Gaston Glock, an Austrian engineer, and businessman founded GLOCK Ges.m.b.H in 1963 and began production with his first line of knives and machine-gun belt links in the ’70s. After the successful launch of Glock knives and belt links, Gaston Glock created the first Glock semi-automatic pistol in 1982.
Glock saw a need for the Austrian Army to be outfitted in a service pistol that could be ready at a moment’s notice. With this in mind, he created his patented Safe Action pistol design. The 3-internal safeties, the Glock is made to be fired quickly and controlled to prevent accidental discharge by a police officer or soldier.
Gaston Glock has been instrumental in changing the entire gun industry with his incredible design and engineering teams. As the Austrian government asked for a lighter pistol with a higher magazine capacity, Glock went right to work and created the Glock 17.
In 1984, the Glock 17 passed every test NATO threw at them with the highest of markings in durability, simplicity, and reliability. Shortly after the Norwegian Army adopted the Glock 17 as their standard-issue duty pistol, the rest of the world caught on and made the Glock the most renowned pistol across the world.
(Photo: Reddit)
Glock 17
The Glock 17 is the pistol that started it all for striker-fired pistols on the American Market. The 17 was originally designed for law enforcement officers (LEOs) who needed a larger capacity sidearm while maintaining control and accuracy. At more than 8 inches long and 5.47 inches in height, it’s not likely to be carried as a concealed carry weapon (CCW). However, it’s perfect for an open-carry scenario and has the versatility to carry as many as 33-rounds in one magazine. To learn more about the Glock 17, read our blog, “Glock 17 | Complete Guide to the Glock 17".
The Glock 19 is one of the most sold pistols across the world because of its durability, performance, and concealed-carry capacity. As the Glock 19 Gen 5 pistol was rolled out, more people switched to the new feel of more than 20 different modifications from the Gen 4, including removing the finger grooves in the pistol grip. If you’re interested in learning everything you can about the Glock 19, read our blog “Glock 19 Review".
The Glock 20 is the perfect companion to your next hunting or an outdoor adventure in the great states of Montona, Wyoming, Washington, and Alaska. These states all have large predators, such as wolves, Grizzly bears, Mountain Lions, and will need a larger caliber bullet to penetrate their thick hides and skin. The 10mm pistol will accommodate you with tremendous power to stop a charging bear or mountain lion.
The Glock 20 is the compromise between the Glock 29 and the Glock 40 because it’s bigger than the CCW (Glock 29) and smaller than the full size of the Glock 40. The Glock 20 feels a lot like the Glock 17, but wider and a little heavier to accommodate the heavier and larger 10mm bullets.
The Glock 26 is also known as the "Baby Glock" due to its small size and is sold in 3 different generations, from Gen 3-Gen5. A Glock 26 shoots a 9mm Luger cartridge for fast and accurate shots when you need them the most. I recommend the Glock 26 for police officers who carry the Glock 19 or the Glock 22 as their service pistol.
The 26 can easily be carried on your ankle for a seamless transition between your primary carry pistol and your back-up. If You’re interested in learning more about the Glock 26, read our blog, “Glock 26| Review of the "Baby Glock".
The Glock 29 is the concealed carry model of the Glock pistols chambered in 10mm. You can still use this pistol as your primary CCW, but it has a lot of kick and muzzle flip due to the power of the 10mm bullet. As far as using this gun as your hunting secondary pistol, I’d probably just go with the Glock 20 or Glock 40 for the added size and less felt-recoil.
You don’t want to pull shots when you have a charging bear coming for you. I don’t want to make it seem like this gun isn’t worth it, but you’ll need a lot of practice with it before you should carry it in the woods of Alaska or Montana.
The Glock 30 is one of the few Glock chambered in .45 Auto for added stopping power and range. Just below 7 inches in length gives this .45 Auto pistol a chance to be used as a CCW or an open carry for an LEO. However, I personally don’t shoot the .45 Auto very well, so I don’t use them very often. I recommend this pistol for larger shooters or people with a lot more experience because the felt-recoil is much more than any 9mm you will shoot. To learn more about the Glock 30, read our blog, “Glock 30| A Buyer’s Guide in 2020".
The Glock 31 was made as an answer to the problem of police officers needing more power than a 9mm without giving up too much accuracy and felt-recoil. The .357 Sig is essentially a .40 S&W bullet bottlenecked down into a 9mm casing that has a power very close to the .357 Magnum.
