The Glock 41 is a larger competition version of the G21. Rather than rush to review this gun back in February, we decided to shoot it a lot, and it is very consistent.
Gunslingers agree on very few things, but one of them is that bigger, longer guns are easier to shoot, and to shoot well. This is doubly true when you have to do a lot of shooting. Glock owners are a fierce bunch of gunslinging devotees, and now they have a Gen. 4 version of what is essentially a bigger, longer .45ACP Glock 21. This is the last of a competition trio that joins the G34, a long slide 9mm G17, and the G35, a long slide .40 G22. This new G41 has a barrel about .6 inches longer and it has about 3/4 inch more sight radius than the G21, but it actually comes in a couple ounces lighter. The G41 holds the same 13+1 .45ACP rounds as the G21. Our test gun was one of the first in the country back at SHOT Show 2014, and after over 1,000 rounds in casual shooting from visitors to our shooting complex since that time its performance has remained very good, and consistent. The G41 was built for competition, and that means it could be subjected to tens of thousands of rounds over the course of its lifetime. We found the G41 to be solid as a rock. The MSRP for this gun is $775, with a significantly lower street price.
We tested the gun a lot with Federal ammo available at Walmart, and Hornady Steel Match, another inexpensive ammo for competition.
If you are asking yourself, why would anyone want such a behemoth (I think this is the biggest Glock made), the answer is physics, and the way this effects ergonomics. I didn’t have a G21 side by side to compare this gun to, but against my other plastic .45s and even 1911s, this gun has significantly less muzzle flip. It is fairly easy to muscle the gun to not flip hardly at all. Having a little more metal at the front definitely changes the feel of the G41, but somehow they made the gun actually lighter, without a cutout like you see in many other competition pistols. The extra distance between the sights, which is 6.77 inches in the G21 and 7.56 inches in the G41, increases your ability to finely aim at distance. The further apart the sights, the more degrees there are between any point on the rear sight and the front sight, when you look at it as a slice of a circle, called a radius. All other forces being equal, the average person should be able to shoot the G41 a little better than the G21. In competition that little bit can mean winning and losing.
No matter how you slice it, a double stack .45ACP is a behemoth. This gun may not fit you, so stop by a gunshop and try one.
As a duty gun, there is one disadvantage to this gun over the G21, if you choose to carry .45ACP as your round. The extra length will not allow you to clear your holster as fast when drawing the G41. It also requires that you lift your arm higher. Both of these factors can be trained for, but in a gunfight, micro-seconds can count. Old West gunfighters used to cut their Colt Peacemakers down for this reason. Your gun isn’t in the fight until you clear your holster, and you want to do that as quickly as possible.
The magazine on these guns holds 13 rounds.
There are advantages to the G41 from a home defense standpoint though. If you are keeping one handgun in the house for defense against a possible intruder, the G41 is going to have some advantages over its shorter brother. Besides the muzzle flip and sight radius, there will be slightly more power behind the .45ACP bullet. A longer barrel means more powder burning before the bullet exits, which translates to slightly more velocity. Is this significant? Not really, but if you are buying one gun, and you want to get really good with that gun, there is no reason not to buy the G41 over the G21. A lot of people want a Glock and only a Glock. Hang out at any gun counter for a day and you’ll see. This is probably the biggest baddest Glock, and it shoots really well.
Testing accuracy with a double stack .45ACP is always a challenge as it applies to how you, the reader, will actually shoot the gun. The G41 has a big fat 2×4 feel to the grip, because in the case of the .45ACP, there is no way to make the big, fat, cartridge thinner. My hands are large, but I have short fingers. Rested, I was able to put all 14 rounds into a couple inches at 25 yards, which is my estimation of “the end of the driveway.” In competition that is generally going to be the longest handgun target distance, and it is easy to keep the gun right where you need it. As expected, the carry rounds were less accurate than the lower powered plinking and competition rounds. Ultimately nobody can tell you how “accurate” a handgun will be for you, because your hands and your ergonomics are yours alone. This gun has the potential to be very accurate if it fits you. That would be true of all Glocks in my experience, but not all of them fit me well. This gun will not fit everyone, and I count myself among that group, though I was able to shoot it acceptably well.
The G41 has all the same features as the rest of the Glocks. It is the standard Safe Action, single constant trigger pull.
