Making a purchase after shooting 6 handguns this weekend

[Scott15]

This past weekend I shot the Glock 17, 19, 20, 30, 36 and the Beretta 92FS. Yes (mix of 9mm and 45).

I liked the Glock 30 the best. I want to use this handgun for range shooting and carrying.

Does anyone have personal experience/insight about this handgun? Also where have you all in Northern VA purchased from? (fairfax co/prince william co) Any good experiences/deals?

Thanks in advance

[gunderwood]

Glocks are good all around guns for carry (compact and sub-compact, not the full-sized). Glocks have a reputation for being very reliable, which is a large part is derived from their simple to manufacture design. You can spend more money, but it isn't necessary. The plastic frame reduces weight which is a big benefit when carrying. Now that the patents have run out they are copied by everyone and their brother. Gaston was a tool manufacturer who decided to design a pistol and built a very form follows function design. In many ways Glocks are designed to take advantage of modern manufacturing processes to build a highly functional pistol with as low cost as possible. Your buying a tool, not a family heirloom.

Glocks, in various calibers, are usually my first carry choice.

There isn't much if anything to modify on a Glock, but I typically do the following:

Sights: I don't care for the plastic sights (assuming you didn't get the night sight option), so I upgrade the front to a Trijicon night sight and the rear to Glocks optional steel sight. This is definitely not the norm as most people prefer the 3-dot night sight setup. I do this because I consider it a compromise between day and night shooting. During the day I think the standard Glock front dot and white rear bracket (shaped like a U) is about as good as it gets for practical shooting. At night the likely ranges will be so short the single front night sight becomes like a shotguns bead sight, simple, fast, and accurate enough. Just my two cents.

Trigger: The standard isn't bad, but you can do better with a 3.5lb upgrade.

That's it, other than buying more mags. Speaking of mags, I recommend avoiding anything that modifies their function (e.g. fit more rounds or extend the mag). I've seen too many problems caused by such mods.

[southern83fire]

I'm in the same boat, I have been looking for a new carry gun for the past several months. I currently conceal carry a Glock 22. It's an excellent gun but its size leaves me wanting something a bit smaller. I rented a Glock 23 and a Glock 30 SF at Blue Ridge Arsenal in Chantilly. I found the Glock 23 to be too snappy and my follow up shots were horrible. Then I tried the Glock 30 SF, and I fell in love after the first shot. I knew I found my next carry gun.

I've bought guns from the following places and have had nothing but great success with all of them:

Virginia Arms- Manassas, VA
Quantico Tactical- Quantico, VA (the small town actually located on Quantico Marine Corps Base)

I'll be buying my G30 SF from one of these two, depending on where my travels take me. Either way I know I won't be disappointed.

As a side note, I was talking to the owner of a small indoor shooting range in Stafford named "The Range" and he offers the Glock First Responder Discount. I don't know if you qualify (you have to be military, fire/EMS, or law enforcement), but believe me it's rare to find a dealer in the NOVA area who offers this significant Glock discount. The downside is he didn't have a Glock 30 in stock and he said it could be several months before he gets another one in stock. But if you qualify for the discount and don't mind waiting awhile you could save some serious cash. I wouldn't have any reserve from buying a firearm from him either.

[Chasbo00]

Here is some useful info on buying Blue Label Glocks in VA:

GLOCK, Inc. has approved the sale or “Sub-Distribution” of GLOCK “BLUE LABEL PISTOLS” to the following purchasers:

- Sworn Law Enforcement officers, including Federal, State, County, & City.
- (Includes retired L.E. officers with "retired" credentials)
- EMT’s, Fire Fighters, Volunteer Fire Fighters, and Paramedics
- Military personnel including Reservists and National Guard with I.D.
(Includes retired Military with "retired" credentials)
- Corrections Officers, including Parole and Probation Officers
- State Licensed Security Companies (Loomis, RAM, etc.)
- State Licensed Armed Security Officers
- Court Judges, District Attorneys and Deputy District Attorneys.
- LE Academy Cadets with enrollment documentation from the Academy
- GLOCK Sport Shooting Foundation (GSSF) members with current gun purchase card.
-- Not for immediate sale of pistol on membership.
-- The GSSF GLOCK Pistol Purchase Card will be issued to a GSSF Annual Member renewing an annual membership for a 2nd consecutive year .
-- The GSSF GLOCK Pistol Purchase Card will be issued to a GSSF ‘Two-Year’, ‘Three Year’, ‘Five Year’ or ‘Lifetime’ Member with their initial membership card.

