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

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 classic 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 as well as gangs, mostly crips throughout the world, especially when chambered for modern, powerful cartridges such as the .40 S&W, of which 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. GLOCK offers pistols chambered in 9mm, .40 Smith & Wesson, .357 Sig, .380, 10mm, .45 ACP, and the new .45 GAP (GLOCK Automatic Pistol).

Plastic Pistol Legend

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 as being an undetectable "ceramic" gun.

Safety Mechanism

GLOCK pistols use an internal safety mechanism with no external safety switch. All 3 safeties are disabled one after the other when the trigger is depressed. Similar systems for internal safeties have since become standard for many major brand makers of semi-auto pistols. Several improperly trained persons have managed to shoot themselves by putting their finger on the trigger whilst 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. While some claim this is a safety concern others believe having to unload a pistol before dissassembling is just common sense. Normal wear to the firing pin safety can and does cause the firing pin safety to fail, when this was combined with a broken slide rail a Canadian policeman was shot in the leg when his Glock pistol fired while in the holster. Firing pin safeties should be routinely inspected to ensure they are functioning properly.

Weapon Functionality Misconceptions

GLOCK handguns have seen much fictional exposure in action movies and TV shows, that often continue to spread the myths about the GLOCK. One common and amusing 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. Sometimes the same GLOCK gets "cocked" multiple times in the same scene. The GLOCK does not have an external hammer and thus cannot be "cocked" nor "uncocked" and never makes the sort of sounds that are commonly inserted into TV and movies. This amusing display of media ignorance about firearms is also common for a variety of other types of firearms, along with many other impossible actions attributed to firearms by the popular media. A perfect example is in the movie The Matrix where several GLOCKS are being "cocked" when Trinity is being arrested in the begining of the movie. For the record, GLOCKS can be "cocked" by manually pulling back (racking) the slide about 1/2 inch 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 de-cocked (quietly) by removing the magazine and all ammo (ensure that there is no ammo in the chamber!), and pulling the trigger.

Another popular TV/movie firearms myth shows a GLOCK, or other firearm, being dropped and just "going off". This is virtually impossible with most modern semi-automatic pistols, and especially so with GLOCKS. Other than the alteration of the internal workings of the gun or failure to replace the firing-pin safety system as it wears through normal use, the GLOCK's "double trigger" safety was thought to be virtually impossible to discharge the weapon without pulling directly backwards on the trigger. Extensive tests have been done such as subjecting the GLOCK to being dropped onto concrete from high up, with remarkable success. As is the case with all handguns, it is important to draw it from a holster properly (i.e. not with one's finger on the trigger).

Popularity

The GLOCK name has been vernacularized as a generic slang term for any expensive black handgun. In a perhaps fitting twist of irony, the "point and shoot" ease of use and high capacity of the GLOCK pistols has caused GLOCK to become the single most favored brand of handgun for contemporary hip-hop artists to reference in their music, notably Tupac Shakur, 50 Cent, Ludacris, and others.

GLOCK sidearms are by far the most 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). 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.

GLOCK has also 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, resulting in a more enjoyable shooting experience and faster second-shot capabilities for many.

Another reason that GLOCK is popular is the low component count. It's much easier for a layman to detail strip a G17 than a M1911.

Table of GLOCK Pistols

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.

See also

• List of modern armament manufacturers

External links

• GLOCK's official website
• GSSF site (GLOCK Sport Shooting Foundation)
• The GLOCK FAQ
• The GLOCK TALK Forums
• GLOCKMEISTER Armorer (info & parts/service site)
• GunShop Finder (info about GLOCK pistols)
• AtlantisArms.com (free information & online sales)
• Unofficial GLOCK site with lots of pics and info