Firearms and ammunition

SOF T&Es Glock 17’s Little Brother
by Peter G. Kokalis

No handgun has ever induced a greater frenzy of hysteria on the part of anti-gun politicians and their sympathetic media myrmidons than the Glock 17. Yet, none of their contentions are true. It is not invisible when passed through an X-ray screen. It cannot pass through properly monitored metal detectors without notice. And, it is most certainly not “all plastic,” as by weight the Glock pistol is 83 percent steel. This so-called “detectability” issue has been raised in no country outside of the United States.
Gaston Glock’s 9mm Parabellum pistol was first introduced to the American public by Soldier offortune Magazine almost four years ago (See “Plastic Perfection,” SOF, October’84). Since that time more than 350 U.S. local law enforcement and federal agencies have adopted or authorized the Glock as a duty weapon. In addition to Austria, the armed forces of both Norway and the Netherlands have adopted the Glock. Law enforcement agencies and military units in Belgium, Canada, Ecuador, Hong Kong, India, Jordan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Venezuela and West Germany issue the Glock as their standard sidearm. Tens of thousands have been sold to the U.S. public, and hundreds of thousands worldwide.

Glock has just announced the introduction of a new compact version, called the Model 19, and a long-slide target version - the Model 17L with 6-inch barrel and muzzle compensator. Also available, albeit only to law enforcement agencies, is the Model 18, a machine pistol with 33-round magazines. SOF’s test specimen of the production series Model 19 has an overall length of 7.4 inches, a height, with sights, of 4.64 inches and a width of 1.18 inches. The barrel length is 4 inches. In overall length, height and barrel length, the Model 19 is 1/2-inch shorter than its predecessor. The weight remains approximately the same at 23 ounces with an empty magazine. Of this mass, almost 19 ounces represents the steel components. To preserve the operational reliability of the short recoil system, the slide’s mass was not reduced. With the exception of the slide, frame, barrel, locking block, recoil spring, guide rod and slide lock spring, all of the other components are interchangeable between the models 17 and 19. There are only 35 parts in the Glock pistol, including the magazine. Glock says there are 33, but I count the sights and trigger spring cups as two components each. Of little matter, as in either case, this is still less than half the number of bits and pieces found in competing designs.

The Glock’s remarkable record of success in just four years is matched by its even more remarkable design. Glock’s only condescension to conventionality is the pistol’s method of operation. Short recoil operated, the barrel is locked to the slide by a single lug which recesses into the ejection port, in the manner of the SIG-Sauer series. During the recoil stroke the barrel moves rearward approximately 3 millimeters until the bullet leaves the barrel and pressures drop downward, separating from the slide and terminating any further motion. The slide’s continued rearward movement and counter-recoil cycle are those of the Browning system.

Hammerless and striker-fired, the Glock’s trigger and firing pin mechanisms are innovative and mostly unique. There is no manually operated thumb safety or decocking lever. A so-called “Safe Action” trigger system, pattemed after that encountered on the Sauer Behorden (”Authority”) Model 1930 caliber 7.65niin pocket pistol, constitutes the first failsafe. A wide outer trigger (serrated, on the new Model 19) encompasses a small, spring-loaded inner trigger, both fabricated from polymer. The outer trigger cannot be actuated, such as by contact with a holster, unless the inner trigger is depressed first. Thus the trigger can be pulled only from the center, not the edges.

A spring-loaded firing pin safety in the slide blocks forward movement of the striker, and is raised and deacfivated by a projection on the sheet-metal tfigger bar as the trigger is pulled to its final rearward position. When the trigger is in the forward position, the firing pin’s spring remains lightly compressed. As the trigger is pulled 10mm through its first stage (with a pull weight of approximately 2.2 pounds), its full compression is almost complete. Removal of the finger from the trigger at this time will return the firing pin spring to its partially compressed, “relaxed” and completely safe state. Continued pressure at this point will 1) Draw the firing pin fully rearward and its spring into complete compression; and then 2) Draw the T-shaped end of the trigger bar to its final rearward position in the trigger housing’s stepped safety notch; so that 3) It is free to drop downward away from both the “connector” (sear) and a projection at the end of the striker to release the firing pin and fire the round. The firing pin is rectangular in cross-section with a chisel-shaped tip. Although primers are left with an instantly identifiable indentation, the striker’s unorthodox configuration produces less drag on the primer (eliminating the possibility of firing pin breakage) and concentrates its momentum onto a smaller area to ensure positive ignition. A fluted firing pin, which permits the Glock pistol to be fired underwater, is available to legitimate government agencies only. A stamped sheet-metal ejector, with an odd-looking inward cant, is permanently attached to the polymer trigger housing.

Further explanation of the connector is required. This sheet-metal component also serves as a disconnector. When the slide moves forward in counter-recoil, a hump above the rail on the right side pushes the connector away from the trigger bar to prevent another round from being fired until the trigger is released and the trigger bar moves forward. The angle between the connector’s upper face and its bottom face determines the trigger pull weight of the second stage. An angle of 90 degrees will produce the standard pull weight of 5 pounds. A pull weight of 8 pounds is achieved by increasing the angle to 105 degrees (it is stamped with a “+”). A pull weight of 3 1/2 pounds, available only with the new Long Slide Target Model 17, is obtained when the angle is reduced to 75 degrees. If the pistol is to be stored for any length of time, the trigger should remain in the retracted position to remove all tension on the firing pin spring.

This triple-safe trigger mechanism is housed in the high-impact polymer frame that initiated the pistol’s unjustified controversy. All the more strange as Heckler & Koch’s VP70z and P9s pistols, both introduced more than a decade ago, were fabricated with largely polycarbonate frames. Four steel guide rails (about .4 inches in length) for the the slide have been integrated into the injection-molded frame, in pairs at the rear of the frame and above and in front of the trigger guard on the Glock series. To meet BATF regulations, a steel plate carrying the serial number has been embedded into the frame in front of the trigger guard. The trigger guard has been squared off and stippled, but those who fire from the correct Weaver position will not use this dubious fetish.

