.For those of us who are into handguns and have not been living under a rock for the past 3 decades or so, the name Glock has come to be a household word in the shooting universe. People who may have never held a gun (let alone a Glock) recognize the name. It’s a brand that has grown to be very successful. It is estimated that sixty-five percent of U.S. Police agencies use some form of Glock or another.Another fact: the U.S. Is one of 48 countries around the world that uses Glock pistols.

• Glock Model 26 9mm Price

Considering that the gun was designed by a man who knew next to nothing about pistol design, the story is even more remarkable. Gaston Glock sold curtain rods and knives to the Austrian military, and was familiar with injection-molded parts. His team designed the Model 17 pistol to help the Austrian military who needed to adopt a new sidearm, and a firearms legend was born. (The “17” represents the 17th patent that the Glock corporation was issued – that’s where the different models get their numbers). The gun has gained an enviable market share around the world. Love ‘Em Or Hate ‘EmShooters tend to either be Glock fans or detractors – not much middle ground there. I am one of those rare birds who is in the middle with my opinion of Gaston’s wunderkind.

I owned a Model 30.45 ACP for a good while and had an aftermarket barrel for it so I could shoot my cast bullet handloads. It performed well without being overly showy.

Gun eye candy it wasn’t. I called Glocks in another article I’d written the Chevy Impala of the pistol industry. The Impala is a good, mid-price car that is a popular choice among car buyers – reliable and well-designed without being overly showy. The Glock suffices for its intended purpose without costing an arm and a leg. It will get the job done in an utilitarian manner, just like the Impala.

They are not glamorous, if such a term could be used to describe a lethal weapon. As stated above – they suffice for their intended purpose and tend to be very reliable. All those police agencies buying into the Glock system is a pretty good endorsement. The Police ConnectionSo, we have a rather plain, polymer pistol that is very reliable being used by the majority of police departments in the U.S.

Glock Model 26 9mm Price

What does that mean for the civilian shooter? You know, the average guy or gal who shoots recreationally on the weekends. Or those who compete in various pistol matches. Or those shooters who carry a gun for protection or have one in their vehicle or nightstand. How important is that sixty-five percent?

A lot of shooters tend to gravitate towards guns used by the military or police. A NYPD officer aiming a Glock 17 in “Die Hard With a Vengeance.”Think back: how popular did the 1911 get to be with civilian shooters after being used in two world wars plus numerous other “police actions” and battles?

It gained a loyal following over many decades. Over a century after its introduction, it still has its share of shooters who would not compete, carry, practice, etc.

With any other type of gun. It was THE semiautomatic pistol for big-bore bullseye competitions for years. Another example of its popularity and continued longevity was Jeff Cooper’s ringing endorsement. That didn’t hurt anything in the action shooting or concealed-carry worlds, to be sure. The 1911 is only one example. What other military-adopted guns boast a loyal following?

Let’s just concentrate on handguns – we know how well the AR-15 platform has done in the civilian world, not to mention many other long guns. In terms of pistols, how about the newly-adopted (by the Army, at this point) Sig Sauer P320?

This gun is now known in military-speak as the M17 (full size) and the M18 (compact). Sig P320 Nitron NitronThe Sig P320 is the newest example of a military-issue gun becoming popular with civilian shooters.

I asked two different gun store’s employees what they sold more ofthe recently-adapted Sig P320 (civilian version) or Brand X? (I won’t mention the specific brand I asked about). Both gentlemen told me that, all things being equal between those two guns, the Sig was winning in sales because of that military connection. A lot of shooters, it seems, take the military adoption of a firearm as a seal of approval that they can buy into. So, it does matter that Glocks are popular with police departments and military units in terms of civilian adoption and useI’m sure that helps boost their sales numbers. Let’s Get SpecificNarrowing it down a bit, let’s look at Glock’s best sellers. In terms of caliber, the 9mm rules the roost for Glock.

And, of over fifty pistol models Glock sells, their very-best-seller is the 9mm Model 19. This compact pistol packs 15+ 1 rounds in a smallish package. I know of many people who carry this model, as it seems to hit the optimal middle ground between conceable size and capacity. Glock makes twenty different 9mm model pistols. I put together a chart comparing specifications for the most popular models as well as an extended version comparing all twenty, for all you detail-oriented shooters. To be sure, some of these models are pretty scarce in gun shops as they tend to fulfill a very specific purpose (example: long-range competition, which the Model 34 excels at). So, before we crunch all the chart’s numbers, let’s look at the most popular Glock 9mms in some detail.

