Just Ordered My First Handgun

[WalzAaronFFG]

Hey folks,

After constantly having other purchases take priority over my first handgun, I finally pulled the trigger (Epic Pun!) and bought a new Glock 17 via Davidson's Gallery of Guns. I am extremely excited to get it.

I paid about $550. Unfortunately I had to unload some of my prized Spydies to afford the gun. My Navaja, My G10 Delica, and my Sage 1 and 3 all ended up in a sale thread on another forum. Crossing my fingers that they all sell before the gun arrives next week so I don't have to pay out of pocket for much of the gun.

I just had a few questions:

Has anyone every used the Davidson's Gun Genie service. If so, what was your experience?

Are there any hidden fees I should be aware of? When using GoG isn't the FFL fee already included in the price? I know the background check likely cost a nominal fee as well, no?

Now onto questions about the gun:

What kind of oil would you recommend? I've always just used standard generic "gun oil" for my long guns. I have some Tuf Glide I use for my Spydies, would this be recommended?

Any basic mods you would suggest for the 17? I was thinking about upgrading the sights and maybe the mag release. I also was looking at a getting a +2 baseplate.

Any info, advice, etc. that you have for a new handgun owner would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

Aaron

[.357 mag]

Congrats.. I'm not a glock fan but I do shoot one very well. I'd leave the gun the way it is until you shoot about 500 round through it before I'd change anything. Glocks runs good with little oil. Screw the 2 round baseplate.. Just looking for trouble with them and not worth the extra 2 rounds.

[SolidState]

congrats on the gun. Any oil will work. I'd suggest you change the spring out, and get some trijicon sights. After that, you should be golden.

[Bearcat1]

Glocks are great weapons once you get use to the trigger. I would suggest dry firing it till you can't do it anymore and then do it even more. You won't hurt it dry firing it, but you have to get use to the trigger. The 9mm is probably one of the cheapest rounds to shoot so you should be able to practice with it more often.

Any gun oil will be fine, CLP or your choice.

The tennifer finish is pretty durable. If you get a holster and see a mark in the finish it is not the tennifer wearing off, but just the black oxide coming off. It will not hurt a thing.

Glocks are tools, don't be afraid to hurt it. If you drop it or kick it across a gravel road you will not hurt it like a $3K Ed Brown.

Enjoy your new toy.

Jeff

[rg02]

Congrats on the G17! I own a G26 and CC it in a crossbreed horsehide supertuck and love it. I would keep it stock with the exception of putting some tritium night sights on. Trijicon and Meprolight tritium sights are both good. I bought a Remington gun cleaning kit with Rem clean and Rem oil and that works fine. If you don't own a plastic cleaning brush, pick onE of those up. Other than that, a couple spare mags and lots of ammo and you are good to go

Glocks are awesome. Simple, reliable, and bulletproof. When cleaning and maintaining a Glock--- a little bit of oil goes a long way....

Enjoy!

[Azwaiian]

CONGRATS! Rocking the Glock, yes sir, that is a choice I think you shall never regret! I own a G17 and G22, both were bought as used guns and they are the 2nd generation models. I mention that because I have never had any problems with either Glock. I press the trigger, the gun goes boom! Yee Yaw baby!

Glocks require about four drops of oil to run and any quality gun oil will do you fine. There are tons of Youtube videos that show, in detail, how to care for the gun. You will find that it is an easy gun to clean and care for.

The only mods I made to mine were an extended slide release, mag release, and take town lever. They do not extend too far, for me anyway, that the slide release or mag release can be accidently pulled down or pushed in. Some people I know disagree with those changes, but again, I have never had an issue while shooting either gun. Oh, I also changed the sights to some night sights, so many to choose from, but any will do.

Enjoy your Glock and keep it rocking!

[WalzAaronFFG]

Thanks guys. Knew I would get some good feedback here. I am definitely thinking about the Meprolight night sights. Maybe a decal grip. I wish I could have gotten the Gen4, but the changeable back-straps and extra mag wasn't worth the cost to me.

I have fired a G17 before, but I am ecstatic about getting one of my own. I have basically been confined to long-guns most of the time I have been a shooter. I live in WI and come from more of a hunting culture. Lots of shotguns and bolt action rifles around, but I get a chance to shoot handguns rather infrequently. Most of the safety and marksmanship skills are transferable, but I have a ways to go when it comes to being a good shot and as knowledgeable as some of you.

I just ordered it this morning so I'm hoping it arrives this week. Then I have to do the whole background check/48 hour waiting period, so I expect to be updating the thread with first impressions and pics over the weekend, possibly early next week.

