I've previously owned a G17, shot a G17C and would love to shoot a G34. Based on your stated reasons of mainly plinking and some target shooting, any of these models will do. They are all very accurate and easy to maintain. Some thoughts in general are;
The G34 has a slightly longer barrel to increase accuracy but a G17 will do just fine for what you want. If you ever decide to carry this gun concealed (as in CCW), the G34 will be a little harder to conceal.
A compensated Glock is going to be a little louder for both you as a shooter and anybody nearby. There isn't that much recoil in a 9mm pistol so you may not think the extra expense of a compensator is worth it. That's a decision you would have to make for yourself.
The G17 was the original Glock pistol and should be very easy to buy used if you're thinking about saving some money that way. It's almost impossible to wear one of these pistols out as they torture test the barrels for several hundred thousand rounds. If you plan on shooting that much, buying a replacement barrel would only be a drop in the bucket. I used to carry a G17 off-duty in a gunbag off-duty and it worked just fine. Besides, you're definitely not going to run out of ammo.
Hope this helps some. Enjoy the pistol you buy.
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Last edited by CalHunter; 06-21-2010 at 02:31 PM.
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