Glock Type Chart - Glock has received a lot of love and criticism over the years for its approach to "upgrading" products. Some releases have fingerboards, others have removed them and many other changes have been lost in the shuffle. So, to make it easier for you to compare the different Glock generations, we've put together an infographic that provides a detailed list of all the impactful changes made to the popular polymer-framed pistol, the Pioneer, in everything from 1984 to today. [See our Aftermarket Glock Barrels for more popular Glock pistols and buy a P320!]
Gaston Glock, an Austrian engineer, founded his company GLOCK in 1963. At the beginning of the company's history, they produced knives, grenade cases and machine gun belt accessories for the Austrian army. The first Glock 17 was produced in the early 1980s after winning a contract with the Austrian military, and quickly gained a reputation for its reliability, ease of cleaning and accuracy. Glock quickly won contracts in Norway and Sweden, attracted the attention of US law enforcement, and entered the US market in 1986. [Glock aftermarket bought 17 barrels from Bear Creek Arsenal.]
Glock Type Chart
Glock made several significant changes to its "perfect" pistol in 1988, the most notable being the 6-piece upgrade kit that addressed some of the safety concerns of the Gen 1 models. First-time frontstrap and backstrap testing and many additional calibers and models were introduced, including the - The extremely popular Glock 19 and the sub-compact Glock 26. [Buy our other Glock 19 barrel and Glock 26 barrels here.]
D Animation Showing How A Glock Works
Generation 3 Glocks were introduced in 1998 with mostly minor changes implemented, including the addition of an accessory rail to allow attachment of optics and lights. The controversial finger grooves and thumb rest were also included in this generation, sparking years of debate about their usefulness. Glock also expanded into new calibers during this period with the addition of the Glock 31 (.357 Sig) and Glock 37 (.45 GAP) and began offering new finishes (FDE and Olive Drab).
The 4th generation Glock was launched in 2010 at the SHOT show. The most notable difference between Gen 4 and 3 is the introduction of the Glock Modular Backstrap which allows users to swap backstraps for different trigger ranges. Double springs have been added to the magazine to reduce felt recoil and "Gen 4" is now engraved on the side of the slide. Several new Glock models have been unveiled, including the Glock 19X which combines the best of the Glock 17 and 19 models by offering a full-length grip that accepts Glock 17 magazines with a Glock 19-length slide.
Finally, we come to Generation 5, Glock's current attempt at perfection. Several aesthetic changes have been made, the most notable being the nDLC coating on the slide. Fingertips are not included for the first time since the 2nd generation models and the slide stop lever is made ambidextrous to accommodate left-handed operators. Glock also decided to significantly modify the magazine for easier reloading by adding a small bevel and flare. Finally, Glock Marksman Barrels were introduced, with tighter tolerances for better accuracy.
While some may argue that nothing has changed for Glocks other than calibers and aesthetics, I hope this infographic makes it clear that is not the case and will give you a better idea of which generation is best for you Bear Creek Arsenal offers aftermarket Glock barrels for Glock 9mm 17, 19 and -26 for those looking to improve the accuracy and look of their stock components. We also offer 9mm Glock 22 convertible barrels and Glock 23 barrels that allow you to enjoy the lower recoil and cheaper ammo of 9mm. Check out our YouTube video To see how we make replacement barrels for Glock pistols completely here in Sanford, NC and check out our Sig P320 barrel too! We may earn a commission if you make a purchase through links on our site. Learn more here.
Blackhawk! Orange Demo Gun Glock 17
For those of us who deal with guns and haven't been living under a rock for the past 3 decades or so, the name Glock has become a household word in the shooting universe. People who have probably never held a gun (let alone a Glock) recognize the name. An estimated 65% of US police agencies use some form of Glock. It's time we take a closer look at everything you need to know about the Glock 9mm and its various models. Let's take a look at:
The Glock story is amazing considering the man who designed the gun knew next to nothing about gun design. Gaston Gluck sold curtains and knives to the Austrian army, and was familiar with injection molded parts. His team designed the Model 17 revolver to help the Austrian Army in need of a new sidearm, and a firearms legend was born. An interesting tidbit is that "17" stands for the 17th patent issued by the Glock Corporation, and this numbering system continues to this day.
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Shooters tend to be Glock fans or haters - there isn't much middle ground. I'm one of those rare birds in the middle of nowhere in my opinion for Gaston's sake. I've had a Model 30 .45 ACP for a long time and have stock after stock for it so I can shoot my cast bullets. It is well made without being too flashy. Eye candy this gun is not. I called out Glocks in another article I wrote about the Chevy Impala in the gun industry. The Impala is a great, mid-priced car that's a popular choice among car buyers - reliable and well-designed without being too flashy.
Maintaining Your Glock
The Glock, like the Impala, gets the job done in a utilitarian way. It does the job without costing an arm and a leg. And, they tend to be very reliable. All the police agencies purchasing the Glock system is excellent evidence of this.
To narrow it down a bit, let's take a look at Glock's best sellers. In terms of caliber, the 9mm dominates from Glock's point of view. And, of the more than fifty pistol models sold by Glock, their best-selling is the 9mm 19. This compact pistol packs 15+ rounds into a small package. I know a lot of people who carry this model because it seems to strike the perfect middle ground between size and concealable capacity. Now, if that's not for you, you have 19 other 9mm Glock primary models to choose from.
I put together a table that compares the specifications of the most popular models as well as an extended version that compares all twenty, for all the specification lovers. There is no doubt that some of these models are very rare in gun shops because they serve a specific purpose (for example: high competition, where the Model 34 excels). So, before we write off all the numbers on the chart, let's look at the most popular Glock 9mms in some detail.
This is the short list. Are you a male number? Here is the expanded version of all the 9mm Glocks available and you can click on the title to sort them (a table looks best on a computer or tablet):
Glock Gun Cleaning Mat
Now, let's look at the individual models, but before that, a little explanation is necessary. If you look at the table above, you will see "MOS" and "FS" listed after a few models. MOS stands for Modular Optic System. Glock modified the frame of these guns by milling a slot in front of the rear sight to accept a red dot or other sight plate. It is covered with filler when not in use.
FS means the guns have front serrations (slide). Guns marked FS have serrations on the front side of the slide to help maneuver the slide, in addition to the standard rear serrations. Many shooters have asked Glock to include front serrations on all their new guns. Currently they only apply it to those rifles with the FS mark.
It's worth explaining the Glock generations if we keep this article as helpful as possible for those of you thinking of buying a Glock. "Generation" in Glock's terminology corresponds to other companies that come out with "Mod 2", "2.0", etc. This indicates a major overhaul of parts of their weapons. Feature changes (sometimes called upgrades) can be many very small, a few "big" ones that are significant, or a combination of the two to qualify for the next round. So there you have it, from the original Glock (now called Gen1) to the newest generation as of this writing, the Gen5.
This is the original bare Glock Model 17. We can identify this gun by the lack of staining or texturing on the frame and no finger grooves. This is the Glock that originally equipped the Austrian military when they placed an order for 25,000 pistols in 1983. Here is an interesting note: More Model 17 pistols sold to the military
Polymer80 / Glock Slide Compatibility Guide
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