Bought myself a Model 20!

[Brian Dover]

Thanks to a couple of friends talking me into tagging along to the nearby gambling boat, I ended up with some "found money". What better investment than a new blaster?

Store here in my area takes in a BUNCH of LE trade-in pistols, many of them Glocks as you can imagine. Well, what do I spot behind the counter, a Model 20. Low miles, set of '02 vintage Trijicons, very good price, $160 or so less than what they sell new 20/21s with night sights for.

Went ahead and got two extra magazines while there; 10mm Glock mags don't show up in just every store or gun show around here. Years ago I owned a Model 21, so after some digging it seems I still have holsters and a mag pouch that will work.

If it turns out that the 20 is too big for my hand--which is why I sold the 21 as memory serves--gonna send/take it out to Bowie Tactical Concepts for a grip reduction. Maybe I can get along with the gun as is, have learned that double stack pistols require me to adjust my grip justa litle bit. Didn't know that back when I owned the model 21, was young and impatient in those days.

Anything special to know about the Model 20?

[Photocop]

You, my friend, have purchased the "King of Kings".

There's nothing really "special" to know about the G20, other than it's the most powerful, standard production, semi-auto known to man.

As far as the grip goes: I bought my first G20 with the notion in mind that I would be knowingly sacrificing some grip comfort in order to enjoy the ballistically superior 10mm cartridge. That was then, this is now. I have grown to love the wider grip on my G20 so much that I find the standard size Glocks to feel small and insignificant in my hand. I use a Hogue Handall and this grip, once given a chance, is, in my opinion, superior to the smaller grips. Its greater surface area disperses the recoil forces over a wider portion of the hand translating into a soft shooting gun despite using the most powerful standard cartridge available. Most people just don't give it a chance, which is what happended to my good friend. He bought a .45 GAP, G37, which he likes, but now after handling my G20 and shooting it a lot, he has also come to like the grip better and wants to pick up a G20. Also, knowing that you're carrying 16 rounds of Thor's Hammers in your hand is quite a reassuring feeling.


I have also bought a .40 S&W conversion barrel for my G20 so I can practice with it for much cheaper. The 40 S&W ammo is anemic by comparison, but much more economical for long blasting days at the range. The conversion barrels are a great complement to a G20 and I picked mine up for $85 from Storm Lake Barrels. The barrel has paid for itself a hundred times over in ammo savings. I LOVE the 10mm, but ammo ain't cheap. Not to harp on the grip thing, but I don't shoot the .40 cal. G22 anymore because the G20's grip is so much more favorable to me now. If I'm going to shoot .40 in an IDPA match or something, I shoot my G20 with the conversion barrel.

My advice: Give the wider grip a chance and keep practicing and shooting it for a while. You just might grow to love it like I have. Pick up an inexpensive .40 barrel (which shouldn't hurt you too much considering the deal you picked up the gun for), and slap on a Hogue Handall. Any other add-ons such as extended slide lock, extended take down, etc., are great and I have them, but they are certainly not necessary to enjoy your gun. (The expensive, $150-$200+ conversion barrels are nice, but not worth the extra money in my opinion, unless you're shooting very competitively.)

I guess if I had to decide something crucial to tell a new G20 owner is that you won't really maximize the potential of the gun unless you invest in some good, HOT ammo. The hottest ammo that is generally obtainable nationwide in gun stores, is the Winchester 175grain SilverTip ammunition. Most of the other offerings from Federal, Remington, etc., are only loaded to the standards of .40 S&W, which is wimpy by comparison. If you're going to carry that crap, you should've bought a .40.

THE BEST, full-throttle ammo to feed your G20 or to carry in your G20 for self-defense purposes and/or hunting, is DoubleTap Ammo. Cor-Bon ammo runs a close second, but it's generally still not as powerful as DT ammo and it's much more expensive. If you do any bit of lurking here in the 10 Ring you will find 10mm owners all over the country raving about DoubleTap ammo. The owner/load developer of DT ammo is Mike McNett, a regular visitor here on these 10 Ring pages, who is a great guy. I've had the pleasure of talking with him on the phone in the past and he's a genuine dude. He tests all his 10mm ammo with the G20.

Go to DoubleTapAmmo.com and order up the best ammo for your 10mm. Then you will be using the almighty 10mm the way it was intended to be used.

