the truth every time. Tests were done at 10 feet, 25 feet, and 25 yards. the 40S&W always wins. Also, no other caliber ever, has been overwhelmingly the choice of law enforcement as the 40 S&W. Maybe because their lives depend on the choices they make.
I am by no means an expert in handguns. With my schedule I can barely find time to shoot. After reading several reviews on this particular glock I bought it for 3 major reasons, 1 that it seemed to be a reliable weapon, 2 that the maintenance seemed to be low, and 3 that it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg to buy.
This gun didn’t upset. I’ve never had a single issue with firing it, it was accurate straight out of the case, and the changeable backstraps make it adaptable.
If you’re like me and you want to buy something to protect your family, don’t have a fortune to spend, and don’t want to worry about your gun screwing up when there’s a burglar in your home you will be very happy with this purchase.
WHAT A BUNCH OF WHINY FUCKING BITCHES………….
NONE OF YOU FUCKTARDS SHOULD EVEN BE ALLOWED AROUND A WEAPON, LET ALONE OWN A WEAPON OF ANY KIND.
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!
In my experience, those who resort to profanity to express themselves do so either because they cannot support their opinion with facts, or because they are too ignorant to formulate a logical, reasoned argument.
Skankhunt42: read your exceptionally intelligent rant! You are the reason 12 year olds should not own a gun… you don’t own a gun do you? May I recommend you check you local Community Colleges in your area and apply for a GED? Obviously, your mommy was mean to you and probably dropped you on you head several times as a child. No doubt we will see you in the news someday as having commited some type of hate crime due to you low intellect… get a GED and get therapy!
Wow a trolling gun controlling ASSWHOLE….!
NRA members are responsible owners and not the idiots doing the shootings….those are usually antifa types…kids hyped up on prescribed meds…so go away chump
This being the first Glock (model G 35) that I’ve owned. The third that I’ve fired while at a gun range. I’m obviously no expert on the Glock line, however it is the fifth striker fired type pistol that has found it’s way onto my gun safe in addition to several different iterations of that venerable icon the 1911A1 45 ACP and I must not forget the revolvers. Yeah I think the 45 ACP was certainly a master stroke on the part of the genius J M Browning and that gun will forever have a place in my heart. Now back to Gaston Glock’s work of excellence the Glock pistol. It took me a long time to warm to the idea of striker fired pistols. Being a fellow with hands that border on being small for the male of the species and further endowed with rather short stubby fingers finding a handgun that for me was a good fit became a monumental challenge. My first 45 was a Kimber, followed by a Colt series 70 Government model that had a bit of serious magic worked on it by a gunsmith. These two pistols and I were made for each other and I did my best shooting with them. Now please at this point know that I make no claims to being a pistol expert/ marksmen nor will I attempt to give that impression. On my best day I may fit somewhere into the average (for an untrained enthusiast) shooter. That however doesn’t diminish the love affair with firearms. My first striker fired pistol was a Springfield XD 45 followed by an XD 40 and then the XDM 40 a Smith and Wesson M&P Shield in 40 S&W which I currently own. Some of these handguns I found to have a trigger pull that for me was a bit too stiff as is the case with the aforementioned M&P Shield. That does not detract in my eyes from the weapons inherent quality it merely means that with my smallish hands I do better with a lighter trigger. Now back to the “plastic wonder” from Austria. As I alluded to earlier I was not too impressed with the Glock 17 that was my first experience both with the striker firing system and polymer hand guns in general I decried it’s lack of hammer and 1911 type safeties (ahh the opinions of the unschooled and ignorant). A short time later after acquiring the XD 45 and getting used to the type I found myself warming to the striker/polymer style firearms. Fast forward a few years on the suggestion of a close friend during a recent trip to the local gun range I rented a rather much used Glock 17 as my friend wanted to familiarize himself with the type and it had been a while since I’d even held one much less fired the thing. Upon firing the magazine at a paper ISPC target some 7 yards distant my friend commented “I think you like that Glock”. Indeed I found the gun comfortable in my hands and the darned thing made me look good shooting both Weaver and Isocoles postions. Wow I thought maybe I was wrong in my first impression. As I had been eyeing the Glock 24 (6 inch barrel or long frame) and also learned that at the time they were very scarce (oh that damned competition box rule) I took a long look at the G 35 that the local range had in stock. After talking a trade in for the XDM I walked out with the G 35. After a few purchases of some after market parts i.e. trigger assembly (3.5 lb. pull) , striker, extended mag release, stainless steel trigger pins and lets not forget the Tru-Glo fiber optic tritium impregnated sights which for my aging eyes work exceptionally well, I highly recommend them. Upon installing these parts no gun smithing required and the first trip to the range (oops. Forgot to mention the new and somewhat heavier recoil spring assembly) I found that this Glock and I were going to become fast and long enduring friends. Truly the coming together of the right pieces and the right handgun for this person. I found that if I concentrated and did my part correctly the pistol would make even this guy look good. 5 rounds inside a 10 inch circle at 25 yds. slow fire, no timer. That was heretofore never done by me even on my best day with one of the 45’s that were previously mention. In the words of Gunny R. Lee Ermy when asked about his favorite Glock he wisely replied “A gun is a tool” adding to that. If you find that tool for the specific task and with thoughtful and proper improvement/ modifications the tool fits you better then good. Mission accomplished! For me the G 35 points well and, with the changes and that nice long slide it lost nearly all the snappiness of the 40 S&W and in it’s recoil impulse feels much more like a well mannered 9mm with the slide movement being directed almost straight rearward. Very little muzzle flip indeed. This pistol has become my favorite range gun and night table occupant incase something goes bump in the night. Trigger reset with the Pyramid trigger assembly is very quick and kept that nice audible click and tactile feel that the Glock factory trigger is known for in addition to the lighter pull of the after market units out there. I’ve found the gun to be exceptionally dependable and accurate despite what I feel to be the overhyped claims of the somewhat oversized chamber problems. While there appear to be many good aftermarket barrels out there with fully supported chambers, word has it that they can be finicky when feeding different brands of factory ammo in the G 35. The polygonal rifling of the factory barrel I find is easier to clean and maintains somewhat higher muzzle velocities then do the after market barrels. I find the accuracy of the factory barrel to be exceptional and, more than adequate for range and home defense. I must say in cloxing that Glock has won another customer. All the best to you firearms enthusiasts out there in the New Year. Enjoy and be safe.
