Glock 45 Buyer’s Guide

The Glock 45 is one of the guns I’ve been itching to review because of the number of people, specifically police officers that ask about it and the number that now carry it. With the Glock 45 being a newer model than the ever-popular Glock 22, it has drawn a lot of buzz with the adaptations from the previous Glock Models. This Blog is geared toward those who want to know more about the Glock 45 and figure out the economics of it all.

Glock 45

The Glock 45 feels so comfortable for Glock owners because they took the slide from the Glock 19 and added it to the frame of the Glock 17.  They did this because the full frame of the 17 allows more shooters to get a better grip of the pistol. The Glock 19 slide is compact and slimmed down to make it easier to aim down the sights and clear your holster quicker. The trigger pull has 5.8 lbs of pressure, which keeps it on par with any pistol on the market today.   One of the coolest attributes was the adjustable trigger distance that allows you to change between 3 different backstraps (Short-Frame, Medium Frame, and Large Frame attachments) that secure with a single pin to the frame.

Specs:

Pros:

• Accurate
• Smooth 5.8 lb trigger pull
• Incredibly durable
• Excellent price
• Easily concealable
• Best bang for your buck

Cons:

• Even though the trigger is smooth, Sig Sauer and Springfield make a better pistol trigger.

Features:

• Glock Marksman Barrel
• Flared Mag-well
• Ambidextrous Slide Stop Lever
• An nDLC finish on barrel and slide
• Removal of Finger Grooves for the comfort of all hand sizes
• Interchangeable Back Straps for different size shooters
• Reversible Magazine Catch
• Accessory Mounting rail

Why You Should Buy This Gun

As I’ve mentioned, we know and have personal relationships with hundreds of police officers and military soldiers and everyone I’ve spoken to has endorsed this gun. When speaking with my brother-in-law, I asked, “why would you buy this gun over the 17 or 19”? His answer was the fact that Glock took the best attributes from each gun and added all the new features of the Gen 5 models. The Glock 45 added the new front serrations to work through malfunctions or just another way to manipulate the slide.  If you are not familiar with the new features of the Gen 5 Glock models, read our Glock 19 Review, and you’ll know all you need about Gen 4 & 5 models.

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Glock 45 vs. Glock 19

This compact slide makes the gun much more streamlined and easier to aim down the sights because it doesn’t feel bulky in any way.  The Glock 45 added the front serrations, removed the lanyard loop of the Gen 4 19, and made the trigger distance more adjustable than the 19 models. The Glock 45 lightened the trigger pull weight and even though it doesn’t seem like a lot, it makes a slight difference, which could help with accuracy.

If anyone asked me which gun, I’d prefer, the 17,19, or 45, I would have to go with the Glock 45. As with any firearm, you have to think about what you need it for and how does it feel in your hand. As many of the police officers suggest, the 45 is easier to put on target than both the 17 and 19 because the slide clears the holster quicker. As every officer knows, that 1/2 second that you save clearing your holster and lining up your target could be the difference between life and death. For competitive shooters, this is much of the same case, but I would recommend the Glock 17 Gen 5 model because the longer slide helps more with recoil.

Specs:

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Glock 45 Vs. Glock 22

The Glock 45 and Glock 22 are two of the most commonly carried pistols for police officers in the United States. One misconception people make about the 22 models is they think it shoots a .22 caliber round, instead of the .40 caliber S&W round it actually shoots. To correct this misconception people have to understand that Glock names their guns based on their patent number, not on the caliber it’s chambered in.

For example, the Glock 22 was the 22nd patent by Glock and the Glock 45 is the 45th patent. The Glock 22 is known as the most popular and heavily used service pistol in the country due to its incredible stopping power and capabilities as a concealed carry pistol. The reason hundreds of police officers are moving towards the Glock 45 is it is a Gen 5 model that combines the best of the Glock 17 with the best of the 19.

Specs:

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Accessories

For police officers, there most likely will be regulations on what you can attach to your gun, based on each departmental regulations. For the rest of us, attachments can be a big advantage, depending on the circumstances, such as low light or a bigger window to aim down. The two main accessories that I would recommend for everyone, is a weapon light and an after-market sight.

Surefire X300U

With any weapon light, the things you need to focus on are the size, weight, brightness, battery life, and durability of the attachment. The Surefire X300U has a lumen of 1000 and will maintain that light for 1.25 hours of nonstop use either outdoors or clearing a building as a police officer. Surefire produces excellent products and this light is no different, just make sure you know it sticks out 1 3/8 inch past the muzzle. This takes away the concealment advantage the Glock 45 offers, but the light gives you an absolute advantage at night or in low light situations for up to 50 meters. Most gun experts will tell you that they prefer to carry a weapon light on their pistols due to the tactical advantage it offers the owner. If you’re concerned about learning more about the Surefire X300U, read our weapon light review, and it gives you everything you need to know about the best pistol lights.

Streamlight TLR-7

The Streamlight TLR-7 is one of the best lights for the Glock 45 because it’s the brightest light for its size on the market today. At 500 lumens and a run time of 1.5 hours nonstop illumination, the Streamlight is significantly cheaper than the bigger Surefire brands. The best part about it is it fits perfectly on the Picatinny rail underneath the pistol and sits flush, so it doesn’t stick out past the muzzle.

FIREFIELD IMPACT MINI REFLEX WITH 45 DEGREE MOUNT KIT

Some people may have a hard time looking down iron-sights, especially when your adrenaline is pumping in a life or death situation. One way to help yourself overcome this issue is with a reflex sight that provides a significantly larger sight picture to aim through. This mini reflex sight will cut down on your target identification and give you that split-second advantage that we all want during a self-defense situation.

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Where Can You Buy The Glock 45?

Palmetto State Armory is known as one of the best companies to purchase weapons and gear because of their excellent warranties and reliable customer service. Palmetto State offers you the ability to buy all of your ammo, attachments, and weapons on one site.

Brownells is another great company that we trust with our firearms and buying from them will give you the benefit on-call expert Gun Guru’s.  The Gun Guru’s can assist you with any issue you have with your pistol and can help you modify your pistol in the most practical ways.

There are many other great companies, but we give a lot of business to Armslist, as well.  Armslist is a company that allows people from all over the country to list their weapons for others to buy. They act as the intermediary for buyers and sellers to ensure the transaction is legit and each person is aware of the laws involving gun sales online.

Conclusion

The Glock 45 was designed with law enforcement and the military in mind to give them another option for their primary carry pistol. Made with all the Gen 5 additions, such as the Marksman’s Barrel and the NDLC finish, the 45 is made to be durable and accurate. The Glock 19 slide and the 17 frame gives police and soldiers more stability with a full-frame and less time to pull in worst-case scenarios.

The Glock 45 provides front serrations that other Glock models don’t offer another point of contact to clear malfunctions, especially when they’re needed to be clear quick.  As one police officer told me, “Glock took the best from the 17 and 19 and put it in one gun, called the Glock 45”.

The only negative I’ve heard about this gun, which I noticed a little as I shot it, was the trigger. This trigger issue isn’t new to this gun but is an issue with all Glock pistols due to their uniquely designed safety system. As I asked each of these officers if the trigger was a deterrent and they all said they’d still rather shoot with Glock due to its incredible performance, durability, and reliability.

In my humble opinion, there is no other gun on the market that can match the quality of the pistol for the price that Glock offers. If you’d like to compare this gun with other great concealed carry pistols, this is the place to do it.