The Glock 19X is the best Glock.
The Glock 17 is the traditional full-size choice. The Glock 19 is the compact pistol everyone recommends. The Glock 19X takes the best part of each: a Glock 19-length slide sitting on a full-size frame with a 17-round magazine.
That combination makes more sense after shooting it than it does on a specification chart.
A shorter slide is easier to carry, quicker to clear from a holster and more comfortable when sitting. The full-size grip gives you better control, more capacity and enough room for your entire hand.
Glock got the proportions right.
What Is the Glock 19X?
The Glock 19X is a crossover 9mm pistol developed from Glock’s entry in the U.S. military handgun competition.
It combines a compact slide and 4.02-inch barrel with a full-size frame. Its standard magazine holds 17 rounds, while the extended magazines hold 19.
The official Glock 19X specifications list an overall length of 7.44 inches, a height of 5.47 inches and an empty-magazine weight of 24.83 ounces.
It also includes Glock’s Marksman Barrel, an ambidextrous slide-stop lever, a reversible magazine release, a frame without finger grooves and the distinctive coyote-colored finish.
The lanyard loop is also there in case you are concerned about dropping your pistol off a horse.
Glock 19X vs. Glock 17 vs. Glock 19
Feature
Glock 19X
Glock 17 Gen5 MOS
Glock 19 Gen5 MOS
Caliber
9x19mm
9x19mm
9x19mm
Standard capacity
17 rounds
17 rounds
15 rounds
Barrel length
4.02 inches
4.49 inches
4.02 inches
Overall length
7.44 inches
7.95 inches
7.28 inches
Height with magazine
5.47 inches
5.47 inches
5.04 inches
Empty-magazine weight
24.83 ounces
24.87 ounces
23.81 ounces
Slide size
Compact
Full-size
Compact
Frame size
Full-size
Full-size
Compact
The Glock 17 Gen5 MOS uses a 4.49-inch barrel and 17-round standard magazine. The Glock 19 Gen5 MOS uses a 4.02-inch barrel and 15-round magazine.
The Glock 19X has the Glock 19’s barrel length and the Glock 17’s grip height and capacity.
That is not an awkward compromise. It puts the extra size where it actually helps the shooter.
Why the Glock 19X Is Better Than the Glock 17
The Glock 17 is an excellent pistol. It has been doing duty, home-defense and range work since most gun channels were recorded on VHS tapes.
The Glock 19X offers almost everything useful about the Glock 17 without carrying the additional slide length.
Both pistols have full-size grips. Both hold 17 rounds in their standard magazines. Their empty-magazine weights are nearly identical.
The principal difference is that the Glock 17 has approximately half an inch of additional barrel and slide.
That provides a slightly longer iron-sight radius and may produce a modest velocity increase, depending on the ammunition. Neither advantage is dramatic.
The Glock 19X gives you the same grip and capacity in a shorter package. It is more comfortable when sitting, especially in a vehicle, and the slide clears the holster slightly sooner during the draw.
The Glock 17 remains a fine range pistol.
The Glock 19X is the better pistol to take away from the range.
Why the Glock 19X Is Better Than the Glock 19
The Glock 19 is the default recommendation because it does almost everything well.
It is relatively easy to conceal, comfortable enough to shoot and large enough to serve as a serious defensive handgun. It also accepts larger Glock magazines.
My Gen 2 Glock 19 is still my favorite Glock. That is the one with the history, feel and accumulated familiarity that a new pistol cannot manufacture.
Favorite and best are not necessarily the same thing.
The Glock 19X is the better overall design.
Its full-size frame gives the firing hand more contact area and provides additional room for the support hand. The grip is easier to find during the draw, especially when moving quickly or wearing gloves.
It also holds 17 rounds in a flush-fitting magazine instead of 15.
The Glock 19 is easier to hide because its grip is shorter. That is a legitimate advantage, but it comes at the exact point where the shooter interacts most directly with the pistol.
The Glock 19X keeps the compact slide while refusing to compromise the grip.
The Full-Size Grip Is the Point
The most common criticism of the Glock 19X is that the grip is the hardest part of a handgun to conceal.
