Glock or Sig Sauer? This question has boggled the minds of many military users, police, and posters on forums across the web for at least two decades now. Before I was even a thought people in the 80’s with rad mustaches and aviators were arguing whether they preferred Glock or Sig while fidgeting with their Walkman cassette players.

To be honest, the question isn’t even fair in the context most people put it in. The way many people frame the question is as if they are two strikingly similar platforms of equal cost. They are not. In fact, there is about a $350 price difference between the two platforms. One is polymer and one is metal. One is striker-fired and the other hammer-fired. One looks good and the other looks like…ok, ok, I’ll leave that for you to decide. Regardless, Glock and Sig are two of the most popular handgun brands, so why not do a comparison review of the two?

This year saw an increased interest in concealed carry weapons, largely due in part to the 9th Circuit’s Peruta ruling, which made California a shall-issue state. This was a landmark decision for the Golden State, and the ability for some to finally carry concealed put them into a golden state-of-mind with money flying out of their pockets for the latest and greatest compact handguns. One of the hottest selling compact handguns this year has been the Glock 19 Gen 4. Although the Gen 4 has been around for a few years now people weren’t as eager to buy them in 2012 as they are now, due to FTF problems users were experiencing in early models. Now that Glock has remedied these problems the Gen 4 Glocks are flying off the shelves and stores are struggling to keep them in stock. Another compact handgun that has earned a respected reputation in the past couple of years is the lesser-known Sig Sauer M11-A1, a gun hailing from Glock’s arch nemesis company.

So I thought: “What better comparison review to do than between a Glock and a Sig of equal caliber and size?” And since we’re talking compact carry, there ain’t room enough in this waistband for the two of them.

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The Glock 19 Gen 4

If you want a compact 9mm that is going to work every time you pull the trigger and you don’t care about anything else then stop reading here and go buy a Glock 19.

Now, this isn’t to say that the Glock 19 is the immediate winner or loser in this comparison (depending on how you interpret my opening statement). It isn’t. The Glock has several drawbacks, but if you were alone in a cabin in the woods and there was a table of handguns you didn’t recognize and then a Glock 19, you would be stupid not to choose the Glock. I have shot Glocks so many times that I don’t even remember what they feel like anymore. Familiarity on the level of subconscious second nature is a good thing, and it’s a familiarity many people have.

The Gen 4 Glocks improve on the classic Glock grip by including interchangeable backstraps with beavertails to suit your hand size and preference. Some people don’t like the “blocky” grip of the Glock, but my long fingers have no quarrel with it. If you are new to Glocks you may want to go to your local gun store and hold one to make sure you like the way it sits in your hand. Furthermore, you should rent one at a range to see how you shoot with it. For some, the Glock grip is uncomfortable, and therefore causes a loss in accuracy. However, the Gen 4 grip feels slimmer and more comfortable than the classic Glock block. Ergonomics should be one of the first things discussed when looking at CCW handgun options, because it effects both draw time and accuracy.

The Glock 19’s overall length from tip of barrel to the furthest extending point on the pistol grip is 7 inches. From the top to the bottom (with mag inserted) it measures 4.8 inches. The width of the gun comes in at 1 inch. And according to Glock’s website the gun weighs 23.65 ounces unloaded and 30.18 ounces loaded. The Glock is a tad lighter than the Sig M11 due to its polymer frame, but in my opinion the difference feels small, and for me it is barely noticeable when aiming. Weight is understandably a big deal with extended CCW carries, and a significant difference in weight must be factored in when deciding between two guns.

The Glock 19 performed well at the range and I was able to achieve accuracy on par with any other good 9mm handgun. The unique white sight markings on the Glock certainly help, and I am a big fan of them. While I am not the most practiced shot in the shooting community I know what is a good and a bad group, and the Glock 19 didn’t surprise me. Glocks are not the most accurate handguns money can buy, but they are as accurate as any CCW handgun needs to be. On a cold shot I placed a hole dead center of the target’s forehead. So the gun is certainly capable of hitting wherever it is aimed, but it lies in the hands of the shooter to be able to utilize its full potential. The groups with the Glock 19 were not quite as tight as my M11’s, but there wasn’t a practical difference that I could notice.

The striker-fired design on the Glock gives it a rough trigger pull when compared with the Sig. Even the Sig’s double-action trigger pull takes the cake for smoothness over the Glock. However, the trigger on the Glock doesn’t feel heavy, and it works fine for me. One thing that people never talk about is the size of the Glock’s trigger. It is small, and feels very small to me. This allows for better control when firing and makes up for the lack of a “refined” trigger mechanism. With the Glock I felt as if I was just squeezing the trigger…I don’t know how to describe it, I just had great control over the weapon every time I fired it. Never did I jerk the weapon off target (a problem common with double-action triggers). Again, this will be different depending on your hand size, but my hands really like the Glock.

With this review being done in California I had to use 10 round magazines in the guns, as seen above. Yeah, I can already hear the neighbors over in Arizona howling with laughter, but hey, how’s that beach over there? Anyway, the 10 round magazine rule is a joke and I could do without it, but for all practical purposes a range review isn’t going to be affected by them (minus the issue of weight). In a real life situation it would be preferable to have more rounds, though.

