Glock Pistols

 

    Glock handguns are among the finest combat-ready handguns that exist today. Originally designed in the early 1980's for the Austrian military by plastics expert Gaston Glock and a team of handgun experts, Glock pistols have taken the world by storm. They represent perhaps the most important breakthroughs in handgun technology since the Colt .45 1911. Since their introduction in the U.S. in 1985, Glock pistols have been adopted as issue weapons for more than 60% of the law enforcement agencies in the United States, and are in use worldwide by law enforcement and military units alike.

    Glock pistols may be best known for the controversy surrounding them when they were first introduced. Specifically, Glocks were the first of the "Plastic Guns", and myths and half-truths about the guns were spread by a few influential people, and reinforced in other ways, such as by Hollywood. Glock frames, and many of the other assorted pieces, are made of high strengh polymer plastic. To many ill-informed people, this made the Glock the "perfect terrorist weapon", as it would be "undetectable by metal detectors". Bruce Willis's character in the movie "Die Hard" didn't help, when, during a Glock's first known appearance in motion pictures, referred to the fictional "Glock 7" (it was a 17) as a "ceramic gun". Glock slides, barrels, and many other parts are steel, and even the plastic frame has steel pieces molded into it. They can and are detected by metal detectors.

    Today, most (though not all) of the "Plastic Gun" paranoia has gone way. It's a tribute to Glock's sucess that the newest models of pistols from respected handgun companies such as Heckler & Koch, Ruger, SIG, and Smith & Wesson are all plastic-framed guns. S&W's Sigma series is nearly an exact copy of the Glock, many parts being interchangable.

    Another source of controversy is the Glock "Safe-Action" safety system. Unlike traditional pistols, Glocks do not have an external, manual safety, nor does it have an exposed hammer. Instead, Glock employs three internal safety mechanisms, all based on the trigger, that prevent the gun from firing in the event that the gun is dropped or jolted. First, the firing pin is not "cocked" unless the trigger is depressed, which compresses the trigger spring. Second, there is a firing pin safety that blocks the movement of the firing pin, so even if the pistol is dropped, inertia cannot cause the pin to strike the round. Third, Glocks have a trigger safety; a small bar that extends out of the trigger itself. This prevents the trigger from being depressed by inertial forces. Simply put, if the trigger isn't depressed, a Glock won't fire.

    Ironically, what were originally attributed as weaknesses in Glock pistols are now known to be strengths. The simple, rugged design of the Glock, including the plastic frame, enabled Glock pistols to survive the most brutal tests against both the elements and normal wear. Several noted gunwriters have put over 250,000 rounds through their personal Glocks, with one Glock over 1.1 million rounds, and another over 300,000 +P rounds with no structural failures. Glocks have successfully fired when full of water, mud, and sand. Glocks have been frozen in ice, chipped out, and fired. Glocks have been dropped from 50 feet with a chambered round and not fired. And, Glocks have proven to be among the most accurate handguns available anywhere right out of the box. Not bad for an infant gun company.