I don't totally get how Davidson's works. Does the retailer that I pick the gun up from make money for the sale of the firearm? Or do they just make a small fee on the FFL transfer? The place I am picking it up is a very small shop and I want to make sure I buy some ammo or something to support them if they aren't making any profit from my gun purchase.

[JLS]

Congrats on a good purchase. If you take care of it, it'll take care of you.

I would encourage you to take a look at using a grease instead of an oil on the slide/frame rails. The clearances that make a Glock run well also don't hold oil very well. They run very well dry, but when you take it out of the box, notice that it will have a small amount of grease in those areas, not oil. A dab of grease on the trigger bar/connector interface also doesn't hurt.

Like others have said, for the most part, keep it stock. If you have to have night sights, go ahead, but a good flashlight (and knowing how to use it) beats night sights. If you can't identify your target in any light, you shouldn't be shooting; night sights don't illuminate your target for positive ID like a flashlight will. Safety rule number 4 is "know your target and what's beyond." The added benefit of a light is that if your target is illuminated, your sights have good backlighting.

Forget the +2 baseplates and just focus on fundamentals. Learning to reload and practicing are far more important that putting +2 pad on everything.

I would highly suggest that you seek out proper training in your area. If you want to learn target shooting, find an instructor for that. If you want to learn defensive shooting, find an instructor who does that.

[Tdog]

Glock's are great firearms. They simply work. I agree with others. Forget all the extra's..... buy more range ammo and practice, then practice some more, then some more. You also need to practice with whatever you choose as a personal defense load. Then practice some more with that. You may want to watch for a sale on magazines, and pick up a couple more. CDNN has one going now. Stay with factory Glock mags. A little Militec grease goes a long way. Congrat's you've got a fine one. Be safe and get your CCW if you don't already have it. Doesn't hurt to carry a copy of current states reciprocity laws in your wallet. Above all, be safe.

[WalzAaronFFG]

Congrats on a good purchase. If you take care of it, it'll take care of you.

I would encourage you to take a look at using a grease instead of an oil on the slide/frame rails. The clearances that make a Glock run well also don't hold oil very well. They run very well dry, but when you take it out of the box, notice that it will have a small amount of grease in those areas, not oil. A dab of grease on the trigger bar/connector interface also doesn't hurt.

Like others have said, for the most part, keep it stock. If you have to have night sights, go ahead, but a good flashlight (and knowing how to use it) beats night sights. If you can't identify your target in any light, you shouldn't be shooting; night sights don't illuminate your target for positive ID like a flashlight will. Safety rule number 4 is "know your target and what's beyond." The added benefit of a light is that if your target is illuminated, your sights have good backlighting.

Forget the +2 baseplates and just focus on fundamentals. Learning to reload and practicing are far more important that putting +2 pad on everything.

I would highly suggest that you seek out proper training in your area. If you want to learn target shooting, find an instructor for that. If you want to learn defensive shooting, find an instructor who does that.

Glock's are great firearms. They simply work. I agree with others. Forget all the extra's..... buy more range ammo and practice, then practice some more, then some more. You also need to practice with whatever you choose as a personal defense load. Then practice some more with that. You may want to watch for a sale on magazines, and pick up a couple more. CDNN has one going now. Stay with factory Glock mags. A little Militec grease goes a long way. Congrat's you've got a fine one. Be safe and get your CCW if you don't already have it. Doesn't hurt to carry a copy of current states reciprocity laws in your wallet. Above all, be safe.

Good advice guys, thanks. The only mod I am considering right now is the extended slide release from Glock. From all the videos I am watching and from what I remember about shooting the 17 (granted it was only a few times) is that the slide can be kind of hard to drop one-handed with that low-profile mag release that comes with it.

This gun isn't really going to serve in a primary defensive role. I am just bored with plinking with my 10/22. I use a 12g for home defense and have lots of practice shooting my shotgun. Of course it will serve in that role if need be, but I don't have any intention of carrying a full-sized pistol on a daily basis.

Unless some of these other knives I am selling on the forums start flying off the shelves I will be really short on extra cash. I will probably hold off on any mods or extra mags until I actually get some trigger time in.

This purchase has been put off forever cause something always comes up, but I already went over my budget so I could get a Glock instead of the Ruger SR9 or XD9.... now I can't afford to shoot the damn thing haha. Kidding, but I will have to fondle it for a few weeks and dry fire the hell of out it till I can get out and do some serious shooting.

[tortoise]

I agree with what's been said.

Congratulations!

I am a Glock guy. I have carried a G19 daily for nineteen years. I've had my G26 for fifteen or sixteen years, whenever they came out. I prefer Glock to other makes and I've shot them all. It is a fighting handgun. It's the AK-47 of pistols. Knock wood, I have NEVER had a non-training-induced failure. Not one. I've shot everything through it, reloads, steel case, etc.