And this one time, at band camp, I shoved a pistol up my pussy……………..
I own and rotate carry and compete with the Glock 27, 23 and 35. If I feel like shooting 9mm, I have storm lake conversion barrels for all three. I’ve put thousands of rounds of .40 and 9mm thru all three Glocks with absolutely no failures.
A safety switch based handgun is one additional step to manage in a life threatening situation.
A good example is fast draw fire from the hip scenarios where your encounter is 3 feet from you.
Based upon the strength of this and other reviews I just bought a brand new G35 Gen 4.
The rear sight is only partially installed in the channel. Part of it actually is hanging out of the channel enough to be a snag hazard. about 1/16’th of an inch. Shouldn’t it be centered? The aim point is off by at least 12 inches at 10 yards. When I tried lining up the right ] of the rear sight with the front sight it was still off by 4 inches. For comparison my 92FS gave me a 4 inch grouping at the same distance. (So don’t be telling me it’s me).
Now on to the serious stuff: the third shot was a failure to feed, as was the eighth, and more to follow. Every magazine I sent through it had multiple FTFs, and a couple of FTEs. Even racking the first round into the chamber hung up a couple of times. Is this is ‘Glock Perfection’? I stopped counting failures at 30. Everyone says Glock fixed the problems with Gen4. No they didn’t!
I ran about 250 rounds through it before I gave up in complete disgust and went back to the Baretta for the rest of the day. I’ve run around 4,000 rounds through the 92FS and have had one, and only one, FTF. I bought it used so who knows how many rounds it’s eaten.
I doubt that I’ll be able to get a refund if I take it back. Nor am I willing to spend another dollar replacing brand new parts with aftermarket parts in an attempt to make it reliable and accurate. Hopefully I can get most of my money back if I trade up to a Sig like the gunsmith recommended.
What really hurts is that they guy who told me to stay away from Gen 4 Glocks was right! Well, that and being out over $900 for a gun I can’t trust.
Pretty pissed off. (Can you tell)
Hi Russ. Lets take a fair and rational look at the problems you encountered. First off you paid 900.00 dollars for a used hand gun? Wow! That’s a really stiff price when you can buy one new for under 675.00. Now as to the ftf’s and the fte problems that you experienced. By your own word the gun was used and you said that you had no idea as to how much use the weapon has. Did you happen to notice if the gun still has a factory barrel or an after market unit as these can be a bit picky with different brands of ammo. Owing to the fact that again in your words the rear sight was nearly out of the channel that leads me to believe that someone was tinkering and didn’t finish the job. The factory new Glocks like any other hand gun from a reputable manufacturer are test fired by an employee before they leave the factory so I think blaming Glock for that one is a bit unfair. Again this being a used weapon there’s no telling how much work by a self proclaimed and poorly skilled gun smith had been done to that weapon. Yeah the early gen 4’s did have some teething problems the newer iterations had these problems addressed. Is yours a newer gen 4? I too have purchased a gen 4 G 35. This however is a new gun. No gun monkey/ mechanic other than me has worked on it with the exception being the installation of the aftermarket trigger assembly. Brand new out of the box I found the gun to be utterly reliable. No quality issues with the assembly and fit and it has become my favorite range and home defense gun. I have made what has turned out to be good purchases of after market parts i.e. trigger assembly, recoil spring asmbly. sights, etc. and had them installed by knowledgeable professionals. This being done to both improve the guns already excellent accuracy and to give my shooting skills an edge. I will not badmouth one brands product simply because I prefer the competitors. I find that each brand has weaknesses that are inherent to it’s design and what works good for one person may not for another. That being said I’d be more than happy to meet you at my local gun range get acquainted and let you shoot what in my humble opinion is a good G 35 and has been a very pleasurable to shoot range gun. While I admit to having only few favorite brands in firearms. I try to take facts and circumstances into consideration before passing judgment on this brand or the other. Just a bit of advice if I may. Before I’d plunk down 900 dollars on any used gun especially one that sells for about 2/3’s of that price new I’d walk away if anything was not right with that weapon. Including misaligned sights. “Caveat Emptor” let the buyer beware. Especially with used merchandise.
