Glock reference guide

359 Pages·2015·16.16 MB·English

by  Manning

GLOCK
REFERENCE GUIDE
ROBB MANNING
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I would like to first and foremost thank my Savior Jesus Christ, through You all
things are possible. I also want to thank my wife, Ty, for putting up with me and
my gun problem, and supporting me in my writing endeavors. I’d also like to
thank those in the industry who have helped my writing career along: Mark Olis,
J.J. Reich, and Doug Howlett. Your advice and help networking have been
instrumental. J.J., thanks also for the steady stream of ammo!
I’d also be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge the man who got me started in gun
writing, the late Mike Strandlund. Back in 2010, I wrote him a long letter to the
editor about an article written in one of the publications he was editor of, and he
wrote me back, “Your letter was great, do you want a job writing for us?” The
rest is history.
Glock is notoriously hard to work with and get answers out of, and while this
hasn’t changed much, and there are some questions Glock wouldn’t answer,
there are three people at Glock who helped me immensely. They went above and
beyond to help me get most of the answers I needed and/or product in my hand
to test. Thank you Kie, Connie, and Eric.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1: GLOCK TIMELINE
CHAPTER 2: GLOCK SAFETY MECHANISMS
CHAPTER 3: PARTS IS PARTS
CHAPTER 4: IT’S A GENERATIONAL THING
CHAPTER 5: THE G17
CHAPTER 6: THE OTHER 9MM GLOCKS
CHAPTER 7: THE G20 & G29 10MM
CHAPTER 8: THE G21 & G21SF
CHAPTER 9: THE G22 & OTHER .40-CALIBER GLOCKS
CHAPTER 10: THE .45 ACP SUB-COMPACTS
CHAPTER 11: THE .357 GLOCKS
CHAPTER 12: THE .45 GAP GLOCKS
CHAPTER 13: THE G41
CHAPTER 14: THE G42
CHAPTER 15: NEW GLOCKS
CHAPTER 16: SPECIALTY GLOCKS AND GLOCKS YOU CAN’T HAVE
CHAPTER 17: MAGAZINES AND ACCESSORIES
CHAPTER 18: MAINTENANCE/DISASSEMBLY
CHAPTER 19: THE GLOCK SHOOTING SPORTS FOUNDATION
CHAPTER 20: GLOCK ARMORER’S BASIC COURSE
CHAPTER 21: SUPPRESSORS
BREAKING NEWS: THE G43, A NEW SINGLE-STACK 9MM!
INTRODUCTION
A NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER: Just as this book was going to press in
March of 2015, Glock announced the G43, a new, single-stack 9mm. For author
Robb Manning’s exclusive review of the G43, please go to
http://www.gundigest.com/glock-reference
When Glock pistols burst onto the scene, very few pistols on the market could
do what the Glock did: excel out of the box.
The debate about polymer is over, or at least it should be. Polymer is the
material of the era, and test after test has shown it to be as strong and as durable
as metal in many applications. About the only thing metal is better at is being
subjected to the high pressures associated with a cartridge being fired. Yes, most
metals have a higher melting point, but polymer has a far higher melting point
than what your skin can stand, even through a glove, and the firearm has to be
held in order to be fired.
I still hear people say, “steel or nothing” in regard to their choice in firearms.
Hey, I love all firearms whether they are made of polymer, alloy, steel or
whatever. To each their own. I have steel handguns in my safe, and I love to
shoot them. Some I might even carry on occasion. But to say steel guns are
better than polymer guns is like saying the all-metal cars of yesteryear are better
than the mostly plastic cars of today. We can all get nostalgic for old cars, and I
think they’re great, but as for reliability, safety and function, they can’t compete
with today’s cars. They’re not even in the same league. I’ve seen crash tests
comparing old metal cars to new ones and it throws conventional thinking out
the window.
It’s the same way with guns, all-metal handguns are great, but when it comes
to out-of-the-box reliability, safety and function, polymer handguns have them
to out-of-the-box reliability, safety and function, polymer handguns have them
beat. I’m sure this will torque some people off, and I’m going to preface it by
saying I’m a John Moses Browning devotee and love the 1911 handgun. If you
want a great shooting range pistol and maybe even a competition gun, the 1911
is fine. If you want a fighting gun, buy a Glock.
I’m quite sure Browning would agree if he were still alive. He was a genius
firearm designer whose innovations were ahead of their time. Which is why if he
were still alive he would be designing polymer pistols.
I’ve heard some people argue that the only reason companies make polymer
guns is to save money. While polymer certainly is cheaper to produce than
metal, the polymer used to make handguns has many qualities that are superior
to metal. I know this is sacrilege, and those same people wouldn’t admit it, but it
is true. For one, a polymer frame absorbs recoil better. It just does. This makes
for better handling, especially in follow up shots. Second, it allows for more
