ill start by saying I am the furthest possible thing from an expert. I shoot relationally, not professionally, or competitively.

I owned or shot a lot of handguns growing up, and in the military, however, had not owned a handgun in 10+ years, mostly due to every dime i made going into octane powered hobbies..

anyway, i decided to get back into ownership this year, and began my search with a blank slate. i talked to people i know personally who shoot.. a lot. i researched forums. i talked to LEO's.

things i heard consistently were:

" I compete with a (1911 clone) but my EDC is a Glock"
" My open class gun is awesome, but id go to war with a Glock"
" Glocks just work. period. they are the Crown Victoria of handguns "

I ended up with a Glock 34 Gen 3, and put 1850 rounds down the pipe since Feb 23rd.. I believe that ANY gun you get, that sits on a shelf or shoots 100 rds/year or something is never going to feel like an extension of yourself...

but put enough rounds downrange in a variety of situations/targets, and you will learn your weapon. at 1850 rounds, i'm still a novice at best. ive moved on from 'slow firing at stationary targets' and putting 3-6 round groups into paper plates at 21-50 feet, sometimes from a draw, sometimes from a ready position..

anyway, enough said there. i believe the OP to be dead on accurate. is the Glock the best handgun out there? probably not. is anyone winning with an open class glock? not really. but the Glock just...works. pull the trigger and it goes bang.. every time.

on ammo:

unless your trying to shoot a bear.. theres not much difference in the killing power between a +p 9mm and the larger more powerful rounds, assuming you can hit your target. i like my 17 rounds also, vs less for the bigger bullets.

ultimately tho, with 9mm, i can put 100 rounds downrange for $20. sure, i keep some personal protection rounds, generally hydrashok, in my carry mags, but my range mags are all FMJ Russian ammo, or the federal value box... id be living in my truck if i had to by 10mm or .45 bullets.

i know this is a 4+ year old thread, but i am another 9mm Glock owner, adding to the this tread..