That is true.
It is also irrelevant to the reason the pistol exists.
The Glock 19X was designed as a fighting pistol. Its full-size frame improves control, capacity, reloads and access from the holster. The shorter slide makes the pistol handier without sacrificing the area the shooter actually holds.
For duty use, home defense, range use or open carry, there is no advantage to a grip that leaves less room for the hand.
Even for concealed carry, the longer grip can be managed with a proper holster, belt and cover garment. The shooter should not sacrifice the most useful part of the pistol merely to preserve the right to wear an undersized T-shirt.
A gun should fit your hand before it fits your wardrobe.
Is the Glock 19X Good for Concealed Carry?
Yes.
It is not as easy to conceal as a regular Glock 19, but it remains completely practical with appropriate carry gear.
The grip is the part most likely to print beneath clothing. A quality inside-the-waistband holster with a concealment wing can rotate the grip toward the body. A solid gun belt prevents the pistol from leaning outward.
Appendix carry can work particularly well because the Glock 19-length slide does not extend as far below the belt as a Glock 17 slide.
Body shape, clothing and holster position matter. There is no universal setup, regardless of what somebody’s favorite YouTube gear list claims.
The Glock 19X is not the smallest EDC pistol.
It is a full-size fighting pistol that can still be concealed.
The Glock 19X as a Home-Defense Pistol
The Glock 19X is nearly ideal for home defense.
It provides a full firing grip, 17-round standard capacity and enough rail space for a weapon-mounted light. Its compact slide offers all the practical accuracy most people can use inside or outside a house.
A sensible home-defense setup does not require an entire gun-room wall of accessories.
It needs:
- A dependable pistol
- Reliable defensive ammunition
- Factory or proven magazines
- A quality weapon-mounted light
- Useful sights or a properly mounted optic
- Secure quick-access storage
- A shooter who has practiced with it
The Glock 19X handles the pistol portion of that list extremely well.
The coyote finish also makes it easier to find if your nightstand happens to be filled with black guns, black magazines, black flashlights and the rest of the equipment that silently reproduces inside a gun collection.
Glock 19X Reliability and Drop Safety
The Glock 19X uses Glock’s Safe Action system with internal passive safeties. When kept in factory-safe condition and carried in a proper holster, it is designed to resist firing unless the trigger is deliberately pressed.
That does not mean owners should perform their own dramatic drop test.
A loaded pistol should not be thrown across a garage, dropped from a roof or frozen inside a block of ice because a gun video needs a thumbnail.
Use a holster that completely covers the trigger. Keep fingers and foreign objects outside the trigger guard. Inspect the pistol and holster for damage.
Most Glock accidents are not caused by an obscure engineering failure.
They are caused by somebody placing something against the trigger and then becoming surprised when the trigger performs its assigned task.
Glock 19X Holster Selection
Many Glock 19 holsters will accept the Glock 19X because both pistols use compact-length slides. The larger grip usually does not affect basic holster fit, although it changes concealment.
Weapon-mounted lights complicate the situation.
A Glock 19X carrying a SureFire X300 or Streamlight TLR-1 needs a holster built around that specific light. The light often becomes the primary retention point.
A useful Glock 19X holster should:
- Completely protect the trigger
- Hold the pistol securely
- Remain attached during the draw
- Position the grip consistently
- Allow safe one-handed reholstering
- Accommodate the exact light and optic configuration
- Use a concealment wing when appropriate
Buying the best Glock and stuffing it into a bargain-bin holster is like mounting a gas-station scope on a match rifle.
Technically, the parts are touching.
Glock 19X Magazine Compatibility
The Glock 19X uses full-size double-stack Glock 9mm magazines.
It normally uses 17-round magazines and can also accept compatible extended magazines. Original Glock 19X frames have a lip at the front of the magazine well that may interfere with certain Gen5 Glock 17 floorplates.
This is a floorplate issue, not a meaningful defect in the pistol.
Test every magazine you intend to carry. Confirm that it seats, locks, feeds and drops free.