The Federal rounds that they sell at Walmart shot especially well in this gun, so if you are looking for casual competition rounds, don’t think you’ll lose anything buying the cheap stuff. These rounds are somewhat novel because they use a small pistol primer instead of the large pistol primer required by the SAAMI specification. Just be aware of it if you reload. Federal most likely uses a slightly different powder to compensate for the primer, but your load data won’t be exactly the same when you do use standard powders in your manual.
The trigger pull is in the normal range for Glocks, about 6 lbs. with a crisp break at the end.
The nice thing about Glocks is that they are all the same, and they all work great. Doing one thing well is a lesson many companies could take from Glock, that that is why they have an army of devotees who refuse to shoot anything but. There is no other gun like a Glock, and this G41 is a nice addition to the line for which many have been waiting. Stop into a gunshop and see if the gun fits you. If it does, this is a great choice for a lot of different applications, including the competition space for which it was created.
There are a few opinions online as to why the G41 is lighter than the smaller G21, yet it does not sport a slide cutout. The slide could be thinner. The barrel could be thinner. We didn’t get a solid answer from Glock, so we will defer to the writers who claim that weight was taken out of the slide. It for sure is lighter, almost 2 ounces lighter.
Visually it doesn’t look any different though. This is going to remain an open mystery for us right now.
Our G41 is made in Austria, and yes it is ours. We bought it, if that tells you anything.
I just bought a G41 and am looking forward to abusing it. I have a G23 that I shoot 357sig, 9mm, and the 40sw which it was designed for. They all shoot excellent but the 357sig is superbly the most accurate and powerful. I wanted a “woods gun” so I moved on the G41 and a KKM 10mm conversion barrel. Now the word is out that Rowland is developing a Rowland 460 conversion for the G41. YEEHAW. I am in.
Hey did you hear about the Gen 5 glock 41, I have mine on order .
Eight new goodies ,1-Like the ndlc finish on barrel & slide,2-ambi. slide stop lever ,3-a small flared mag-well,4-hey no finger grooves,5- best of all the marksman barrel,it has a crown.6-How about those orange mag followers,Im going to swap out all of my old mag followers for the new orange one ,man they are easy to see.7- one more thing the short frame. 8-Some other mods, to trigger group. I hear end of August .
It never ends the Glock vs 1911 people does it or 9mm vs 45 ACP. I own both CALIBERS and both PISTOLS everyone loves to argue about. Both are fine pistols. I’m going to throw my 2 cents in for what is is worth. If money is the biggest factor in determining which one i would choose, then I would choose the Glock 41, if money is not a factor and i want the best shooting, feeling trigger, handling, control then the Colt Gold Cup (the older ones 1970 to 1983) and the latest one (2012 or so to recent production) i would choose the 1911. Glock just can’t deal with that overall balance and feel of these type 1911’s in my opinion. But again if money is no problem the best 45 i have and the one that gets the must coons up one tree is the H&K USP Expert it has the best of both worlds has some of the Glocks best features and some of the 1911’s best features in my opinion having used and own all three types the HK is the better, but remember money was not the determining factor in my choice , because i said if money was not a factor. HK mags alone are 40 to 50 dollars each doesn’t take long to get in the pocket and empty what you have. The best value goes to the Glock Second would be the Colt Gold Cup only because of the mags the pistol is about the same price as a HK so HK comes in last on emptying your pocket because you will spend 40 to 50 bucks each on a 12 rd HK mag. But what i am saying is they are all fine pistols i wished i could afford to own all the Glocks models & 1911’s types & HK’s models & Sig’s & CZ & and many other fine pistols out there but one doesn’t dominate the whole field in every category. The calibers 9mm vs 45 ACP thats a whole nother story but again neither one dominates the whole field one does things better than the other and visa versa. I wished everyone would agree with that and stop knocking what someone else thinks is the best none of them are the best of everything. But if there was a table with Glocks & 1911’s & HK’s and of both calibers on it and there was some bad guys i had to deal i know the one i would pick up and thats the HK USP Full Size SA/DA model with the 4.41 barrel not the expert model with the 5 + inch barrel and i would go with the 45 ACP but the others will get it done also this is what i feel good with. But see that is my choice, that is what i feel confident with, You may feel good with a Glock or a 1911 and that’s good its what you feel confident with you won’t catch me saying anything bad about either one . And if you was my partner to help me deal with these bad guys and you had to pick you a pistol i’m not going to say put that shiney pistol down and get that Glock or HK because you chose what you feel good with and know how to operate it and thats all that matters.
