After a decade rocking a bone stock third generation Glock 19– finger grooves and all– I thought it was time to give the gun a little upgrade.
As covered in previous articles the Gen 3 G19 is probably one of the most popular compact(ish) 9mm pistols ever made and I’ve been carrying the same one off and on since at least 2012.
Sure, sure, the pistol had been released as far back as 1998 and I was late to the party, but I still got in the door during the model’s heyday. Although surpassed generationally by the Gen4 and Gen5 variants, the Gen3 remains in production likely due to a combination of the fact that it is still on California’s roster and folks just dig it. After all, it is “old reliable” in the 9 milly game– akin to a Toyota Tundra– with about the worst thing people can say about the Glock compact it is that it is boring or that it carries a lackluster trigger and sights.
About that.
I recently decided the time was right to refresh my old Gen3 G19 as it had passed its (still very young) 15K mark. This meant a teardown and swap out of all the small springs (firing pin spring, extractor depressor spring, mag catch spring, trigger spring, slide lock spring, and slide stop lever spring) just to be sure it would keep going bang for at least another 15K. This was the next level up from my normal post-range cleaning and swapping out a new recoil spring every 3K rounds or so. For the record, I always just went with the same old OEM Glock parts.
Then I thought to myself, how about some new sights, and maybe a barrel, and maybe a trigger…
The differences are subtle to the overall aesthetics, but ring true when you start her up
Back around 2012, my carry choice was a SIG Sauer P229R, a 13+1, a platform that I had lots of experience with as I carried one and instructed others on it in my “day job” as a contractor with the Dept. of Homeland Security. While I owned Glocks already, they were in .45 GAP and .40S&W (hey, it was 2012).
Downshifting to the more compact G19 in 9mm, I picked up a brand new Gen 3 model and found it easy and even fun to shoot. Soon, it was my everyday carry. The reason was obvious. While roughly the same length and height as a Glock 19, a P229 loaded with 14 rounds of 147-grain JHPs hits my kitchen scales at 37 ounces. The G19, with 16 rounds loaded, weighs 31 ounces. Plus, with the striker-fired action, there was no need for working a decocker or the hassle of a hammer catching on clothing. The Glock was point-and-shoot while at the same time being more snag-free.
Fast forward a decade and the question is: is it still a valid carry gun? The answer may surprise.
If you don’t care about a red dot-equipped pistol or fingergrooves, the Gen 3 G19 still stacks up despite being a lot older. Not bad for a pistol introduced the same year the Beastie Boys released Intergalactic.
My G22 Joker with RTF2. What’s RTF2? Keep reading.
In 2009, Glock came out with an updated version of their gun that featured better ergonomics named the “Rough Texture Finish, Version 2,” or commonly just called RTF2.
Besides the texture, along the slide, a set of scalloped cutouts replaced the strait up and down slide serrations that had been a facet of the Glock since its introduction in the 1980s. These cutouts were shaped like thumbnails and were instantly but dubbed ‘fish gills’ by those who encountered them.
Besides the slide, the entire lower frame grip surface area was stippled in fine lines. These lines worked like non-skid and gave the gun an almost instant tackiness when picked up, eliminating complaints from those who contended the Glock sometimes got slippery when wet.
While some complained that the new grip was too abrasive to their sensitive hands, many shooters took immediately to the RTF2. The Gen 3 pistols were the pinnacle of the designs to that point, incorporating lessons learned from twenty years of making the polymer guns. That, coupled with the radical new grip offered by the RTF2 seemed a winning combination and the texture was soon seen on the 17, 19, 21SF, 22, 23, 31 and 32.
Nevertheless, that wasn’t the case as the RTF3 and finally much more subtle RTF4 series of less aggressive truncated pyramids became standard on the Gen 4 Glocks when they were introduced.
It’s my personal favorite (hey, at least I’m honest). I have a G22 of this variety that has a documented 11,700 rounds through it with no issues other than a cracked magazine baseplate (that was my fault) and, while I have a set of replacement springs on hand, the gun still functions fine with the factory originals.
Others also fell in love with the design. In 2012, Colion Noir declared the G19 RTF2 his “IDPA gun of choice” writing a short article about it the next year after still loving it and doing a video of his gun, calling the gun “aggressive” and cautioning that its not for everyone.
In late 2010, Glock stated though channels they would only sell RTF 2 Gen 3s (though without the gills) through law enforcement channels in the future as they weren’t selling well to the non-law enforcement market, but were still viable in the cop market.
However, that’s not entirely true. An agency whose range I use often in South Mississippi switched from the RTF2 G22 to a Gen 4/G22 after complaints the gun’s texture worked pills up on their poly uniform shirts and scarred the inside of their enforcer’s consoles.
Want to see a picture?
Yup, the same thing on the console of my ole Jeep, from my personal RTF grizzly bear. Meh. It’s a Jeep. It adds character.
Last November Larry Vickers and Lipseys announced that they would release a limited run of 5000 new but gill-less RTF2 Gen 3s in FDE (is that enough abbreviations for you, or do you want more?) split between G17 and G19 models which shows at least that these guns were still in some form of production even after being “replaced” five years ago.
As could be discerned, the gills are gone for good. The G22 RTF2 was first introduced for release in the 2009 Shot Show (January 2009) then the G17 RTF2 was announced for release May 2009. That makes it a 18 month run for the G22 RTF2 with crescent serrations and an 14 month run for the G17 RTF2 with crescent serrations
Word is Glock will still do special RTF2 runs such as the Vickers combo if you request them in quantity large enough for them to be worth their while.
I have an email into Smyrna to see just how big of a run that is, or if the rumor is even true.