The grip-to-frame angle of the Model 19 remains that of the Glock 17 which is somewhat steeper than competing designs. However, there is a heavier non-slip, stipple effect on the sides of the grip and both the front and rear straps are grooved. As there are no separate grip panels, the grip portion of the pistol accomodates normal-sized hands despite its large magazine capacity

The locking block, which engages a 45-degree camming surface on the barrel’s lower lug, appears to be the Glock’s only investment casting. It’s retained in the frame by the same steel axis pin that holds the trigger and slide stop. The trigger housing is attached to the frame by means of a polymer pin. A spring-loaded, sheet-metal pressing serves as the slide stop, which is protected from accidental manipulation by a raised guard molded into the frame. The slide lock, operated by a single bent flat spring, engages a step on the front of the barrel’s locking lug to prevent the slide and frame groups from parting company during the counter-recoil stroke. The magazine catch-release, another polymer component - located where it belongs, on the left side of the frame, directly to the rear of the trigger guard - is held in place by an uncoiled piece of spring steel. Both interior surfaces of the magazine-well’s mouth have a beveled contour to assist in the insertion of magazines.

Rectangular in shape, the slide is milled from bar stock using CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machinery. Three hardening processes are employed on both the slide and barrel. The final Tenifer finish, two hundredths of a millimeter in thickness, produces a patented 69 Rockwell Cone hardness (much harder than any steel object it is likely to contact) by means of a nitrided bath at 500 degrees Centigrade. Scratches, which are in this instance no more than deposits from the other object, can usually be removed with a cloth and solvent. This matte, non-glare finish is 99-percent salt water corrosion resistant and meets or exceeds stainless steel specifications. It’s also 80 percent more corrosion-resistant than any hard-chrome finish.

Milled into both the top and right side of the slide, the Glock’s large ejection port enhances functional reliability. A large claw extractor, fitted to the slide at the rear of the ejection port on the right side, maintains its tension from a spring-loaded plunger, which, together with the firing pin assembly, are held in place by a polymer backing plate. Cocking serrations on the Model 19’s slide have been cross-checkered.

When shipped to the United States, all Glock pistols are equipped with polymer, white outline, adjustable rear sights to meet BATF import regulations. They are somewhat fragile and of little use on a defensive handgun. They can, and should be, substituted by the importer, Glock, Inc. (Dept. SOF, Suite 190, 5000 Highlands Parkway, Smyma, GA 30080; phone: 404-432-1202) for fixed sights for a modest surcharge. Four heights are available: 6.1mm (lower impact), 6.5mm (standard issue), and the higher impact 6.9mm and 7.3mm. A rear sight mounting and adjustment device can be obtained by certified Glock armorers. The polymer front sight carries a white dot. Best of all, in my opinion, are the Armson Self Luminous Trijicon steel sights (”Armson’s Bright Sights,” SOF, March ‘87) with which the Models 17 or 19 can now be fitted directly from Glock, Inc. Sight radius of the Model 19 is 6 inches.

The hammer-forged rifling in Glock’s barrels is equally innovative. Called “Hexagonal,” this rifling lies somewhere between conventional land and groove and H&K’s “Polygonal” bores. With a right-hand twist of one turn in 9.84 inches, this hexagonal profile (in cross-section a series of six small arcs connected by flat surfaces) provides a better gas seal, more consistent velocities, superior accuracy and ease of maintenance. A single-coil recoil spring under the barrel rides on a polymer guide rod which is hollow to serve as a cooling air pump.

There is an almost confusing array of magazines available for the Model 19. It comes equipped with two 15-round magazines whose floorplates are flush with the magazine-well. This yields a total of 16 rounds for those who will carry one round up the spout in disregard of Glock’s admonition against this practice (for untrained personnel). A 17-round magazine with an extended floorplate is also available. Neither of these magazines can be used in the Model 17 series or Model 18 machine pistol. Model 17, 17-and-19-round magazines and Model 18 33-round magazines can be installed in the Model 19 although they will extend beyond the frame. All are of the single-position feed, staggered column type. Magazine bodies, followers and floorplates are fabricated from polymer. The magazine bodies have steel liners and indicator holes starting with round #4 up to the capacity of the magazine. When new, Glock magazines will drop freely from the magazine well. After use, however, the magazine walls will set with an outward bulge that requries their removal by hand. In my opinion, this is a matter of small consequence. If you haven’t solved your problem with sixteen rounds, a pistol was an inappropriate choice for the scenario. Each Glock pistol is issued with a polymer magazine loader and cleaning rod and a nylon-bristle bore brush. The polymer storage box has been designed for armory stacking and retention with a steel rod or chain.

Other accessories include four different holsters and magazine pouches - all fabricated from polymer. Personally, I prefer Bruce Nelson’s superb #1 Professional leather holster and single magazine pouch for the entire Glock series (Bruce Nelson Combat Leather, Dept. SOF, P.O. Box 8691 CRB, Tucson, AZ 85738; catalog, $3). This hand-fitted rig with its double belt-loop system pulls the grip area of the frame into the body, requires no straps for retention and can be wom either strong-side or cross-draw.

While somewhat different from the norm, there is nothing complex about the Glock’s disassembly procedures. First, remove the magazine and remove any round in the chamber. Then, and only then, pull the trigger. Wrap the four fingers of the right hand over the slide from the right side with the thumb wrapped around the rear of the frame and retract the slide about an 1/8-inch (any more than that and the trigger will move forward to prevent separation of the slide and frame). Pull the slide lock downward with the thumb and index finger of the left hand. While the slide lock is down, push the slide forward and off the frame. Push the guide rod forward and remove the rod and recoil spring. Push the barrel forward, lift up and pull it back out of the slide. No further disassembly is recommended. Do not attempt to manipulate the trigger system after the slide has been removed or you may damage the inner trigger’s spring. Reassemble in the reverse order. To disassemble the magazine, merely squeeze the side walls at the base and slide off the floorplate.

