GLOCK 27 Gen 3 PROS And CONS

PROS:

• This is a strong working tool, but requires skill to shoot well.
• Most shooters will want to add a Pearce grip extension or purchase a larger model.

CONS:

• We added the necessary ergonomics to overcome its lack of available grip, making it easier to shoot fast, if not comfortably. However, your choice of ammunition may be the key to its reliability.

While there isn’t enough of this pistol to suit our hands, what there is of it gives the shooter a measure of confidence. One comment we heard was that thousands of officers qualify with all manner of guns every year, and police officers think Glocks are the most dependable. In stock form, without the benefit of any grip extension or remodeling, we fired the gun offhand with the wrist position canted forward so that the thumbs point at the target. Using this technique, we had very good results perforating the upper A zone of a Millpark target.

The trigger on the Glock is hinged, but after the first shot, takeup is shortened considerably. This means once you have committed to shooting, rapid fire is easier to maintain. While not the equal of a crisp single-action trigger, we found the Glock 27’s trigger more than willing to fire.

Holding the Glock 27 Gen3 with its standard mag in place offers a tweezer-like hold for this stout banger. Full-size Glock mags that extend below the grip are unreliable.

The Glock did have two failures to fire with the S&B ammunition, but the Taurus had an even harder time getting it to ignite regularly. Frankly, we’ve never seen this happen before with a Glock, but one other characteristic points to a more common phenomenon. When it comes to Cor-Bon ammunition, we have found that guns either love it or hate it.

Our G27 didn’t match up with our supply of Cor-Bon either. This is possibly due to the rifling that Glock chooses to line their barrels. Accuracy with the remaining two test rounds, especially the 180-grain slug, was very good, however. In our opinion, test results on the accuracy side would have been better if the grip frame of this pistol lent itself better to bench rest shooting.

To see how the gun’s performance might be augmented, we ordered two grip extensions by Pearce from Brownells, ([641] 623-5401). Part number 092-100-26 for $9.95 promised to make room for the pinky finger. Part number 092-100-27 also promised to add an extra round as well to the GL27 (or GL33) for the same price. These parts connect directly to the magazine body and actually replace the stock base pads.

We installed them on each of the two supplied nine-round magazines and returned to the range for a session of firing unsupported at 12 yards. Without a doubt these products improved control of the gun. While one base pad adds a round and the other does not, their outer dimensions are the same. The plus-one base pad is checkered to continue the pattern on the G27’s front strap and makes for a totally coordinated look. While we did encounter one more failure to ignite shooting the S&B ammunition, what we were looking for was feeding malfunctions. The blind magazine extension allowed the G27 to run perfectly, but with the plus-one base pad installed, we suffered our only failure-to-feed malfunctions of the test. Two malfunctions occurred when the pistol was being fired strong hand only and one more with both hands holding on tight. The failures to feed were caused by the rounds nose diving inside the mag rather than finding the feed ramp. This is a typical malfunction when the magazine spring is weakened. In our opinion, the addition of the standard grip extension is a feasible and helpful addition to the Glock 27. Use of the plus-one grip extension would require replacing the mag spring and thorough follow-up testing.

Originally Published In January 2001.