Sorry most of you guys miss out on the finer things in life. I bought my 1st Wilson Combat 1911 .45acp some 35 years ago from Bill. Have put over 700,000 hand loaded rounds through it. Granted it’s on its 2nd barrel and 2nd extractor and a few other pieces, but Bill guarantees every pistol that leaves his doors has fired at least 60 rounds at 25 years and kept them in 1″ groups or the gun goes back to the pistolsmiths for additional work. Mine still shoots 1″ groups at 25 yards. He makes his own frames, slides and all other parts himself, or his crew of highly trained and skilled pistolsmiths, hand fitting every part to every part it touches. I’ve never had a misfire of any kind. When you start with the best, you don’t change. Won many IPSC pistol championships over the years with his pistols.
I have recently cleared the decks of my PX4 Storms. No reason other than a trade for a Smith and Wesson 686 to add to another 686. Love my revolvers. Still, with the freedom to choose, I am torn between the Beretta 92a1 and a Glock full frame 41 or 21 or 17. Having owned Glocks in the past (the 26 and 19) there is a comfort in the reliability and after market support that some other manufacturers lack.
The Glock 41 has a great balance and not too heavy with 13 rounds of 45 fire power and minimal recoil which makes it my choice for target shooting
Wow! What a bunch of jealous 1911 owners! In the words of Tommy Lee Jones in U S Marshals; “Put that shiny sissy gun away and get a Glock!”
The Glock 41 is the epitome of what the .45 was meant to be! I mounted a Burris Fast Fire III on mine and can consistently hit life size silhouettes from 5 to 200 yards out.(Out to 100 yards with the factory sights was easy) The limited muzzle flip gets you right back on target a lot quicker. There is only one short coming, you’re never going to get a lightning “fast draw” from the holster because of the length. I carried the original Colt back in the day and it was OK, in my last six decades I’ve shot several “Brands” including the G-21 AND the G-21 SF, but NOTHING can compare to the G-41! It’s just an absolute pleasure to send rounds down range with!! There’s no better feeling, than having the confidence in a side-arm that will fire accurately every trigger pull…this one’s a KEEPER!!
I’d like to see Glock offer the G41 but…in a 10mm. Have the same outside diameter on the barrel, but the smaller caliber would mean a thicker, stronger barrel. Use a stronger recoil spring, different extractor and magazine. Wow…what a pistol THAT would be! I just wonder if that thinner slide would hold up to 10mm punishment.
Just visit KKM. They make a fantastic 10mm conversion barrel for the G41.
Fellas, it’s a Glock! Nuff said….. All you guys and your negative comments just goes to show that there are still way to many hard-headed people out there. I mean come on, there is no test or nothing these guns haven’t surpassed!!! Give me a Glock any day! Ecspecially if the s**t ever hits the fan, you definetly want dependability and Glock definetly is the best choice! PERIOD…..
The Glock 41 has the “slim slide” and compared to the 21, you can visually tell just by looking at them together. There is nearly 1/8″ difference in thickness, but not quite if they are actually measured. This is huge in the weight difference question being posed in this article which in my opinion is very well written.
I AM A FFL AND HAVE 36 DIFF. GUNS I SHOOT ALL THE TIME. S&W, RUGER, SPRINGFIELD ARMOR,AND GLOCK. ALL ARE FROM 9MM UP. BOTH WHEEL GUNS AND SEMI AUTOS. BUT MY FAVORITE GUN THAT I SHOOT THE MOST, AND LOVE THE BEST, IS NEVER MENTIONED IN RERVIEWS AND REPORTS. IT IS A GLOCK 20C, COMPENSATED, AND DOSEN’T HAVE ANY MORE RECOIL THAN MY GLOCK 19, IN 9MM. I SHOOT AT 25, 50, AND 100 YARDS WITH IT, AND IT IS VERY ACCURATE AND THE DROP IS NOTHING LIKE A 45 CAL., AND MORE POWERFUL THAN THE 40 CAL. I WOULD CHOOSE THE 10MM OVER A 45CAL. ANY DAY FOR VELOCITY, KNOCKDOWN, ACCURACY, AND LEVEL SHOOTING. I OWN ALL OF THEM, AND SHOOT THEM ALL. THIS IS MY OPINION, BUT I LIKE ALL OF THEM. yYOU MIGHT LIKE TO CONSIDER LOOKING AT A 10MM IN YOUR FAVORITE MAKE OF FIREARM AND SEE THE SUCCESS YOU HAVE WITH IT. COMPENSATED IS THE WAY TO GO FOR MORE FUN AND LESS RECOIL.
