Glock USA Now Exporting Pistols - The Firearm BlogThe Firearm Blog Glock USA Now Exporting Pistols Posted Tags: glock , pistol Last year consumers in the USA noticed that more and more new Glock pistols on sale had USA stamped on the slide instead of the familiar AUSTRIA. For reasons unknown Glock increased production in the USA. It is now being reported that Glock USA is actually exporting USA-made Glock pistols to at least one other country. New Glock pistols on sale in the Philippines are manufactured in the USA, not Austria. According to one GlockTalk.com user, older Austrian made Glocks are now selling for a significant premium in Philippines because many Glock-enthusiasts want to see AUSTRIA stamped on the slide. Other enthusiasts want their Glocks to have the Tenifer metal treatment that Glock is famous for using. Glock-certified armourers report that Glock has been telling them that the Tennifer is no longer used in either Austria or the USA. Glock’s European website still says the pistols are Tenifer-treated, the Glock USA website just says the parts are surface treated without naming the treatment they use.

Tennifer (ferritic nitrocarburizing) stopped being used because it produces unpleasant byproducts, including cyanides. Glock’s European Website (May 2013) Founder and Dictator-In-Chief of TFB. A passionate gun owner, a shooting enthusiast and totally tacti-uncool. Favorite first date location: any gun range. Steve can be contacted here . Advertisement Guest Hey dickwad Doom….the fucking guns are made in Austria pecker head, all of them and always have been. noob -noob noob hmm. glock went through this with the gen 3 to gen 4 transition. winchester suffered this with the post ’64 model 70. when you change a premium and beloved feature, your pr and sales team needs to be ready to defend the change as change for the better or you will find your company in the unenviable position of being seen as making cheap knockoffs of *your own product*. the last thing glock needs right now is to have people calling the american products “McGlocks” or something. FourString Well, US-made Fabrique Nationale’s are pretty damn solid from what I’ve heard. But you’re definitely referring to SIG’s eh?

haha J in Ga Marlin rifles built by Marlin before the Remington takeover command a significant price over “Remlins”. Remington moved the Marlin factory losing a lot of experience in the process, and went cheap on the finish and wood. ST4 My first Sig was a 556. Sold it. My second Sig was a W. German P226. ‘Nuff said. FourString I would guess that this has to do with the value of the dollar compared to the Euro? The stronger the value of the currency, the less lucrative exporting is (cost of manufacturing considered)? FourString Now if only H&K would manufacture firearms in the USA—pffffft who am I kidding xD B. Wait… since when did H&K like civilian sales? Oh… right. Jim Chambers One possible reason is US gun manufacturers enjoy more protections from being sued when their product is used to kill someone. There is actually a law that prohibits American manufacturers from being sued, but it doesn’t apply to foreign guns. It’s the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.

I remember hearing about one instance the family went after one of the gun makers used because it was a Chinese firm, but they couldn’t go after the American gun maker. Ian Tennifer is just a trade name. There are plenty of other companies that melonite and these Glocks will still be melonited. Doom But they said they stopped using it because it had bad chemicals from the process. is melonite the same thing? if so why stop using tenifer? Marc Melonite is also just a trade name for a certain type of ferritic nitrocarburizing processes. Dan I was in a Trust Trade shop not three weeks ago. They’re the official importer of Glock pistols to the Philippines. I wasn’t there for the Glocks though, I was shopping for a Taurus revolver. Anyway, I didn’t notice if they’re selling USA-stamped Glocks to us civvies. BTW, Trust Trade was awarded last year to supply the national police in the PH with about 59,904 Glock 17s for 997 million pesos. Which makes each unit about 16,643.29 pesos or about 407 USD.

Maybe they can’t get a fair price from Austria so they’re getting the “cheaper” one from the US? CET Enrique R. Leon due the CAFTA the USA’s glocks are being send to Costa Rica also, where the USA version cost some $750 and the austrian around $850/$900 each George Glocks made in USA? Well, make one in .380 already! Only reason we couldn’t get one before is because there is no external safety (ATF has criteria for import of firearms). I’d get one on principle! Kwiqast So you want a gun the same size as a 26/27/33 in a round that doesn’t perform anywhere close to 9mm .40 or .357 sig? George Yes, yes I would. Former Glock Emp. Complete Glock pistols have been manufactured in the US for several years now. The reason they haven’t been sold, only exported, is to keep Austria relevant. If US produced Glocks were made exclusively for the US, Glock US could break away, and Glock Ges.m.b.H. would wither and die.

