Petrol & Powder
Well-Known Member
OK, lets go there.
Just the word “Glock” brings out strong emotions. Some people love to hate Glocks, some people defend the brand with great vigor, some people are sort of ambivalent.
Most people know the basic history but here’s a brief summary. The basic pistol was designed in the early 1980’s in response the Austrian military looking for a new pistol. Gaston Glock was not a “gun guy” and his design was rather novel. In 1982 the Glock 17 was accepted by Austria and production started. By 2021 more than 20 million Glocks had been produced.
Glock wasn’t the first to use a polymer frame, that was the H&K VP70. There are some other unique features, such as the striker that is only partially tensioned when the gun is at rest. A lot of the design is rather conventional. The pistols utilize a Browning short recoil tilting barrel locking system and a very common double stack magazine style.
The features that seem to generate the most commentary are the polymer frame, the trigger system, the grip angle and the overall appearance. Some people love them, others love to hate them.
There’s no denying the incredible reliability and durability of the design. They’re not pretty in the traditional sense but their functionality has an undeniable beauty all to its own.
I never hated the Glock but I must admit that it took several years for me to warm up to them. If you look at them as tools and keep an open mind; there’s a lot to like there.
The trigger action of a Glock will never be the equal of a crisp single action but it not as horrible as some folks claim. You can do good work with a Glock if you want to.
The passive safety systems are a departure from the paradigm, but the systems work as designed.
The misinformation and down-right lies about the polymer frame were rampant all during the 1980’s and well into the 1990’s. Now that polymer frames have become common, the rumors have finally subsided.
The Glock is not for everyone and……..THAT’S OK. There is no decree that you must love it.
There’s no dispute the Glock was revolutionary. It wasn’t groundbreaking because of any single feature but Gaston Glock did manage to put a lot of non-traditional features in one package. 20 million plus examples later is proof that there was a historical marker back in 1982. We are 40 years into the world with the Glock.
Just the word “Glock” brings out strong emotions. Some people love to hate Glocks, some people defend the brand with great vigor, some people are sort of ambivalent.
Most people know the basic history but here’s a brief summary. The basic pistol was designed in the early 1980’s in response the Austrian military looking for a new pistol. Gaston Glock was not a “gun guy” and his design was rather novel. In 1982 the Glock 17 was accepted by Austria and production started. By 2021 more than 20 million Glocks had been produced.
Glock wasn’t the first to use a polymer frame, that was the H&K VP70. There are some other unique features, such as the striker that is only partially tensioned when the gun is at rest. A lot of the design is rather conventional. The pistols utilize a Browning short recoil tilting barrel locking system and a very common double stack magazine style.
The features that seem to generate the most commentary are the polymer frame, the trigger system, the grip angle and the overall appearance. Some people love them, others love to hate them.
There’s no denying the incredible reliability and durability of the design. They’re not pretty in the traditional sense but their functionality has an undeniable beauty all to its own.
I never hated the Glock but I must admit that it took several years for me to warm up to them. If you look at them as tools and keep an open mind; there’s a lot to like there.
The trigger action of a Glock will never be the equal of a crisp single action but it not as horrible as some folks claim. You can do good work with a Glock if you want to.
The passive safety systems are a departure from the paradigm, but the systems work as designed.
The misinformation and down-right lies about the polymer frame were rampant all during the 1980’s and well into the 1990’s. Now that polymer frames have become common, the rumors have finally subsided.
The Glock is not for everyone and……..THAT’S OK. There is no decree that you must love it.
There’s no dispute the Glock was revolutionary. It wasn’t groundbreaking because of any single feature but Gaston Glock did manage to put a lot of non-traditional features in one package. 20 million plus examples later is proof that there was a historical marker back in 1982. We are 40 years into the world with the Glock.
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