There can be no question about the Glock’s levels of reliability or durability. It has successfully passed tests every bit as rigorous as the XM9 trials, involving hundreds of thousands of rounds. That it was excluded from the most recent XM9 trials is a commentary on the U.S. Army’s conventional mind-set, not the Glock design.

SOF’s test and evaluation of the Model 19 did no more than confirm impressions already built from thousands of rounds fired through our Glock 17, which looks and performs as well today as it did four years ago. There were no stoppages attributable to the pistol during the course of the more than 500 rounds fired to date through our test specimen. The frame’s inherent elasticity dampens perceived recoil considerably. Target re-acquisition times from shot to shot are minimal. Quite muzzle heavy, the Model 19 points instinctively and comes on target with great speed. With its clean and constant trigger system, the hit probability is high. There is, of course, no hammer bite to distract the shooter. The frame’s grip ergonomics are excellent.

What about the accuracy potential? Most engagements with a handgun will take place at 21 feet or less. Firing a pistol from 50 yards off a Ransom rest will provide information concerning its theoretical accuracy potential, but nothing about its practical accuracy in a stress scenario. We fired the Model 19 at ATS combat targets from 21 feet in the Weaver position. Our most accurate load, a 115-grain FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) cartridge manufactured by Black Hills Shooters Supply (Dept. SOF, 3401 South Highway 79, Rapid City, SD 57701; phone: 605-348-5150), will consistently dump five rounds into a ragged half-inch hole at this distance. That’s outstanding.

How much velocity do you lose when you opt for the Model 19’s four-inch barrel? No more than four percent, as the 115-grain projectile dropped only 44 fps, averaging 1,107 fps (10 feet from the muzzle) out of the Glock 17’s 4 1/2-inch barrel and 1,063 fps as it sped out of the Model 19 4-inch barrel.

There’s a virtual hailstorm of large capacity 9mm Parabellum pistols out there. Within the next few years this cartridge will almost entirely replace the .38 Special and .357 Magnum as the standard U.S. police service round. Anyone casting about for a nine mill could do no better than selecting any one of the Glock series. Glock’s new Model 19 is the finest 9mm factory compact available, bar none. Both the Model 17 and 19 carry a suggested retail price of $511. If you want to shoot at gongs, the long slide target Model 17L will cost you $740.53. This includes a one-year limited warranty on all parts and five years or 10,000 rounds on the barrel, slide and frame.

originally published in the August 1988 edition of Soldier of Fortune Magazine

Glock 19 Specifications

Buy Glock pistols

by Wiley Clapp

We live in changing times, and in no other way is that so true as it is in the world of modern automatic pistols. As recently as this past September, Guns and Ammo delved into the world of the ultra-powerful 10mm guns and their ammunition, commenting at the conclusion of a survey of six guns and twelve different loads: “Let’s not further emasculate the round, but instead build guns that will handle ammo delivering a 180-grain bullet at 1,150 to 1,200 fps.” There’s plenty of good ammunition on the market that will do exactly that, but in terms of a modern, high-capacity, 10mm pistol which a shooter can carry easily and control, there’s nothing out there. That is about to change.
Sometime in early 1990, Glock will offer the Model 20, a 10mm pistol that is light enough to be carried with ease, accurate enough for IPSC match use, and which remains controllable with any ammunition available on the market. After a too-brief shooting session with the pistol and a variety of ammunition, I am deeply impressed with what the Glock designers have done. The product of their efforts is a carryable, controllable, close-shooting handgun that will profoundly impact the automatic pistol market. The Glock 20 is arguably the first really practical 10mm combat pistol, a gun that fulfills the promise made by the Bren 10 of a decade ago - a handgun of high capacity and modern features, shooting a completely new cartridge of markedly increased power.

The Glock 20 is no larger than a number of conventional 9mm pistols, although it is slightly larger than the earlier 9mm Glock 17. The family resemblance between the two guns is unmistakable. The 10mm Model 20 looks exactly like the 9mm Model 17 from a distance. The dimensional differences are not obvious until the shooter takes the pistol in hand, at which time it becomes apparent the larger caliber gun is slightly larger in all dimensions except grip thickness. From side to side, the grip is the same, but the butt is a bit larger because of an increased front-to-rear reach. In similar fashion, the pistol’s slide thickness is just a trifle more than the 9mm 17’s. In overall length, the 10mm pistol is longer by a small fraction of an inch. Simply stated, the Glock 20 is a big Glock 17 chambered for a bigger cartridge.

And there are salient advantages to being a bigger version of the Glock 17. That particular handgun is one of the very best of the frontrunning 9mm pistols on today’s market, so it necessarily follows that a pistol using the same system will be highly competitive and possibly end up on the top of the heap. All Glocks differ from their competitors in a number of ways, the most controversial of which is the means of constructing the basic pistol.

Glocks have a slide made from CNC-milled tool steel, but their receivers are made from moulded polymer-plastic. Since this material is not as hard as conventional steel or aluminum, the maker installs metal insert rails in the plastic frame, thereby eliminating a possible galling action between the two dissimilar surfaces when the slide moves back and forth. The big advantage to using a plastic frame is the relatively light weight of the resulting pistol, as well as a fairly low cost in manufacturing it. But beyond the advantages of a light and economical pistol the Glock has even more to commend it.

The system of operation in the Glock pistol is quite unlike any competitor, so much so that I will not attempt a comparison, but rather content myself with a hopefully accurate description of the unique handgun. All Glocks-17, 17L, 19, and the new 20-have a trigger system which the maker calls “Safe Action” and which does not use a conventional pivoting hammer. Instead, the Glock has a striker in the rear of the slide, which is in an essentially straight line with a chambered round of ammunition. As the shooter allows the slide to run forward into battery and chamber the round, the striker, or firing pin, sets into a partially tensioned position.

At this point, the trigger moves to its forwardmost position in the triggerguard and the unique trigger safety is in position. The trigger safety is a small lever mounted in the face of the trigger itself. It pivots on a tiny shaft in such a way that its front lower end must be depressed by the shooter’s finger before its rear upper end will clear from contact with the frame. Without the finger pressure on the trigger, the trigger cannot move to the rear and the pistol cannot, therefore, fire a shot. When the shooter overcomes the action of the trigger safety with deliberate rearward pressure in an effort to fire a shot, he has cleared the first of three aspects of the Glock Safe Action system.