Bob Z Moose Wow, Glock… Make a crappy move and upset your customer base, but for the love of God, don’t let airsoft or blank firing Glocks be imported. That might mess up your sales… ManongBloggerDotCom Yes. Glocks stamped Made in USA made it to the Philippine Gun stores ich Yes i am from the philippines and acquired a glock 17 from trust trade in 2011. It was represented as being from glock USA and yes the slide says USA instead of austria. Finish was slightly different from all of my friends AUSTRIAN g17’s but I dont care. its served me well so far. Good gun. Glock 23 Made in the USA By Suzanne Wiley published on August 6, 2013 in Firearms The .40 S&W caliber Glock 23 —appropriately celebrating 23 years of production in 2013—is not only one of the most widely used handguns in law enforcement, but also one of the most popular handguns for civilians. Along with numerous local law enforcement agencies all over the country, the FBI, U.S.

Marshal Service, and the DEA all choose either the Glock 22 or 23 as their primary duty weapon. In fact, Glock reports that 65 percent of law enforcement agencies nationwide choose Glock. Built to work reliably and shoot accurately, their trust in Glock’s performance is understandable. Glock gave us the model 23 in 1990—an incredibly significant year in the firearms industry. First, was the introduction of the .40 S&W caliber . Collaboration between Smith & Wesson and Winchester, gave the world a 185-grain bullet that flies over 1,000 feet per second—a cartridge with nearly perfect balance of weight, mass, firepower, and consistent energy transfer. The FBI needed a gun to fit the new round and Glock answered the call with the models 22 and 23. The Glock 22 is full-sized, while the 23 is the compact model. Inspired by the Glock 19, the Glock 23 shares the same specifications as the iconic 19, except for the difference in caliber. Glock 23 Gen 2 Glock 23’s first year was the same year Glock made some model changes.

Bypassing the Gen 1 frames, the Glock 23, a Gen 2 frame, got a third pin in the frame to add support to the higher calibers, checkering on the front and back straps and an enlarged locking block. An accessory rail, finger grooves and a scalloped thumb rest were added to the Glock Gen 3’s frame. Glock 23 Gen 3 Glock made a substantial change, upgrading all models in 1998. These are the classic Gen 3 models . Glock added an accessory rail, finger grooves and a scalloped thumb rest to the gun’s frame. The new extractor incorporates a loaded chamber indicator. Glock added a new grip texture, called RTF2 (Rough Textured Frame) to the line up in 2009, but it did not stick around for very long. Glock 23s with the RTF2 grip frame had a pyramid-like stiff grip texture and scalloped, half-moon shaped slide serrations. In 2011, RTF2 grip frames were no longer available to civilians and sold on law enforcement models only.

Glock left the pistol alone for 12 years until releasing the Gen 4 . The Gen 4 models introduced an upgraded double recoil spring and guide rod. Glock 23 Gen 4 The Gen 4 models introduced an upgraded double recoil spring and guide rod. The new spring and guide rod aid in controlling recoil. Adjustable backstraps also come with a Gen 4 model. The RTF3 frame is similar to the RTF2 frame introduced in 2009. Further, the Gen 4 Glocks have an ambidextrous magazine release button. The latest edition to the Glock 23 line-up is completely made in the USA. On the side of the Glock 23’s USA-made pistols is stamped “USA” instead of “Austria” which you will find on the standard Gen 3 model. GLOCK 23 Gen 3 made in the USA Specifications and Features As the compact model .40 caliber, the Glock 23 has a 4.02-inch barrel, giving you nearly half an inch longer than the sub-compact model 27. Shooting both, you notice a difference in the felt recoil. The longer barrel makes the Glock 23 less snappy.

It’s basic, white dot front and white outline rear factory fixed sights are easy to get on target quickly and the grip size fits comfortably in a variety of hand sizes from small to large. I don’t know how Glock does it, but there is only one person I’ve met who can’t hold a Glock comfortably. The basic features of the Glock 23 are the same as any Glock . It has a reinforced polymer frame with a corrosion-free finish. Glocks do not show wear easily. I have never seen a used Glock that looked beat-up. They certainly can take the abuse. Constructed of only 34 parts, the Glock 23 is easy to dissemble, clean, reassemble and maintain. Glock’s famous “safe action” trigger safety means there are no external safeties to fumble with when you need your gun ready to go. The Glock 23 holds 13 rounds of .40 S&W ammo. This is a lot of stopping power in a compact gun, making it ideal for concealed carry. It is the perfect size—not hard on the hands for practice, but compact enough to easily and comfortably conceal. Its overall length is 6.85 inches long.

