I took my new Glock 34 MOS out to the range for the first time last week. I was down in southern Utah where the landscape is full of red rock cliffs and red sand. I drove to a desert shooting area where you can place targets and shoot until you’re out of ammunition without seeing another soul out there. Southern Utah is a dry climate with red rock, sage brush, and plenty of jack rabbits. It's perfect for breaking in a new pistol.
I needed to sight in my pistol's Leupold DeltaPoint Pro. The sight picture of my red dot was extremely clear with a crisp, 2.5 MOA dot. I typically sight in all my rifles with 3 shots and then inspect the target and adjust as necessary. I continue the process until I am satisfied with the grouping. Honestly, this is my first red dot but I figured the concept was the same. I placed a target 10 yards away and after my first shots, I was surprised to see I was only 2 inches to the left of the bull’s eye. Elevation (Y-axis) was straight on and I just needed to adjust my windage (X-axis) two inches over to the right. With a few clicks, I was right on target. I brought a few clay pigeons to balance on some sage brush to try some rapid-fire maneuvers. The trigger on the Glock 34 Gen5 is a lot crisper than my Glock 19 Gen4. On Glock's website it said the Glock 34 sports a 5.4 lbs trigger, not bad for a factory firearm. My Glock 19 Gen4 has a 6.3 lbs trigger and the 0.9 lbs difference was noticeable. After I fired through several 17-round magazines that I carry in my Ventcore® OWB Mag Carrier, I was confident in the reliability of my new Glock.
Initially I thought keeping the red dot on target was difficult at first - using this type of sight system is an entirely different feel than standard pistol iron sights. After slowing down my shots and focusing on keeping on target, I got the hang of it. The balance of the Gen 5 Glock 34 is near perfect in my opinion. The Gen 4 version has a large cut out in the top of the frame to allow even weight distribution, but Glock claims with the new design for the Gen 5 this was not necessary. I honestly liked the look of the cutout, but who am I to argue with the experts at Glock?
I purchased the G34 with front serrations. Only the Gen 5s with MOS now come standard with front serrations. I found it to be very helpful when racking the slide back. Sweaty hands will not be a problem for me any more with the new added serrations. Gen 5 Glocks with the front serrations also got rid of the little cutout on the front strap - which makes for a more comfortable grip in my opinion.
Now it was time to test it on moving targets. I enjoy a little jack rabbit hunting, and the sage brush down in southern Utah is a gem for rabbits to hide in. For those unfamiliar with jack rabbits, they are a medium sized varmint that is considered a nuisance by the state of Utah. (The same goes for coyotes which are also plentiful in Utah.) There isn't a limit on how many you may kill. In fact, it's considered a favor to the state to reduce their population due to their destructive nature to agriculture and wildlife. I drove around the desert with my brother on a Kawasaki Teryx Utility Vehicle until we found a suitable place to start hunting. Rabbits typically wait until you're practically next to the bush they are hiding in to start running. Once the rabbit starts zig zagging and running away, you only have a few seconds to make your shot. They are fast and do not stop until they are sure they are safe. I typically hunt jack rabbits with shotguns or scoped rifles. Hunting with a pistol was entirely new to me. After 2 hours running around in the desert I saw 15-20 rabbits. All but two of them got away from me. My brother carried a 12 gauge Remington 870 Express shotgun and had a little more luck than I did and walked away with eight rabbits.
All in, I was extremely happy with how the Glock 34 and Leupold DeltaPoint Pro performed. The Glock ran flawlessly and the DeltaPoint had such a clear sight picture in the desert sun. I’m sure with a little more practice I won’t let as many rabbits escape. Now I am wondering if there is any extra custom drop-in in components I can add to my Glock, we shall see...