Aside from only holding 10 rounds the Glock’s 10 round mags also suffer from reliability issues. Yes, that’s right, there can be reliability issues with a Glock. The gun itself is not unreliable, but the 10 round mags are. Users sometimes experience failures to feed, which is obviously not good in a real life CCW situation. While I experienced no problems with them, other people have. There are ways around this issue by replacing the springs, but this is something to factor in if choosing a Glock 19 for a CCW in California.

The Glock 19 is a solid choice for a compact CCW handgun, go-to-work handgun, or target shooting. The Gen 4 improves on the Gen 3 Glocks with its ultra-comfortable backstraps and dual recoil spring. It’s hard to go wrong with a Glock, just make sure you like the way it sits with your hands and be aware of the magazine issues if you are in California.

Sig Sauer M11-A1

Ah yes, the Sig Sauer M11-A1, my favorite handgun and everyday carry. I am a little biased, as you may already know from my individual review of this handgun…even though the Glock is an equally good handgun from a practical perspective. Yet the question still remains: Is the Sig worth an extra $350?

Upon picking up the M11 the first thing that you will notice is how comfortable and balanced it is. Everyone that has held my M11 comments on this, and people on Sig forums far and wide note this as well. This positive reaction is a good indication of a gun with universally comfortable ergonomics and weight. But just like the Glock some people with small hands might not like how it sits in their palm. The classic Sig grips are slightly fatter than the new E2 grips, not to worry though, because you can buy E2 grips for the M11 and swap out the originals. The classic Sig grips are renowned for their ergonomics, and most people will be satisfied with them.

The overall length of the Sig M11 (to the end of the beavertail) is 7 inches. From top to bottom with magazine it is 5 inches. And the width is 1.2 inches. The Sig is a double stack with a large grip, and this grip is prone to printing underneath a t-shirt. Does this bug me? Not really. It’s the gun I choose to carry, and with dark colored shirts it’s unnoticeable to the average person, just like the Glock 19. I carry IWB with a t-shirt; and you can call me OCD but I just do a quick touch check on my shirt every 5 minutes or so to check for riding. Since I don’t want to wear 3X Large t-shirts or vests (dead giveaway) it has just become a force of habit, even though the only time my shirt really wants to ride up on the grip is when I bend or reach high. As for weight, the M11 is a bit heavier than the Glock and it’s definitely noticeable on your side. When carrying the M11 you know it. If you want to have a gun that feels nonexistent I would recommend researching single-stack polymer pistols.

At the range the Sig performed very well. It definitely has an edge on accuracy over the Glock (and an edge over the Springfield XDM Compact), but is this accuracy necessary in a practical CCW handgun? Some would argue no, while others would make the case that “each shot you miss is a potential lawsuit.” The accuracy isn’t that much more dramatic, but you get point. With training I think that I could shoot almost equally as well with the Glock 19. As for recoil I would describe the M11’s as smooth—like riding in a V12 BMW—and the Glock’s as jumpy. Although you “feel” the recoil of the metal-framed M11 more, it is a smooth and round recoil, and doesn’t feel any worse than the Glock. Both guns have easygoing recoil, they are just different. With the Glock it would jump a tiny bit to the side, while the M11 bounced straight up.

The high bore axis on the Sig is frowned upon by some, as they say it increases muzzle flip and can be harder to get back on target than it would with a lower bore axis gun like the Glock. I personally didn’t notice any problems with this on the M11, because after each shot the gun would bounce up and then fall straight back down on target. The Glock’s low bore axis didn’t matter because the recoil would bounce the gun slightly off to the side. I did however find that the Springfield XDM Compact stayed on target extremely well, and I just might have to do a review of that gun next. The SigLite night sights on the M11 are a cool bonus, and they really light up in the dark. During the daytime they function like any other sights though, and I almost prefer the Glock’s easy-to-align U sight picture. Sights are more of a personal preference, and you’re going to have to experiment with different ones to find your sweet spot.

As for the cool factor, I’ll state the obvious: I think that the M11 is a better looking handgun than the Glock. No one is going to come up to you and check out your Glock unless they’re new to firearms or it’s the ultra-loud Glock 32. I care what my guns look like, so I tend to like guns that catch the eye. That doesn’t mean I’ll go buy an unreliable, antique handgun to carry, but I think that your modern carry gun should be something that you like to carry. You can tell a lot about a person by the guns they choose to buy and carry.

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It’s almost a toss up between the Glock 19 Gen 4 and the Sig M11-A1. Is that a cop-answer for a “vs” review? Perhaps, but it really does boil down to personal preference. The Glock is an insanely good handgun for the price (around $500), and an insanely reliable one (minus the magazine issue). You almost can’t go wrong with it. The Glock 19 will certainly be easier to come by, and offers more aftermarket parts than the Sig. Keep in mind that the Glock has a rail which you can attach lights and lasers to, while the Sig does not. In a way, the Glock is more bang for your buck.

The Sig is a more traditional handgun and shoots and carries like one. If you like the hefty feeling of an all-metal handgun, then look into the Sig. The Sig also offers better internals—phosphate coated and the “custom” SRT trigger. In wet conditions or over a long period of time the Sig should hold up better than the Glock. Will I really be needing phosphate-coated internals and a stainless steel slide, though? Probably not, but it’s a reassuring feeling.

In the end, we can over analyze each and every point of the two handguns for hours on end. But if we are honest with ourselves we will admit that both handguns can do the job. Different strokes for different folks.