It is 5 inches tall, 1.18 inches wide and weighs 31.03 ounces loaded. The 5.5-pound trigger pull is no surprise, as is standard for this class of semi-auto. The trigger is smooth—its breaking point and reset are foolproof for quick and accurate follow-up shots. If there are certain parts on the Glock 23 that you don’t fancy, such as the trigger or sights, there are plenty of aftermarket accessories. Further, the Glock 23 will convert to a .357 Sig or a 9mm with the correct conversion kit. There is no denying it, the Glock —any Glock —is a superb gun. As we like to say around here, “Just get a Glock and be done with it.” Model Made in Austria, Assembled in Russia - The Firearm BlogThe Firearm Blog Made in Austria, Assembled in Russia Posted Tags: glock , handguns , pistol , russia Earlier this year I wrote about some Glock pistols said to be made in Russia that had the “Made in Austria” suspiciously dremeled off the frame. It looks like Glock is now officially making “Assembled in Russia” frames.

Photos from GlockMeister … [ Many thanks to Commander Zero for emailing us the link. ] Founder and Dictator-In-Chief of TFB. A passionate gun owner, a shooting enthusiast and totally tacti-uncool. Favorite first date location: any gun range. Steve can be contacted here . Advertisement In mother Russia, hand explode on Glock! Tobse In soviet Russia, Glock disassembles You! Brian P. For some reason…this actually makes me want a Glock even more now. Vhyrus Why make them in Russia though? Freiheit Wild ass guess: Because if its made in Russia it might be easier to bid and win Russian contracts and sales. Komrad To get around import laws probably. charles222 Potentially lower production costs? I’d bet Russia is a whole lot less worker-friendly than most of Europe is. atm Putin is shaking things up over there again with laws against foreign-owned companies. Having the guns sold in Russia assembled there probably offers Glock some level of protection. Alien426 Seems pretty bad to me.

They have a high markup on the materials they use (don’t remember how much producing a Glock would cost based on material and machining, only that it was said to be very low). Glock does very little R&D (next generations of existing designs mostly). Yet they won’t manufacture wholly in country… Disclosure: My sister is about to lose her job because her department is being outsourced to Romania. atm I’ve seen $80 in raw material, $200 total to produce, with labor and overhead. Denny You are absolutely right. This is way of present and so much more of future. The original names are more or less just a “shell” with nothing behind it (with exception of collecting profit, of course). This applis right accross the manufacturing from icecream thru clothing to industrial valves. The ‘side-effect’ is that one time know-how societies will not be able to feed themselves. Justin Just got done reading the new glock book. Glock’s always made it corporate policy to play various shell games that reduce their tax liability. Probably one of those maneuvers.

six11 1750 USD Licensed as sport pistol for use in russian shooting ranges/clubs as stated in description from Orsis and I guess it will be easier to acquire for local LE departments. Civilians can’t own handguns. gunslinger whats the difference between “made” and “assembled” in russia? Zincorium ‘Made’ means that at least a majority of the parts that go into the gun were manufactured in Russia. ‘Assembled’ means that the parts were shipped in from elsewhere and only put together in Russia. jack Just another great reason not to buy a glock,that and they make then out of recycled milk jugs. Foetus AMX I’m not quite sure, but that appears to be an actual Glock slide, too. Mildly surprising, IMO – using frames from Austria, and slides from the US, seemed quite shrewd as far as export regulations are concerned. mechamaster Glock with Russian quality. Hopefully this is more reliable and durable like AK. Also, cheaper if it’s possible. tincankilla for “assembled in russia” and plastic, i expect to pay proletarian prices. $250 or so sounds about right.

anybody out there making affordable glock clones? Kyle Smith and Wesson did. Then they got legally screwed for it. So did GSG by H&K. If you make a clone of something that’s popular in .22, the original maker will sue you out of existence then make it themselves. IT’s why Colt got into the .22 AR game and why Umarex now makes .22 MP5’s for higher cost than GSG was making them at. W smith and wesson “got screwed” because of patent infringement with the sigma. they literally copied it. Glock had every reason to get ass chapped. You are correct with the GSG though. Of course if i was a firearms manufacturer and another different company started making 22 clones of it without my approval, i would get pissed to. I find it irritating however, that they didnt at least charge a similar price. The last part with higher pricing is a bit of asshat behavior to say the least. W oh i also forgot to add, if you want a “affordable glock”, get a moderately used gen 2 or 3. you can find them for 300-400 bucks depending on where you look.

