Welcome aboard. There’s nothing wrong with the Gen3. If price is the issue then go for that.
Really the big draw of the Gen5 is ambi controls.

 

Welcome to the Glock Forum.

Many of us, myself included, believe the Gen 3 is the most robust gen ever made. Yes, it has less bells and whistles. But if you’re a righty, do you really need them. Additionally, the Gen 3 has more polymer and is therefore thicker and indestructible.

 

I didn’t know that about the Gen. 3’s.
I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the generations, but I really like the look of the Gen. 5’s. The flared magwell and the rounded slide edges really improved the look of the Glocks. I’d also like to see a good accuracy comparison between the Gen. 5 Marksman barrel vs. the regular polygonal barrels.

 

My preference is the Gen 1-4. I had a Gen 5 on my bench for the first time recently. The grip I liked and the trigger felt OK. Some odd changes that I don't yet understand but will learn. Nothing really negative, just most familiar with the 1-4 models. For that large of price difference the Gen-3 hands down.

 

During several more searches, I found a Gen 5 for not much more than $60 over the Gen 3s price. My mistake. If I had paid closer attention to model numbers, that wouldn't have happened. I'm not sure I've ever seen so many variations in a single model handgun. I guess maybe that's why it's the most popular gun on the market today. Or maybe it's the other way around and that's why there's so many variants. Either way, based on the information you folks have provided, I'm still leaning towards the Gen 3. Thanks for the input.

 

I used to work retail. There’s all the Glock variations then there’s third party part numbers on top of that!
Distributors would get a batch of brand new Glocks then send them out to Cerakoters or other customizers. Sometimes retailers would sell a gun that was customized for a regular Glock price because the scanner would read the Glock barcode instead of the third party tag. Inventory and 💸 nightmares.

 

The Gen 3 is, in my opinion, the most robust generation ever created. Because the Gen 3 includes more polymer, it is thicker and durable. There is nothing wrong with the Gen3 model.

 

Did I mention I was old and feeble?
Either model is more capable than I am. Some days, I leave the shooting range satisfied I kept my efforts within the black. Other days, I do a little better and can actually remember where I parked my truck without clicking its alarm.