rounds to be crammed into the magazines that are fed into the grips. The walls of
a polymer grip are much thinner compared to the metal frame with plastic grips
attached to it. Third, it’s lighter, which makes for more comfortable carry -
especially if you carry all day every day.
One top of that, if polymer is cheaper to produce and some of those savings
get passed on to me, that’s even better. If Glock were an all-metal handgun with
the same features that it has now, it would easily be an $800 to $1000 gun. One
only need look at the SIG line of metal pistols versus their polymer pistol to
back this claim. If one compares out-of-the-box reliability and function of a
Glock to that of the various 1911s on the market, who knows what the price
would be? I’ve owned 1911s, and I’ve been around them, and up until recently,
you couldn’t get one for a reasonable price with the reliability of a Glock. Eats
through anything? Hardly. Maybe most hardball/FMJ, but getting one to feed
reliably with hollowpoints wasn’t something you would come by cheaply.
I bought my first handgun back in 1993, a Government Model 1911, for $320
at the Base Exchange on Marine Corps Base (MCB) 29 Palms. Aside from
crappy magazines, it ate hardball ammunition like it was going out of style, but I
crappy magazines, it ate hardball ammunition like it was going out of style, but I
don’t think I ever could get one full magazine of hollowpoints to feed through it.
With that handgun, my method of carry was a hollowpoint in the chamber with
the rest of the magazine filled with hardball. I knew the first round would do
some damage, and the follow-up rounds would at least feed reliably. In the last
few years I’ve spent a lot of time with Ruger’s SR1911, and have been very
impressed at how reliably it feeds all sorts of ammunition. Still, at around $800 -
and Ruger has a reputation for being very reasonably priced - it’s far more
expensive than a Glock, and it’s still not quite as reliable. Most 1911s are priced
at well above a thousand dollars and they’re nowhere near as reliable as a Glock.
Over the course of this book, I have fired every model that Glock makes,
except the G18 and G17L. Most models I have fired in both Gen4 and Gen3, and
in the Short Frame models where offered. I have fired a lot of Glocks. And I’ve
fired a lot of ammo through them, over 1000 rounds. Most of that ammunition
has been from Federal, because that’s what I prefer, but I have used ammo from
all major manufacturers, plus some really good small manufacturers. My point in
mentioning all of this is that after putting a lot of ammo through a whole bunch
of Glock pistols, I have concluded that you can pull any Glock out of its box, put
any brand or type of the appropriate caliber into it, and it will fire every time you
pull the trigger. And it will last a long time, regardless of how you treat it.
I never thought I would say this, and I wouldn’t say this about any other pistol
on the market: I could pull a Glock out of the box, load it, and carry it for
personal protection without even test firing. That’s how much confidence I have
in Glock pistols. Now, I wouldn’t necessarily do that if I didn’t have to, it’s
always better to shoot any handgun before relying on it for protection. But if I
had to, I would feel comfortable doing it.
CHAPTER 1:
GLOCK TIMELINE
TIMELINE:
1963: Glock KG is founded by Gaston Glock. In Austria (as well as other
German-speaking countries), KG is the abbreviation for
Kommanditgesellschaft, or limited partnership. Gaston is a chemical
engineer specializing in plastics and thermal molding. The company
makes a variety of odds and ends, such as shower curtain rods, hinges,
and door knobs.
1970s: Glock KG starts designing and producing miscellaneous products for
the Austrian military, such as practice grenade shells, field knives and
machine gun belt links. The field knives are still being made to this
day in two models; one with saw (Model 81) and one without (Model
78).
1980: Glock receives a formal invitation from the Austrian Army to develop
a new pistol for the Austrian Army, and compete in the field trials for
selection.
1980: Glock KG is reformed into Glock G.m.b.H, which is the abbreviation
for Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung, which means Company
with Limited Liability, or what in America is called an LLC, or
Limited Liability Company. This is the most common type of business
in Austria and other German speaking countries.
1981: Gaston Glock assembles a group of engineers to develop the new
pistol. Weeks later a prototype is complete. The Model 81 Field Knife
with saw goes into production.
1982: The Glock pistol competes in a rigorous battery of tests, and it
distances itself from the other entrants. Glock comes in first, and is
awarded the contract.
Glock delivers the first order of G17 pistols to the Austrian Army. The