if you dont want to spend even that, i suggest a hi point (which are good at their own right for the money). A serious alternative is a Ruger SR9, CZ P09, or Caracal. Those are cheaper though you would be hard pressed to find them for under 400 (perhaps used). Thats just my .2 cents. Milage may vary. ducky The proof stamp on the slide looks exactly like on the austrian made guns. How’s that? Thought they test fire complete pistols and not barrel and slide seperately (to be shipped to Russia for assembling complete pistol). Lance I notice Asian writing on the slide. Maybe for Hong Kong Police or Malaysian police?? Since Russian LE uses Glocks wouldn’t be surprised to see more made in Russia anyway. AMX I don’t see any Asian writing – the proof mark sort of looks like it at first glance, though. firstblood Pretty interesting. Surely Glock is confident with the integrity of the assembling. Lance The Russians are one of the best gun makers in the world. they are often overlooked BUT they make some great weapons.

There AKMs they sold in all over Commie groups in Africa in the 70s and 80s are not cared for but shoot well and work great today. That’s one great testimony. And why out of cheaper labor nations in Europe Glock chose them. W anything Russia, whether its guns, armored vehicles, helicopters, and aircraft, is generally very robust and durable. Remember, they have to work in the arctic conditions and be operated by lesser trained soldiers. Im curious to see how these Russian Glocks fare. Denny You may even want to go as far as into WWII times: Germans or British never managed to outpace T34 tank. But back to recent decades…. western perception that “everything was for money” in past USSR is not correct. The weapons and equipment were given out to allied regimes mostly for token fee or for free. Remember, the system was nat based on might of money (as capitalist tool), but success of ideology. History teaches stages and current result. This story is part of it. Suburban I’d imagine that the trigger bar assemblies and adjustable rear sights are shipped to Russia from Austria.

Aside from those subassemblies, you can assemble/disassemble a Glock with nothing more than a 3/32″ pin punch, and it’s not very hard. Glocks are actually simpler than AKs. AKMSF DO WANT! Would be a perfect companion to an Izhmash Arsenal AK… Alex-mac This just makes Glocks cooler. Mike Knox Somehow, I’m hoping this helps Izmash.. J Manlicher When people say glocks are made of plastic, it’s like saying 1911s are made of tin. Not all plastic is the same, just as not all metal is the same. How Glock Became America's Favorite Legal Handgun - ABC News ABC News How Glock Became America's Favorite Legal Handgun By BILL WEIR WATCH How Glock Became America's Gun 0 Shares Email In an ad for one of America's most popular handguns, an attractive girl in tight pajamas settles in for a cozy night of TV, but -- cue the creepy music -- a scary man lurks outside. She grabs her Glock and the tension builds.

In the real world, one study found that women living with a gun were almost three times more likely to be shot to death while, in 2010, women were 16 times more likely to be killed by men they knew than by strangers. But in the world according to Glock, just the sight of their fearsome weapon is enough to roll the invading stranger's eyes back in his head without even firing a shot. Join the Conversation: Like "Nightline" on Facebook HERE and follow "Nightline" on Twitter HERE Glock's ad has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times online to mostly rave reviews in the comment section of YouTube. But in reality, this is a company that doesn't really need to advertise at all, for Glock is already America's favorite so-called "super gun" among good guys and bad, on screen and off. It got Arnold Schwarzenegger's approval in "End of Days" and Tommy Lee Jones' in "U.S. Marshals." In the '90s, Tupac Shakur was among the many rappers who sang the glories of Glock before the brand was used to murder him at age 25. Rep.