More trigger pressure causes a lobe on the top edge of the trigger bar to press a spring-loaded plunger in the top of the slide upward. Moving this plunger up clears a path for the firing pin, or striker, to move forward and fire a round. This is the second of three aspects of the Safe Action system. The third one, which went into play when the pistol’s slide went forward into battery, is overcome with increased trigger pressure. That pressure continues the rearward movement of the striker, pushing it off of the safety ramp where it ended up at the conclusion of the slide’s previous forward motion. Safe Action is a term which is most apropos-the designers have done a great deal to make this a safe handgun. Other features of the Glock are more or less conventional, with a tilting-barrel breech locking system, but the trigger system is in a class by itself.

As complex as the description of the trigger system might seem, operating the pistol is simplicity itself. After inserting a loaded magazine and running the slide forward to chamber a round, the shooter has only to pull the trigger to make the pistol fire. There is no manual safety; safety is a function of trigger manipulation, with each of the three safety functions sequentially overcome as trigger pressure increases. No levers to sweep off or buttons to depress-just pull the trigger. Glocks are not, however, impervious to improper handling. The pistol fires when the trigger is pulled-period. For this reason, shooters need to understand that the Glock is intolerant of the shooter who likes to rest his finger lightly on the trigger and that all Glock training must heavily emphasize a simple rule - Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire. That’s good advice with any gun.

The subjective feel of the trigger is considerably different. I most commonly think of it as feeling like the trigger on my beloved M1 rifles of years past. There is a fair amount of initial movement in pulling the Glock trigger, analogous to the slack in a military rifle trigger. After that, the pull is fairly crisp, sometimes with a bit of creep, but releasing with typical pressure. In multiple shots, the shooter does not have to release the trigger all the way back to the front and go through the long trigger arc. He simply pulls through the same final pressure as used on the previous shot.

We have a nasty tendency to want to attach labels to everything, but referring to this system as a form of either double or single action seems improper to me. This is different in many ways from either. It is Safe Action-and unique.

In handling any of the several Glock models, the shooter notices the somewhat different balance inherent in a pistol with a plastic receiver and a steel slide/barrel unit. Despite the slightly top-heavy feel of a Glock, the grip is easy to like. The polymer receiver has a grained finish moulded into the material and there are no removable grips. This makes for a slim, no-nonsense contour to the frame and allows the maker to use a polymer magazine with steel stiffeners. Although the magazine is of the double-column variety, the resulting butt section is one of the trimmest on the market. Glocks are compact and shootable handguns, with high-capacity magazines.

How about the newest Glock? It’s a 10mm and a slightly larger pistol - a completely new ball game. Avid G&A readers may remember 10mm articles I’ve written in recent issues (September ‘89 and November ‘89) in which we looked at all available 10mm guns and loads, then made a comparison of the 10mm round as opposed to the ever-popular .45. In the course of preparing these articles, I fired a wide variety of the ammo in a lot of different pistols. My general impression of the 10mm cartridge is that it is both accurate and powerful. But it is also a round which is difficult to engineer into a shootable handgun of reasonably compact weight and dimensions.

The problem lies in the fact that the cartridge induces high slide velocity, which is hard on the gun as well as the shooter who tries to shoot rapidly and accurately. Pistols of the size and weight of the Javelina, Grizzly, and Omega tame the 10 easily; they have extra-heavy slides and/or re-engineered lockups to help them deal with the slide-velocity problem.

The Glock 20 is not a heavy pistol, and its locking system is not any different than the one used on the 9mm 17 and 19 models. Compared to a Glock 17 with empty magazine, which weighs 24 ounces, the 10mm Glock 20 weighs 30.5 ounces. That is about a 6-ounce weight disparity. But almost all of the weight increase is in the slide. The slide and barrel of the 10mm Glock 20 are considerably heavier than the ones used on the lighter 9mm pistols. Rather than fool around with dual springs or recoil buffers, or even re-engineered locking systems, the Glock designers just made the slide heavier. In effect, they tamed the tiger that is the 10mm cartridge.

Although the pistol we had for inspection and evaluation firing was in G&A offices for a too-brief period of time, we did manage to get to the range with the gun and a variety of factory ammunition.

Typical full-sized centerfire automatic pistols weigh from 34 to 40 ounces. If they get much heavier than this, they cease to be truly carryable service-type handguns. The Glock 20 weighs 30 1/2 ounces with an empty magazine in place; that’s a minimal burden for the on-the-job police officer. With most of the weight in the slide, the pistol is quite comfortable to shoot. I was downright surprised to find that the Glock 20 is easy to fire in fast exercises. I am no speed shooter, but I was able to take down six consecutive steel plates at 15 yards with no conscious effort going into pulling the pistol down from recoil. Bob Gates, who has wrists like most people’s biceps, was shooting the piece at a very rapid rate. Everyone who fired the pistol felt that the bugaboo of nearly every other service 10mm, hard-to-manage recoil, was not a factor in shooting the Glock 20. I think the pistol is best described as recoiling about like an M1911 with a good service load.

The Glock will not be sold with a limit on the ammunition to be used in it. The pistol will accept and fire any 10mm load made to SAAMI specifications. It is not necessary to use the reduced-velocity 10mm load made for the FBI by Federal. Using a 180-grain JHP bullet at 950 fps, the FBI 10mm should be an absolute pussycat in the Glock 20. One of the loads we tried was the Pro Load 180-grain JHP, which comes out of a Bar-Sto Colt at 1,222 fps. It’s the same Sierra bullet as in the FBI load, but with a hefty velocity increase. The Pro Load combo was not hard to manage. Neither were Hornady 170-grain JHPs, PMC 170-grain JHP and 200-grain FMJS, and Norma 170-grain JHPS. The pistol is just not a problem with any currently-available ammunition.