To Russ. First let me apologize as somewhere along the line I came up with the impression that you had bought the gun used. Don’t know where that came from but you have my most humble and sincere apology. That being said I can only offer that perhaps you got a pistol that somewhere along the line had been tinkered with or a second/reject that somehow found it’s way into the shipping department. These things have been known to happen. While I have no idea as to weather or not yours was an early production Gen 4 I have heard that some teething problems were encountered with the early production examples. A misaligned rear sight might have been a warning sign to take note of. Again I find the $900.00 price tag pretty stiff even for a new gun as most of the examples that I have seen for the G 35 fall into the high $600 to low $700 price range. While I am told that Glock’s quality control is on par with industry standards Murphy’s law obviously reared it’s ugly head. Even Cadillac has been known to let a lemon get through. I’m sorry that your first experience with the G 35 was not a good one. Again If you ever find yourself in the “Sunshine State” I’ll be happy to let you sample a properly functioning Glock at the local gun range. Maybe you’ll change that bad first impression. have a Happy New Year.
I carry a G23 so I am not against them by any means. They are good guns for what they are. But I have quite a bit of real world experience with MARSOC and NSWC so let’s get something straight: there is NO way in HELL that I would take a Glock over the firearms that are available to SPEC OPS. And if you requested a Glock for any hop you would get remedial training.
Remedial training, eh?
http://loadoutroom.com/17950/naval-special-warfare-selects-the-glock-19/
Ha.
I am in the look out for a glock 35 gen 4 is any body selling one?
BTW, Any Glock .40 can be easily, and cheaply, converted to 9mm or .357 SIG
I absolutely LOVE my Glocks, ALL OF THEM!! But, despite my Glock 21 Gen 4 still reigning supreme in the area of home defense and sometime’s car duty (G26 Gen 4 or G19 FDE Gen 3 CHL use), the Gen 3 FDE G17/FDE Gen 4 34 are starting to sway me!)! I have a new favorite, my FDE Glock 34 Gen 4…. Cannot say how ‘perfected’ these are, 5.3″ barrel in a 9mm achieving near +P velocities w/standard pressure HST’s or Speer Gold-Dots, the awesome factory extended slide stop I’ve since installed on EVERY Glock I own… LOT’S of ‘backup’ slide stops’ lying around now, the new factory beavertails’ are AWESOME!! But as with every Glock, just need to slap some STEEL sight’s on it and it’s a ‘practical competition/tactical GET AWAY FROM ME’ pistol. Only thing I’m hoping Glock will do is introduce a long slide G21 .45.. Maybe a G21L? A Glock 30S or 30S Gen 4 and my 9 and 45 ‘PERFECTION’ collection will be complete! Not a fan of the .40 (especially with todays’ high performance ammo) vs. 9mm, lot’s of L.E. departments are also going back to 9mm due to the ammo advances and capacity, lower recoil, etc.. but to EACH HIS/HER OWN!
I own a Glock 35 Gen 3 I use as a USPSA limited gun. I bought it for many of the same reasons mentioned in this article, and I like the .40 over the 9mm because it seemed to knock over some of those stubborn old steel poppers better. It was also significantly cheaper entry level into sport shooting, $600 out the door. First thing I noticed was I didn’t like the sights, so I had a set of Dawson fiber optics put on. I could never get used to the trigger, so I bought an after market one from Vanek, the “Ultimate”, which really lightened the weight up and significantly reduced travel, ok, much better. However, with the lightened trigger, you have to be VERY aware of where your finger is. I then replaced the stock recoil spring with a DPM dual recoil spring, which really did help tame the muzzle flip, especially shooting major loads. I actually had several rounds of failure to feed until I worked out that the gun is very sensitive to case height, so once I wore out the stock barrell, I bought a new KKM precision barrell, which also allows me to shoot unjacketed ammo–which is a nice wallet saver. I also have large hands, so I put on a bevertail adapter, along with a JP magwell there isn’t much left on it that says Glock! It has been a gun that grew with me, and I have been able to adapt and customise to my needs. If I do my part, it does it’s part. This is what I do like about the Glock–you get a good reliable pistol for a reasonable price, and you can take it from there.
Its still a .40. Give me the 34 and day.
I liked your review, very well done I would say. btw I am not Glock koolaid drinker and have never owned one. I have shot a G19 and a G22 in the foggy past though. I wasn’t enamored with composite pistols then nor was I impressed with the 9mm or the 40 cal. A 45 still seems to be about the best SA round overall to me. Not to say that I haven’t owned a ‘9’ and even a ‘380’ boot gun both of the ‘Browning’ flavor. I have however only recently gone polymer. I have gone .40 though 5 years ago.