I'll just reiterate what has already been said: run your gun dry.

If you had only one drop of oil, put it between the trigger bar and the connector. The gun will run fine. I use whatever is around, it makes NO difference. Do not overlube.

Night sights are great, I like Mepros. Get some. I wouldn't change anything else.

edit, in re: the slide stop:

The "slide stop" is just that. It is not intended to function as a slide release. Glocks are intended to be grasped by the slide and racked. Gross motor movement, not fine motor skill. Fighting handgun. Same reason Glock magazines were not originally designed as drop free, and the reason the hole in the grip should not be plugged.

[dcmartin2001]

Congrats on the new Pistol, Don't worry about the mods just yet... more important to get your groups consistent.

Email inbound

[Beanie-Bean]

Congrats on the new G17! Be careful, because they multiply just like the Spydies do!

Davidson's is excellent, and the lifetime guarantee doesn't hurt, either! My most recent purchase from them was a G21 Gen4 back in December.

You can leave the copper anti-seize grease on there until it wears off, and you only really need just a little bit of oil on these pistols. Be sure to keep oil out of the breech face and the firing pin channel.

They'll run longer than you care to keep them. I bought my first (of many...) Glock back in 1993 when I was still in the service, and have added many more since then.

Leave it stock until you get used to how it operates, and you'll figure out what you want to change later on.

Enjoy your new Glock!

[WalzAaronFFG]

edit, in re: the slide stop:

The "slide stop" is just that. It is not intended to function as a slide release. Glocks are intended to be grasped by the slide and racked. Gross motor movement, not fine motor skill. Fighting handgun. Same reason Glock magazines were not originally designed as drop free, and the reason the hole in the grip should not be plugged.

I know there is some discussion around this topic. Some say the Glock is only meant to be "sling-shotted" when locked back and that the slide-stop should not be used to drop the slide, but the Glock manual does actually say that either or is fine.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE
GLOCK SAFE ACTION PISTOLS
ALL MODELS
Rev.03/10
page 23 - LOADING AND FIRING
step 4

"Insert a new magazine and then either push the slide stop lever (27) downward (see photo 2), or pull the slide slightly backward and allow it to spring forward."

Me (someone who has fired a Glock 17 three times and hasn't even picked mine his yet) am not trying to argue with the pros, after all that's why i'm here asking for tips, but I just wanted to mention what I learned after some research in regards to this particular topic.

EDIT:

I just picked it up! Very happy with my purchase so far. I'm hoping to get out and shoot this weekend so I will let you all know how it goes. I do see what you mean when you say "fine motor skills" vs "gross motor movement". Especially since mine is new it is hard to drop with the slide-lock. Still, if Glock says it's alright in the manual I can see why people add the extended slide lock and do it that way. It must make it easier to drop one-handed. For me (someone who plans on shooting at the range for a good time) the concepts of defensive shooting aren't really top priority for me at this point in time. If it won't hurt the gun, it is still an option in my eyes. However, I can see why people prefer the "sling-shot" method. I certainly do thus far.

[WalzAaronFFG]

Here it is (with a Spydie to match ):

[rg02]

Looking good! What a Beauty!

The all black Manix 2 comPliments it well. Post up a range report when you get a chance to run some ammo through her

[Tdog]

Nice 3rd generation 17. I'll probably never wear out my 3rd generations, so the
4th's are probably out for me, unless Glock comes out with a single stack sub-compact 9.

Went to the range with my son yesterday, had a great time using G19, 22, 23, 3913, and S&W.38. He being a deputy and way more practiced than I, was tearing holes easily. On my last half magazine with the G22 I was able to put 8 in a 2" group at 8 yards. Normally I don't shoot the .40 as well as the 9mm. Maybe it was the light range load we were using?? Good just to get together with my son.

[tortoise]

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE
GLOCK SAFE ACTION PISTOLS
ALL MODELS
Rev.03/10
page 23 - LOADING AND FIRING
step 4

"Insert a new magazine and then either push the slide stop lever (27) downward (see photo 2), or pull the slide slightly backward and allow it to spring forward."

It is an interesting point. If you read Step 3 of the manual, they want you to rack the slide. Once you run the gun dry at Step 4, they say go ahead and do it either way.





-As you say, either way will work. I suppose it's just training/habit/preference.

Congrats again on an excellent choice, and it looks great with the M2.

Now, practice, practice, practice! : )

[Slash]

Nice gun, if you care about it get some MILITEC-1 and run the gun hot. Then, reapply militec as per instructions. Ballistol for cleaning and lube.

[bartvdb]

nice; i wich i could go out and just buy one to . congrats and enjoy