There’s more to commend the gun also. I have never found the accuracy of any Glock I have fired to be in the Blue-Chip category. This 10mm pistol might be a bit different. Circumstances at the range forced me to do my accuracy evaluation the old-fashioned way - standing two-handed in a Weaver stance. From the 25-yard line, I was able to call up enough of my waning marksmanship skills to keep ten shots in a group that measured a little over 3 inches. The group would have scored a 97-4X.

While I do not necessarily endorse a pistol on the basis of its capacity, a great many people place a lot of importance on a high-capacity magazine. The Glock 20 magazine holds 15 rounds and another will, of course, fit in the chamber to give an on-tap total of 16. Nine-millimeter Glock magazines are often fitted with the +2 floorplate option, which in effect makes a 17-rounder into a 19-shot magazine. The same will be true of the Glock 20, and the 15-shot magazine will thereby become a 17-shot. With a round up the spout, the Glock 20 gunner will have 18 shots ready to go.

As a shooter who has watched the progress of the 10mm round from its earliest days with the pioneering work of G&A staffer Whit Collins, I am impressed by the Glock 20. I was beginning to think the 10mm was reaching the point where it was going to be relegated to extra-heavy pistols in the hunting fields. The Glock is a light, compact, accurate, and shootable automatic pistol that holds up to 18 rounds of ammo, each round of which can reliably deliver a well-designed 180-grain bullet at around 1,200 fps. The pistol will likely be warranted for 40,000 rounds in law-enforcement use.

This is impressive stuff , and it substantially extends the performance envelope of what we can expect of service pistols in general and 10mms in particular. Others are going to have to hustle to stay even and run like hell to get ahead. The Glock 20 is a breakthrough.

Originally published in the January 1990 edition of Guns & Ammo

Glock 20 Specifications

Buy Glock pistols

by Peter G. Kokalis

Gaston Glock’s Model 17 9mm Parabellum pistol was first introduced to the Ametican public by Soldier of Fortune magazine almost six years ago (see “Plastic Perfection,” SOF, October ‘84). Since that time more than 2,000 U.S. local and federal law enforcement agencies have adopted or authorized the Glock as duty weapons. In addition to Austria, the armed forces of both Norway and the Netherlands have adopted the Glock. Law enforcement agencies and military units in Belgium, Canada, Ecuador, Hong Kong, India, Jordan, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Venezuela and West Gennany issue the Glock as their standard sidearm. Tens of thousands have been sold to the American public, and hundreds of thousands have been sold worldwide.
Now, at long last, this highly acclaimed handgun has been chambered for America’s justifiably famous .45 ACP cartridge - mating 21st-century technology with an octogenarian of combat-proven effectiveness.

Dubbed the Glock Model 21, it is very similar in size to Glock’s previously announced Model 20 10mm pistol. In fact, the frames appear to be identical. SOF’s test specimen of a prototype Model 21 has an overall length of 8.27 inches, a height, with sights and inserted magazine, of 4.85 inches and a width of 1.2 inches (at the grips). The barrel length is 4.6 inches. The weight is 29.5 ounces with an empty magazine (almost 10 ounces less than a Colt Double Eagle or M1911A1). Almost 85 percent of this mass is accounted for by the steel components.

While some of the smaller components are interchangeable with the 10mm Model 20, you cannot assemble a Model 20 slide group to a Model 21 frame, as the locking block has been altered to prevent this. As with the other models in the Glock series, there are only 35 parts including the magazine. Glock says there are 33, but I count the sights and trigger spring cups as two components each. Of small consequence, as in either case this is still fewer than half the number of bits and pieces found in competing designs.

The Glock’s remarkable success in just six years is matched by its even more remarkable design - the salient features of which are afl retained by the Model 21. Glock’s only concession to conventionality is the pistol’s method of operation. Short recoil operated, the barrel is locked to the slide by a single lug that recesses into the ejection port, in the manner of the SIG-Sauer series. During the recoil stroke the barrel moves rearward approximately 3mm until the bullet leaves the barrel and pressures drop to a safe level. The barrel then drops downward, separating from the slide and terminating any further motion. The slide’s continued rearward movement and counter-recoil cycle are those of the Browning system.

Hammerless and striker-fired, the Glock’s trigger and firing pin mechanisms are innovative and mostly unique. There is no manually operated thumb safety or decocking lever. A so-called “Safe Action” trigger system, patterned after that encountered on the Sauer Behorden (”Authority”) Model 1930 caliber 7.65mm pocket pistol, constitutes the first failsafe. A wide, serrated, outer trigger encompasses a small, spring-loaded inner trigger, both fabricated from polymer. The outer trigger cannot be actuated, such as by contact with a holster, unless the inner trigger is depressed first. Thus the trigger can be pulled only from the center, not the edges.

A spring-loaded firing pin safety in the slide blocks forward movement of the striker, and is raised and deactivated by a projection on the sheet metal trigger bar as the trigger is pulled to its final rearward position.

When the trigger is in the forward position, the firing pin’s spring remains lightly compressed. As the trigger is pulled about 10mm through its fust stage (with a pull weight of approximately 2.2 pounds), its full compression is almost complete. Removal of the finger from the trigger at this time will return the firing pin spring to its partially compressed, “relaxed” and completely safe state. Continued pressure at this point will 1) draw the fning pin fully rearward and its spring into complete compression; then 2) draw the T-shaped end of the trigger bar to its final rearward position in the trigger housing’s stepped safety notch; so that 3) it is free to drop downward away from both the “connector” (sear) and a projection at the end of the striker to release the firing pin and fire the round.

The firing pin is rectangular in cross-section with a chisel-shaped tip. Although primers are left with an instantly identifiable indentation, the striker’s unorthodox configuration produces less drag on the primer (eliminating the possibility of firing pin breakage) and concentrates its momentum onto a smaller area to insure positive ignition. Fluted firing-pin spring cups, which permit the Glock pistol to be fired underwater, are available to legitimate government agencies only. A stamped sheet-metal ejector, with an odd-looking inward cant, is permanently attached to the polymer trigger housing.

