Glock

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Glock GmbH
TypePrivate
Founded1963[1]
HeadquartersDeutsch-Wagram, Image:Flag of Austria.svg Austria
Key peopleGaston Glock, Founder & Executive Chairman
IndustryDefense
ProductsFirearms, weapons
RevenueImage:Green Arrow Up Darker.svg unknown
EmployeesAbout 600 (2006)
Websitewww.glock.com

Glock GmbH is a weapons manufacturer headquartered in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria. Named after its founder, Gaston Glock, Glock is best known for its line of polymer-framed pistols; it also produces equipment such as field knives and entrenching tools.

The Glock handguns are in use by many US and international law enforcement and military personnel. Glock handguns are also very popular with civilians, especially for personal defense and practical shooting. Glock currently produces 35 models of handguns.

Contents

[edit] History

Founded in 1963,[1] Glock started out as a manufacturer of curtain rods before branching out into the arms industry in the 1970s, manufacturing machine gun belts, practice hand grenades, plastic magazines, field knives, and entrenching tools for the Austrian Army.[1] When, in the early 1980s, the Austrian Army requested a pistol model, Glock responded with the Glock 17, a 9 mm semi-automatic pistol. (The 17 was so-named because it was Gaston Glock's seventeenth patent.) The Austrian Army adopted the Glock 17 in 1982[1] with the Norwegian Army adopting the model two years later. One year later, Glock Inc. was established in the US in Smyrna, Georgia. In the next few years, Glock expanded its 9 mm product line, developing the select-fire Glock 18 in 1986 and the Glock 17L and Glock 19 in 1988.[1] In 1990 Glock became the first manufacturer to offer models chambered for the .40 S&W cartridge, the Glock 22 and the Glock 23, beating Smith & Wesson to the marketplace with pistols for their own cartridge[1].

[edit] Products

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Glock 17. (Discuss)

[edit] Handguns

Model numberCartridge Total length Barrel lengthCapacity (rounds)Weight
(unloaded)
(mm)(in)(mm)(in)(g)
17 9x19mm Parabellum 186 7.32 114 4.49 17, 19, 33 625
17C 9x19mm Parabellum 186 7.32 114 4.49 17, 19, 33 >625
17L 9x19mm Parabellum 225 8.86153 6.02 17, 19, 33 670
18 9x19mm Parabellum 185 7.28 114 4.49 17, 19, 33 620
18C 9x19mm Parabellum 185 7.28114 4.49 17, 19, 33 >620
19 9x19mm Parabellum 174 6.85 102 4.01 15, 17, 19, 33 595
19C 9x19mm Parabellum 174 6.85 102 4.01 15, 17, 19, 33 >595
20 10 mm Auto 193 7.60 117 4.61 15 785
20C 10 mm Auto 193 7.60 117 4.61 15 >785
21 .45 ACP 193 7.60 117 4.61 13 745
21C .45 ACP 193 7.60 117 4.61 13 >745
21SF .45 ACP 193 7.60 117 4.61 13 <745
22 .40 S&W 186 7.32 114 4.49 15, 17 650
22C .40 S&W 186 7.32 114 4.49 15, 17 >650
23 .40 S&W 174 6.85 102 4.01 13, 15, 17 600
23C .40 S&W 174 6.85 102 4.01 13, 15, 17 >600
24 .40 S&W 225 8.86 153 6.02 10, 15, 29 757
24C .40 S&W 225 8.86 153 6.02 10, 15 >757
25 .380 ACP 174 6.85 102 4.01 15, 17, 19 570
26 9x19mm Parabellum 160 6.30 88 3.46 10, 12, 15, 17, 19, 33 560
27 .40 S&W 160 6.30 88 3.46 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 560
28 .380 ACP 160 6.30 88 3.46 10, 12, 15, 17, 19 529
29 10 mm Auto 172 6.77 96 3.78 10, 15 700
30 .45 ACP 172 6.77 96 3.78 9, 10, 13 680
31 357 SIG 186 7.32 114 4.49 15, 17 660
31C 357 SIG 186 7.32 114 4.49 15, 17 >660
32 357 SIG 174 6.85 102 4.01 13, 15, 17 610
32C 357 SIG 174 6.85 102 4.01 13, 15, 17 >610
33 357 SIG 160 6.30 88 3.46 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 560
34 9x19mm Parabellum 207 8.15 135 5.31 17, 19, 33 650
35 .40 S&W 207 8.15 135 5.31 15, 17 695
36 .45 ACP 172 6.77 96 3.78 6 570
37 .45 GAP 189 7.44 116 4.56 10 735
38 .45 GAP 174 6.85 102 4.01 8, 10 685
39 .45 GAP 160 6.30 88 3.46 6, 8, 10 548
  • Some Glock pistols, designated by a "C" after the model number, are built with a compensator to reduce recoil.
  • Glock 18/18C pistols are 9x19mm Parabellum select fire automatic/semi-auto machine pistols and not available to the general public in most countries.
  • Glock 25 or 28 pistols are not available to the general public in the United States, because a small pistol chambered for the .380 ACP cartridge does not meet the "sporting purposes" criteria for importation of pistols under the Gun Control Act of 1968, according to the BATFE's point system.[2] However, the Glock 25 and 28 pistols are relatively popular in countries where handguns in "military" calibers (.45 ACP, 9 mm *Parabellum) may not be purchased by the general public.