GEN 4???? REALLY??? If Glock keeps it up I’m thinking that by say GEN 7 or so that they’ll get it right! Like say Springfield XD or XDm’s who already have it right. Maybe by GEN 7 they’ll have an ergonomics designer that will make it feel right in ones hand too. LOL, but Glock isn’t the only game in town and it’s not the be all end all either. One gets the impression that they’re trying to hard to convince everybody their the best . . . . . Kinda sad.
There is no one pistol that fits everyone well. If Glock fits someone well then God bless ’em. Nothing to be sad about if to someone Glock is the best for them.
Well said Gary. Not only that, but for carry, I’m not a fan of the Springfields. Don’t like the mushy trigger and the grip safety. If someone is unfortunate enough to have an attacker try to pull the XD out of their hand, it will likely disengage the grip safety and render the pistol unfirable and useless. I’m not a hater, just keepin it real. And if you don’t like Glocks Pete, that’s fine. No reason to be so arrogant and synical.
So when does this moron realize his Springfield was based off of the glock…
For starters, the G34, 35, and 41 are tactical/practical guns, not longslides. The longslides are the G17L and the G24, both with six (6″) barrlels.
Also, the slide IS thinner, hence the lighter weight.
Otherwise, a well written article, and point well made about ergonomics! The G21 just doesn’t work well for me, whereas the G36 (single stack .45 ACP) fits great. And I have no problem with the G17/19 either. My wife’s G42 is an awesome .380.
Been shooting S&W revolvers and 1911’s over 30 years. Have had and still own a number of S&W revolvers that are breathtakingly accurate and infallibly reliable. The same is true of of the one 1991 I still own and enjoy. It is wonderfully accurate and has always been 100% functionally reliable with any ammunition type.
Been shooting Glocks since the early 1990’s. Out of all of them… 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, out of many many thousands of rounds fired in all sorts of conditions, I have had exactly three failures to feed with a single magazine on one afternoon. The magazine was pitched. The pistol never again gave any problems using genuine Glock magazines. Accuracy with all of these Glock pistols has been typical service grade and better. The low bore line and consistent trigger are great aids to effective repeatable on target results. As with the 17L, etc., this 41 should be justly well received by those who want a little bit longer sight plane while retaining the excellent capacity, trigger and handling of the Glock design. All things being said, the Glock is just about the most intelligent development of semi-auto design currently available. As the DA revolver outclassed the older style SA revolvers, as the 1911 outclassed more primitive and fragile semi-autos of the era, so the Glock simply outclasses outmoded designs. If J.M. Browning were designing today, he’d start with the Glock assumptions and go forward. But he would not retain metal frames, single-action triggers, superfluous safeties, etc. any more than he’d be overly concerned with aesthetics, etc.
I always carry a 45, had a 30 for 20 years, now sold it and got a 30 “S”. Even better to carry and shoot. I would love one of these for home, and range.
We have a Series 42 380 for home defense. I like that it is small enough for me to handle and the recoil is minimal. My husband is jealous that I target shoot better than him – old vet that he is!
I ordered the Glock 41 before they came out and picked it up when they became available. I have very large hands and fell in love with the largest beavertail addition. I carry all over the country and with only one exception (gray fabric sweatshorts) do not imprint when concealed. It helps that I’m 6’4″ tall.
At 25 yards I can put all 14 in the head and am ecstatic with how it performs and feels all around. I so wish this had been around in the 70s and 80s when I was behind the badge.
If you can carry this and shoot it I believe the ultimate handgun has arrived. The Gen 4 Glock 41.
WTF are the first three commenter s talking about!?!
There should be some kind of IQ test before you are allowed to use the internet.
