Pros-
-They work most of the time.
-They last forever.
-No really, they usually last forever.
-Tenifer treatment is durable. A Glock generally will not rust.
-Guns take abusive treatment very well.
-Guns have a low parts count/complexity compared to others.
-Factory service is fast in the rare event you actually need it.
-Mags are cheap and work most of the time if you keep good springs in them.
-Relatively high magazine capacity for their size
-Many models are thin (hard to find a gun thinner than a G19 with the
same capacity, for example )
-Low Bore Axis- only thing lower is a 1911 and maybe a few others; this means less muzzle flip.
-Customizable. (Triggers, basepads, mag releases, sights, all that crap)
-Cost (even in MA the guns are relatively cheap)
-One manual of arms (one trigger to learn)
Cons:
-Some hate the grip angle (doesn't point right for some)
-Some hate the trigger. (It's "different" from a lot of other guns. )
-Some hate the looks (Although they're not as ugly as a ruger P series)
-Some whine/hate that you have to pull the trigger to strip it.
-Some hate the mag release
-Some whine because of the plastic frame. (I call the whaambulance on this one)
-Some whine because the trigger is not as good as a 1911. Well, no shit, it's
not a 1911!
-Some hate glocks because everyone else has them. (I know a few people who refuse to buy them simply because of this... lol... )
-Some hate the Polygonal Barrel with poorly supported chamber (if you're a reloader, this damages the brass... most who reload for glocks end up getting an aftermarket barrel to fix any issues. )
-Easier to blow it up than other guns, especially with the stock barrel and brass which has already been weakened by said barrel. Not so much a problem in 9mm and .357 Sig
but can be an issue ih .40s and .45 ACP.
-Factory/Glock corporate frequently denies engineering defects, fails to issue real proiduct recalls, etc. Not usually an issue though.
IMO this topic has been
'd quite a bit just about everywhere. I tell people, shoot one of the things, see if you like it or not, you'll either love or loathe the things, generally speaking. It literally is that simple. I have zero right now, but I'll probably end up with a 3rd gen G19 and G20 by this time next year. (I recently discovered that the 3rd gens fit my hands way better, so I dumped all my 2nd gen guns... )
-Mike