It was just one of those things that happen. I picked up a CZ P75 at a show and the fit and balance were perfect, it was a natural pointer. The price was right, I had the cash and the 1st 10 up the pipe landed in a 5 inch group at 25 yards off hand. I still have the target somewhere.
It goes everywhere on the road with me and sleeps by my head every night loaded with REM PD Hydra-Shocks. It doesn’t have the capacity (12) of some and is judged far to heavy to carry by the internet, it won’t carry a light or a laser, not even grip lasers because of the ambi safety (I shoot with either hand). It’s sights had to be repainted and it now sports new improved grips, both done this year. It only has a 4.5 inch barrel but it is a fully supported +P chamber, with 4000+ digested so far.
I literally love this pistol as no other in my entire life. In my hand, should ever I need to use it, 2 legged critters inside of 100′ are absolutely getting ventilated, put down and staying down. I have had people (pro’s – Cops, Rangers and Marines) ask what work I had done to it. None. They all grin ear to ear while they hold and point it, apparently it just has that effect.
Back to the Glock 35 Gen4…
I am interested in it for a couple of reasons. We recently bought a Kel-Tec Sub 2000 as a packpack/camp carbine in the .40 S&W with Glock magazines that shoots remarkably accurately and does everything we got it for, and that is the driver. I really don’t want to keep taking my baby to the woods anymore. It isn’t the weight so much as she has a couple of ‘use mars’ now and I don’t want to have something that I love this much in the rain and mud. So if we are going to get a new SA pistol it seems to make sense it should a Glock 40 for the interchangeability of magazines and able to hang a light/laser. I like the idea of being able to customize the grip and the longer site radius.
Your review has me inclined that it will be a G35 Gen4.
I have a Keltec Sub 2000 in 40 s&w with glock mags also… For me it was the other way around I already had glocks including the G35 and wanted a carbine in the same magazines and caliber. It is a great combination. Though I dislike the stiff mushy trigger of the Sub2000 I can hit what I’m shooting at every time accurately so it doesn’t seem to affect that even though I don’t like the feel of the trigger. Everyone that tries it hates the trigger but wants one after shooting it.
My G35 gen 3 is its best mate 🙂 I bought a police trade in that has had the shit shot out of it. It had been shot so many times that the tennifer ? coating the glocks are famous for was totally gone from the outside of the barrel where the slide at the muzzle runs against it when firing. I have a G27 with over a thousand rounds through it and you can even tell it has been fired. I hate to think how many rounds have gone through that retired police g35 I got. Whats my point? I love that gun. It is smooth as silk and more accurate than I am. At 15 yards I can rapid fire into a target with groups the size of my palm. At 50 yards I can hit a 12 inch target all day long 🙂 I would love to say that I could hit a palm sized target at 50 yards but my eyes can’t see that well any more. It takes a gun with a magnified optic for me to do precision shooting anymore at a distance. My daily carry is a G27 with the sub2000s as a truck gun. in the g35 with my carry ammo I am pushing 500 to 550 ft/lbs of muzzle energy. In the sub2000 the same ammo is pushing approx 700 ft/lbs 🙂 both guns cost almost the same also.. used g35 $399 and new sub 2000 $425
At then end of the day though it’s just a pistol cartridge and mostly useful just to get you to a rifle.
Oh and for all those glock haters in earlier posts that bash it as unsafe because it doesn’t have an external safety. The safety is called knowing how to properly use a gun. Never put your finger on the trigger unless your going to pull it. Never point the weapon at anything you don’t intend to shoot and destroy. Always know what your shooting at and what is downrange. It’s a gun and freaking dangerous and you shouldn’t be playing with one if you don’t take it seriously and learn how to properly use guns in general and whatever model you happen to be carrying in particular.
The glock to me is a very capable service weapon. Designed to go bang under any circumstances. Simple enough for an idiot or guy jacked on fear and adrenaline to use. Simple for anyone to break down and clean with no tools. If you forget to clean it for a while or a year it will still shoot. If you take care of it, it will shoot hundreds of thousands of rounds and still keep going. It’s not the best grip, or the most accurate or the prettiest, but it’s close to the most rugged, simplest, and reliable weapon you will ever own. Oh and though not the most accurate it is accurate enough for many to compete with so it is accurate 🙂 just not the most accurate 🙂
I still prefer my XD40.
I own the Gen 4 Glock 35 in .40 caliber. Personally, I do feel it is a step forward for the Glock design.
I am pleased with its performance. I have it near my bed at night in case of need. I will take it when we go camping in the Northern New Mexico mountains this summer.
I congratulate Glock on this combination of design evolution/caliber choice.
I tested a Glock 23 when I was looking for a 2nd carry piece. It was pretty nice, and I was going to buy it. Before I did, a friend suggested I try the S&W M&P. While I liked the Glock, and shot quite well with it, I was even more accurate with the M&P. I’ll take a look at the 35. As to the Sig, I’ve always wanted to try one out, but the range I shoot at doesn’t have one. Yet.. Nice review, btw.
