Glock 21 opinions

The #1 community for Gun Owners in Indiana

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • KellyinAvon

    Blue-ID Mafia Consigliere
    Staff member
    Moderator
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    6   0   0
    Dec 22, 2012
    24,791
    150
    Avon
    Looking to buy a Glock 21 or 30 and was wondering your opinions on why I should and shouldn’t buy it?

    Hello and welcome to INGO. I own a G21 Gen 4, it's a home defense gun since it's a bit heavy to carry. 13+1 rounds of .45 acp is pretty substantial.
     

    croy

    Master
    Rating - 100%
    24   0   0
    Apr 22, 2012
    1,875
    48
    Indiana
    It's a glock. It's perfection. What else do you need to know?

    Glock makes 4 models in 45 ACP

    Glock 21- 13+ 1 full size gun. Not something I'd conceal.

    Glock 30- 10+1 compact sized. Slightly bigger than a glock 19.

    Glock 36- single stack 6+1. Not a super popular model of glock but would be the easiest to conceal

    Glock 41- 13+1 glock 21 grip and even longer slide.

    I've owned all of them except the 41
     

    hpclayto

    Expert
    Rating - 100%
    22   0   1
    Nov 8, 2008
    1,331
    63
    I hate my Glock 21. Only carry it because I have to. It does everything fine and goes bang every time it’s just way too big for my apparently dainty little hands.
     

    4sarge

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    21   0   0
    Mar 19, 2008
    5,894
    99
    FREEDONIA
    It's a glock. It's perfection. What else do you need to know?

    Glock makes 4 models in 45 ACP

    Glock 21- 13+ 1 full size gun. Not something I'd conceal.

    Glock 30- 10+1 compact sized. Slightly bigger than a glock 19.

    Glock 36- single stack 6+1. Not a super popular model of glock but would be the easiest to conceal

    Glock 41- 13+1 glock 21 grip and even longer slide.

    I've owned all of them except the 41

    Ditto, but I've Owned them all. Carried the G21 ON & Off duty for years, Great Weapon. I bought the 41 for the longer barrel. IF CC is your concern the G41 & 21 are larger frames. LOVE, did I say LOVE the G36 but you sacrifice (single stack) some capacity (carry extra mags). The G30 is the Compromise for Capacity. Sig P220 was Our Duty Weapon, Fine Handgun but Department switched for Capacity & Durability. I Prefer the G21 over the Sig for Everyday use. IMO cannot go Wrong with the Glock. Newest I've owned is 3rd Generation. I've Not kept up with the newer models.
     

    88E30M50

    Grandmaster
    Site Supporter
    Rating - 100%
    12   0   0
    Dec 29, 2008
    22,748
    149
    Greenwood, IN
    I have a Gen 3 21sf and a pair of Gen 3 30sfs. For carry, I like the 30. I ordered a decently high end holster for the 21 but still don’t care for it as an EDC. It’s the queen of the nightstand though. The 30 is a great carry gun though.

    My preference is for the 30 or 30sf as opposed to the 30s due to the heavier slide giving me better recoil control but the 30s would carry better with the thin slide. The 30s that I shot seemed to take more effort to bring the front sight back on target but it’s been several years, so I might just be used to the 30 series more now.

    The 30 is a kind of do-all gun. You can toss a 13 round mag in it for nightstand use, run a 10mm barrel and mags or just run as built for a nice EDC package. If traveling, it’s nice to not worry about silly 10 round mag limits that might be in states that you may pass through.
     

    WebSnyper

    Maximum Effort
    Rating - 100%
    56   0   0
    Jul 3, 2010
    15,417
    113
    127.0.0.1
    Had a 21 and a 30 for many years (like I think I bought my 21 in like 1991 or so & sold them off several years back. My 21 needed the original Glock retrofit of internals, as it was that far back). The 21 is a large gun. The recoil pulse is very manageable (looking down that slide is like the deck of an aircraft carrier) due to the 45ACP cartridge and just the mass of the slide.