Gabby Giffords not only was shot by a Glock in Tucson, but she still carries one of her own. Adam Lanza carried a Glock into Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and it is also the standard-issue weapon of the FBI and around 65 percent of American cops. What Colt and Remington were to America's Wild West, Glock is to this country's violent present. Its rise in popularity is a lesson in how difficult gun control reform could be, going forward. It all began in the early 1980s in the suburbs of Vienna, Austria, when Gaston Glock decided to move from making knives and curtain rods in his garage metal shop to making guns for the Austrian army. He had never made a pistol before, so he asked expert shooters what they wanted. The result was a game-changing design. By using composite plastic instead of steel, Glock created a weapon that is light and tough, with a very easy trigger pull and no cumbersome, thumb activated external safety, instead using a safer and easier to use trigger safety. His early models could hold 17 bullets, almost three times as many as the typical revolver, and when it hit the U.S.

market in the 1980s, Glock made the decision to first offer them to police departments just when the crack cocaine wars were heating up and cops felt vulnerable. "Cops were being outgunned in the subways and the streets and so, when I was the chief of the subway police, I fought very vigorously to get that weapon, the semiautomatic, to transit police," said Bill Bratton, a former New York, Los Angeles and Boston police commissioner. The other group that showed early interest was Hollywood prop masters, who loved Glock's futuristic look. As author Paul Barrett wrote his book, "Glock: The Rise of America's Gun," shootouts on the set of "Law and Order" were soon featuring the new Austrian import. "Some of the American companies were a little more persnickety, wanting to know, 'Well, will our guns be in the hands of good guys or only bad guys?' and Glock just said, 'Go ahead, put it in the movies,'" Barrett said. "Die Hard" fans might recall Bruce Willis' little speech about the handgun in "Die Hard 2." "That punk pulled a Glock 7 on me," said Willis' character, Officer John McClane.

"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." Almost every part of that monologue was factually wrong. But when lawmakers in Washington began voicing real fear that an undetectable "super gun" was hitting America's streets, Glock sales skyrocketed. And even when a 1991 shooting spree in Texas led to the assault weapons ban, Glock saw an opportunity. "When the law was enacted, it was enacted with a grandfathering clause, meaning that everything that existed before the day it was enacted, was still legal. This left Glock with this huge supply of pre-banned equipment that was still legal to sell," Barrett said. "The dark glamour of the Glock went up because gun aficionados resented the restrictions and said well that's the gun they don't want me to have, I want two of them." Thanks to a legal trade-in program, Glock is able to re-sell used police guns and magazines on the open market, even at a time when cops are desperate to get semiautomatic handguns off the streets.

"In L.A., they make a big deal of taking the guns to melt them down, but a lot of departments are cash-strapped, looking for money," Bratton said. "It's a way of ensuring that their officers are equipped with the best and latest weapons. It's certainly a tool of the trade." In a statement to ABC News, Glock pointed out that, "Allowing law enforcement agencies to trade in firearms toward the purchase of new duty weapons is a standard practice by all major firearms manufacturers." But it creates the possibility that police officers could have their old guns used against them. "That is why I've never been in favor of that type of program," Bratton said. "But oftentimes, it's not in the hand of the chief of police, if you will, it's in the hands of the procurement entity or the city municipality, and it really is a devil's dilemma, if you will, whether you do it or you don't do it." As with other gun control proposals, Bratton believes that outlawing trade-in programs or mandating the destruction of used guns would be political impossibilities. And much to the frustration of gun control advocates, just the talk of another slaughter and tougher laws puts more guns into circulation.

So whichever way the political winds blow, Glock is imported proof that it is always a good time to be in the American gun business. 0 Shares Modern Firearms - Glock Modern Firearms Glock 17 pistol, 1st generation Glock 17 pistol, 2nd generation Glock 17 pistol, 3rd generation Glock 17 pistol, 4th generation family of 9x19mm Glock pistols. .40SW and .357SIG pistols are of same dimensions family of .45ACP Glock pistols. 10mm Auto pistols are of same dimensions family of 9x17mm (.380ACP) Glock pistols. X-ray photo of the typical Glock pistol. Note that most of its construction is made of highly contrast steel, easily detectable by X-ray, magnetic and other sensors In 1980, the Austrian army announced trials with the intention of obtaining a new military handgun, to replace the obsolescent Walther P38 pistols.

Participants in the trials included such designs as the Steyr GB, Heckler & Koch P7M13, SIG-Sauer P220 and P225, Beretta 92S, and the previously unheard of Glock model 17. In 1982 the Austrian army officially adopted the brand new Glock 17 as the Pistole 80 (Р80), and starting from 1986 Glock pistols gradually replaced the older P38 in military service. And in the following years, thanks to unorthodox design and aggressive marketing, Glock pistols became one of the most popular combat handguns, being adopted by numerous military and law enforcement forces worldwide. The creation of the Glock 17 pistol is a very interesting and successful attempt to develop a firearm using the “clean sheet” concept. Instead of adopting an existing design to meet the requirements, Gaston Glock, owner of a relatively small company Glock GmbH, called for the best designers and experts and asked them to create an ideal pistol. It was clear that the Austrian Army wanted a defensive pistol – simple, reliable, lightweight and inexpensive. The Glock team accordingly created what would be called the most utilitarian pistol of recent decades.