AMEN !!! it’s what i call the “dumbing down” of America – everybody can (and should) go to college. after all, it’s your entitlement….i mean right. the overall philosophy being lower standards and create better “results”. to quote the great motion-picture Caddyshack: “the world needs ditch-diggers too.” first few posters need to get off the keyboard and grab a shovel.
If it is supposed to be a “target” pistol, where are the adjustable rear sights that come on the 34’s and 35’s? Also, have had reported FTE problems with lighter 185 FMJ ammos. The lighter weight defense ammo may compensate with a higher powder charge for the writers tests. But light target ammos have problems in it.
Mine has an adjustable sight, but I didn’t feel like it held zero, so Glock sent me a fixed sight for free. My first Glock, and really impressed with quality and customer service.
Unrelated: All the included grip options (SF, med plain, med beaver, large plain, large beaver) are great. Still, even with a double-stack .45, it seems a little small. For folks with normal-sized hands, you can dial in the fit. For somewhat larger hands, though – especially if you want to keep the trigger on the pad, not in the knuckle – it would be nice to have a way to extend the backstrap in the thumb webbing area.
Years back I was a skeptic of Glock. Now I am a devotee owning the G19, G21, G23 and G36 – all great guns. My priority for any gun is to work reliably. Glocks do and keep doing it.
I picked one up in March from a dealer at a local gun show. 6 bills plus tax was a nice price. My 2nd Glock and first Gen 4 and I really enjoy the large beavertail grip insert. It feels very 1911-ish but with a fatter grip, Shoots well even with cheap range ammo. Unfortunately the factory front site got fudged so I swapped it out with a metal hi-viz which was easy and inexpensive thanks to the lack of a slide cut out like the 34/35 have.
It has the smaller slide like the 30s,thats were the weight saving is.
It has the smaller slide like the 30s,thats were the weight saving is.
I have several Glocks. G17, G30, G31, & G41. I have not shot the 41 & 31, but will soon. Is there a forum that is for Glock owners? An email would be appreciated.
glockforum.com
I PURCHASED A GLOCK 17C A YEAR AGO AND AFTER HAND SURGERY COULD NO RACK THE GUN–THEN I FOUND A PRODUCT CALLED ” EZ RACK” WHICH HELPED OVERCOME THE SPRING TENSION AND NOW I’M BACK
SHOOTING AGAIN! THIS PRODUCT HAS BEEN A GOD SEND FOR NOT ONLY THE GLOCK BUT FOR MY SIG 380 AND MY WIFE’S RUGER 380 !! WE ARE HAPPY SHOOTERS IN SARASOTA FLORIDA
RICK
I think most serious glock shooters are on http://www.glocktalk.com…its a great site and you won’t have to read the garbage from these mindless glock haters….also try http://www.gssfonline.com for glock competition and list of events and results….there is a glock match somewhere in the US 48 weekends a year….they are a ton of fun…..
Might the Glock 41 Gen. 4 also have a 5.31 inch (135mm) barrel?
The weight difference is totally in the slide. Glock modified the thinner G34/35 slide to fit the .45 ACP cartridge. Compare this side by side with a G21 and you will see the difference.
Nice… Likely expensive, but nice. Still take my 1911, though.
I first fired the M1911 over fifty years ago, and purchased one with my first paycheck. I’ve owned many since then, and still pick up any new version that appeals to me. I’ve never fired a Glock, and really have no desire to do so.
i have had a long road with glocks beginning with a g19 in 1993 and long periods of g26.i got into the g30 and 21 for no other reason then 45 makes me feel good,what does not make me feel good though is the 2×4 grip even with the “sf”modification. glock is fixing to lose me to the 1911 although I will likely keep my g30.i have a suppressed 22 19119 and im looking at the ruger sr1911. for a time in the 1980s I owned a ballester Molina “1911” and I want another one.
the 1911 grip becomes part of my hand when I pick it up,,,
wow , i,m glad you have such an experienced opinion , it sounds like you can give us all a real good opinion based on your experience with both guns , you said you have owned and used a glock for ……………..oh wait , you have never fired one or owned one , and so your opinion is worth what ?? LOL
Well I’ve owned many 1911’s since 77 thru 86 and since glock has come abroad I’ve never owned another 1911. Why pay 800.00$ and up for a gun u generally have to put another 500$ into or pay 1300+$ for one that runs outta the box. (Maybe) buy 2 glocks some extra mags and ammo and go shoot!!
