The other day I was in my local gun store and was looking into the showcase where the new handguns are located. I couldn't help but notice amongst all the neatly placed handguns, how many Glock handguns there were. I remembered back to 1985 when the first Glock model 17 arrived in the country. There was great controversy over the gun because of its polymer frame. The media was stating that it was a terrorist threat because it could pass through metal detectors at airports. Well, they were proven wrong about the metal detectors but that didn't quiet all critics. I was one who was very skeptical about a "plastic gun" ever making it. It was referred to as " combat tupperware " and here in the northeast where a gun can only be blued steel with wooden grips I didn't expect to see many pass over the counter of the local gun shop. Boy was I wrong !!!! The Glock has taken off in popularity unlike any handgun since the famed model 1911 from Colt. The Glock now dominates the law enforcement market, servicing over 5,000 agencies in this country as well as being the choice military sidearm for 28 countries. The F.B.I has now adopted the Glock model 23 as the issued sidearm of all new agents. Glock has grown from offering just the one model the M17 to now offering over 12 models. There is a Glock for every one and every need. Glock now offers models from mini 9mms to a full size, high capacity .45. They have even just come out with the hot new .357sig further enhancing there variety. The reasons behind Glocks popularity are simple. The gun is very easy to operate and a joy to train new shooters with. The operation is simple, just point and shoot. There are no safety levers to manipulate or external hammer to worry about. The Glock has excellent pointing characteristics and the trigger is easy to reach even for smaller hands. There are 50% fewer components than most firearms with just a couple of pins in the whole gun and not a single screw. Complete disassembly can be made with a single tool. The polymer frame is actually stronger than steel and 86% lighter and cannot corrode. It is impervious to sand, mud, saltwater and sweat. It will function in temperatures from -10 degrees (f) to 392 degrees (f). The Glock has proven to be the gun by which all others are judged when it comes to reliability. In one test back in 1995 a Glock model 17 had 100,000 rounds fired through it in all weather conditions, from the heat and humidity of the Amazon, to the 40 below zero frozen tundras of Alaska. In this test the Glock remarkably had only 1 malfunction and that was attributed to the magazine.
The most popular models from Glock seem to be the M19 and M23 in 9mm and 40s&w respectively. They are both midsized handguns with high capacity magazines and are lightweight and very easy to carry. If you were to own but one Glock, either of these would be tough to beat. But I don't know many who could own just one. These wonders from Austria have taken off to stardom and have become a huge success in a very short period of time. You now see pages of accessories in all the gun magazines and they are becoming the gun of choice in the limited class of I.P.S.C. and the new I.D.P.A. tactical matches. Myself, I have owned many Glocks and relied on a model 27 in many a threatening situation while working undercover. Many firearms enthusiasts are wondering if the Glock, has taken the place of the model 1911, as America's choice in a combat handgun. I can only speak for myself in that I am finding myself reaching past my custom 1911's and strapping on a Glock. Regardless of what the experts predicted the Glock is here to stay.So don't wait, buy a Glock and join the Revolution.
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