This is not a list of guns better than a particular Glock. Instead, I will give you an alternative to the Glock you may have. The three Glocks we will provide alternatives for are the Glock 17, Glock 43/43X, and Glock 19/19X. The idea is to offer similar guns to these three Glocks that you could substitute for your current Glock. You may realize the guns I provide are more utilitarian than the Glock you may have. The alternatives will give some of the most common upgrades to their Glock counterpart you will find most useful.
Glock 17
The Glock 17 is known for being Glock’s flagship full-size 9mm handgun. The G17 is a light platform due to its polymer frame. It combines this lightweight frame with a 17-round magazine as a standard option. When you combine the two, it makes for a great match. Additionally, with the 17-round capacity, it is a formidable home defense gun with plenty of firepower to protect you and your family. Considering its full-size frame, it is also a very simple-to-operate firearm- one where more experienced operators can use it and the least experienced as well. Overall, it is an excellent “do-it-all” gun.
Alternative handguns:
- Springfield XD- trusted system, similar magazine capacity, tons of aftermarket support, and excellent reliability.
- Sig M17- Sig trigger system, higher stock magazine capacity, more “direct from factory” upgrades, steel sights, and duty ready.
- Canik TP9- Much more affordable, Excellent trigger, steel sights, fully ambidextrous options, and front serrations.
Glock 43/43X
The Glock 43 is Glock’s smallest 9mm handgun. It was designed to usurp the G26 and its snappy shooting experience. The Glock 43 has a slightly longer grip to combat this snappiness. They did a fantastic job reducing how snappy the gun was. It’s designed to be the ideal deep concealment handgun. While they nailed it, technology has progressed significantly since its release. With a magazine capacity ranging from 6 to 10 rounds straight from the factory, it does an excellent job of appealing to those that want a jack-of-all-trades type of gun to conceal carry (CC). This single-stack gun does the best it can on capacity. However, plenty of guns out there are the same or similar size yet can hold more rounds of the potent 9mm.
Alternative Handguns
- Smith & Wesson Shield Plus- S&W reliability, a larger magazine capacity of 11+1 or 13+1, aftermarket support, and an enhanced trigger.
- Sig P365- Sig trigger group, smaller overall gun, standard night sights, lighter construction, and a 10+1 or 12+1 magazine capacity.
- Springfield Hellcat- Similar size to Sig P365, Standard night sights, standard optics ready slide, and a larger magazine capacity of 11+1 or 13+1 rounds.
Glock 19
Here it is; this is likely what many of you scrolled down for the infamous Glock 19. The G19 is the best-selling compact handgun of all time. Let’s examine why! The G19 has a standard capacity of 15 rounds in a compact frame. At the time of its release, this was groundbreaking technology. It is light, affordable, and reasonably easy to conceal. Glock came out with this gun in 1988 to appeal to civilians who didn’t quite want to deal with the difficulties of concealing a Glock 17, all in a compact frame.
Alternative Handguns
- Sig Macro- Standard ported slide, standard night sights, standard optics ready, compact frame similar to G19, and a staggering 17+1 magazine capacity.
- Canik Elite Combat- arguably the best trigger on the market, ambidextrous options, standard optics ready, lightweight, and 15+1 magazine capacity.
- Springfield Hellcat Pro- Tritium night sights, hammer forged barrel, the enhanced grip texture, smallest frame on this list, magazine capacity of 15+1 rounds.
Final Opinions:
Glocks have gotten to where they are with their reliability, customer service, gun design, and mindfulness of the user and their mission. However, this reputation may be significantly backed by hype. Once again, I am NOT saying that Glocks are bad guns. In fact, Glock is a fantastic company that offers top-notch products—however, Times change. Plenty of guns can go toe to toe with Glock and hold their own. If you have been carrying a Glock or own a Glock and want to switch up the pace of things, visit Lock Stock and Barrel in Twin Falls, ID- Let’s find the gun perfect for you and your mission!