Further explanation of the connector is required. This sheet-metal component also serves as a disconnector. When the slide moves forward in counter-recoil, a thumb above the rail on the right side pushes the connector away from the trigger bar to prevent another round from being fired until the trigger is released and the trigger bar moves forward. The angle between the connector’s upper face and its bottom face determines the trigger pull weight of the second stage. An angle of 90 degrees will produce the standard pull weight of 5 pounds. A pull weight of 8 pounds is achieved by increasing the angle to 105 degrees (this connector is stamped with a “+”). A pull weight of 3.5 pounds, available only with the Long Slide Target Model 17, is obtained when the angle is reduced to 75 degrees (stamped with a “-”). At the request of the New York State Police, a small polymer and steel component has recently been designed that increases the trigger pull weight to approximately 12 pounds when it is inserted into the trigger housing. That’s too heavy for me, but should prove ideal for law enforcement agencies in transition from double-action revolvers. If the pistol is to be stored for any length of time, the trigger should remain in the retracted position to remove all tension of the firing pin spring.

This triple safe trigger mechanism is housed in a high-impact polymer frame that initiated the pistol’s unjustified controversy (all the more strange as Heckler & Koch’s VP70z and P9S pistols, both introduced more than a decade ago, were fabricated with largely polycarbonate frames). Four steel guide rails (about 0.4 inches in length) for the slide have been integrated into the injection molded frame - in pairs at the rear of the frame, and above and in front of the trigger guard. To meet BATF regulations, a steel plate carrying the serial number has been embedded into the frame in front of the trigger guard. The trigger guard has been squared off, recurved and checkered, but those who fire from the correct Weaver position will not employ this useless feature.

The grip-to-frame angle of the Model 21 remains that of the Glock 17/19, which is somewhat steeper than competing designs. There is a non-slip, stippled surface on the sides of the grip and both the front and rear straps are grooved and checkered. As there are no separate grip panels, the grip portion of the pistol, while larger in circumference than that of the Glock 17/19, accommodates normal-sized hands despite its large magazine capacity.

The locking block, which engages a 45-degree camming surface on the barrel’s lower lug, appears to be the Glock’s only investment casting. It is retained in the frame by the same steel axis pin that holds the trigger and slide stop. The trigger housing is attached to the frame by means of a polymer pin. A spring-loaded, sheet-metal pressing serves as the slide stop, which is protected from accidental manipulation by a raised guard molded into the frame. The slide lock, operated by a single bent flat spring, engages a step on the front of the bartel’s locking lug to prevent the slide and frame groups from parting company during the counter-recoil stroke. The magazine catch-release, another polymer component - located where it belongs, on the left side of the frame, directly to the rear of the trigger guard - is held in place by an uncoiled piece of spring steel. Both interior surfaces of the magazine-well’s mouth have a beveled contour to assist in the insertion of magazines.

Rectangular in shape, the slide is milled from bar stock using CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machinery. Three hardening processes are employed on both the slide and barrel. The final tenifer finish, .04 to .05 millimeter in thickness, produces a patented 69 Rockwell Cone hardness just below a diamond) by means of a nitride bath at 500 degrees Centigrade. Scratches, which are in this instance no more than deposits from the other object, can usually be removed with a cloth and solvent. This matte, non-glare finish is 99 percent salt water corrosion-resistant and meets or exceeds stainless steel specifications. It’s also 80 percent more corrosion-resistant than any hard-chrome finish.

Milled into both the top and right side of the slide, the Glock’s large ejection port enhances functional reliability. A large claw extractor, fitted to the slide at the rear of the ejection port on the fight side, maintains its tension from a spfing-loaded plunger, which, together with the firing pin assembly, are held in place by a polymer backing plate. Cocking serrations on the Model 21’s slide are cut deeply and provide an excellent purchase when the slide is retracted.

As both the Model 20 and 21 are now manufactured in the U.S. at Glock’s new Georgia facility, they are no longer issued with fragile adjustable sights (still an option, however) to meet BATF import regulations. High profile, combat-type, fixed sights are now standard. Four rear-sight heights are available: 6.1mm (lower impact, 6.5mm (standard issue), and the higher impact 6.9mm and 7.3mm. A rear sight mounting and adjusting device can be obtained by certified Glock armorers. The polymer front sight carries a white dot and the rear sight has a white outline. However, best of all, in my opinion, are the self-luminous, tritium, low-light-level sights with which the Model 21 can be fitted directly from Glock, Inc. These tritium crystals will last more than 10 years. Sight radius of the Model 21 is 6.75 inches.

Glock’s hammer-forged barrels are also innovative. Called “hexagonal,” the rifling lies somewhere between conventional land and groove and H&K’s “polygonal” bores. The rifling’s hexagonal profile (in cross-section a series of six small arcs connected by flat surfaces) provides a better gas seal, more consistent velocities, superior accuracy and ease of maintenance. The direction of twist is right-hand. Although not yet specified at the time of our test and evaluation, I expect the rate of twist will be close to the standard 1:16 inches for this cartridge. A single-coil spring under the barrel rides on a polymer guide rod, which is hollow to serve as a cooling air pump.

The Model 21 magazine is of the single-position-feed, staggered-column type with a capacity of 13 rounds. With one up the snout, that gives you 14 rounds of .45 caliber medicine. Magazine bodies, followers and floor plates are fabricated from polymer. The magazine bodies have steel liners and indicator holes starting with round No. 4 up to the capacity of the magazine. When new, Glock magazines will drop freely from the magazine-well. After use, however, the magazine walls will set widi an outward bulge that requires their removal by hand. In my opinion, this is a matter of small consequence. If you haven’t solved your problem with 14 rounds, a pistol was an inappropriate choice for the confrontation. Each Model 21 is issued widi two magazines, a polymer magazine loader and cleaning rod and a nylon bristle bore brush. The polymer storage box has been designed for armory stacking and retention with a steel rod or chain. Suggested retail price is $598.