    I'd have to say for carry, if you definitely wanted to stay 45ACP, then as others stated look at the variants of the 30. I had both, but once I got the 30 I did not carry the 21. They are a great combination as they share mags, etc and if you want to keep the larger 21 available at home while carrying the 30, that is great. All that said, I will say, I really didn't find my preferred holsters until I had already replaced the 21 & 30 as my carry guns.
     

    Route 45

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    92   0   0
    Dec 5, 2015
    14,884
    113
    Indy
    If the fat Glock 21/30 frame fits your hand, they are very reliable pistols. But if I'm choosing a compact .45 for belt carry, I'd give the M&P 45 2.0 subcompact the nod before the G30, based on trigger and ergonomics. And for a full size .45, see if you can get your hands on a Walther PPQ. For my own personal use, the Glocks are too chunky and the ergonomics suck.
     

    Colt556

    Grandmaster
    Rating - 100%
    65   0   0
    Feb 12, 2009
    8,858
    113
    Avon
    I’ve owned a couple 21s and 30s over the years but at present I only own a G20sf and a G40, both 10mm. The 20 has had the finger grooves removed and the frame stippled pretty heavily. I have medium sized hand and it works pretty well for me. I do carry it occasionally in an IWB kydex holster and haven’t had any issues with it’s size. I had a 29 in the past as well and liked it. I should pick up another 29 because I seem to be much more accurate with all the smaller versions of Glock pistols like 19, 29 and 30.
     

    firefighterjohn

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    1   0   0
    Mar 31, 2010
    673
    43
    Had a 21 and a 30 for many years (like I think I bought my 21 in like 1991 or so & sold them off several years back. My 21 needed the original Glock retrofit of internals, as it was that far back). The 21 is a large gun. The recoil pulse is very manageable (looking down that slide is like the deck of an aircraft carrier) due to the 45ACP cartridge and just the mass of the slide.

    I'd have to say for carry, if you definitely wanted to stay 45ACP, then as others stated look at the variants of the 30. I had both, but once I got the 30 I did not carry the 21. They are a great combination as they share mags, etc and if you want to keep the larger 21 available at home while carrying the 30, that is great. All that said, I will say, I really didn't find my preferred holsters until I had already replaced the 21 & 30 as my carry guns.

    I have both and agree with all your points. Got my 21 first and then the 30S. Love the ability to put to carry the 13-round mag as a spare when I carry the 30S. The N8 Tactical holster for my 19 works great for the 30. Being able to share these Glock commonalities is a great benefit. I like the IWB N8 Tactical holsters because of the comfortable backing and the fact that it protects your side by covering the entire grip.

    Either way, start with one and get another later...the 21 & 30S combo is great.
     

    openwell

    Sharpshooter
    Rating - 100%
    4   0   0
    Mar 31, 2014
    734
    34
    Carmel
    I dreamed about getting a G21 gen4 as my first Glock.

    I had a Kimber compact with aluminum frame & loved it. I was in Florida at the time and the wait time is County thing. It was going to take 7 days. So I never did.

    Came back to Indy and settled on Cz97BD. Shot so well it was boring shooting such small groups @ 25 yds.

    Went to NRA in Indy 2014.
    Met Springfield guy, Rob Latham who tried to explain striker-fired "good trigger" on Springfield. but just had to admit never going to get 1911 smoothness.
    First Glock G17 gen4.
    Second G22 gen 4.
    Third G30 gen 4.
    All within four months of that NRA convention.

    That G30 shot extremely well during first 100 rounds within 2 hrs of buying it.
    Watched youtube video about converting G21 (or G30) to 10mm with KKM conversion bbl.
    got 10mm stormlake conversion barrel & made it happen.

    G30 gen4 with stock barrel and 10mm barrel is my favorite range gun.

    G36 is my EDC, except only occasionally carry.
    Shoots very well for me & I love it.

    Never did buy that G21.

    No longer have G17, settled on Springfield XDs 3.3 9mm.
    No longer have Cz97B too heavy.

    If you can shoot a compact Glock well all I need is large-frame mags
    just like WebSnyper advised above.........
    and for my G36 I need just the six rounds!
     
    Top Bottom