Just one more thought: If you're going to shoot any significant amount of DoubleTap Ammo or similarly hot ammo, pick up a 22 pound recoil spring and guide rod. They can be found for fairly cheap. (Mike McNett of DoubleTap recommends this as well). It's not dangerous to shoot with the stock spring or anything, but repeated, heavy usage of hot ammo will cause more wear and tear on your gun and the heavier spring helps to tame the slide velocity. Your G20 will thank you. Incidentally, the heavier spring still functions with other, less hot ammo, so if you get one, you won't have to worry about swapping back and forth all the time and can just leave it in.

Sorry for rambling. I hope this gives you some food for thought.

~Mike

[Brian Dover]

That's not rambling at all, Mike, it's called helpful support--which is what I always hope to dispense and receive from others on the 'net.

You are spot on about the ammo, I already owned a Delta Elite and a chronograph before this latest purchase. Found a deal on some of that Silvertip at a show once and stocked up, then took the fiscal hit of buying enough CorBon for the first mag or two of defensive fodder. One thing about the CorBon though, in any caliber I've ever clocked it through the chrono it's going at the speed stated on the box.

For everyday 10mm shooting I also have a reloading press, wouldn't otherwise have been able to afford all the various competition and practice over the years.

I will definitely give the Glock grip some time to get used to me, ;) as is, that's great advice. Too many people send off an unfired pistol for expensive gunsmithing, some of which may be needless.

[RM]

Originally posted by Photocop




I have also bought a .40 S&W conversion barrel for my G20 so I can practice with it for much cheaper. The 40 S&W ammo is anemic by comparison, but much more economical for long blasting days at the range. The conversion barrels are a great complement to a G20 and I picked mine up for $85 from Storm Lake Barrels. The barrel has paid for itself a hundred times over in ammo savings. I LOVE the 10mm, but ammo ain't cheap. Not to harp on the grip thing, but I don't shoot the .40 cal. G22 anymore because the G20's grip is so much more favorable to me now. If I'm going to shoot .40 in an IDPA match or something, I shoot my G20 with the conversion barrel.



Mike did you get the barrel from Stormlake directly or someone else?

[Photocop]

RM:

I happened to call Storm Lake Barrels and asked about inexpensive .40 G20 conversion barrels. I spoke with Adam, very nice guy by the way, who informed me that they had a batch of blued, carbon steel barrels that were near finished and were going to be sold on Ebay. He said he would set aside any that I wanted. So I bought two--one for my cousin and one for myself---at $85 a piece plus I think it was $6 for shipping. The barrel shoots great and for my purposes was a much more economical purchase than a KKM or Bar-Sto barrel that would have been at least twice as much.

I'm not badmouthing KKM or Bar-Sto in any way. They make excellent barrels. But economy of practice was what I was going for here, not match-grade accuracy, show-grade finish, etc. (Although my Storm Lake seems to shoot every bit as accurately as any other barrel I've had, so don't let its low price sway you to believe it's somehow inferior, accuracy wise. Admittedly, I have not shot it from a bench rest at 25yds. or anything, but I don't shoot Glocks for their tack driving accuracy anyway) ;) I have put a LOT (thousands) of rounds through it without a hiccup and it still shoots great.

Being that it is carbon steel and not stainless steel, it won't offer as much corrosion resistance as a stainless barrel. But it does have an adequate bluing job that will help prevent corrosion and since I only use it for practice, I just keep it clean and lightly oiled when not in use. It's not like I'll be trying to re-take Mount Surabachi in the maritime climate of Iwo Jima with it.:) I actually polished off the bluing on its exterior because I like the contrasted look of the silvery barrel in the black slide and it helps me differentiate the barrel from my stock 10mm barrel at a glance. Adam at Storm Lake also told me that many big customers actually prefer and request the carbon steel barrels over the stainless as the metal's properties lend themselves better to precision rifling, etc. Stainless is a bit brittle, so they say.


If you're looking for a barrel you can probably get them on Ebay (they were selling them there for the same price, by the way). If not, call Adam at Storm Lake and he'll let you know what's what.

~Mike

[Photocop]

Oh, one other thing:

If you go on the Storm Lake Barrel website, don't be discouraged if you don't see the barrels offered. They don't put everything up on the site and they often have "unadvertised" things, apparently. Call Adam and he'll be able to advise on availability, etc.

~M

[RM]

Mike
Thanks, I have been looking for one and it seems they all go for 150 or so. I will try to get one of the storm lakes ones if I can find one.