Well, Is It the best 40 ever?. I own 3 glocks. My last one is a compensated 40 cal.. compact… I own three sizes of glocks… standard size, compact and sub compact…..Their are a lot of issues with the 40 cal round but not a 40 cal gun.. A lot of police agencies are going back to the 9mm as it has lower mussel flip and recoil. 9mm guns are much easier to shoot than a 40 cal..and they are all choosing 9mm glocks….However, I own a Walther P-38 9mm, a 1911 .45 as well as a compensated 40 cal glock. The compensation is what is all about for the 40cal round…and night sights have a tendency to fall of Sigs… just ask the Kansas Highway Patrol. Unfortunately Glock has quit making compensated guns……….BUT, you can still get compensated barrels for any Glock..
I don’t think the 40 cal round is the best for everyone…But I know Glock is the most reliable handgun on the market today………
Personally, the only way I get a lower “mussel flip” is if I fire it near the bottom of the river.
If I were a PD armorer, I would issue 9mm and permit carry of other calibers.
The vast majority of cops don’t take a lot of range time and the 9mm is a better choice for them. I know it sounds counterintuitive, but a lot of cops shoot their qualifier and never fire again until the next qualifier. That is a lot of the reason the armorers, and chiefs (aka “buyers”), choose Glocks, along with simplicity of operation and maintenance. Glocks are, also, cheaper for government agencies to purchase than a lot of other brands. All of these things lend a lot of “organizational inertia” to Glock.
That said, I leave my Browning Hi Powers, 1911’s and SIG’s at home and carry a Glock.
You need to realize…..if you have to trust your life with a gun……..When you pull the trigger on a Glock It will always fire……This is a gun that has fired 10,000 rounds without a misfire..
Is every Glock free from any sort of defect? Of course not. Are there other options out there to choose from? Sure there are-that’s the beauty of the industry, especially now, where there is a list of high-quality firearms to choose from. I’m no operator, I’m not even police officer, nor to I play them on the internet. All I am is an average guy, but the glocks I have owned have all been solid guns that have served me well. Sigs, M&Ps, and other guns are great as well. Those making blanket statements about how low quality Glocks are would fit into the ignorant category in my book. Examine the pros and cons and pick the gun that works for you, then stop whining when others choose something else.
Dude: The Glock Gen 4 or any generation of Glock is nothing but a piece of tactical tuperware, a garbage gun. I have had numerous occasions to fire Glocks as well as all other “name brand” firearms in my profession as a Police Officer and Coroner’s Investigator( retired) and there is no finer firearm than the SIG Sauer line of guns. The SIG is far superior to any striker-fired piece of plastic. The Swiss designed the SIG P 226 to be the most reliable, and dependable semi-auto firearm in the world. It alone is the standard by which all other semi-autos are judged…it never fails, and is of course inherently accurate. You don’t need to re-create the gun generation after generation to try and improve it, the SIG P 226 was perfect at it’s inception. You should try one before singing the praises of the Glock. If I had to use only a Glock, I would stop using handguns.
Sigs Great, why the hate when there is scores of reviews for glock, must be the chevy vs ford vs dodge crap,? my mom voted dem for years only because she was uninformed but had a an opinion, same aplys here
Dear Mr White – I own Sigs (226, 250 and 239) and agree that they are FINE weapons. I also own 1911’s, Hi Powers and a few Walthers.
I would put the Browning and Walther up against any SIG for fit, finish, quality, reliability, etc etc
I would put the Glock against ANYTHING for reliability.
I CARRY Glocks.
Apparently, I, along with a TON of Seals and Army SF operators, except for the ones who carry SIG’s, are complete shitheads for using Glocks and Colts. Wow, who knew?
Buy a Drop FREE MAG
I do not follow new guns, I have a Glock 22, which I purchased when they first hit the stores. The weapon has never
malfunctioned, but mine will not drop the clips, I have tried several ways to make this happen but none are reliable
any suggestions? I’m sure this is not a problem in newer Glocks?
you scare me , the “mag” not clips dont drop, glocks tend to hang up but you can sand or shape the mag, and shoot more
GLOCK SHMOCK. THE SMITH AND WESSON M&P IS THE KING OF THE HILL AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED. WE RECENTLY GOT RID OF OUR DUTY GLOCK 22’S AND REPLACED THEM WITH THE M&P40’S. OUR PROBLEM SHOOTERS ARE A THING OF THE PAST. QUIT DRINKING THE GLOCK COOL AIDE, THEY ARE YESTERDAY’S POLYMER WEAPON.
I will start by saying that I am a glock guy. After holding my brother in laws service M&P40, I decided to get one. To this day, I’ve never held a gun that fit my hand so well. However, shooting it was a different story. With my glock G22 I can put 13/15 rounds into a soda can at 75′. I can hardly hit the soda can at the same distance with my smith. My glock also has a 4.5lb trigger, the standard trigger on an m&p is 10lbs. I am back to glock, and although I will own other guns, glock is what I trust my life with.