While somewhat different from the norm, there is nothing complex about the Model 21’s disassembly procedures and, unlike the Colt Double Eagle, no component will part company from the slide or frame unless you intend it to do so. First, remove the magazine and remove any round in the chwnber. Then, and only then, pull the trigger. Wrap the four fingers of the right hand over the slide from the right side with the thumb wrapped around the rear of the frame and retract the slide about an 1/8-inch (any more than that and the trigger will move forward to prevent separation of the slide and frame). Pull the slide lock downward with the thumb and index finger of the left hand. While the slide lock is down, push the slide forward and off the frame. Push the guide rod forward and remove the rod and recoil spring. Push the barrel forward, lift up and pull it back out of the slide. No further disassembly is recommended. Do not attempt to manipulate the trigger system after the slide has been removed or you may damage the inner trigger’s spring. Reassemble in the reverse order. To disassemble the magazine, merely squeeze the side walls at the base and slide off the floor plate.

There can be no question about the Glock design’s levels of reliability or durability. In its 9mm Parabellum version, it has successfully passed tests every bit as rigorous as the U.S. XM9 trials, involving hundreds of thousands of rounds. That it was excluded from the most recent XM9 trials is a commentary on the U.S. Army’s conventional mind-set, not the Glock design.

SOF’s test and evaluation of the Model 21 did no more than confirm impressions already formed from tens of thousands of rounds fired through our Glock 17 and 19 pistols. There were no stoppages of any kind during the course of the 500 rounds fired through our test specimen. The frame’s inherent elasticity dampens felt recoil considerably. As the barrel’s axis lies close to the hand, the recoil momentum is perceived as an almost straight rearward thrust with much less muzzle climb that of either the Colt Double Eagle or a standard Govemment Model. Target reacquisition times between shots are minimal as the front sight barely leaves the point of aim if a strong Weaver hold is employed. Quite muzzle heavy, the Model 21 points instinctively and comes on target with great speed. With its clean and constant trigger system, the hit probability is high. There is, of course, no hammer bite to distract the shooter. The frame’s grip ergonomics are excellent.

What about the accuracy potential? Most engagements with a handgun will take place at 21 feet or less. Firing a pistol from 50 yards off a Ransom rest will provide information concerning its theoretical accuracy potential, but nothing about its practical accuracy in a stress scenario. We fired the Model 21 at camouflaged combat targets from 21 feet in the Weaver position. The ammunition used in SOF’s test and evaluation included Black Hills 185-grain Jacketed Hollow Point (JHP) and 230-grain Full Metal Jackets (FMJ), 230-grain U.S. military ball and 230-grain hard-cast round-nose reloads with a powder charge weight of 6.3 grains of Hercules Unique. Best results were obtained with the Black Hills 185-grain JHP, which consistently dumped a magazine of double-taps into a ragged half-inch group. The ejection path was consistently two to three feet to the right and rear.

I predict that the recently completed ammunition evaluation and wound ballistics penetration analysis by the FBI’s Firearms Training Unit will deservedly draw attention away from the 9mm Parabellum cartridge and focus it once more on the venerable .45. The best 9mm load, Winchester’s 147-grain subsonic JHP, was 30 percent less successful than the FBI/Sierra 10mm 180-grain JHP. That’s a significant difference in performance. Remington’s .45 ACP 185-grain JHP was only 2.5 percent less successful than the FBI/Sierra 10mm load. That’s an inconsequential difference. Some law enforcement agencies, in copy-cat fashion, will jump on board the 10mm bandwagon. In my opinion, far more - both departments and individuals - will re-examine the .45. Most of us already have access to .45 ACP reloading dies and the components are plentiful. Long-established and battle-proven, the .45 has an aura steeped in the folklore of American history. The FBI tests should result in a revival of interest in the .45, only moderate acceptance of the 10mm and a waning of popularity in the U.S. for the 9mm Parabellum.

Glock’s Model 21 has arrived at the right place, at the right time. With its large capacity magazine, brilliant design and superb reliability, we can expect its surge to the forefront in the wave of new popularity anticipated at both law enforcement and civilian levels for an ancient cartridge that makes a big hole and penetrates deep enough. Let’s hope a compact version of the Model 21 with a single-column, eight-round magazine in a truly reduced envelope is shortly forthcoming.

Glock 21 Specifications
GLOCK 21 .45 AUTO. Disassembly and Cleaning.

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The Colt 9mm Submachine Gun is a lightweight compact weapon encompassing the same straight line construction and design with the world known M16A2/A4 Rifle. This straight line construction, coupled with the low recoil associated with 9mm ammunition, provides highly accurate fire with less muzzle climb, especially in full automatic fire. Less recoil also facilitates ease of training and improves accuracy.

Like the M4 Carbine and Commando models, the Colt 9mm SMG fires from a closed bolt, is equipped with a sliding buttstock, and is readily field stripped without the need of special tools. Operation and training are similar to those of the M16A2/A4 Rifle, M4 Carbine or Commando, eliminating the need for substantial cross training.

The Colt 9mm SMG has a 26.7cm barrel and fires all standard 9mm ammunition. It is extremely well suited for military and paramilitary organizations with a definite need for a lightweight, compact weapon required to turn out sustained and controlled fire in close confrontations. It is also ideal in military and law enforcement situations where maximum concealability and lower velocity are required. Furthermore, due to its lack of over-penetration, it is desirable in the following areas: urban environments, boats and ships, in and around buildings, areas with crowds and airfields.

The rear field sight is adjustable for windage and incorporates two flip-type apertures for short range (0-50m) and long range (50-100m). The front sight post is adjustable for elevation. The Colt 9mm Submachine Gun is available with a Safe – Semi – Full Auto fire control selector (model R0635) or a Safe – Semi – Burst selector (model R0639).