[GooberPP]

I took me a while to figure out a grip for my G20 and I'm not sure that I have it down yet.
I have smallish hands and have leaned toward smaller grips so that I can put the bore line in a straight line with my forearm. This does not work with a G20. I have to rotate my hand to the right and then I had to realign my trigger pull with the bore line rather than my forearm. Fortunately, the G20 is not particular about grip and shoots well with a relatively loose grip (compared to the 1911 which has to be squeezed hard to get it to shoot well) and the recoil is relatively mild. I also found out early, that with heavy loads the grip rotated itself to align the center of the grip with the crease at the bottom of my thumb pad. And (the good news)once it's there it stays there so if I start out in that position there is no shifting.
I also focus my grip on the upper part and ignore the big swell of the lower grip. Like a single action, putting equal pressure between your thumb and forefinger and pulling straight between, in line with the bore, should give you a steady grip and good shooting.

[Crazy Ed]

Originally posted by Photocop
You, my friend, have purchased the "King of Kings".

There's nothing really "special" to know about the G20, other than it's the most powerful, standard production, semi-auto known to man.

As far as the grip goes: I bought my first G20 with the notion in mind that I would be knowingly sacrificing some grip comfort in order to enjoy the ballistically superior 10mm cartridge. That was then, this is now. I have grown to love the wider grip on my G20 so much that I find the standard size Glocks to feel small and insignificant in my hand. I use a Hogue Handall and this grip, once given a chance, is, in my opinion, superior to the smaller grips. Its greater surface area disperses the recoil forces over a wider portion of the hand translating into a soft shooting gun despite using the most powerful standard cartridge available. Most people just don't give it a chance, which is what happended to my good friend. He bought a .45 GAP, G37, which he likes, but now after handling my G20 and shooting it a lot, he has also come to like the grip better and wants to pick up a G20. Also, knowing that you're carrying 16 rounds of Thor's Hammers in your hand is quite a reassuring feeling.


I have also bought a .40 S&W conversion barrel for my G20 so I can practice with it for much cheaper. The 40 S&W ammo is anemic by comparison, but much more economical for long blasting days at the range. The conversion barrels are a great complement to a G20 and I picked mine up for $85 from Storm Lake Barrels. The barrel has paid for itself a hundred times over in ammo savings. I LOVE the 10mm, but ammo ain't cheap. Not to harp on the grip thing, but I don't shoot the .40 cal. G22 anymore because the G20's grip is so much more favorable to me now. If I'm going to shoot .40 in an IDPA match or something, I shoot my G20 with the conversion barrel.

My advice: Give the wider grip a chance and keep practicing and shooting it for a while. You just might grow to love it like I have. Pick up an inexpensive .40 barrel (which shouldn't hurt you too much considering the deal you picked up the gun for), and slap on a Hogue Handall. Any other add-ons such as extended slide lock, extended take down, etc., are great and I have them, but they are certainly not necessary to enjoy your gun. (The expensive, $150-$200+ conversion barrels are nice, but not worth the extra money in my opinion, unless you're shooting very competitively.)

I guess if I had to decide something crucial to tell a new G20 owner is that you won't really maximize the potential of the gun unless you invest in some good, HOT ammo. The hottest ammo that is generally obtainable nationwide in gun stores, is the Winchester 175grain SilverTip ammunition. Most of the other offerings from Federal, Remington, etc., are only loaded to the standards of .40 S&W, which is wimpy by comparison. If you're going to carry that crap, you should've bought a .40.

THE BEST, full-throttle ammo to feed your G20 or to carry in your G20 for self-defense purposes and/or hunting, is DoubleTap Ammo. Cor-Bon ammo runs a close second, but it's generally still not as powerful as DT ammo and it's much more expensive. If you do any bit of lurking here in the 10 Ring you will find 10mm owners all over the country raving about DoubleTap ammo. The owner/load developer of DT ammo is Mike McNett, a regular visitor here on these 10 Ring pages, who is a great guy. I've had the pleasure of talking with him on the phone in the past and he's a genuine dude. He tests all his 10mm ammo with the G20.

Go to DoubleTapAmmo.com and order up the best ammo for your 10mm. Then you will be using the almighty 10mm the way it was intended to be used.

Just one more thought: If you're going to shoot any significant amount of DoubleTap Ammo or similarly hot ammo, pick up a 22 pound recoil spring and guide rod. They can be found for fairly cheap. (Mike McNett of DoubleTap recommends this as well). It's not dangerous to shoot with the stock spring or anything, but repeated, heavy usage of hot ammo will cause more wear and tear on your gun and the heavier spring helps to tame the slide velocity. Your G20 will thank you. Incidentally, the heavier spring still functions with other, less hot ammo, so if you get one, you won't have to worry about swapping back and forth all the time and can just leave it in.