I won’t knock Glock, but there is at least one option. For a few bucks more you may want to try an FNH. The FNS40 is by far the slickest pistol I’ve shot to date. Grew up target shooting, qualified & carried a Colt 1911A1 in the Corps, and still shoot anything I can 30 yrs later. Got my FNS40 [black] 2 months back & put 300+ rds through so far. Though not broken in yet, the minimal recoil felt and smoothness of operation make it as fun as any I’ve shot. The grip is like no other and feels made for your hand. Standard night sights and perfectly positioned safety offer a level of security for nightime HD & CCW. On top of that, FNH makes such a superior product you just can’t go wrong choosing it. Do your research, check one out for yourself, and take my word for it. Few compare to the FNS40.
BOUGHT A NEW GLOCK M35 ABOUT 13 OR 14 YEARS AGO. IT SUITS ME FINE. IT IS USED AS A HOME PROTECTION FIREARM ALONG WITH A M12 WINCHESTER 12 GA WITH A 22 INCH BARREL.
WOULD ANYONE CARE TO RECOMMEND A GLOCK M35 BOOK WHICH MIGHT HELP ME FIGURE OUT WHICH GENERATION IT IS AND IF THERE ARE UPDATES WHICH SHOULD BE DONE?
THANKS FOR YOUR HELP.
The Gen 1 (unlikely you have this) has the same texture on the side of the grip as the front of the grip.
The gen 2 has a sandpaper like grip on the side, and small squares on the front of the grip.
The gen 3 has finger grooves integrated in the front of the grip but still has the sandparer like grip side and squares in the finger grooves.
The gen3 rtf has a pretty smooth grip all together.
The gen 4 will say gen4 on the slide.
I have been a LE firearms instructor for over
18yrs & a Tactical Operator for the last 7yrs.
I am a Firm Believer in the GLOCK 35 Gen4.
Does anyone know if the Glock 35 takes Glock 22 mags?
Yes it does. Exact same mags for both…
If you are talking about he 4th Gen Glock 35 and a pre 4th gen Glock 22,,, the answer is yes and no. The G35 4gen has reversible magazine release for left hand shooting. the new magazines are notched on both sides to accommodate this feature. The magazines from the G22 pre 4th gen are notched for a right handed mag release. As long as the G35 4gen is in the right handed mag release configuration, the G22 magazines will function fine. I have the G35 4gen, I use several G22 magazines, but I am also right handed.
I’ve been shooting and carrying Glock since 2002. I compete in USPSA Production and Limited with Glock. I put a little over 20k rounds thru my Glock 34 just last year alone. I ran my Glock 24 thru 2010 up to part of 2012. I spend a small car note a month on ammo for practice and competition. I’ve shot many different brands, but I’ve always been impressed with the Glock platform. Its simple, reliable, safe, accurate, and fast. This year I’m shooting open class with my SVI IMM Open, but my daily carry sidearm is still a Glock. I’m pretty impressed with the Gen4 series, especially the new grip design. The Gen4 model 35 is definitely on the top of my next gun buy list.
Steve,
As part of my police department, I have watched over 180 pistols over 15 years firing literally tens of thousands of rounds. As a result, I have a reasonable basis of knowledge on the Glocks, I have never, and I mean NEVER seen a catastrophic failure in any of those guns called by some as the KB. The Glocks are literally in service with every agency in my county, and not one of their range staff has ever mentioned or brought up this issue. Some of these agencies have fired far more rounds, and seen over 2000 guns in the field, and not a single KB. (Trust me, if there was one, they would be screaming to the highest volume about it…)
I’m not saying I’ve seen it, but with the sampling of the gun population and lack on any incidents in thousands of officers/guns, and millions of rounds, I would suggest it is a really rare instance made a big deal by those who scream on the internet. I carry a Glock with confidence, and never worry about the boogeyman…oops, I meant KB.
I have been shooting the G23 and G27 for many years. I shoot frequently. In the thousands of rounds I have put through the G 23 Gen 3, G 27 Gen 3 and now a new G27 Gen 4 I have never had a hardware malfunction. I have had only a few FTF with cheap ammo. I am a member of a range with over 600 members and do not know of others that have had malfunctions attributable to the Glock factory hardware. The problems that I am aware of is with aftermarket parts installed in the Glock. I also have a Sig 229 and H&K USP40c, but Glock is my everyday shooter and carry piece. I think that some just like to work on things. As the saying goes, “Hey it shoots perfect, it works great…..lets fix it!”
Sorry forks but the Glock…Any Glock…is totally unsafe. Couldn’t give me one. To many cops have shot themselves or others because there is no safety. Owning a Glock is just a disaster waiting to happen.
Please advise the thousands of police carrying them around the nation, not to mention the few being carried by SF crowd…we must save them from themselves…
Proper trigger finger discipline is what is needed, not a new gun. I have carried a Glockl for over 20+ years and have yet to shoot myself…
I have to agree with you, Brian. The Glock will not shoot until the trigger safety paddle is depressed by the shooters finger. I’ve heard this before from those who do not like the Glock because they prefer to have their finger on the trigger. Oddly enough, even the well liked 1911 with the safety off, will fire unexpected when fingers are on the trigger. I can understand if the police officer community by virtue of the job environment prefers to have a finger on the trigger. However, it would not be accurate to blame the firearm for shooter habits.
the safety of any gun is between your ears, not a lever or hammer.