[edit] Popularity

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Glock 17. (Discuss)
Image:Glock23 3rdGen.jpg
Glock 23 - 3rd Gen

Glock sidearms are common handguns among law enforcement agencies and military organizations around the world. They are standard-issue sidearms for the Austrian, Dutch, and Norwegian Army and Northern Irish and Belgian police forces, various special units such as the German GSG 9 counter-terrorism unit of the German Federal Police, Specialist Firearms Command of the London Metropolitan Police Service as well as the new Iraq security forces.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation issues all agents graduating from the FBI Academy a Glock 22 or Glock 23 according to the agent's preference[3], although the Glock 17 may be issued for FBI agents tasked in certain overseas assignments. .40 caliber Glock pistols are issued to all new agents of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration,[4] and the Glock 19 remains the standard issue of the US E.P.A. Criminal Investigation Division. All Australian police services apart from the South Australian Police and Victoria Police use Glock handguns. Glock pistols are also issued to Australian Customs officers,[5] and the South Australian Police Force is currently examining whether or not to replace their current stock of .357 Magnum Smith & Wesson revolvers with a Glock model.[6] The New Zealand Police carry the Glock 17 in situations where weapons are issued.

Glock 17s and Glock 19s are standard service pistols in certain Israeli military and paramilitary units (Yamam, Shayetet 13, Shabak, and private security firms) and remain popular handguns amongst Israeli citizens.

The popularity of Glock pistols can be attributed to a number of factors. They are said to be very reliable, being able to function under extreme conditions and to fire a wide range of ammunition types. The simplicity of the Glock design contributes to this reliability, as it contains a relatively small number of components (nearly half as many as the typical handgun) making maintenance and repair easy. Disassembly for the Glock pistol is simple, making it easy to detail strip without expensive tools.[7]

The polymer frame makes them lighter than typical steel or aluminum-framed handguns, which is attractive for police officers and civilians who carry firearms for extended periods of time. Glock pistols do not have any external controls such as levers, decockers, or manual safeties. This adds to the simplicity of use and removes a potential source of errors when operating the handgun under stress. A criticism of the Glock action is that the trigger must be depressed prior to disassembly or insertion into the original design of its storage case, which can result in an unintentional discharge if the operator is extremely negligent.

Most of the steel components in a Glock pistol are treated with a nitriding process called "Tenifer", which increases the surface hardness and makes the weapon resistant to corrosion and wear.

The popularity of Glock pistols seems to have inspired other manufacturers to begin production of similar polymer-framed firearms, including the Springfield XD, Smith & Wesson M&P, and Walther P99 pistols. The Smith & Wesson Sigma so closely resembled Glock's design that it resulted in a patent infringement lawsuit, with Smith & Wesson settling out of court and paying Glock an undisclosed amount.[8]


Glocks tend to be in the middle of the price range for quality pistols: generally less expensive than similar SIG-Sauer and HK USP pistol models, but more expensive than Hi-Point or Taurus models..

[edit] "Plastic pistol" myths

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Glock 17. (Discuss)
Image:Glock22inOliveDrab.jpg
Glock 22 in the new Olive Drab frame (with magazine)

Glock pistols do set off metal detectors and can indeed be detected by X-ray machines, due to their 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, 83.7% (by weight) of the Glock pistol is normal ordnance steel and the "plastic" parts are a dense polymer known as "Polymer 2" which is radio-opaque and is therefore visible to X-ray security equipment. In addition, virtually all of these "plastic" parts contain embedded steel not to make the firearms "detectable", but to increase functionality and shooting accuracy. Contrary to popular movies like Die Hard 2: Die Harder, neither Glock nor any other gun maker has ever produced a "porcelain", "ceramic" or "plastic" firearm which is undetectable by ordinary security screening devices. Even if a pistol completely undetectable by either X-ray machines or metal detectors were to be developed, the ammunition inside would still be detectable.