Glock LE Dealers in VA:

Town Police Supply
417 North Virginia Ave
Collinsville, VA 24078
Phone: (276) 647-4161
www.townpolice.com

Town Police Supply of Richmond
3541 Courthouse Rd
Richmond, VA 23236
Phone: (804) 745-6433
www.townpolice.com

VA Guns and Sports Supply
731-A J Clyde Morris Blvd
Newport News, VA 23601
Phone: (757) 873-4867

[Scott15]

great advice gunderwood, i'll definitely look into that once I have it!

southern83fire I'm fairly familiar with quantico so I'll definitely check them out, thanks!

Chasbo00, unfortunately I dont think I'm going to qualify for military.

Also guys, I recently called some places around and dealers only have the 30SF. the 30 vs the 30SF, is this merely grip and personal preference? From what I googled that is the gist of what I was reading. Thanks again

[southern83fire]

great advice gunderwood, i'll definitely look into that once I have it!

southern83fire I'm fairly familiar with quantico so I'll definitely check them out, thanks!

Chasbo00, unfortunately I dont think I'm going to qualify for military.

Also guys, I recently called some places around and dealers only have the 30SF. the 30 vs the 30SF, is this merely grip and personal preference? From what I googled that is the gist of what I was reading. Thanks again

You are correct, all the gun dealers I've talked to in the area are only carrying the 30SF and the 21SF. It's really becoming a popular choice because it fits more hands a lot better than the older version. I held my .40 Glock 22 in one hand and the 30SF in the other and I swear I couldn't feel a difference in the grip! Amazing what a few hundreds of an inch makes. When I chose my G22 I held a full size G21 and thought wow, who can honestly wrap their hands around that. I'm 6'4" and have pretty big hands and I had trouble with it!

Other than the grip there is no difference between the G30 and the G30 SF.

[Scott15]

thanks southern83fire

another question about purchasing... have you all seen considerably better prices at gun shows? Ex: Dulles expo

[rklessdriver]

There is a new dealer in Woodbridge. A place called All Shooters Tactical (AST).

I happen to see them on the VA Gun Trader and since they are just up the road, I dropped by their shop for a look-see last weekend. Small place, 2 owners just starting out. Nice guys it seemed.

At any rate they do have a new Glock 30 in stock. If you can get down this way you might want to give them a look.

http://www.vaguntrader.com/forums/ubbth ... Post291735

Will

[Scott15]

thanks^ I just checked them out, they have a used normal 30 for 550. 1 of the 6 stores i called said they had 30SF new for 575.

if anyone has any input on gun show prices, please let me know

[southern83fire]

I bought a Sig P229 at the gun show in Chantilly at the Dulles Expo about 6 years ago. I don't think I got any better of a deal on it than if I bought it at a brick and mortar store. I also bought an AR15 lower at the same show about 2 years ago and had major issues with it (the take down pin holes were drilled offset a bit and it caused major binding with any upper I put on it). My point is there are some deals to be had at gun shows, you just have to wade through most of the junk out there. I was lucky, kept the receipt and went to the next show and exchanged the lower for a new one. Another option is to find a used gun on a website like gunbroker.com or gunsamerica.com and have it transfered to a local dealer. I bought a police trade in glock 19 like that and paid only $380 for it plus the transfer fees. Other than some holster wear there wasn't anything wrong with that gun.

[proudtobeararms2]

Get a glock 26 gen 4. It was the best firearm I owned and I'm sorry I sold it. Its small enough for comfortable carry, and its just an all around sweet handgun.

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[drewlwsn]

Dulles gun show does have better prices. Dark Sun Surplus is regularly $30-$50 less than local stores

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[Riposite]

Depending on what part of NoVa you are in you may want to check out the following two places:

http://www.novaarmament.com/

they are located in Herndon proper and what seems ages ago are where I brought my glock 23 (actually it's been only about a year lol) -they seem a bit pricey compared to the prices you've mentioned already unless you are willing to consider a Gen 3 -there are still plenty of Gen 3's out there but the grip is definitely different so you would want to try one before getting one.

another option would be:

http://www.sterlingarsenal.com/

I can't say enough good things about these guys. They are the ones who did the sights on my glock and my sig and I also bought my sig there well below the prices of anywhere else around. If they have it in the show room you'll probably get a deal -for example as I said when I got my Sig P220 there-they were lower than most prices I could find on the internet, if they have to order it in; it will probably be around what everyone else is though maybe still at the lower end of the local places. Though if you do intend to do things like add the Truji-con sights, this is the place to go as when they added both night sights to my pistols , in both cases after labor the cost was less than it would of cost me to just order the sights online and try to do it myself. Also you are less likely to run into gun store elitism here as they are always more than happy to discuss any pros and cons with you. The biggest worry you will have is falling in love with one of the evil black rifles they make there If you are in the Herndon-Sterling area I would say they are worth checking out- though they are a little off the beaten track.




Alternatively Silver Eagle Group -the range in Ashburn sells guns and they will definitely have the Glock on hand, but unless you are a member and getting the discount the prices there will be at the higher end of places you check.