The Glock 34: A Reliable Pistol that Serves Double Duty

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OK, the Glock hits the US shores in the mid-1980s and gets a foothold. One of my gun club members was an early adopter. His G17 serial number had the prefix “AB”, so early-early. He used his G17 in our club matches. Back in the mid-1980s, the IPSC world (the USPSA was brand-new then, and IDPA wouldn’t be invented for another decade) was a “run what you brung” game. There were no equipment Divisions for many years of IPSC, but my club had them early on. We loved to shoot, and any excuse to re-enter a match was good enough. We had club members shooting Open, Stock and Revolver all in the same match. In Stock, that club member with his 17-shot 9mm could hold his own against 8-shot 1911s, even when the 9mm was only scored Minor.

When Glock started to really gain a foothold in IPSC, the G17L appeared in 1988. The longer slide meant a longer sight radius (this was before red-dot optics appeared) and the longer barrel also meant a slightly softer recoil impulse. It didn’t hurt that you could make Minor with a slightly smaller powder charge. Hey, every advantage, real or imagined was the catchphrase, and some embraced it firmly.

Ok, so what happened? Why is the G17L (and the soon-after G17C) a rarity on the ranges? The G17L had been tearing up the competition circuit, so why did it fade away? Why did the G34 take its place? Simple: the IPSC box. When it came time for equipment Divisions, an age-old law came into effect. You know, one of those laws of life, one of the universal laws we all joke about. The one in particular was this one: “It is in the nature of laws and lines that they must be drawn someplace”.

When it came time to determine what was a “Production” pistol, the powers-that-be had to draw the line someplace. I can imagine the late-night arguments, the “this or that” agreements that had to be hashed out. I know, because I’ve been in such discussions on other subjects.

The “IPSC box” is simply the length and height maximums that a pistol can be, and be allowed in competition. I had to make one and check-fit a pistol into it back in the very late 20th century when I was going to head off to the 1999 IPSC World Shoot, there to compete in Modified Division. (No, it wasn’t a Glock.) The answer to the question is simple: the G17L didn’t fit the new IPSC box. So, Glock had to make one that did. The result was the G34, arriving to the light of day in 1998. It, like the G17L before it, had the slide machined open on top to adjust mass and keep the cycling velocities in the proper range for reliable function.

The G34 ended up with a barrel that was (is, we’ll do present-tense from now on) that is 5.3 inches long, compared to the G17L, with its barrel of 6.02 inches in length. The slide difference is comparable. From the beginning the G34 was meant to be a competition pistol, but it also became a suitable SWAT team pistol. Since the geared-up SWAT responders didn’t have to worry so much about concealment, or about fitting into a patrol car for eight-hour shifts, a bigger pistol isn’t a problem. And the longer sight radius and gained velocity were both pluses for SWAT team members. The G34, compared to a G17, has eight-tenths of an inch of extra barrel, adding velocity, having done multiple “chrono by the inch” tests, yes, a longer barrel on a 9mm pistol does gain you velocity. 

But the big thing was the trigger. Glock has always told us that the trigger pull is “five pounds.” I noticed some time ago that the trigger pull is now denoted in Newtons, which takes some searching to find a converter, and it equates to 5.3 pounds. The regular Glocks, also having “five-pound” triggers, aren’t. Most take six or more pounds of pull to drop the striker, but the G34s have always been right there at five pounds or so. A marked improvement over the other models.

As a competition pistol, the G34 excels. If you want to use a red-dot, the MOS-equipped G34s will do that for you, or you can opt for the new COA with an Aimpoint optic. As a daily carry pistol, the G34 is a bit on the big side, but it really isn’t all that much, if at all, bigger than a 5” government model 1911, and there have been plenty of those packed as daily carry pistols through the previous century. While it is the size of a government model, it weighs like a lightweight commander, and for that you get the Glock capacity of 17+1 rounds.

Basic black is always in fashion. If you want a custom pistol, you can find pistolsmiths who will work on Glocks. Readily so. But for the top-end work, the name guys, you’ll find they prefer bigger pistols, with the G34 leading the pack. One such pistol is the TTI Copperhead. Taran Butler takes a G34, and after much high-end pistolsmithing, parts-swapping and adding in high-tech finishes, produces a custom G34 that runs like a racecar.

If you have an old G34 that isn’t cut for a red-dot, no problem, Taran can do that for you. And the Glock trigger? By the time he’s done, the trigger on your G34 will be much better. I’ve gotten spoiled by custom triggers on 1911s. No Glock comes close, but custom Glocks can, and the TTI Copperhead comes as close to a 1911-godo trigger as any Glock I’ve ever tried. Unless you just must have something compact, the G34 should be at the top of your Glock list.

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