The tradeoff that the Glock 19 has always had is quite simple: they want a serviceable grip and a functioning trigger, and they get a running pistol. The Gen6 transforms that deal into something that is more akin to a factory-“dialed” Glock-without altering the Glock operating feel that turned the 19 into a training, duty and every day carry standard.
Glock has framed Gen6 on their part as a user-first update cycle instead of a cosmetic refresh and have characterized the line as having improved ergonomics and a new approach to optics. Carlos Guevara, the CEO of GLOCK, Inc. distilled the intent in the following statement that reads more like a design brief: Over the last 40 years, the concept of perfection has helped GLOCK focus on what is truly dear to the company: safety, reliability and the dedication to our customers. That promise is carried over into the Gen6 line of pistols. We’re not chasing trends. We are going into it wisely, the same standards of none-compromise that characterize all GLOCK products.
The most immediate change which happens in the hand is that the Gen6 frame ceases to feel like neutral polymer in an enclosure of a familiar mechanism. A palm swell, an undercut and a higher ride compared to the trigger promote a wrist angle that requires less adjustment when drawing and during the initial shots. The beavertail has been increased and the trigger reach decreased as Glock says this was designed to accommodate a larger grip as well as easier access by a wide range of user types. This is important since the Glock 19 is likely to exist between the two worlds: big enough to act as a real gun, small enough to be carried around, small geometry modifications are easily perceived on the recoil control and consistency.
The distinguishing external control feature is the two built-in thumb ledges: “gas pedal” shaped into the frame and not bolted on. As these shelves remain on the general outlines of the holsters, the concept retains the notion of practical carry, but introduces repeatable point of reference of the support-hand thumb. This additional leverage under recoil also acts as a third contact point, and it can assist in controlling the lateral movement and accelerating the return-to-sight without making a shooter search and find grip tape, frame work or other add-ons.
The trigger is where the Gen6 begins to look less like a generational update and rather Glock addressing the way people have been fixing their guns over the years. A flat faced trigger design is shipped stock including the Safe Action system only with the modification of the way the finger loads the press. The pull weight remains in the mid-5-pound territory on the range but the break is more consistent than old stock units that are usually labeled gritty or mushy. It is also easier to track reset. A minor training observation: the Gen6 is not responsive to some out-of-battery dry-fire habits, with the direction of firing shifted or altered engagement which requires new muscle memory.
The softer upgrade is the upgrade with actual implications. According to Glock, the Gen6 grip is an amalgamation of two textures on a higher area of the grip; in actual sense, it serves to maintain control without reducing carry into abrasion. The ruling acknowledges a fact of hidden pistols: They spend too much longer than against garments and skin than they do incinerating a box of bullets.
The most interesting mechanical change is optics integration. The Gen6 comes optic-ready and has plates that are supposed to enable the screwing of optics into the slide. The lower sitting and smaller stack-up is the point: fewer interfaces to loosen, less tolerance layering, and a mount that more closely resembles a direct interface than a pile of components. According to the announcement of Glock, three optic plates are carried out on the models of the standard frame, and the serrations of the slide are deeper and angled to get better generated purchase in the manipulations.
All this leaves nothing behind that made the Glock 19 the Glock 19. The Gen6 only takes the gap between stock pistol and built to fit and the modifications can be seen on the hand before anyone even reads specifications sheets.