Sorry for rambling. I hope this gives you some food for thought.

~Mike

+1000 The G20 was my first Glock and I love it. You have a new friend for life!! I find the grip perfect for launching 10mm missiles!

Ed :thumbsup:

[Photocop]

10mm missiles!!!:)

Gotta love the G20 and DoubleTap Ammo.

[Sig_NZ]

Great to read this thread! I am about a month away from ordering my G20 10mm which will be my first glock also. I have completely jumped the gun and already loaded up 500 rounds of fairly potent 180 grain 10mm ammo at near max loadings(6.0gr out of 6.4)....because if you wanted to down-load the 10mm you might as well have brought a 40S&W!!

Look at me Im getting all excited!:banana:

[Brian Dover]

Had a great session with the G-20 at the range Sunday. No problems for me with the large-ish grip. Draw-to-first-shot, transitions from target to target were just as fast under the clock as with the other guns I shoot. Even the drills firing strong or weak hand only were fine. And of course the gun ran like a Swiss watch.

As a bonus, the 20 just fits the legal parameters of Cincinnati's assault weapons law, which the Ohio Supreme Court just put back on the books, for now at least. When City Council wrote a 15 shot mag limit on pistols back in '89, they doubtless were thinking of those puny, girly-man 9mm handguns--like my model 19 Glock. Well, today and for the forseeable future, gonna tote this 10mm powerhouse instead. With two extra mags I oughta be safe enough in Cincy's mean streets! ;)

[Photocop]

As a bonus, the 20 just fits the legal parameters of Cincinnati's assault weapons law, which the Ohio Supreme Court just put back on the books, for now at least. When Coty Council wrote a 15 shot mag limit on pistols back in '89, they doubtless were thinking of those puny, girly-man 9mm handguns--like my model 19 Glock. Well, today and for the forseeable future, gonna tote this 10mm powerhouse instead. With two extra mags I oughta be safe enough in Cincy's mean streets!

Amen to that! It's very convenient having the "Manly Man" 10mm with it's great ballistics AND hi-capacity. There is never a trade-off with the G20. It's got it all. That's why I call it the "King of Kings" and/or "The greatest combat pistol ever devised".

[Brian Dover]

Well, the Ohio Senate just overrode the Governor's veto on the concealed carry reform/state preemption law, within the last hour. That makes Cincy's 'Assault weapons' ordinance, and all other city regulations on firearms for that matter, a moot point. Well , in 90 days when the new law takes affect, anyhow.

To that all I can say is: "Up yer shaft, Bob Taft!" Meanwhile I will continue to carry the Model 20, but more as a silent symbol of victory for Ohio firearm owners. :banana:

[anarchocap]

Originally posted by Brian Dover
Well, the Ohio Senate just overrode the Governor's veto on the concealed carry reform/state preemption law, within the last hour. That makes Cincy's 'Assault weapons' ordinance, and all other city regulations on firearms for that matter, a moot point. Well , in 90 days when the new law takes affect, anyhow.

Nice!! I didn't think they were going to have enough votes in the Senate to do that! Yay for Ohio Preemption!!

As far as 10mm goes, I have the G-29 and it really is one of my favorite weapons. However, the grip is just a bit too bulky for me. I can carry it fine, its just not as comfortable as a G-19 or a 1911. However, I would get a grip reduction before selling it.

I have a 1911 in 10mm also but it really doesn't see the light of day. The G-29 is lighter, carries better, and can hold up to twice the capacity.

One more ammo suggestion is Georgia-Arms (http://www.georgia-arms.com/). They are not loaded as hot as Double-Tap, but the price is right for practice (180gr 483 ft-lbs for $125 for 500 or $240 for 1000) and moderate loaded defense ammo (155 gr GDHP 650 ft-lbs or 180 gr GDHP 528 ft-lbs). This is quality, clean burning ammo.

[DavidinSA]

http://stores.ebay.com/Storm-Lake-Barrels

check out their e-bay store.

[10mm4ever]

CONGRATS! If there's such a thing as the ultimate "do everything" pistol, you've found it my friend. Do you know which dept. traded those G20's in??:thumbsup:

[Brian Dover]

No, I never thought to ask where the gun came from, must have been concentrating on filling out the 4473 form properly, I don't do those very often. On a previous visit out there to One Shot, they had a couple of trade in Model 21s marked 'Park City P.D.', but which state that might have been in is unknown also.

The M-20 I purchased appears low-miles enough that it's hard to imagine it saw much holster time. The night sights are marked '02 so they have plenty of life left.