Glock Accuracy

[Gutshot John]

What type of accuracy are we talking about? 2" group @ 25 meters? If a Glock is half as accurate, say closer to 4", what does that really mean for the average shooter? At that distance it's more than capable of knocking down 8" plates or making a head shot. I mean that's nothing to sneeze at.

If you're a competitor I can see it being a concern, but on the street, the notion that you need a gun capable of shooting sub-2" groups is a bit of a stretch in my opinion.

The only firearm I've ever purchased that was "inherently" accurate was a Sig P220. Virtually every other firearm, including the 1911, needs work to be made so. This isn't "inherent" accuracy.

It should be noted that the AK-47 isn't an "inherently" accurate rifle, but remains brutally effective at its job.

[hp35]

My instructor used a stock G-17 with a Heinie rear sight and stood 10 yds from the target and said "I'm going to put a round on the X".

He proceeded, with robotic accuracy, to press the trigger and put a hole at the X's intersection.

I realized at that moment a O.K. shooter won't get anything more out of a pistol, but a great shooter can wring every bit of accuracy out of even a stock glock.

IMHO it is the shooter not the gun.

[Jay Cunningham]

Glocks are inaccurate, just like AK's...



That is, until you are hitting steel at 150m offhand in under 4 seconds. Amazing how reality gets in the way of "well I read on the internet etc..."

[Wes1977]

Glocks are not accurate? I hear the complete opposite from a guy at my work that used to shot world matches. The guy that won second in the world that year had a glock with just a trigger job.

[Sproggy]

Thanks for the input fellas, all great answers. My glock certainly seems to be more accurate than I am at this point in time. Ive made some changes internally and added some stippling and meprolights, but have not changed the barrel or slide in any way(yet). Even so, I know my Glock(19) is capable of AT LEAST 4 inch groups at 25 yards. That is certainly good enough for in a carry or duty gun.

[rubberneck]

Glocks relative lack of accuracy has to do with the guns design. Next time you have a Glock in hand take your thumb and push down on the barrel hood. You will find that even with an after market barrel it will move significantly. As long as the barrel is capable of moving during full lock up or can lock up in a different position the gun won't ever come close to reaching its full accuracy potential. Try the same thing with a good 1911 and you will notice that the barrel will have zero play.

I suppose it is all academic because 99% of the people out there cannot out shoot the inherent accuracy in a Glock. You hear lots of people claiming to be able to print 1 inch groups at 25 yards but I haven't met many that can do it with someone watching. Most Glocks with a good after market barrel will get you into the 2-3 inch range at 25 yards. A good 1911 will be an inch or less at the same distance.

[Gutshot John]

Glocks relative lack of accuracy has to do with the guns design. Next time you have a Glock in hand take your thumb and push down on the barrel hood. You will find that even with an after market barrel it will move significantly.

I just tried this on my G19 and G34, neither with aftermarket barrels. I could detect no movement like you describe.

As long as the barrel is capable of moving during full lock up or can lock up in a different position the gun won't ever come close to reaching its full accuracy potential. Try the same thing with a good 1911 and you will notice that the barrel will have zero play.

1911s have barrel bushings, not really a fair comparison.

A good 1911 will be an inch or less at the same distance.

Damn good shooting has as much to do with that as the 1911.

Don't get me wrong, I love the 1911 and have a combat custom, but I can buy 4 Glocks for what I paid. Differences in accuracy have more to do with my limitations than the firearms'.

[AllAmerican]

My Glock 21 SF will put an eye out at 25 yds, for what its worth....

[30russkie]

i have been shooting glocks since the middle 80s. and folks tend to be "general" about them a bit too much.

my experience with them--- glock 31 aftermarket barrel very accurate. the 357sig can do 2inches at 25m. glock 22 with glock barrel 4-1/2 inch 25m with wolf-silver bear but can hit the 3inch and slightly under with better ammo. the g17s much like the glock-20s as best as i can tell.

i think it depends on the barrel of the pistol and the ammo. they can be very accurate but off the shelf they are accurate enough for general use.

as all ways it is the skill of the user that is the trump card.

[ToddG]

I mostly agree, but most users aren't going to be able to shoot any handgun to it's full potential.

No disagreement whatsoever. But we're talking about two different things here.

The gun will be responsible for a certain amount of dispersion.
The ammo will be responsible for a certain amount of dispersion.
The shooter will be responsible for a certain amount of dispersion.
Those three are additive ... each one is part of the equation that determines where your bullet lands.

Regardless of how accurate or inaccurate the ammo & shooter may be, the gun plays a role in the size group you get.

What you're seeing with the guy who can't shoot worth a damn is someone whose "shooter dispersion" is so huge, the inherent accuracy of the pistol and ammo is only fractionally important.

I know from personal experience that there are things I can do with a gun that delivers 1" groups at 25yd under slow bullseye conditions that I cannot do with a gun that delivers 5" groups.

1911s have barrel bushings, not really a fair comparison.

Glocks use the same barrel block locking system first developed by SIG for the P220. It has the potential to deliver outstanding repeatable and durable accuracy without the need for a bushing or hand fitting. I've shot many sub-1" groups (25yd 5-shot groups from a sand bag or delta rest) from SIGs and M&Ps, as well as from a Barsto barreled Beretta 92G (my "LTT 1" gun). The Beretta uses yet another locking mechanism.

my experience with them--- glock 31 aftermarket barrel very accurate. the 357sig can do 2inches at 25m. glock 22 with glock barrel 4-1/2 inch 25m with wolf-silver bear but can hit the 3inch and slightly under with better ammo. the g17s much like the glock-20s as best as i can tell.

Three comments to this post:

1. 357 SIG tends to be the most accurate common LE caliber in most platforms. The high pressure, high velocity round tends to benefit from a variety of factors. The gun stays locked longer (because of the higher pressure) and the bullet leaves the barrel sooner (because of the higher velocity) which gives you the best possible accuracy.
2. Glocks can certainly be very accurate with a good aftermarket barrel. Just about any gun's accuracy can be improved by a tighter fitting barrel. However, there are potential pitfalls to taking that approach.
3. Your post demonstrates that different people have different ideas about what "accurate" means. A gun that shoots 4-1/2" groups at 25m, to me, is completely unacceptable.