In Die Hard 2, the character John McClane portrayed by Bruce Willis specifically referred 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 here, and it costs more than you make in a month!

Mike Papac, an armorer at Cinema Weaponry, which supplied the Glock pistols used in Die Hard 2, has stated, "I remember when we did that scene, I tried to talk them out of it. There's no such thing as a gun invisible to metal detectors, and there shouldn't be, but they wouldn't budge. They had it written into the script and that was that."[9]

The Glock pistol design was not the first to incorporate a plastic frame. Heckler & Koch used polymer for their VP70 pistol frame in 1970[10]. HK's innovation of polymer frames and polygonal rifling seem to have been influential in the Glock design. Still earlier, Remington introduced their polymer-framed Nylon 66 Rifle in 1959. This was so revolutionary at the time that Remington dyed the plastic brown to resemble wood and fitted a cosmetic sheet-metal cover on the receiver to make it appear to be made from steel. Further, the most extensive use of polymers in a pistol was in the Ram-Line Syn Tech Exactor pistol with a barrel made from steel-lined plastic.

[edit] Safety mechanisms

It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Glock 17. (Discuss)

Glock pistols use an internal safety mechanism with three components, with no external thumb activated safety switch as might be found on traditional-design pistols. Glock calls this the "Safe Action" system. All three safeties are disabled one after the other when the trigger is depressed. They are:

  • Trigger Safety[11]: An external lever mechanism contained within the trigger that prevents the trigger from moving unless the lever is depressed.
  • Firing Pin Safety[12]: A spring-loaded pin attached by an extension bar to the trigger assembly blocks the striker from striking the primer of the cartridge until the trigger is pulled.
  • Drop Safety[13]: The far end of the same extension bar locks the striker into place from the rear until the trigger is pulled.

Similar systems for internal safeties have since become standard for many major manufacturers of semi-automatic pistols. However, Glock pistols, like any other firearm, can discharge and cause injury or death if the operator accidentally or negligently manipulates the trigger. The absence of a traditional safety switch means that Glock users who intend to carry the gun on their person with the chamber loaded must be cautious (as they should be for any type of firearm) of keeping their finger off of the trigger when holstering or unholstering the gun; however, the firearm will not discharge if dropped, requiring a deliberate trigger pull to discharge the firearm.

In 2003, Glock announced the Internal Locking System (ILS). The ILS is a manually activated lock that is located in the back of the pistol's grip. It is cylindrical in design and, according to Glock, each key is unique. Group key hierarchic solutions are available for law enforcement agencies. When activated, the lock causes a tab to protrude from the rear of the grip. This is done to give both a visual and tactile indication as to whether the lock is engaged or not. When activated, the ILS renders the Glock unfireable as well as making it impossible to disassemble. When disengaged, the ILS adds no further safety mechanisms to the Glock pistol.

The ILS is available as an option on all Glock pistols except for the G36, but not all ILS-equipped Glock pistols are carried by distributors nor imported with the option. The most commonly available Glock pistols with the ILS are the G17, G19, G22, G23, G26, and the G27.

[edit] Explosive malfunctions

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards.
Please improve this article if you can. (December 2007)

The explosive malfunction of a firearm, dubbed a kB! (or kaBoom!)[14] by firearms reporter Dean Speir,[15] generally results from case failure in a cartridge. Explosive malfunctions in Glock pistols usually damage the firearm and can cause injury to the shooter.[14]

Controversy arose over Glock's safety standards when in 2001 several instances of explosive malfunction occurred in Glock pistols sold to police departments in the United States.[16][17] Upon pulling the trigger, the cartridge case would rupture and cause an explosion that would tear apart the gun and sometimes send fragments into the shooter's face.

