Glock 34 Review: Glock 9mm XL

Is the Glock 17 just too small for you? If so, maybe the Glock 34 is for you. The Glock 34 is the XL of Glock 9mms and today we’re taking the big boy for a spin and giving it a full Glock 34 review.

Why the 34? 

Why isn’t the Glock 17 enough? It’s a fairly large gun, so why would you ever want to go bigger? A longer slide and barrel offer numerous advantages to the shooter. The Glock 17’s 4.49-inch barrel is enough for most uses, but the Glock 34’s longer 5.31-inch barrel has a place as well. That .82 inch difference provides a longer barrel, which results in increased control and less muzzle rise. 

If we jump to the top of the slide, the longer barrel, and longer slide increase your sight radius. A longer sight radius makes it easier to shoot a firearm accurately. We also get a little extra velocity, but not a significant amount. 

The Glock 34 mainly appeals to the competitive market. That little extra control and little extra sight radius help with those fractional increases in speed and accuracy that win matches. Glock designed the 34 to fit inside the restrictive size constraints of the USPSA Production and IDPA Stock Service divisions. As a Glock, you can easily convert the weapon into a different class by adding whatever accessories you desire for your preferred division. 

Outside of the competitive market, the Glock 34 makes a fine-duty pistol. It’s a bit larger than most, but from a duty perspective, that’s not a big deal. The grip design matches the 17, and the polymer frame keeps the weapon light and easy on the belt. Outside of duty and competition, it would be a great choice for home defense. Easy to control, accurate guns tend to excel everywhere, that concealment isn’t a requirement. 

It’s a big gun made for big gun things, and in that realm, it does well. 

Glock 34 Features

1 5.31-inch barrel 

2 Optic’s Ready Model Available

3 7.56 Inch Sight Radius

4 Accessory Rail 

Glock 34 Models

This particular pistol we’re reviewing also has a MOS version. Here’s the lineup:

Glock 34 Review – Our Take

If you’ve handled a Glock 19 or Glock 17, even you likely think you know what to expect. It’s a little bigger, but not that much, right? An increase of .82 inches doesn’t sound like much, but you feel it when you press the trigger. The reduced recoil and muzzle rise are oh so nice and present an immediately noticeable difference with the longer barrel. 

A full-sized 9mm isn’t much in terms of recoil, and when you go beyond full size, it lightens up even more. A smile will creep across your face and lighten up your life when you start spewing lead with the Glock 34. It’s super smooth and easy to shoot and handle. It’s a gun I can hand to newbie shooters and feel confident they can handle. 

Glock stock triggers are best described as meh. They are not bad by any means, but they aren’t great either. Average, or meh, works. Where Glock trigger excels is in its reset. It’s short, loud, and tactile. The pull is a little spongy but won’t affect accuracy by any means. Speaking of accuracy, get ready for another smile to cross your face. 

The Glock 34 is the gun that really made me understand sight radius and how it can affect accuracy. Producing tiny groups isn’t a problem and doing it fast isn’t a problem. The Glock 34’s long slide makes it easy to track your sights and align them perfectly after each shot to produce rapid-fire accuracy. I can step back to 50 yards and ring a 10-inch gong consistently in a standing off-hand position. 

Glock sights suck durability-wise but do okay for just pure shooting. I’d still replace them with something a little more practical, but they work in getting 9mm projectiles into paper targets just fine. 

The Boring Part 

Glock mastered the mass production of the polymer frame pistol with a simplistic design. In the gun, simple is often good and simple means reliable. Glocks are reliable. They are reliable when filthy dirty, reliable in the mud, reliable in sand, just plain reliable. Something about the design ensures total reliability with good ammo, bad ammo, defensive ammo, and even niche low recoil ammo. 

It’s tough to get a Glock to fail, and the ole Glock 34 doesn’t stray from that reputation. Pull the trigger, and if a round’s chambered, it will go bang, extract, eject, and then feed another round. Police and military contracts are evident enough for Glock reliability. In the competitive circuit, reliability matters, and a jam or failure of any kind will add seconds to the clock and dunk a good run. 

It should go without saying it matters in duty and defensive use. A bad time on a run sucks, but getting shot trying to clear a malfunction might just be a little worse. The Glock 34 doesn’t tap out, or falter, even when used, abused, and ignored. 

Touchy Feely 

Glock ergonomics are a lot like their triggers. It’s all competent and capable by all means. No major flaws, but it could be better. The magazine release could be a little longer, and the slide release could also be a bit bigger. The grip feels a bit like a 2×4, and ye olde Glock knuckle is present on this gun. The ergonomics won’t impress, but they won’t hold you back. 

The Glock series is the Honda Civic of guns. No one stops to say, “Hey, nice Civic,” but the Civic gets you where you need to go. The Glock 34 doesn’t pull out any impressive moves but works nonetheless. 

Where you will feel good is in the pocketbook. The Glock 34 presents a competition-sized firearm at a competitive price point. A lot of competition-ready guns come chock-full of great features but also pack a high price point. The Glock 34 comes rather plain and allows the shooter to customize as you go. 

The Glock 34 provides an accurate, easy shooting gun that’s dead to rights reliable, all at a great price point. 

So, as you can see from this Glock 34 review, I feel as though it is very accurate and reliable for the price point. However, I would suggest upgrading your glock sights. But once you do that, you’ve got an excellent option. Now, while this isn’t listed as one of my best 9mm pistols, it did definitely make the list. So, be sure to check that out and see where it ranks.

Glock 34 Review Pros and Cons 

The Glock 34 exemplifies the Glock pistol. It might keep the ho-hum ergonomics, but in every other category, it excels. 

Glock 34 Ammo

Glock 34 Starter Pack

If you’ve decided to pick up the Glock 34, or found another firearm that suits your needs, there are some bare essentials you’re going to need to pick up in order to maximize its potential and your safety regardless of if it’s your first firearm or not.

• Gun Cleaning Kit: Otis All Caliber Elite Range Box on Amazon or build your own personalized cleaning kit with premium components.
• Shooting Glasses: All it takes is one piece of rogue hot brass, and you’ll learn the importance of shooting glasses. But not all glasses are built the same. See our recommendations for the Best Shooting Glasses.
• Hearing Protection: Firing a gun without wearing proper ear pro can be very dangerous and detrimental to your hearing. Find out the best hearing protection for you in our full length review.
• Storage: Check our our article on the Best Biometric Gun Safes
• Targets – If you’re wanting a great resource for shooting practice or zeroing your optics on your optics rifle or pistol, download our FREE Sighting in Targets below.

Upgrades and Accessories

Glock 34 Accessories

1. Do-All Outdoors Steel Resetting Target		Rated For . 38 – . 44 Caliber Pistols High Visibility Targets Reset Without Walking Down Range	Check Amazon
2. 100 Round Ammo Box		100 Round Capacity Scuff-resistant textured surface Snap lock latch	Check Amazon
3. Pineworld Biometric Gun Safe		Reliable Biometric Scanner Sturdy and Well Built Cheaper Than Most Biometrics	Check Amazon
4. Decibullz Custom Molded Earplugs		Great In-Ear option Custom molded – super easy and comfortable NRR: 31	Check Amazon

Caring for your Glock 34

It’s critical not only to keep your guns secure, but also to understand how to care for your firearms properly. We’ve located a fantastic video below on this subject.

Important Links and Manuals

• Glock 34 Manual
• Glock Adjustable Rear Sight
• Glock Parts Order Form
• Preventative Maintenance Instructions