GLOCK

GLOCK is an Austrian defense contractor (named after the founder Gaston Glock) founded in 1963 in Deutsch-Wagram, near Vienna, Austria.

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Glock22.jpg

GLOCK 22

Contents

1 Overview

2 Plastic pistol myths

3 Safety mechanism

4 Weapon functionality misconceptions

5 Popularity

6 Table of GLOCK pistols

7 See also

8 External links

Overview

Mainly known for being the manufacturer of polymer-framed pistols, GLOCK also produces equipment such as field knives and shovels. The company started life manufacturing curtain rods. They later supplied the Austrian Army with machine gun belts, practice hand grenades, plastic clips, field knives and entrenching tools.

The GLOCK corporate name and the pistol model designations are spelled with all uppercase letters. The names of the company and its products are often referred to as "Glock" and not as "GLOCK". According to GLOCK, this is technically incorrect.

Its first pistol model was the GLOCK 17 (so named because it was the 17th patent of the company), a 9 mm Luger handgun with a 17 round capacity (unusually large at the time), introduced in the early 1980s as a response to the Austrian army asking for a new sidearm. GLOCK pistols are popular with law enforcement agencies, defense-minded private citizens, and criminals, especially when chambered for modern, powerful cartridges such as the .40 S&W. GLOCK was the first manufacturer to offer models chambered in the cartridge (Glock 22 & Glock 23 - 1990), beating Smith & Wesson to the marketplace of their own cartridge. The GLOCK 22 is currently (as of mid-2005) the single most popular police sidearm in use in the United States; GLOCK pistols in general are in use by over 60% of the police officers in the US. GLOCK offers pistols chambered in 9 mm, .40 Smith & Wesson, .357 Sig, .380, 10 mm, .45 ACP, and the new .45 GAP (GLOCK Automatic Pistol).

Plastic pistol myths

Contrary to early reports, GLOCKS certainly do set off metal detectors and can indeed be detected by X-ray machines, due to their heavy metal barrels and slides. The claim that they could not was first made in an article published in the Washington Post on January 13, 1985, entitled, "Quaddafi Buying Austrian Plastic Pistol." In this article, vocal gun control advocate Jack Anderson made the allegations, which were then reported without fact-checking by the Associated Press and further reported by many United States television news stations and newspapers. It has since become an urban legend that to this day continues to appear in news reports and movies, and has even been a topic of debate in the United States Congress.

In fact, 83% (by weight) of the GLOCK is ordinary gun steel and the "plastic" parts are in fact a dense polymer known as 'Polymer 2' which is radio opaque and thus also shows up under X-ray security equipment. In addition, virtually all of these "plastic" parts contain embedded steel to make them functional, not to make them "detectable". Contrary to popular movies like Die Hard 2: Die Harder and In the Line of Fire, neither GLOCK, nor any other gun maker has ever produced a "ceramic" or "plastic" firearm which is undetectable by ordinary security screening devices.

The movie Die Hard 2 specifically refers to a non-existent GLOCK 7 with many fictitious characteristics:

"That punk pulled a Glock 7 on me! You know what that is? It's a porcelain gun made in Germany. It doesn't show up on your airport X-ray machines, and it cost more than you make here in a month."

In fact, GLOCK pistols are made of polymer and steel, are made in Austria, are visible to X-ray equipment, and are not significantly more expensive than comparable firearms.

Safety mechanism

GLOCK pistols use an internal safety mechanism with three components with no external safety switch. GLOCK calls this the "Safe Action" system. All 3 safeties are disabled one after the other when the trigger is depressed. They are:

Trigger Safety: a lever mechanism contained within the trigger that prevents the trigger from moving unless intentionally pulled.
Firing Pin Safety: a spring-loaded pin attached by an extension bar to the trigger assembly blocks the firing pin from striking the cartridge until the trigger is pulled.
Drop Safety: the far end of the same extension bar locks the firing pin into place from the rear until the trigger is pulled.

Similar systems for internal safeties have since become standard for many major brand makers of semi-automatic pistols. Accidental injury can still be caused by putting one's finger on the trigger while drawing the pistol from its holster. GLOCK users must also make sure that they empty the chamber before field stripping a GLOCK, as before disassembly, one must pull the trigger to be able to remove the slide from the frame. Normal wear to the firing pin safety can and does cause the firing pin safety to fail. When combined with other major component failures, such as a broken slide rail, Glock pistols may fire unexpectedly.