Tom I consider myself very safety conscious. In the 25 plus years I have carried either my Glock 22,23, or 27, and have never accidentally shot the gun. Heres a hint. Keep your finger off the trigger unless you can fire it. Should be no issues. Very simple, very reliable. Got rid of a Colt Government model for the first Glock, and have not looked back since. Practice trigger safety, and you have no issues.
Keep your bugger hook off the bang switch & a Glock is TOTALLY safe. Glock’s actually have 3 passive, independently operating, mechanical safeties…along with the aforementioned bugger hook, this makes 4 – alas, this is the most susceptible point of failure.
Probably a good thing you don’t own one.
I have never considered the so called safety’s on the glock real safety’s. What ever gets in there and depresses that trigger is gonna deactivate all of them. So I just keep my finger out of there until I am ready to fire. Doing so has never caused me a problem yet. I would recommend a holster that covers the trigger, shoving it down in your pants is asking for it.
I have never considered the so called safety’s on the glock real safety’s. What ever gets in there and depresses that trigger is gonna deactivate all of them. So I just keep my finger out of there until I am ready to fire. Doing so has never caused me a problem yet. I would recommend a holster that covers the trigger, shoving it down in your pants is asking for it.
You are supposed to be smarter than the material that you are working with.If you don’t want it to go bang, don’t pull the trigger!
As a firearms instructor, I can assure you that the overwhelming majority of gun owners have not the slightest clue regarding proper/safe weapons manipulation and overall gun safety. Sadly, this is especially true of LE and military, as many of these nice people firmly buy into the myth that being a Marine or a police officer magically bestows godlike gun handling/shooting skills. Gun safety and gun handling are acquired skills, much like driving a car. One does not automatically master these skills when either joining the police or the military. No matter which handgun you use, it is your responsibility to learn how to use it effectively and safely. Striker fired guns with no manual safeties have a different manual of arms. Big deal. Shooters ND with 1911s, Berettas and HKs all the time. We had two grunts ND on the range with their M4s. Last time I checked, those have a pretty prominent manual safety. Those who bash Glocks or similar pistols as unsafe are, at best, close-minded and at worst incompetent and unskilled shooters who refuse to LEARN. If you cannot do the simple tasks of 1) keeping your finger off the trigger, and 2) keeping the gun pointed away from yourself/other people, you have no business owning a gun. Period.
Not going to delve into bashing LEO, as I’ve been one for 18+years.
That being said…I’ve seen more than a few non-gun people with badges who I wouldn’t hunt with and a shit ton who I wouldn’t stack up with.
Title doesn’t give you ability.
Tribal Game Warden/firearms inst./2xNational pistol shoot team champion blah blah blah.
Bottom line… I PRACTICE/I TRAIN 😉
I 100% disagree. The Glock design is the safest available on the market; It cannot be fired or dry fired if the chamber is empty. Loading a round into the chamber is the only way to prepare it to be fired and the shooter has to consciously pull the 5.5 lb. trigger to shoot. As far as cops shooting themselves, there are just as many incompetent boobs on the police force as there are among civilians.
Gunlvr – I shoot with several friends who are LEO’s and ex-military. I would say there is a HIGHER percentage of incompetent boobs among them because of that old saying “familiarity breeds contempt”.
Tom – keep your nose-picker off the bang-switch and there is NO problem. Ever. It’s called “proper execution of the manual of arms” aka “Knowing What The F#*k You’re Doing And Not Being A Total Douchebag”.
Question for you – there is no “safety” on any wheel gun I have ever owned. Are they “totally unsafe”? Oh, wait, NONE of my knives have “safeties”. Shit! They are “totally unsafe”.
You don’t have a clue, you must be inexperienced.
There are actually 3 safeties in every glock. It is one of the safest and reliable guns on the market.
The safety with a Glock is to not pull the trigger until you want to fire it. The ONLY way you can fire it is to squeeze the trigger, so if cops shoot themselves they need some lessons in safety…namely not having their finger on the trigger until it is pointed in a safe direction or at the target they want to shoot.
Tom. I once felt just as you do about the Glock pistol until I learned one very important lesson about the safe handling of a loaded Glock with a chambered round. As with any firearm in that condition the index finger is better left resting along the side of the receiver until the target is acquired. This greatly reduces the unfortunate event of accidental discharge. Doing this as with any action done under stressful conditions requires repetitive practice until it becomes “second nature”. I suspect that in the situation your describing that the officers may have drawn their service weapons with the index finger on the trigger thus the unintended firing. This is the only way that apart from dropping or defect a loaded weapon will discharge. Again proper repetitive practice/training. I’ve made several trips to the local gun range with my Glock and as long as my finger stays off trigger until target acquisition the gun doesn’t go bang. Index finger is the final safety.
I’ve read a lot about the Glock’s in .40 S&W and the potential problems with the unsupported chamber and possibility of KB when using reloads. Has this chamber issue been resolved in the Gen4’s and this pistol specifically?