The cause of this malfunction was traced to issues with a purposely oversized (loose), and partially unsupported chamber in Glock's pistols chambered in .40 S&W, .45 ACP, and 10 mm Auto. The chamber lacks full support in the rear by the feed ramp in order to facilitate feed reliability. The lack of support in the chamber, usually combined with the use of lead (unjacketed) bullets, reloaded ammunition, or poor-quality factory ammunition (all in violation of Glock's recommendations), would cause the case to fail. The subsequent rapid expansion of gas into the chamber caused the cartridge casing to expand beyond normal specifications near the feed ramp at which time the casing would rupture, sometimes damaging the polymer frame and usually ejecting the magazine downwards out of the pistol grip.

Glock, in its own defense, says that the manual that accompanies each pistol informs the shooter of the dangers of using non-factory rated ammunition, and that the firearm will function safely if the shooter uses factory-loaded, jacketed ammunition and properly cleans and cares for the firearm.[18] Supporters also point out that this type of malfunction occurs in other firearms as well.[19][20] However, there continues to be controversy over the presence of an unsupported chamber, critics arguing that it is not necessary and is a liability for the company.

It has been stated (by Glock and at least one noted barrel maker, the late Gale MacMillan) that because of the specific design of the polygonal rifling in the Glock pistol, operators should not shoot non-jacketed lead ammunition. Lead residue can quickly build up, decreasing the bore diameter and create a dangerous over-pressurization in the barrel, leading to structural failure or warping in the chamber of the barrel.[18] One can notice a bulge in the fired case ejected from the pistol (even with target loads) to see the result of the unsupported chamber. After-market barrels with conventional rifling are available which allow cast lead bullets to be used.

[edit] Options and accessories

Glock pistol accessories include several devices for tactical illumination, such as front rail mounted lights with optional lasers and an adapter to mount a flashlight on the bottom of a magazine. Polymer holsters in various configurations and matching magazine pouches are also available. Glock also produces optional sights, triggers, recoil springs, slide stop levers, and underwater spring cups.

[edit] Knives

Image:Glock Feldmesser FM 78.JPG
Glock Feldmesser FM 78

Glock currently manufactures two models of knives. The Field Knife 78 is a classic knife, with a 6.5 inch (165 mm) blade and 11.4 inch (290 mm) overall length. The Survival Knife 81 has the same overall dimensions with an additional saw on the back of the blade. Both knives are phosphate-treated and have a Glock-polymer sheath and are available in olive, tan, and black. .[21]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f www.GlockFaq.com. Glock Company Timeline. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
  2. ^ www.GlockFaq.com. Description of the BATFE point system. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
  3. ^ Guns Magazine article referencing FBI-issue sidearms
  4. ^ Ayoob, Massad. American Handgunner: 9mm dead?. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
  5. ^ Safeguarding Australia reference concerning the issue of Glock pistols to Customs officers
  6. ^ AdelaideNow article describing the need for Australian police to have better sidearms
  7. ^ Youtube detail strip video
  8. ^ S&W and Glock settle suit
  9. ^ Fasano, John, and Jesse D'Angelo. "Lights!...Cameras!...GLOCKS!" GLOCK Autopistols 2005, Vol.11 No.1, Harris Publications, 2005. 36.
  10. ^ www.HKPRO.com. VP70: "The Pistol for the People". Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
  11. ^ Glock Trigger System. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
  12. ^ Firing Pin Safety. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
  13. ^ Glock Drop Saftey. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
  14. ^ a b Explanation of a kB!
  15. ^ Short biography of Dean Speir.
  16. ^ Article detailing alleged reasons behind the 1992 technical bulletin issued by Glock
  17. ^ Article detailing alleged Glock pistol failure experienced by the NYPD, and the NYPD response to the issue.
  18. ^ a b Glock manual page discouraging the use of reloaded ammunition.
  19. ^ kB! in a Colt Anaconda
  20. ^ Catastrophic kB! in a Springfield M1A rifle
  21. ^ Glock. Outdoor knives product page. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.

[edit] Literature

  • Boatman, Robert H. Living With Glocks : The Complete Guide to the New Standard in Combat Handguns . Paladin Press, Boulder. 2002. ISBN 1-58160-340-1.
  • Kasler, Peter Alan. Glock : The New Wave In Combat Handguns. Paladin Press, Boulder. 1992. ISBN 0-87364-649-5.
  • Sweeney, Patrick. The Gun Digest Book of the Glock: A Comprehensive Review : Design, History, Use. kp books, Iola. 2003. ISBN 0-87349-558-6.
  • Taylor, Robin. The Glock In Competition, 2nd edition. Taylor Press, Bellingham. 2005. ISBN 0-9662517-4-1.

[edit] External links

[edit] Video links

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