Weapon functionality misconceptions

GLOCK handguns have seen much fictional exposure in action movies and TV shows that often continue to spread misconceptions about the GLOCK. One common aspect of popular media portrayals of the GLOCK is when someone pulls out or points a GLOCK and the foley artists insert the sound effect of the GLOCK being "cocked" like a revolver. The GLOCK visibly does not have an external hammer and thus cannot be "cocked" or "uncocked" in the conventional manner and does not make the sort of sounds that are commonly heard in TV and movies. GLOCKS can technically be "cocked" by manually pulling back (racking) the slide about 1/2 inch (13 mm) and letting it return to its closed position. However, in order to eject a cartridge and/or load a new one, the slide must be pulled back completely. This requires the use of both hands and produces a rather loud sound that is very different from the sound effect of a revolver being cocked. Also, once a GLOCK is cocked, it can only be decocked by removing any live cartridge from the chamber and pulling the trigger.

Popularity

GLOCK claims sales of over 2.5 million handguns in over 100 countries.

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Glock17&26.jpg

GLOCK 17 & 26

GLOCK sidearms are very common handguns among law enforcement agencies in the United States; many estimates place GLOCK's market share among USA Police departments at over 60% (based on total number of guns sold, not percentage of departments). GLOCK's website states their pistols are "in use in 65% of law enforcement agencies." The US FBI issues all agents graduating from the FBI Academy a GLOCK 22 or GLOCK 23 (agent's preference).

GLOCK pistols are renowned for their reliability. They are able to function under extreme conditions and to fire a wide range of ammunition types due to their rugged construction and simplicity of design. They contain a relatively small number of components, making in-the-field maintenance and repair simpler.

GLOCK pistols have gained popularity due to the fact that the lower height of the barrel compared to the grip results in less torque when shooting and lower perceived recoil, which many owners feel makes the gun more comfortable to fire. GLOCK also claims that its "Safe Action" safety system (see above) results in smoother trigger pull.

The GLOCK name has been misused as a generic slang term for any expensive black handgun.

Table of GLOCK pistols

Model number	Round	Total length		Barrel length		Capacity (rounds)	Weight without magazine
		(mm)	(in)	(mm)	(in)		(g)
17	9 mm Luger	186	7.32	114	4.49	10, 17, 19, 31, 33	703
17C	9 mm Luger	186	7.32	114	4.49	10, 17, 19, 31, 33	698
17L	9 mm Luger	225	8.86	153	6.02	10, 17, 19, 31, 33	748
18	9 mm Luger	185	7.28	114	4.49	10, 17, 19, 31, 33	702
18C	9 mm Luger	185	7.28	114	4.49	10, 17, 19, 31, 33	667
19	9 mm Luger	174	6.85	102	4.01	10, 15, 17, 19, 31, 33	665
19C	9 mm Luger	174	6.85	102	4.01	10, 15, 17, 19, 31, 33	656
20	10 mm	193	7.60	117	4.61	10, 15	860
20C	10 mm	193	7.60	117	4.61	10, 15	850
21	.45 ACP	193	7.60	117	4.61	10, 13	833
21C	.45 ACP	193	7.60	117	4.61	10, 13	823
22	.40 S&W	186	7.32	114	4.49	10, 15	728
22C	.40 S&W	186	7.32	114	4.49	10, 15	717
23	.40 S&W	174	6.85	102	4.01	10, 13	670
23C	.40 S&W	174	6.85	102	4.01	10, 13	663
24	.40 S&W	225	8.86	153	6.02	10, 15	835
24C	.40 S&W	225	8.86	153	6.02	10, 15	835
25	.380 ACP	174	6.85	102	4.01	15	638
26	9 mm Luger	160	6.30	88	3.46	10, 12, 15, 17, 19, 31, 33	616
27	.40 S&W	160	6.30	88	3.46	9	620
28	.380 ACP	160	6.30	88	3.46	10	585
29	10 mm	172	6.77	96	3.78	10	768
30	.45 ACP	172	6.77	96	3.78	10	751
31	.357 SIG	186	7.32	114	4.49	15	738
31C	.357 SIG	186	7.32	114	4.49	15	733
32	.357 SIG	174	6.85	102	4.01	13	680
32C	.357 SIG	174	6.85	102	4.01	13	675
33	.357 SIG	160	6.30	88	3.46	10	620
34	9 mm Luger	207	8.15	135	5.31	10, 17, 19, 31, 33	728
35	.40 S&W	207	8.15	135	5.31	10, 15	773
36	.45 ACP	172	6.77	96	3.78	6	638
37	.45 GAP	189	7.44	116	4.56	10	740
38	.45 GAP	174	6.85	102	4.01	8	685
39	.45 GAP	160	6.30	88	3.46	8	548

--images of the GLOCK 38 & 39 available at:

http://www.atlantisarms.com/G38_Glock.html http://www.atlantisarms.com/G39_Glock.html

Note: One can probably come across references to a "GLOCK 40" from time to time. However, no such version of the GLOCK actually exists. Rather, it is a slang term some people use to refer to GLOCKs chambered for the .40 S&W.