"THE GLOCK"

When the first Glock pistols were released, they were plagued by rumors including that they could pass undetected through airport metal detectors, and that they were unsafe. Both of these rumors were totally untrue.

While the bulk of the receiver on Glock handguns is made of polymer (earning them the nickname "Combat Tupperware"), the slide is totally composed of steel. Thus, there is no way it can sneak through metal detectors.

As for the rumors of a lack of safety, they were based on the fact that Glock handguns were one of, if not the first, semi-automatic handguns designed with no external safety lever. However, there are more safeties on a Glock handgun than there are on any revolver. The Glock handguns all have three safety mechanisms: 1) the trigger safety, 2) the firing pin safety, and c) the drop safety. The only way a Glock handgun will fire is for the trigger to be pulled fully to the rear. The Glock is neither a technically true Single Action, nor a Double Action. Glock calls its action the "Safe Action", which is close to a Double Action. The rumors of a lack of safety also stem from the integration of polymer into the receivers. Up until the Glocks were introduced, Americans were used to all-metal handguns (maybe some wood or plastic grips, but the rest was metal). To integrate something like plastic into a handgun was tantamount to allowing Fisher Price to build your weaponry! However, the polymer used in Glocks is actually stronger and more durable than steel, does not rust, and is far lighter.

The metal parts of Glocks are coated with Tennifer, which is a diamond hard coating that seals out moisture and corrosion. This is not the black matte finish, which is applied over the Tennifer.

There are several models of Glock pistol in production, in many different calibers. These are:

Glock 17 - full-size 9mm, 17 round magazines (currently for LE/military use only)
Glock 17L - competition 9mm (long barrel), 17 round magazines.
Glock 19 - compact 9mm, 15 round magazines
Glock 26 - sub-compact 9mm, 10 round magazines
Glock 18 - full-size 9mm, select fire (full-auto capable), 33 round magazines available LE Agency, or Military ONLY.
Glock 22 - full-size .40-cal., 15 round magazines
Glock 23 - compact .40-cal., 13 round magazines
Glock 27 - sub-compact .40-cal., 9 round magazines
Glock 24 - competition (long barrel) .40-cal., 15 round magazines
Glock 25 - full-size .380 auto, 15 round magazines (not available in US)
Glock 28 - compact .380 auto, 10 round magazines (not available in US)
Glock 20 - full-size 10mm, 15 round magazines
Glock 29 - compact 10mm, 10 round magazines
Glock 21 - full-size .45-cal., 13 round magazines
Glock 30 - compact .45-cal., 10 round magazines
Glock 36 - slim-line .45-cal. (same size as Glock 30, but thinner), 7 round magazines (I think!)
Glock 31 - full-size .357 Sig, 15 round magazines
Glock 32 - compact .357 Sig, 13 round magazines
Glock 33 - sub-compact .357 Sig, 9 round magazines
Mainly known for being the manufacturer of polymer-framed pistols, Glock also produces equipment such as field knives and entrenching tools. The company started as a manufacturer of curtain rods, then branched out into supplying the Austrian Army with machine gun belts, practice hand grenades, plastic magazines, field knives and entrenching tools. Since then, the company has added different options and accessories such as tactical lights and a quick-draw holster to its product line.

While Glock marketing materials spell the company name as if it were an acronym ("GLOCK"), newspapers in Austria, Germany, and the United States forgo the capitalization of all letters in the interest of readability.

Its first handgun model was the Glock 17, a 9 mm Luger semi-automatic pistol with a magazine capacity of 17 rounds (unusually large at the time), introduced in the early 1980s as a response to the Austrian army's request for a new sidearm. The 17 was so-named because it was Gaston Glock's seventeenth patent, not because it carries seventeen rounds of ammunition. Glock pistols are popular with law enforcement agencies, the military, security personnel, and private citizens. Glock was the first manufacturer to offer models chambered in the .40 S&W cartridge (Glock 22 and Glock 23; 1990), beating Smith & Wesson to the marketplace with their own cartridge. The Glock 22 is currently (as of mid-2006) the single most popular police sidearm in use in the United States. The Glock 19, a compact version of the Glock 17, remains one of the most popular 9mm firearms in the world.

Glock also offers pistols chambered in .357 SIG, .380 ACP, 10 mm Auto, .45 ACP, and the new .45 GAP (Glock Automatic Pistol). A very small run of 9 x 21 mm Glock 19 pistols was made.[1] Glock .380 pistols are not currently available in the United States due to the BATFE's point system.[2]

"C" models are built with a "compensator" feature to reduce recoil.

The company is privately held and does not release any figures concerning its revenue or internal operations.
Glock pistols use an internal safety mechanism with three components, with no external thumb activated safety switch as might be found on traditional-design pistols. Glock calls this the "Safe Action" system. All three safeties are disabled one after the other when the trigger is depressed. They are:

Trigger Safety: An external lever mechanism contained within the trigger that prevents the trigger from moving unless the lever is depressed.
Striker Safety: A spring-loaded pin attached by an extension bar to the trigger assembly blocks the striker from striking the primer of the cartridge until the trigger is pulled.
Drop Safety: The far end of the same extension bar locks the striker into place from the rear until the trigger is pulled.
Similar systems for internal safeties have since become standard for many major manufacturers of semi-automatic pistols. However, Glock pistols, like any other firearm, can discharge and cause injury or death if the operator accidentally or negligently manipulates the trigger. The absence of a traditional safety switch means that Glock users who intend to carry the gun on their person with the chamber loaded must be cautious (as they should be for any type of firearm) of keeping their finger off of the trigger when holstering or unholstering the gun; however, the firearm will not discharge if dropped, requiring a deliberate trigger pull to discharge the firearm.

In 2003, Glock announced the Internal Locking System (ILS). The ILS is a manually activated lock that is located in the back of the pistol's grip. It is cylindrical in design and, according to Glock, each key is unique. Group key hierarchic solutions are available for law enforcement agencies. When activated, the lock causes a tab to protrude from the rear of the grip. This is done to give both a visual and tactile indication as to whether the lock is engaged or not. When activated, the ILS renders the Glock unfireable as well as making it impossible to disassemble. When disengaged, the ILS adds no further safety mechanisms to the Glock pistol.

The ILS is available as an option on all Glock pistols except for the G36, but not all ILS-equipped Glock pistols are carried by distributors nor imported with the option. The most commonly available Glock pistols with the ILS are the G17, G19, G22, G23, G26, and the G27.