Originally Published in 2021, updates at the end of the article.

My results of a harsh sand test on few different handguns. This test was not scientific but was very enlightening.

Pistols tested were:

• HK USP Tactical
• Customized 1911
• Rack grade GI 1911
• Glock 21

Test consisted of placing each pistol loaded in a Bianchi GI field holster inside a plastic bag with approx 2 cups of fine/medium grit sand ( North Carolina type). Then the bag was shaken vigorously for 10 seconds while holding onto the pistol butt for safety. The pistol was then taken out and 3 mags were fired through the 1911 and 2 fully loaded mags were fired through the HK and Glock – roughly the same amount of ammo. The sand coverage was very good and uniformly covered the pistols. The pistols were loaded in the mode you would expect in a field environment – condition 3 for the 1911, loaded for the Glock and loaded in DA mode for the USP.A test was done dry and lubed with TW 25B. This test represented EXTREME sand conditions – not normal field use, even in sandy conditions. A brief rundown of the results follow;

1. Carrying your gun dry in this environment is a NO GO despite what some will say. All pistols performed worse dry than lubed.
2. All pistols required some manipulation in order to fire – none would function normally straight out of the holster.
3. Overall the HK USP performed the best – the performance of it dry was roughly the same as the customized 1911 but was definitely the best lubed. Overall it performed well.
4. The custom 1911 was second – interestingly enough the trigger track was not a real problem – the sand that went in through the ejection port to the bottom lugs area caused the most problems. Once the sand shifted in this area the pistol functioned better.
5. The rack grade GI 1911 was a distant third – the custom 1911 had an 18 pound recoil spring and that helped with feeding greatly vs the rack grade gun. Swap out the recoil spring and it probably would have done better.
6. The shocker of the day – the Glock 21 FAILED terribly. The big problem was failure of the trigger to reset. Also at times the pistol would not fire due to sand in the trigger mechanism. The dry test could not even be completed with the Glock due to this. This surprised all of us as we expected the Glock to do quite well.

Moral of the story; The 1911, even in its customized mode, can get the job done if you set it up to succeed. Lube it right, carry it in the right holster and in the proper mode, and it won’t let you down – just like it hasn’t for nearly a 100 years.

The HK USP series are good guns – well designed and well made – for service pistols. The ergonomics hurt the pistol dramatically but for an out of the box service pistol/field gun, they get my endorsement.

The Glock 21 is a dog – always has been. It has the rep of being the worst gun Glock makes. I have a Glock 17 and 19 and like them for what they are – but don’t get sucked into the Glock hype – they are not magical guns. Remember what your dad said when you were in 3rd grade; don’t believe everything you read.

Hope you guys got something out of this – I did.” Larry Vickers

Update for 2025:

Let me add a caveat; time has shown me that adding a grip plug of some type to the Glock greatly increases its reliability- I strongly recommend it if at all possible on any Glock you use. Also my opinion of the Glock as a whole has changed – I like certain models like the Gen 5 G19, G17 and my favorite the G45 in 9mm. They are damn good guns and will serve you well.

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