The BreakdownIn general, here is a quick, condensed listing of most of Glock’s models and Glock’s MSRP prices. Real-world pricing will be somewhat lower. ModelPrice (Gen5)CapacitySizeCommentG17$55917+1Duty-SizeFull-length frame and slide. Good general-purpose gun.G19$55915+1CompactShortened frame and slide. Great for concealed carry.G26$55910+1SubcompactBest option for double-stack concealed carry.G34$72017+1CompetitionExtended-length barrel for long-distance accuracy, available with MOS cutout.

Great for long-distance competition.G43$4996+1SubcompactShortened frame and slide. A big punch in a single-stack 9mm.G45$69917+1CompactG17 frame and G19 slide. Just introduced as of this writing.That’s the condensed list. Are you a numbers guy?

Here is the extended version of all the 9mm Glocks available and you can click on the header to sort them (Table is best viewed on PC or Tablet). Some Definitions, PleaseBefore we look at individual models, a little explanation is needed. If you glance at the table below, you will see “MOS” and “FS” listed after some models. MOS stands for Modular Optic System. On these guns, the frame has been modified by milling a slot in front of the rear sight to accept a red dot or other sight’s mounting plate; it is covered with a filler when not being used.

FS means the guns includes Front (slide) Serrations. Those pistols marked FS have serrations on the front part of the slide to aid in manipulating the slide, in addition to the standard rear serrations. (An interesting side notemany shooters had asked Glock to include front serrations on all their newer guns, but it was only applied to those guns that are marked FS).

What’s The Difference?An explanation of Glock’s “Gen”(generation) is in order, if we are to keep this article as helpful as possible for those of you considering the purchase of a Glock. A “Generation” in Glock terminology equates to other companies coming out with “Mod 2”, “2.0”, etc. Bubble bobble full version for pc.

It basically designates a major overhaul of features on their guns. The feature changes (usually referred to as upgrades) could be several smaller ones, a few “big” important ones, or a combination of both in order to qualify to become the next generation. The idea is that, with so many upgrades made, a new designation is required to separate the newer guns from the older ones. So, here we go, from the original Glock (now called Gen1) through the newest generation as of this writing, the Gen5.

Gen1 – Introduced in 1982The original, bare-bones Glock Model 17. This gun is identified by its relative lack of stippling or texturing on the frame and no finger grooves. This is the Glock that originally equipped the Austrian military.

They placed an order for 25,000 pistols in 1983. Here’s an interesting note: In addition to the Model 17 pistols sold to the military were Model 18s – a Model 17 with selective-fire capability that fired between 1100-1300 RPM. A compensated version of this gun was offered, as well (Model 18C). This was technically a machine pistol and as such, was subject to the regulations and fees imposed on the ownership of machine guns as those individuals found out who attempted to buy one.

Great article, very informative and useful. But you forgot the 17L, the target model that’s even longer than the 34! The 17L is slightly too large for many competition classes, and when the 34 was introduced (same overall dimensions as a 1911 for those competition classes) it took much of the 17L’s user base. That’s not to say the 17L is obsolete, though. It was produced with designs from Gen 1 through 3, with a few Gen 3 guns still made every couple years for target shooters.

Due to internal cutouts, the slide has so much metal removed that a Read more ». It is a bit of a rare bird, though it does pop up from time to time in stores. I’m a beginning shooter and the 17L is my first center-fire pistol. It’s pleasant to shoot and its long sight radius is sensitive, helping me build good techniques.

I’m also enjoying reading the articles here–there is truly a wealth of knowledge on this site. Goodness knows I have a lot to learn. This is just a topic that I happen to know a little about, so I thought I would chime in for the other readers here.

Thanks for the kind Read more ». Thanks for your comments, Dan. We are trying, through this website, to get info out that truly helps shooters. I know, from my 40-plus years as a shooter, that I benefited from reading what others who knew more about it than I did wrote in gun magazines when I was starting out. I welcome your comments and hope that you get to shoot that 17L a lotit IS a heck of a gun!

You will find that, as you can afford to, you will add to your collection hopefully. Don’t ignore revolvers – they can be a lot of fun Read more ».