BORELLI CONSULTING: Recreational Equipment Reviews

Glock Competition Guns: Models 34 & 35
5 June 2006 Before reading this article, please check out the link above for our new Discussion Board / Forum. All readers are invited to join and participate in the discussions held. Read on...

I know that competition shooting is vastly different from Hunting (and has nothing to do with fishing) but this was the most appropriate Recreational Section available for me to put this subject in. Perhaps I'll have to start a section on Shooting Sports if the interest warrants it. This week's Recreational Review is on the Glock Model 34 and Glock Model 35, otherwise known as the "Tactical / Practical" pistols from Glock. Specifically designed to be the same approximate dimensions as the Government Model 1911 Pistol in height and overall length, the G34/35s sport a longer slide and barrel than their G17/22/31 "little" brothers, but maintain the frame size and, therefore, round count.

A few years back, a police agency I worked for tested the G34/35 pistols in consideration as duty weapons. The G17/22s were also tested, as well as weapons from Beretta, Sig, H&K, etc. Although the G34/35 wasn't selected, it proved quite a capable weapon and, during testing, qualification scores were noticeably higher with them. I don't know if it was a mental thing on the part of the shooters or not.

A Glock representative I spoke with told me that the Glock Practical / Tactical pistols should have no issues printing 2.5" groups or better at the twenty-five yard line. When we did our testing, 2" groups were the norm, although, depending on ammo, groups of 4" were also common. While a four-inch group may be unnacceptable for a target gun, it's more than acceptable for a combat weapon. What's the difference? A combat weapon only needs to hit a torso or head... the target gun has to print as small as possible. Then again, a competition shooter is going to test numerous loads with his (or her) handgun to find the right gun / ammo combination for ultimate accuracy from that weapon.

Let's take a look at some of the basic info:

Until we get to the unloaded weight, the guns measure up identically.

Length = 8.15 inches / 207 mm
Height = 5.43 inches / 138 mm
Width = 1.18 inches / 30 mm
Sight Radius = 7.56 inches (THAT is significant and we'll discuss it more in a bit)
Barrel Length = 5.32 inches / 135 mm
Weight of unloaded G34 = 22.92 ounces
Weight of unloaded G35 = 24.52 ounces

Shown right is the Model 34 with a Model 17 slide laid above it. You can easily see the difference. That difference is almost a full inch in the length of the barrel and slide. When we tested the guns our expectation was that the extra inch would make the gun significantly more accurate. We found out that there wasn't really that much of a difference. If you find an ammo type that the gun's really like, we could get groups of comparible size out of the Glock 17s and Glock 34s.

To be honest, I felt the increased sight radius (the distance between front and rear sight) was more important than the added barrel length. Actually, the additional sight radius length is a happy side effect of the lengthened barrel, and therefor lengthened slide. The sight radius on a Glock 17 is only 6.49 inches - just under six and a half inches. That's a full inch shorter than the sight radius on the G34. What difference does it make? Potentially quite a bit.

When we acquire a good sight alignment and then a good sight picture, the "good" sight alignment is an absolute factor of the sight radius. If your sight radius is only three inches, then the fact that your sights are closer together also means that they can be more out of alignment and have it be less noticeable. If your barrel is thirty inches long and your sight alignment is correct, there is an equivalent tightening of your groups at a given distance. The longer your sight radius is the more inherently accurate your sight alignment will be.

So, for the purposes of any gun that is meant (even partially) for competition, a longer sight radius is imperative. Having a 7.5"+ sight radius on the G34 and G35 makes them more suitable for competition. What if that competition is for your life? I'm not sure the difference would matter.

That said, which caliber would you prefer? 9mm doesn't make "major" in some competitions, so having a few extra of them really wouldn't matter. Unless you live in a state that still restricts magazines to ten rounds, the G34 gives you 17 rounds in the magazine; the G35 gives you 15. So, what's your preference? 18 rounds of 9mm (17+1) or 16 rounds of .40S&W? While I'm a strong believer in the importance of shot placement, I also enjoy high round counts. Here's an example of why:

A couple years ago I was enjoying attendance at a BlackHawk Writer's Conference. At this particular conference we were on the range at Blackwater and I had the pleasure of shooting next to a young man who is a professional competition shooter. He had a nicely tricked out Government Model .45ACP pistol and I had my Glock 19 9mm. He had eight rounds to my sixteen. There was no question he could outshoot me. When the plates popped up he had drawn and shot his first plate before I cleared my holster. However, on his fourth plate he experienced a malfunction and had to go through a clearance drill. I had missed my fifth plate, but had plenty of bullets to come back and pepper it with. I think it was a tie, but it for sure wouldn't have been if I'd only been restricted to eight rounds. He never missed, but I had plenty of bullets to throw while he dealt with his malfunction. If I had only had eight rounds, he'd have once because I missed a plate and had to go back. There would have been no going back...

With the proper holster and magazine pouches, I'm sure that either of these Glock Practical Tactical pistols would serve well on the competition circuit. Have you tried one out yet?

BE SAFE!

I have a comment on this article.

Don't forget to check out our Tactical Equipment Review about the Safest Shot off-axis shooting system.

This week's Training Article discussing the necessity of, and items for, a Bug Out, Go or Survival Bag.

For a listing of all reviews in chronological order, GO HERE.

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