This little Austrian pistol changed the world of duty pistols. To design the original Glock 17, Gaston Glock teamed up with a council of engineers, professional shooters, military members, and police officers. A machine-pistol variant came to be, and then the compact variant of the 17, the Glock 19, was born.
Glock pistols may vary in size, caliber, and shape, but they are all relatively the same gun. Calling one or another the flagship of the Glock line is problematic, although the Glock 19 is about as close as it gets.
The Glock 19 has become the official sidearm of numerous special operations forces. Army Special Forces, Delta Force, Rangers, and even the CIA and FBI use it. The Navy SEALs call it the Mk27, the British call it the L131A1, the Marine Corps calls it the M007, but most everyone else calls it the Glock 19.
So why is this one rather simple and spartan firearm the choice of so many elite forces?
The Glock 19 – Masterful reliability and modularity
Glock pistols are absurdly simple for a modern firearm. You can take a Glock down to its parts and pieces with nothing more than a punch. Reflecting the gun’s simplicity, just an eight-hour class makes you an official Glock armorer.
This simplicity leads to a very high level of reliability. These pistols have been known to take extreme abuse without so much as a stoppage.
The popularity of Glock pistols has ensured an entire cottage industry has popped up to support them. This includes tons of options for holsters, magazines capacities, lights, sights, barrels, and more. Glock even produces optics-ready models that make it easy to attach a red dot. SOCOM has done just that by adopting the Trijicon RMR as the optic of choice for these handguns.
The Glock 17 used by General Miller, a former Delta Force commando, shows some of the modularity that the firearm offers. His model features an optic, magazine well, magazine extension, and compensator. An individual operator can outfit the gun with an optic, a threaded barrel with a suppressor, a larger magazine capacity, and more for whatever mission they may face.
Related: These are the small arms of the Ukrainian Special Forces
It’s safe in all situations
Glock’s have some very simple external controls. You have a trigger, a magazine release, and a slide lock. That’s it. This simple design makes it easy to get the weapon into action.
Although the Glock 19 lacks a manual safety, one isn’t needed: A professional soldier, police officer, Marine, or spy should be able to use a handgun safely without the need for a manual safety.
Additionally, the pistol features three safety devices known as the Glock Safe Action. The trigger features a trigger safety that doesn’t allow the trigger to be pulled unless it’s depressed. To back up the trigger safety, there is a firing-pin safety and a drop safety. You can jump out of a plane, go hands-on, or take a fall out of a turret, and your handgun won’t just go off.
Related: The Hi-Power – A legendary handgun
It’s sized just right
The Glock 19 is considered a compact handgun, but don’t let that fool you: it’s still a handgun large enough to fill your hand. The weapon features a 4.02-inch-long barrel, an overall length of 7.28 inches, a height of 5.04 inches, and it weighs a little over 30 ounces, fully loaded with 15 rounds of 9mm.
It’s smaller than most duty-sized handguns, like the M9, M17, and M1911. The Glock 19 is a good in-between size that allows it to serve as both a duty handgun and a concealable firearm. The CIA and Marines specifically wanted a concealable pistol with the Glock 19. Other special operations forces have a diverse mission set that might call for a concealable weapon on Monday and a duty weapon on Friday, and the Glock 19 is just right in the size department for a multi-mission role.
Related: Project Horizon: Nukes and shotguns on the moon
It excels in the basics
Any handgun should be accurate, easy to control, and usable with all manner of ammunition. The Glock 19 is all that and more. Glock 19’s striker-fired trigger design makes it easy to engage with the pistol accurately. Its trigger pull is fairly lightweight, with a positive and short reset that makes shooting the weapon easy.
It’s large enough to be easy to control, and its 9mm rounds aren’t known for their excessive recoil. The Glock 19 has zero issue using standard ball ammunition or the latest Winchester JHP load. Further, its magazines are insanely well made and last for basically forever.
The Glock 19 and you
The Glock 19 isn’t a fancy firearm. It’s not like a Staccato STI or some tricked-out race gun. The Glock 19 is fairly simple but extremely effective. If you need a simple but well-made, fairly compact weapon, the Glock 19 is the way to go. The Glock 19 is the choice of armed professionals across so many spectrums of warfare and law enforcement because it works and keeps working even when the chips are down. And when the chips are down, you need your handgun to work the most.
Read more from Sandboxx News
- North Korea’s generals don’t seem to know how pistols work
- The M17/M18: Putting the modular in the Modular Handgun System
- Curious adventures at Amsterdam airport with the Delta Force
- 6 nice perks of joining the Special Forces
- Letters to Loretta: Falling in love with the B-17 Flying Fortress
I do not own a Glock but after. reading the comments…I will own one by the time this is read.
In
I have a sig M18 and a Glock 19x I firmly believe the Glock should have won the competition as sidearm for our men and women in uniform
Agreed. It’s a better overall gun. High capacity magazine, tough, durable, simple design etc. It’s a gun that can take a hell of a beating and keep on shooting.
I have a Glock 19X Coyote.
AMazing Love it. Simple as a hair tooth pick. But never leave me.
Excellent weapon, the Glock 19 gen5 is extremely reliable
Price is right The right size for every day carry
The choice of Law enforcement
Me…. Retired infantry officer. Currently rotate EDC and today carry a para ordinance 1911 GI LTC . I have a Glock 19 that I will rotate as EDC this month. I will always be a 1911 man and yet I love my Glock 19. If I were to recommend a single pistol.i would recommend the Glock 19.
I either carry a Glock 19X or a Glock G42. Absolutely love them both. They chamber any style of ammo. Sometime I think they would chamber a garbage can lid!! Lol!!
I agree completely. It doesn’t matter what your gun looks like or is made of, all that matters is does it work when your life is on the line? I have 2 glocks a 17 gen 5 and a 19 gen 5 and I have NO doubt they would both work perfectly if my life depended on them. No matter what they just work.
I wouldn’t say Glocks vary in shape unless you’re specifically talking about the grips. Literally all the same shape, just the size and caliber are different. I’m on my 4th Glock and they literally all feel the same in the hand minus the texture. Otherwise, good write up.
I have a glock 17 gen 3 and love it….also have a glock 21 sf on the way….my glock 42 for extreme consealment…love em.
I own 3 Glocks. A G17 Gen 3, a G20 Gen 4 and my every day carry G19 Gen 5. I love the size of my 19 as it’s concealed easily yet feels good in my hands. Breaking it down for cleaning is a snap and the 15+1 capacity is reassuring. I didn’t buy Glocks to win any beauty contest…I want reliability and trust my life with it.
https://youtu.be/1J0bfzgUzRc