The low weight was achieved by using a polymer frame – a solution probably borrowed from the Austrian Stg.77 (Steyr AUG) assault rifle, adopted in 1978. Simplicity of operation combined with a minimum number of parts were achieved by using patented “safe action” trigger system, which has no manual safeties. After initial success with the basic Glock 17 pistol and its smaller counterpart, the Glock 19 (which appeared in 1988), Glock company developed and brought to market a large number of models, based on the same basic design and available in every major caliber from 9x17 Browning up to 10mm Auto and .45ACP and in a variety of configurations, from subcompact concealed carry models to full-size service models and long-slide sport pistols. There are four generations of production Glock pistols. First generation lasted between 1986 and 1990, and included only the Glock 17 and 19 pistols. Second generation pistols, which also included pistols chambered for .357SIG, .40 S&W, 10mm Auto and .45 ACP, had slightly different frames with textured grips.

Third generation entered production in 1998, when pistols received integral accessory rails below the barrel, finger-grooved grips and improved extractors which also serve as a loaded chamber indicators. Fourth generation, introduced in 2010, offered grips with replacement backstraps, enlarged magazine release buttons which can be installed on either side of the gun, and some minor internal improvements. It must be noted that while many experts describe Glock pistols as having a “revolutionary design”, in fact it was the result of carefully considered evolution, incorporating previously-known solutions into one extremely practical, rugged package. For example, polymer pistol frames had been known for ten years before the introduction of the Glock 17 (i.e. Heckler-Koch VP70 pistol); automated safeties built into the trigger were known from the 1930s (Sauer Model 30 pistol), and pre-cocked firing pins from the first decade of the 20th Century (Roth-Steyr M1907). While extreme ruggedness, affordable price and ease of use made Glock pistols top sellers for three decades, they also had few issues.

The first was ergonomics – the Glock pistol was originally designed for Army use, and was intended to be an “one size fits all” proposition. In fact, the square-shaped grip of the typical full-size Glock is of less than ideal shape, at least for many shooters, the author included. This issue was corrected recently with introduction of the 4th Generation Glock pistols. The second issue is the famed “safe-action” trigger. There have been quite a few accidental and negligent discharges with Glock pistols, because of the lack of any manual safeties combined with a relatively low trigger pull weight. Upgrades such as the “New York trigger pack”, which included heavier springs, did helped a little, but in this configuration there were few advantages over the other pistols with DAO triggers, which were as safe to fire as upgraded Glocks, but allowed a rapid second strike in the case of a misfire. Of course, the basic reason for these accidents was insufficient training of the users involved, but it is customary for most people to blame tools for operator errors.

Glock pistols are short recoil operated, locked breech weapons, except for two models (Glock 25 and 28), which are chambered for low-power 9x17 Browning (.380ACP) ammunition, and use a blowback action. The barrel is locked into the slide by a single large lug, which engages the ejection window in the top of the slide. Unlocking upon recoil is achieved by a single cam-shaped lug, which interacts with the steel insert, molded into the polymer frame. The same insert also holds the slide rails, which cannot be replaced in the frame in the case of wear or damage. The patented “safe-action” trigger system has a firing pin, with the mainspring being preloaded during the reloading cycle. The full cocking of the striker is achieved only by the pull of the trigger. There are no manual safeties on Glock pistols. Automated safeties include the trigger safety, which blocks the trigger if it is not pulled properly, the firing pin block, and the out-of-battery disconnector, which does not permit fire if the barrel is not fully locked to the slide.

Double-stack, single feed magazines are made from polymer, the standard magazine capacity for the Glock 17 being 17 9mm rounds, with extended magazines available in 19 and 33 round capacity. Compact and most sub-compact models normally are supplied with shorter magazines, but can accept longer magazines of the same caliber (i.e. Glock 19 would accept magazines from Glock 17). Some sub-compact “Slim line” Glock pistols, such as Model 36 or Model 42, use single stack magazines which are not interchangeable with other models. The standard sights are fixed, with the rear sight dovetailed to the frame. Latest generation pistols also feature integral accessory rails on the frame, below the barrel. Glock 18 pistols, which are about the only full-auto capable pistols currently made in the world, have slightly different dimensions of slide to frame rails, so the Glock 18 slide with its fire selector mechanism cannot be installed on any other 9mm frame. However, several companies now offer add-on modules, which can convert any Glock pistol to selective fire.