Steve,
I looked into the unsupported chamber issue for Glocks and the assertion that aftermarket barrels have better support. I did not find this to be the case. If you look closely at the factory and aftermarket Glock barrels, they are very similar in the unsupported portion of the chamber. Most semi-autos seem to have some portion of the brass that is unsupported due to the extractor having to latch onto the rim. I shoot the G20, use handloads exclusively, and use a Lee push through resizing die to reshape the spent brass all the way past the rim. I’ve shot probably 5,000 rounds through my 10mm, and some of them have been pretty hot. I’ve never had an extraction issue, nor any indications of excessive pressure. I would surmise, at least from my limited experience, that the KB’s I’ve seen mentioned in the online forums may be caused by other issues having little to do with unsupported chambers. I would encourage anyone that has concerns over Glock KB’s to spend some time in the online forums investigating the experience of others; I found it quite helpful and dismissed all my concerns over KB’s.
Steve. While it is true that the Glock chamber has been engineered with slightly looser tolerances to aid with feeding reliability I have never encountered any problems with KB in firing my Glock. I think that some of these reports are either false or over hyped by those with an ulterior motive and then they fall into the echo chamber being repeated ad nauseam. In fairness any firearm may have flaws that are inherent in it’s design i.e. the slide bite problem that occurs with some semi auto hand guns. That being said however I again have not experienced any KB problems with the factory barrel in my Glock. Just a footnote while many after market barrels for the Glock do maintain a respectable degree of accuracy they with their fully supported chambers can be rather finicky as to what they’ll eat.
I love my click 27 but im going to try this for the rail and new spring fire,glock is the perfect gun i think for at home under the pillow,well thanks for the article
I’m sorry for being a stick in the mud, but if it doesn’t have an exposed hammer, it would not be safe in my hands without extensive training and a change in attitude. it is simply easier for me to get a .45 Army auto.
I totally disagree! I owned and have carried g22, g23, and a g35. Never an incident nor safety concern however, I recently purchased a HK45 USP and on more than one ocassion when holstering the weapon, the slide retracted and cocked it. Also, the g35 is remarkably accurate at long range.
I daily carry my H&K .40 USP Compact LEM, and use my twin H&K .40 LEM P-30’s for home defense. I’ve never had an issue of this sort with any of the three. It sounds less like an issue with the weapon as with the owner not selecting a proper holster.
I will not, however, purchase another Glock of any sort.
Mr Hilman – I have carried, shot and loved a custom Mark IV/Series 70 for over 30 years and, although I understand your thoughts, I could not disagree more about safety. My Glocks are as simple as a rock. If you squeeze it, it goes bang. If you do not, deliberately, squeeze that trigger it does not go bang. Ever. I think of it as a very high capacity wheel gun because the operation is almost identical. In Condition 1, my 1911 requires me to operate two safeties which, under stress, can result in unintentional discharge or, just as bad, FTF. If I carry my 1911 in anything but Condition 1 or 0 (dangerous), I must activate the hammer or rack the slide. Manipulating the hammer may (probably will) be difficult under stress and racking the slide would reveal my presence, awareness and position to the bad guy, aka “target”.
Please understand, I LOVE all of my 1911’s, especially that ONE custom my Dad and I built when I was 16, 32 years ago.
For defensive carry, I will choose a Glock EVERY time. As the intensity of the situation increases, especially if the person (like me) is not an experienced and highly trained operator, I tend MORE toward simplicity. This is the reason that I stocked my bedroom with a S&W 66-1 .357Mag, which will buy me time to get to the tactical shotgun, a semi-auto rather than a pump, and my duty belt with my Glock 35, spare magazines, light, OC, cuffs, etc. When the bad guys are kicking in the door and my adrenaline is pumping, I don’t need to THINK about anything other than WHAT is happening and HOW to deal with it, not how my weapon operates, especially if it “fails”. Most of us like to think we will respond optimally to a “real world” situation, but, I KNOW, because I have been there, the vast majority of us DON’T, myself included. That means I stick to the KISS principle.
I guess what I am trying to say is, the “old school” is great. I love my 1911’s, Hi-Power, Walthers, S&W’s, Colt’s, Rugers, etc…. but don’t miss out on more advanced gear like Glocks, H&K, Springfield XD’s, Ruger SR’s, S&W MP’s, on and on and on… I learned a LOT from my older shooting friends, but the best thing I learned was to not stop learning. 🙂
While I don’t currently own a G35, I do daily carry a G23 and the only time I had any problem with it was when I thought I could “do better” than Glock and installed an aftermarket recoil spring. After going back to the factory spring, all has been well for over four years. Like I said, I carry this pistol daily, in a minimal belt slide holster while working on our ranch, so it has been knocked around a lot, gets a lot of debris on it, and has even been dropped and the rear sight knocked off (a simple tape of a rubber hammer set things right!). This is like that old pickup truck that you don’t do a thing to, yet it just start’s every time. I do have a Gen3 G34, and it is definitely a great and accurate pistol. Having said all this, I still have a fond spot in my heart for 1911s. They fit my hand better, they have also been equally reliable (but are more particular about what you “feed” them), and they just feel so doggone good in my paw.
If I wanted a firearm where the company did not stand behind their product, shipped known defect products and cares more about profits then safety ~ I’d buy a Saturday night special gen 1……
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