I bought the Glock 41 the 1st day it was available back in January. I carry it in a CompTac Minotaur MTAC IWB Holster with the kydex for a Glock 34/35. Compared to the Glock 21SF I carrier, the 41 is much more sleek, balanced, and not so much of a club like the 21SF. I usually step it down to the Glock 36 when I can wear shorts, just to have a little less weight on the lighter material of the shorts. In both the Glock 41 and 36 I carry the Federal Guard Dog expandable full metal jacket 165 grain .45 ACP. I would love to see some more ballistic data on this round being shot from the Glock 41. I’ve read where some folks alternate between a FMJ and Hollow Points in their carry gun to make sure everything feeds as it should. This is one of the reasons I’ve choose the Guard Dog ammo, I’ve shot some through both my Glock 41 and 36 with no feed problems. Maybe someone with deeper pockets than mine could shoot a couple hundred rounds through the Glock 41 with some in ballistic gel and report back to us fans of the Glock 41? Thank you for this article, always keeping an eye out for reports on the Glock 41.
Good article. I recently bought one and agree with the writer. Well, except for the last paragraph where he said, “G21.” I’m sure he meant to say, “G41!” It’s a great gun and loads of fun to shoot. Try some long shots with this Glock and you’ll surprise yourself. 50, 75 yard shots are doable for the average shooter. It’s accurate, light weight, and recoil is minimal.
Glock, glock, glock, it’s kind of like marsha, marsha, marrsha, ok guy’s its a good gun but damn enough is enough. I have an old ruger taurus pt 92 yea its 1/4 this its 1/4 that its heavy I would not want to carry it in the crotch of my underware. 4 or 5 yrs. Ago me and my brother were shooting out beside his garage I ran out of ammo. he said I have some 9mm.so he brings out a sock (aka redneck ammo. storage vault) any about 100 green and fungus encrencrusted rounds later I had no ftf. stovepipes or any other malfunction with my never mentioned p.o.s. taurus 9mm. after aprox. 4, ooo rounds.
their is a difference between an over advertised gun and a good gun.
If a Glock is good enough for Raylen, I guess it should be good enough for the rest of us but I’ll take my Beretta Storm sub compact in 40 caliber. 10 plus 1 & I can carry the sucker in my pocket! Accurate, never mis-fires & plenty of firepower.
I agree Glock makes a fine handgun but prefer to carry the Bertta 9000s. I’m just big on striker handguns. I feel much safer with a single double, with a de-cocker. Safest carry. I guess that’s why I’m really a Sig guy from the 225 in 9mm to the 229 in Smith .40 to the 227 in .45. Ya gotta love’em. They’er just a little to pack every day with shirt and shorts.
I sold all my glock hand guns. I bought several Ruggers and Taurus .45 hand guns. I carry a Taurus .45 Millennium. I shoot my guns and don’t buy guns because they are pretty. I did a throat job on all of them. I have experience one stove pipe in several thousand rounds. (Russian Ammo)
Sounds like another great pistol in the Glock line up. However I seriously doubt that the extra .6inch of bbl length will enhance anyone’s accuracy. As a member of the Glock 500 club I have found the short glock M-30 to be slightly more accurate than the MI-21. Possibly due to the lack of support from the synthetic frame allowing the barrel/frame to flex more than the shorter bbl M-21. I do agree with the post about the Taurus 92 digesting all kinds of trash ammo. I have personally seen the Taurus 92 shoot a wider range of misc. ammo while the Beretta 92 was considerably more picky.
If you wan accuracy stick with a top notch accurized 1911. However if I were going into combat I would choose the Glock!
Just the thoughts from a former competitor, coach, Instructor trainer and Shooting range owner for 25 years.
I just bought a Glock 41 Gen4 and I plan on using it wtshtf your article has demolished any buyers remorse I had.
I just want to ust it to protect my wife of nearly 50 years and myself. I was an MP in the army 1964-1969 and carried
a 1911 every day for 6 years. I went to buy a 1911 but the balance and weight difference, and little recoil. I love it
and hope I don’t have to use it. I was able on my first 5 shots to get 4 inside an inch and one just outside. I was an
expert shot back in the army, but it was a lot harder with an old 1911. Steve in urban Michigan