Such modules are usually installed at the rear of the slide, replacing the rear slide plate, while original Glock 18 pistols have a fire mode selector mounted on the left side of the slide. How The Glock Became America's Weapon Of Choice : NPR How The Glock Became America's Weapon Of Choice Embed Embed How The Glock Became America's Weapon Of Choice How The Glock Became America's Weapon Of Choice Embed Embed The Rise of America's Gun Author Independent Booksellers Today the Glock pistol has become the gun of choice for both criminals and law enforcement in the United States. In his book Glock: The Rise of America's Gun, Paul Barrett traces how the sleek, high-capacity Austrian weapon found its way into Hollywood films and rap lyrics, not to mention two-thirds of all U.S. police departments. The Glock was created in 1982 by curtain-rod manufacturer Gaston Glock. Glock didn't like the handguns available on the market and decided to manufacture a new gun from scratch. Before starting, he asked gun experts in his native Austria what could be done to improve a handgun for the modern era. "They said, 'A gun with much larger ammunition capacity, a gun that is much more durable and reliable ...

[and] the gun should be easy to fire [and] easy to learn how to use,'" Barrett tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross. "He integrated all of those elements into the Glock, and that's how he won his original contract with the Austrian army." The original Glock 17, the model adopted by the Austrian army, contained only 36 parts and could hold 17 bullets in its magazine. It didn't have an external safety like other semiautomatic handguns. It also didn't have a decocking mechanism. The result? A lightweight, interchangeable model that could be dropped, submerged and subjected to temperature extremes — and still accurately fire. Article continues after sponsorship Coming To America In 1988, the Glock made its way to the United States. It was perfect timing, coinciding with the rise of the American drug trade, when many cops were feeling outmanned by gangs on the street. The Glock's large capacity and light body gave it advantages over other guns. "Police departments were amazed when they took their officers out to the range and found out not only could they learn to use the Glock pretty quickly, but the Glock also made them more accurate as marksmen," he says.

"And that's in part because it has a very light, very steady trigger pull. ... Critics of the guns say the trigger pull is so light that it makes accidental discharges so likely. But the Glock always has had that dual nature to it — the advantages can be reframed as disadvantages." Related Stories From NPR The AK-47: 'The Gun' That Changed The Battlefield One early advantage for police departments, says Barrett, was that Glock gave them large discounts when purchasing the gun for their departments. "This was smart, because the point was to get the police departments to adopt the gun, and that would give the gun credibility in the much larger, much more lucrative civilian market, where you can charge full price and get your full profit margin," says Barrett. "So this was ... a very crafty strategy." Another strategy, says Barrett, was to get the Glock screen time in Hollywood. In 1990, the Glock began to appear in the hands of police officers in Law and Order and other police procedural shows. It was also used by Bruce Willis in the movie Die Hard 2. Willis' character gave a long soliloquy touting the advantages of using a Glock.

"[He] introduced the gun as a character to people who don't know anything about guns," says Barrett. That publicity helped the Glock, as did its frequent mention in rap lyrics. "The Glock was adopted early on by some of the biggest names — Tupac, Dr. Dre. As soon as it appeared here, they began to embrace it for its dark, futuristic side," he says. "The fact that it looked tough, [had a] large magazine capacity, and, not incidentally, the fact that it rhymed so well with words you might want to use in rap lyrics. Within the space of a few years, you not only had the Glock showing up in lyrics — you had song titles with the name in it and people changing their stage names to incorporate Glock into them." Gun Control And Debate In 1991, the first Glock shooting spree took place in Texas. Twenty people were killed. Hours after the shooting, members of Congress were debating whether guns like the Glock should be restricted. "It took awhile, but by 1994, a bill was passed — this is what we remember as the Assault Weapons Bill — and was signed into law by President Clinton," says Barrett. "It had a variety of restrictions.