The internet has produced hours of arguments over Glock magazine generations that could have been resolved by inserting the magazine into the gun.
Glock 19X Accuracy
The Glock 19X is more accurate than most people shooting it.
Its Glock Marksman Barrel and full-size grip provide everything needed for practical defensive, duty and range accuracy. The Glock 17’s longer sight radius may offer a small advantage when shooting iron sights at distance, but the shooter remains the largest variable.
The Glock 19X grip may actually help many shooters more than the Glock 17’s extra barrel length. A stable grip improves trigger control, recoil management and consistency.
Mounting a red-dot sight makes the sight-radius difference even less important.
If the Glock 19X is scattering rounds across the target, the missing half-inch of barrel is probably innocent.
What About the Glock 45?
The Glock 45 uses the same general compact-slide and full-size-frame concept.
It is a strong alternative for anyone who wants a black pistol, front slide serrations and configurations more obviously aimed at modern police and optic-equipped duty use.
The Glock 45 is the tidy administrative version of the crossover Glock.
The Glock 19X has the military-pistol origin, coyote finish and enough personality to be recognizable from across the gun room.
Both work.
The Glock 19X is the one I would choose.
What About the Glock 26?
The Glock 26 remains the better choice when maximum concealment matters more than grip size.
I previously compared the Glock 19 and Glock 26 in the same CrossBreed SuperTuck holster. The Glock 26 printed noticeably less because its grip was shorter.
That short grip is also its disadvantage. The shooter’s pinky hangs below the standard frame unless an extension is installed. Adding an extension gradually rebuilds the larger pistol the buyer was trying to avoid.
The Glock 26 is the better concealment tool.
The Glock 19X is the better pistol.
What About the Glock 40 10mm?
The Glock 40 is what happens when somebody decides a Glock 17 is too compact and insufficiently hostile toward nearby objects.
The long-slide 10mm is built for hunting, outdoor defense and people who want their pistol to occupy most of the available table.
My Glock 40 10mm first look, Glock G40 review and Glock 40 night-sight article cover it in more detail.
The Glock 40 is one of the more entertaining guns in the collection.
The Glock 19X is the one that makes sense on the belt.
Common Glock 19X Questions
Is the Glock 19X better than the Glock 17?
Yes. It provides the Glock 17’s full-size grip and 17-round capacity with a shorter, handier slide.
Is the Glock 19X better than the Glock 19?
Yes, unless concealing the Glock 19’s shorter grip is more important than capacity and shooting comfort.
Is the Glock 19X good for everyday carry?
Yes. It is larger than many dedicated concealed-carry pistols, but a suitable holster and belt make it a practical EDC gun.
Is the Glock 19X a Gen5?
The Glock 19X includes several Gen5-era features, including the Marksman Barrel, ambidextrous slide stop and frame without finger grooves. Glock markets it as the 19X rather than simply calling it a Glock 19 Gen5 variation.
How many rounds does a Glock 19X hold?
The standard flush-fitting magazine holds 17 rounds. Compatible extended magazines are also available, including 19-round magazines.
Can the Glock 19X use Glock 17 magazines?
It accepts compatible full-size Glock magazines. Certain Gen5 floorplates may interfere with the front lip on original Glock 19X frames.
Does the Glock 19X fit Glock 19 holsters?
It fits many Glock 19 holsters because the slide dimensions are similar. Always verify compatibility with the specific sights, optic and weapon-mounted light.
Is the Glock 19X good for home defense?
Yes. Its full-size grip, 17-round capacity, accessory rail and manageable size make it one of Glock’s best home-defense pistols.
Final Verdict
The Glock 17 is the classic full-size Glock. The Glock 19 remains the practical compact choice, and my Gen 2 Glock 19 is still my personal favorite.
The Glock 19X is the best Glock.
It combines the Glock 19’s compact slide with the Glock 17’s full-size grip and capacity. It is easier to carry than the Glock 17 and easier to control than the Glock 19.
There are smaller Glocks, longer Glocks, more powerful Glocks and newer Glocks.
None of them balance the useful parts quite as well as the Glock 19X.