The felt recoil of the .357 Sig is much closer to the .40 S&W than the 9mm or .357 Magnum. The added power of the .357 Sig increases the muzzle flip and felt recoil, but many officers like the accuracy and range of the .357 Sig over the 9mm. To learn more about the Glock 31, read our blog, “Glock 31 Vs. Glock 32| Definitive Guide to Glock’s .357 Sig".
Specs
Length (Overall)
204 mm | 8.03 inch
Slide Length
186 mm | 7.32 inch
Width (Overall)
32 mm | 1.26 inch
Slide Width
25,5 mm | 1.0 inch
Height incl.Mag.
139 mm | 5.47 inch
Line of Sight (Polymer)
165 mm | 6.50 inch
Line of Sight (Steel)
164 mm | 6.46 inch
Line of Sight (GNS)
163 mm | 6.42 inch
Trigger Distance
72 mm | 2.83 inch
Trigger Pull Weight
28 N/ 6.29 lbs of force
Weight w/ No Magazine
660 g | 23.28 oz
Weight w/ empty magazine
740 g | 26.10 oz
Weight w/ loaded magazine
940 g | 33.16 oz
Caliber
.357 Sig
Safety
Safe Action
Magazine Capacity
15/16
Barrel Length
114 mm | 4.49 inch
MSRP
$500.00
Glock 32
The Glock 32 is the CCW model of the .357 Sig for Glock. This pistol gives you the power of a .357 Magnum, at the size of a 9mm casing. The Glock 32 is almost half an inch shorter in length and in height to avoid any printing in your shirt or clothing as you carry. This makes for a great secondary pistol for LEOs or a great EDC for anyone wanting a little more power than a 9mm. One thing to keep in mind is the price of .357 Sig bullets can be very high and sometimes even harder to find.
The Glock 34 is about as big as you’ll find a pistol chambered in 9mm anywhere on the market. Although this pistol is much larger than the Glock 17,19, and 43, it has incredible accuracy and very little recoil. This gun has the longest line of sight of any of the 9mm pistols and offers better accuracy at ranges up to 50 yards than the Glock 17 and 19 (excluding the Glock 17L).
The MOS feature allows you to add an optic on the top for even faster target acquisition and better versatility in low light. To learn more about the Glock 34 MOS, read our blog, “Glock 34 Gen 5 MOS | Complete Review".
On top of the slide, there is a cut-out exposing the top of the barrel to decrease the weight of the gun. All other Glock’s we’ve reviewed are 9mm pistols, and as we all know, the .40mm S&W provides much more kick than any 9mm. With this in mind, the most impressive attribute of this gun is its ability to maintain pinpoint accuracy shot after shot with a more powerful bullet.
The Glock 37,38,39 are the most unique pistols in the Glock arsenal because they are chambered for the rare Glock exclusive, .45 Glock Auto Pistol (G.A.P.) round. The .45 G.A.P. has virtually the same bullet diameter as the .45 ACP, but the cartridge is shorter and uses a smaller primer. One of the biggest differences between the 2 cartridges is the .45 G.A.P. has a substantially higher psi (23,000) versus the 19,900 psi of the .45 ACP.
The Glock 37 is the full-size model chambered for this round and should be used as a home defense or open carry pistol in LEO careers.
Specs
Overall Length
204 mm | 8.03 inch
Slide Length
186 mm | 7.32 inch
Width (Overall)
33 mm | 1.30 inch
Slide Width
28,5 mm | 1.12 inch
Height incl.Mag.
139 mm | 5.47 inch
Line of Sight (Polymer)
165 mm | 6.50 inch
Line of Sight (Steel)
164 mm | 6.46 inch
Line of Sight (GNS)
163 mm | 6.42 inch
Trigger Distance
72 mm | 2.83 inch
Trigger Pull Weight
28 N/ 6.29 lbs. force
Caliber
.45 G.A.P.
Safety
Safe Action®
Mag. Capacity
10
Barrel Length
114 mm | 4.49 inch
Weight without magazine
740 g | 26.10 oz
Weight with empty magazine
815 g | 28.75 oz
Weight with a loaded magazine
1000 g | 35.27 oz
MSRP
$660.00
Glock 38
The Glock 38 is a good compromise between the Glock 37 and Glock 39 because it’s very similar in size to the Glock 19 and can be used as a CCW for shooters with above-average height and weight. It’s almost a full inch shorter than the Glock 37, but it has a little more felt recoil from the reduced size.