SPECIFICATIONS
CALIBER 9mm
WEIGHT WITHOUT MAGAZINE 5.75 lb (2.61 kg)
OVERALL LENGTH
Stock Retracted 28.9 in (73.0 cm)
25.6 in (65.0 cm)
BARREL LENGTH 10.5 in (26.7 cm)
METHOD OF OPERATION Gas; Blowback; Closed bolt
MUZZLE VELOCITY (9mm NATO) 1210 ft/sec (396 m/sec)
MUZZLE ENERGY 584 Joule (9mm NATO)
EFFECTIVE RANGE 100 m

AVAILABLE MODELS
RO635 : Safe/Semi/Full Auto
RO639 : Safe/Semi/Burst

Model 500 OD Green Carry Combo

Model: 500
Caliber: .500
Barrel Length: 4″
Front Sight: Red Ramp
Rear Sight: Adjustable White Outline
Grip: OD Green Hogue®
Frame: Extra Large
Finish: Satin Stainless
Overall Length: 10 1/4″
Material: Frame/Cylinder Stainless Steel
Weight Empty: 56 oz.

- Custom OD Green Hogue® Grip
- DeSantis™ Green Digital Camo Holster
- DeSantis™ Green Digital Camo Belt Ammo Carrier
- Custom OD Green Smith & Wesson Gun Box
- Suitable for Big Game Hunting or Backup for your Rifle or Bow
- High Quality Holster and Ammo Carrier Included
- Limited Availability

Model 500ES - Emergency Survival Kit

Model 500ES - Emergency Survival Tool Kit contains:
- Smith & Wesson Model 500, 2 3/4″ Barrel with Bright Orange Hogue® recoil reducing grip
- Waterproof Storm® Case
- Blast Match™ Firestarter and WetFire tender
- Saber Cut™ Saw with fabric sheath
- Jet Scream™ whistle
- Star Flash™ signal mirror
- Polaris® compass
- Two MPI Mylar Space® Emergency Blankets
- Smith & Wesson Extreme Ops Liner Lock Folding Knife with Black Sheath
- “Bear Attacks of the Century - True Stories of Courage and Survival” book by Larry Mueller and Marguerite Reiss

Model: 500
Caliber: .500
Capacity: 5 Rounds
Barrel Length: 2 3/4″
Front Sight: Red Ramp
Rear Sight: Adjustable
Grip: Rubber
Frame: Extra Large
Finish: Satin Stainless
Overall Length: 9″
Material: Stainless Steel
Weight Empty: 54.8 oz.

Model 500 Revolver - Standard Compensator

- Most Powerful Production Revolver in the World Today
- Massive 500 S&W Magnum® Cartridge with 2600 ft/lb. Muzzle Energy
- A Hunting Handgun For Any Game Animal Walking
- Recoil Tamed with Effective Muzzle Compensator
- Hogue Sorbothane® Recoil Absorbing Grip
- Internal Lock

In 2003 the gunsmiths and engineers at Smith & Wesson wanted to deliver maximum power for serious handgun hunters. The power they sought required an entirely new frame, the massive “X-Frame™,” and was the basis for the new Model 500™, the most powerful production revolver in the world.

This ushered in the era of the “big gun” and was only the beginning. What followed was a 4″ barrel Model 500™, strong enough for the biggest game, yet easy to carry. New this year is the addition of a .50 caliber model, with an 8-3/8″ barrel and removable compensator, and the remarkable Model 460XVR, with the highest muzzle velocity on earth. For ultimate power and velocity there’s nothing even close to an X-Frame model handgun.

Model: 500
Caliber: .500
Capacity: 5 Rounds
Barrel Length: 8 3/8″
Front Sight: Interchangeable Front
Rear Sight: Adjustable
Grip: Sorbothane Rubber Grips
Frame: Extra Large
Finish: Satin Stainless
Overall Length: 15″
Material: Stainless Steel
Weight Empty: 72.5 oz.

Model 500 Revolver - HIVIZ® - Interchangable Compensator

- Most Powerful Production Revolver in the World Today
- Massive 500 S&W Magnum® Cartridge - 2600 ft/lb. Muzzle Energy
- A Hunting Handgun For Any Game Animal Walking
- Removable High Efficiency Compensator
- HIVIZ® Red Interchangeable Front Sight

Model: 500
Caliber: .500
Capacity: 5 Rounds
Barrel Length: 8 3/8″
Front Sight: HI-VIZ Interchangable Front
Rear Sight: Adjustable
Grip: Rubber Grips
Frame: Extra Large
Finish: Satin Stainless
Overall Length: 15″
Material: Stainless Steel
Weight Empty: 72.5 oz.

Model 500 Revolver - 4″

- Most Powerful Production Revolver in the World Today
- Massive 500 S&W Magnum® Cartridge 2600 ft/lb. Muzzle Energy
- A Hunting Handgun For Any Game Animal Walking
- Recoil Tamed with Effective Muzzle Compensator
- Hogue Sorbothane® Recoil Absorbing Grip
- Internal Lock
- Ultimate Defensive Carry and Dangerous Game Backup Handgun
- Easily Removeable Muzzle Compensator for Different Recoil Reduction Effects and to Accomodate Different Types of Ammunition
- Comes with 2 Compensators; 1 for Lead Bullet and 1 for Jacketed Bullet Ammunition
- Muzzle Energy Capability in Excess of 2000 ft/lb. in a 56 oz. Package

Model: 500
Caliber: .500
Capacity: 5 Rounds
Barrel Length: 4″
Front Sight: Red Ramp Front
Rear Sight: Adjustable
Grip: Rubber Grips
Frame: Extra Large
Finish: Satin Stainless
Overall Length: 10 1/4″
Material: Stainless Steel
Weight Empty: 56 oz.

Model 500 Revolver

- Lothar-Walther Custom German Rifle Barrel
- Polished Polygonal Button Rifling

Model: 500
Caliber: .500
Capacity: 5 Rounds
Barrel Length: 10 1/2″
Front Sight: Red Ramp Front
Rear Sight: Adjustable
Grip: Rubber Grips
Trigger: .312 Chrome with Overtravel Stop
Hammer: Chrome Tear Drop with Pinned Sear
Frame: X-Frame
Finish: Satin Stainless
Overall Length: 18″
Material: Stainless Steel
Weight Empty: 82 oz.

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