U.S.A. -(AmmoLand.com)– The Glock 19 has become a lot like the M1911. It’s hugely popular, has a massive aftermarket, and is seen in every professional shooting discipline. Glock’s famous Model 19 has been their flagship pistol for some time, and the aftermarket’s so massive that you could build a Glock without any official Glock parts. It was only a matter of time until we got Glock 19s that weren’t made by Glock, and that’s exactly what we have with the Adams Arms AA19.
It’s a Glock 19 but built from the ground up to be better. That’s the claim anyway. Is it? Well, I guess we’ll need to dive in and find out.
Featured Filled From Top to Bottom
The AA19 provides you with nothing but features. The list is exhaustive and largely works to fix perceived problems with the Glock 19 platform, as well as modern upgrades for the everyday shooter. Adams Arms builds the gun, and this is their first complete handgun, but this Florida-based gun maker has a history of building high-end AR 15s, so the AA19 seems promising.
The frame takes a major deviation from Glock and uses a straighter, less angular grip that comes out to about 18 degrees versus the standard 22 degrees Glock trip angle. The grip texture comes in aggressively and covers the grip from top to bottom.
We get a Picatinny rail with the AA19 instead of the weirdish Glock rail. We also get a threaded barrel for compensators, suppressors, or whatever else you want to throw at it. Up top, the slide has an optic cut with the Docter style footprint with a slick lightening cut to keep the slide balanced.
The Adams Arms AA19 wears a ton of features and comes in any color you want, as long as it’s black. The AA19 is what most Gucci Glocks become without all the effort of getting all dolled up.
Upgraded Ergonomics
While the gun’s feature-filled, the ergonomics are also on point. Grip angle is subjective, but the rest of the features take ergos to the next level. The trigger guard features a double undercut that allows your firing and non-firing hand to grip high and tight on the gun. A little lip of a beavertail keeps your hand from getting bit by the slide.
The massive magazine release makes it plenty easy to drop magazines, and the slightly beveled magwell makes reloads a little faster. Interestingly enough, the AA19 frame is slightly longer than the standard Glock 19 grip. It still works perfectly with Glock 19 magazines but accommodates my entire massive hand without pinning the magazine in place.
The slide sports front and rear serrations for an easy grip to rack the weapon, to yank it open to clear malfunctions, and to do press checks. The AA19 is a fantastic design with amazing ergonomics. I was excited to load some mags and hit the range.
Controlling the Beast
Once you start throwing lead downrange and ringing steel, you’ll start to really appreciate all those ergonomic improvements. The grip inspires you to get nice and high on the gun. The higher the grip, the more control you’ll exert over the weapon. Those double undercuts allow you to choke up, and that little beavertail makes sure you don’t get that Gen 3 and Gen 4 Glock slide bite.
9mm recoil isn’t typically an issue with most guns, and here it isn’t even an afterthought. A good grip goes a long way, and the aggressive texture takes it even further. Controlling the AA19 and putting 9mm pills into steel, paper, or cardboard isn’t a big challenge. Without a warm-up, I ran some of my faster Failure To Stop drills scoring kills in about half a second. The double-tap can be tricky to hit accurately, but with the AA19, I landed shots on top of each other.
Hearing the Ding
In terms of accuracy, you have two things working for you. First, the Vickers Tangodown trigger presents a wide flat-faced trigger that has a short and crisp travel before it meets a stiff wall. The break is clean and even, and the reset is super short. It’s not a match-grade super light trigger but a refined duty or carry trigger.
The AA19 wears Ameriglo Deffor sights. These blacked-out sights are interesting and not something I’d used a ton. The all-blacked-out sights might not contrast, but they are easy to pick up and to get behind. The front sight is rather thin, which means you get plenty of room between the three posts when the sights align.
That room allows for rapid close-range shots with enough accuracy to score hits. At the same time, the small front sight makes it easy to see small targets or targets at longer ranges. Scoring solid hits on targets out to 35 yards doesn’t pose much of a challenge. Out to 50 yards, I do okay on the same gong. I hit more than I miss, but I’m not scoring 100% accuracy.
My Oh My
The Adams Arms AA19 takes the Glock pistol to an entirely new level. The ergonomics ar refined, the slide is outfitted for modern optics, the barrel is ready for accessories, and tons of small refinements. From the trigger to the magazine release, you have a combat-oriented, custom gun without the work to make it custom. The price of $999 might scare some off, but when you break down the features included, it’s a rather fair price.
What do you say? Let us know below.
About Travis Pike
Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine Gunner, a lifelong firearms enthusiast, and now a regular guy who likes to shoot, write, and find ways to combine the two. He holds an NRA certification as a Basic Pistol Instructor and is the world’s Okayest firearm’s instructor.
I personally prefer the Glock grip angle, thus I own a Glock. I understand some don’t like that angle and the alternate frame angle may suit some. The AA19 seems awfully overpriced if the weapon is intended for personal carry/defense. Polymer 80 and Springfield’s Dagger seem to have the Glock-19 alternate market pretty well covered and at more affordable price points.
It’s probably a nice gun, but it would be like buying my Polymer 80 all over again. Mine is basically the same, other than the specific stippling and frame side-cuts. I guess if you don’t want to do the finishing work, it’s the way to go.
I’ve often thought how much I like my G19, but wish the grip angle was “normal”. Now they’ve done it! Maybe their tagline should be “True perfection”.