Glock 22 Gen5 Review: Who Still Wants a .40 S&W Glock?

The .40 S&W duty gun is out of fashion, not out of production. Here is a clear-eyed read of the Glock 22 Gen5 for people who already have a reason to ask.

A pistol with a reputation problem and a real job

If you follow duty pistols you already know the story. The .40 S&W arrived in the early 1990s as a compromise between the 9mm and the .45 ACP, enjoyed years as the default law enforcement caliber, and then lost ground as agencies moved back to 9mm. We cover the cartridge's trajectory in Is .40 S&W dead in 2026?, and BulkAmmoFinder tells the FBI side of the story in more depth.

The Glock 22 is the pistol that carried most of that era. The Gen5 version is the current production iteration, and that is why it keeps showing up in conversations about trade-ins, agency standardization and range guns. This review covers what it is, what the Gen5 changes mean for a .40, and who should still care.

What Gen5 means on a .40

The Gen5 changes are the same ones the G17 got, and they carry over to this frame. The shorthand list: no front finger grooves, an ambidextrous slide stop, a flared magazine well, Glock's Marksman barrel and an nDLC finish. We lay them out in more detail in the Glock 17 vs 19 comparison.

For a .40 specifically, two points are worth stating plainly.

• Grip fit matters more here. .40 S&W is widely described as having a snappier recoil impulse than 9mm. A grip without finger grooves, plus interchangeable backstraps, makes it easier to fit the gun to a wide range of hands, which matters more when the cartridge asks more of the shooter.
• Wear and maintenance deserve attention. A snappier cartridge is generally harder on a pistol and its shooter over a long round count than a milder one. Follow the manufacturer's maintenance guidance, and ask your armorer about inspection and parts-replacement intervals for a high-use duty gun.

Recoil and training load

The reason many agencies moved toward 9mm was shootability. Lower recoil, higher capacity, and cheaper practice rounds make it easier to train enough to stay sharp. A .40 pistol does not become hard to shoot because of that, but it does put more premium on training volume to hold the same level of skill.

If you run a G22 as a duty or personal pistol, build practice into the plan that matches your duty load. Our piece on training ammo that matches your duty load is a good starting point. The duty ammo tier list covers the defensive side.

Capacity and magazines

The common standard-capacity magazine for this model holds 15 rounds. Some listings ship with 10-round magazines for restricted states, and the listing for the Glock 22 Gen5 below describes a 10+1 configuration with 15-round magazines common. Treat that as a reminder to read your specific SKU before ordering, not as a default.

The .357 SIG and 9mm questions

Two questions come up around every .40 Glock.

.357 SIG. The Glock 31 is the .357 SIG sibling of the G22 and shares a frame with it. Barrel swaps between .40 and .357 SIG are discussed in many places, and we address the whole family in Is .357 SIG still issued?. The honest caution: any caliber change, even a barrel-only one, should follow manufacturer instructions and be checked by a qualified armorer, particularly for a duty gun.

9mm conversion. Some owners look at converting a .40 Glock to shoot 9mm with a conversion barrel and magazines. That path is fiddly and not the same as using a native 9mm pistol. If your goal is a 9mm duty pistol, the straightforward answer is to buy one.

Holsters and the rest of the kit

The G22 shares a full-size footprint with the G17, and many holster listings name both. That is convenient, but not a guarantee: slide, frame and light-rail details differ by generation and model, and light-bearing holsters are molded for specific lights. Confirm exact compatibility with the holster maker before you buy, and see duty holster retention levels if you are picking from scratch.

Who should buy it, who should not

If you are buying used or as a trade-in

The G22's history means a lot of them circulate secondhand. A few questions are worth asking before you pay for one, whatever the generation.

• How many magazines come with it, and are they all the same type? Magazines wear faster than the gun, and a mixed bag of old and new ones is a warning sign.
• Has the recoil spring assembly been replaced? A duty gun that has never had its springs changed has probably been running past its interval.
• Is there service or armorer documentation? Records are not guaranteed, but their absence is information.
• What does the finish look like under the holster line? Wear tells you how the gun lived.

A used pistol should be inspected by a qualified armorer before it is trusted for duty or defensive use. Our .357 SIG trade-in guide has a longer inspection checklist that applies equally well here.

Bottom line

The Glock 22 Gen5 is a competent, well-supported full-size .40. Its main problem is not engineering, it is context: the world moved toward 9mm, and ammunition, training economics and accessory choices followed. If you already live in the .40 world, the G22 Gen5 is an easy answer. If you do not, you will probably be happier with a 9mm such as the Glock 17 Gen5.

Always confirm specific dimensions, weight and capacity on Glock's own product page, linked under sources, and check your agency's approved-equipment list before any purchase.

Editorial note: This is an independent editorial overview built from manufacturer specifications and publicly available information. We have not performed hands-on testing of the products discussed, and nothing here is a performance guarantee. Verify specifications, compatibility and legality for your own situation.

Affiliate disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links to Ammunition Depot. We may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial choices are not influenced by commissions. Check current price, stock and specifications directly with the retailer.