The 38 is a great gun to use if you’re wanting more power than a 9mm, but don’t want the felt-recoil of a .45 ACP. To learn more about the Glock 38, read our blog, “Glock 37, Glock 38, Glock 39 | What is the .45 G.A.P?".
The whole purpose of creating a new round, specifically for Glock was to make a pistol with the power of a .45 ACP, but in a smaller package that can be used as an EDC. The Glock 39 is the smallest and easiest .45 G.A.P. to carry with an overall length of just 6.5". The 4.1" overall height of the pistol allows it to be carried in many different styles, from ankle holsters, hip, pocket, or even on your shoulder without printing through your clothes.
Specs
Overall Length
165 mm | 6.50 inch
Slide Length
159 mm | 6.26 inch
Width (Overall)
33 mm | 1.30 inch
Slide Width
28,5 mm | 1.12 inch
Height incl.Mag.
106 mm | 4.17 inch
Line of Sight (Polymer)
137 mm | 5.39 inch
Line of Sight (Steel)
136 mm | 5.35 inch
Line of Sight (GNS)
135 mm | 5.31 inch
Trigger Distance
72 mm | 2.83 inch
Trigger Pull Weight
28 N/ 6.29 lbs. force
Caliber
.45 G.A.P.
Safety
Safe Action®
Mag. Capacity
8/10
Barrel Length
87 mm | 3.43 inch
Weight without magazine
630 g | 22.22 oz
Weight with empty magazine
685 g | 24.16 oz
Weight with a loaded magazine
790 g | 27.87 oz
MSRP
$539.00
Glock 40 MOS
The Glock 40 MOS is the extra-large hand cannon used in hunting applications in the many Northwestern States and Canada. It’s 9.5" in length and the MOS model allows for an optic or scope on the top for quick target acquisition and precision aiming. if you’re going to hunt with a pistol, there is nothing better than the Glock 40 MOS for sheer power, accuracy, and felt-recoil.
Most people use this to hunt smaller game such as coyotes, whitetail, and blacktail deer. The 10mm even has the capability of bringing down a bear if your shot placement is good, but make sure you practice if you’re going to hunt Apex predators with a pistol.
The Glock 43 is designed to be a secondary pistol for law enforcement because it’s incredibly lightweight and can be concealed anywhere on your body. A lot of LE professionals carry this pistol on their ankles, hip, or inside a shoulder holster because it’s small enough to go unnoticed.
Everything you need to know about the Glock 43 can be found in our blog, “Glock 43 Review".
The Glock 43X is a great crossover between the Glock 48 and the Glock 43. The Glock 43X has the slimmer slide and overall width of the Glock 48 but is shorter to give it more versatility as a CCW. The Glock 43X is only chambered for 10+1 rounds but has a softer trigger pull of just 5.4 lbs. force. The 43X has generally the same feel of the Glock 19 but it’s a smaller frame and shorter barrel provides more comfort while using as your EDC. To learn more about the Glock 43X, read our blog, “Glock 43x| Buyer’s Guide 2020".
The Glock 45 is growing as an alternative to the Glock 22 semi-auto pistol that is known as the primary law enforcement pistol. The Glock 45 is a 9mm versus the .40 caliber S&W round used in the Glock 22, making for more control and less felt recoil. The 45 comes in Gen 5, so it has no finger grooves that have given many LE pros fits about grip positioning. If you’re interested in learning more about the Glock 45, read our “Glock 45 Buyer’s Guide" blog to get the most up to date information.
The Glock 48 is the same in length as the Glock 19 and has the same overall feel to the gun. The Glock 48 thinner in overall width and slide width, which is noticeably different than the Glock 19. The biggest difference that you’ll notice is the lightened trigger pull of the Glock 48 to a 5.4 lb trigger pull versus a 6.3 lb pull for the Glock 19.
By reducing the width of the slide and frame, the 48 was able to take some of the weight off the gun (5 oz. lighter than the 19). This might not seem like a lot of weight, but if you’re using it as a CCW, you’ll notice the difference after a full day carrying. To learn more about the Glock 48, read our blog, “Glock 48 | Review of the New Models!".
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