Adams Arms AA 19

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With the patents expired on the Gen 3 Glock 19 and decades of companies like Lone Wolf trying to aid dissatisfied Glock owners it's no surprise that we've seen a lot of "clones" pop up. What was a surprise was to see a company known for piston ARs, Adams Arms, throw their hat into the ring with the AA 19.

It's also not surprising to see another offering in the 4" barrel, 15+1 capacity 9mm category. This size is about the sweet spot for many. Smaller guns may conceal easier but aren't as enjoyable on the range and certainly are tougher in training courses. Go larger and it's great for the range and courses, but a bit tougher to conceal. For those looking for a do-all gun this size is just right. Add to that the fact that most defensive ammunition is designed to perform optimally from a 4" barrel and for self defense it becomes a simple answer.

Though compatible with Gen 3 Glock parts, I wouldn't consider the AA 19 a "Glock clone" as two signature Glock "features" have been changed: ergonomics and trigger feel. Take a look at the Tabletop video below to get a better concept of the AA 19

The AA 19 offers some premium features and is priced appropriately with an MSRP of $999. At first glance that seems a bit steep, but when you consider the cost of a basic Glock plus the time and money to make it anywhere nearly as advanced as the AA 19 I think this price is fair. Specs below were pulled directly from the product page.

• Polymer Frame with Enhanced Grip Texture

• Picatinny Accessory Rail

• 15+1 Capacity (2 Magazines Included)

• Complete Machined Billet 9x19mm 416 Stainless Steel Slide

• Black Nitride Coating

• Hard, Corrosion-Resistant, Smooth, Long-Wearing Finish

• 9mm Luger

• Match Grade Rifling for Enhanced Accuracy

• Threaded ½ x 28 TPI with Protector for Suppressor Use

• 1:16 Twist

• Pre-Captured Guide Rod

• Tango Down Vickers Tactical Carry Trigger

• Mounting Plates Compatible with the Following Optics:

Trijicon RMR, Leupold Deltapoint Pro, Burris Fastfire 3, Vortex

Venom, Viper, and Razor, C-More STS, Shield RMS, Holosun 407

& Holosun 507

We were a bit apprehensive about the 1:16 twist rate as thaat was also the choice of Rock Island's failed STK 100. We've shot other 9mm pistols with 1:16, but the STK 100 was the most recent and it failed to stabilize quite a few common rounds. How would the AA 19 do in our What's For Dinner Test? That's below.

As you can see it did fine with most loads, but our example seemed to print about 2" low at seven yards regardless of ammo or shooter. Our practical accuracy test results were also good. The sights are easy enough to fix, but the one complaint we had came from Teya an unfortunately is something that can't be changed: the grip width and breadth. That feature is married to Glock's famous magazine design of steel-lined polymer which unfortunately makes the magazine bodies much larger than they need to be. If you want a pistol to accept Glock-pattern magazines you're stuck with those dimensions.

I spent a lot of time with Glock pistols when I was first getting into handguns and in my competitive shooting days. I loved the wealth of aftermarket, but it existed because it needed to. Glock built a reliable handgun, but most other aspects needed changing. I spent a lot of money trying to fix my Glocks and none of them were ever as nice as the Adams Arms AA 19 when I was done with them. If this pistol had existed back then I likely could have saved time, trouble, and money by buying an AA 19 instead.