One of them was limiting the pistol magazine capacity to 10 rounds." Glock's executives would pop up on television and say, 'Who are you accusing of putting guns on the street? We've done business with the very business in the city that's suing us. It is their guns on the street.' Paul Barrett The legislation, which expired in 2004, was initially seen as a terrible blow to the Glock. But the company quickly found a way to use the ban on high-capacity magazines to their advantage, he says. "Glock had seen this bill coming for years and had been running the factory nonstop — three shifts a day, seven days a week — building up the large-capacity firearms and the large-capacity magazines," he says. "When the law was enacted, it allowed for a loophole that grandfathered in pre-existing equipment before the ban went into effect. [And] Glock had this huge stockpile of the very equipment that many gun owners wanted to get because it was banned — and the value of that equipment skyrocketed." Glock also encouraged police departments to trade in their old equipment for newer, higher-capacity weapons.

The old equipment — which contained the higher-capacity magazines manufactured before the ban — was then sold on the used-gun market, and found its way to the streets. "Police departments were implicated in the proliferation of handguns all across the country," Barrett says, a fact that came to haunt the municipalities that, a decade later, tried suing the gun industry for flooding the streets with guns. "Glock's executives would pop up on television and say, 'Who are you accusing of putting guns on the street? We've done business with the very business in the city that's suing us. It is their guns on the street.' " Glock's statements helped undercut those lawsuits, says Barrett. "This process of always finding the exceptions, finding ways around efforts to restrict the Glock became a trademark for the company," he says. "Right from the start, it helped the company, and it continue[s] on through its entire history." Paul Barrett is an editor and senior feature writer at Bloomberg Businessweek and an adjunct professor at New York University Law School. David Rudes/Courtesy Crown Publishing Group hide caption toggle caption David Rudes/Courtesy Crown Publishing Group Paul Barrett is an editor and senior feature writer at Bloomberg Businessweek and an adjunct professor at New York University Law School.

David Rudes/Courtesy Crown Publishing Group Interview Highlights On selling the Glock to U.S. law enforcement "[Glock] was smart enough to hire a genius salesman. ... This man Karl Walter was really a guru in figuring out how to appeal to the police — whether that meant offering them extremely attractive financial terms or hosting police procurement officers at [a famous strip club] in Atlanta. This was a guy who could make a deal with anybody and figure out how to sell the Glock." On an article in Soldier of Fortune magazine touting the Glock's body, which was made out of plastic "[The writer] said, 'I was skeptical, too. I went over to Austria. I tried this gun. People, you've got to try it, too.' This was a huge door-opener for Glock. The focus on plastic soon developed into a controversy that was also a selling point because the gun control advocates [said], 'Because the gun is plastic, it'll become a terrorist tool. You'll be able to sneak it into airports, past the metal detectors.' This created a genuine controversy. ... Suddenly people were talking about the Glock before there were even more than a handful of guns in this country. This kind of attention is priceless. ...

And then it turned out that the allegations weren't true, that you could see a Glock on an airport X-ray machine because a big piece of industrial-shaped plastic shaped like a gun looks like a gun." On selling guns using beautiful women at trade shows "It's extremely similar to the way cars are sold, by means of sex and models and lots of other products. In the same way you have models at trade shows of all sorts, you certainly have them at gun trade shows. The appeal is just as obvious as it might seem. Guns are to some people an expression of virility. ... A buxom, scantily clad woman appeals to some customers." On current efforts to strengthen gun control "No new federal gun control legislation was passed in the wake of [Columbine and other school shootings], which is in some ways more remarkable that in the wake of Virginia Tech and in the wake of Tuscon, we have similarly seen no new efforts to restrict the legal sale or ownership of guns. In fact, it's quite to the contrary. Over that time, gun laws in the United States are getting looser, not tighter. It is easier to carry a gun in many states. It is easier to get gun permits.

And we have now had a Democratic president for three years, and he's said barely a word about gun control one way or the other. I think it's very fair to say that the gun control debate has really been won for the moment by the NRA and by the industry that it cooperates with, and by those people who are in favor of widespread civilian ownership of guns." I think it's very fair to say that the gun control debate has really been won for the moment by the NRA and by the industry that it cooperates with, and by those people who are in favor of widespread civilian ownership of guns. Paul Barrett On taking shooting lessons "People who don't own guns really need to think about this: It's just darn fun to fire a gun. It's interesting. It requires a lot of attention. It's competitive. And it's just as people say — it's a real feeling of power to handle a firearm. That appeal is, in my view, undeniable and part of the reason that guns symbolize individualism, self-sufficiency to such a large portion of the population. I felt it myself."

Question: Glock pistols are made by which country?
Answer: Austria