Glock

The Austrian gun manufacturing company Glock has a highly diversified catalogue of weaponry and tools of warfare, but is best known for its polymer-framed ‘safe action’ pistols. Glock pistols are widely used by law enforcement agencies and military outfits around the world, and are highly favored by the topmost security agencies for their precision and reliability. In fact, approximately 60% of all American police officers carry one or the other of its many handguns on duty. The Austrian, Dutch, Norwegian and Belgian armies also issue Glock handguns to their personnel as a matter of course. They can also be found in the arsenals of elite task forces in the UK, Ireland, Germany and Canada, among others. Apart from watches, handguns are probably the only other area where Austrian precision is the decisive factor. By that yardstick, Glock is definitely a world leader.

Glock was incorporated in 1963 and headquarters at Deutsch-Wagram in Lower Austria. The fact that the Battle of Wagram during the Napoleonic Wars was staged in this sleepy little town in 1809 is an interesting, but not related or significant fact. It was founded by Gaston Glock, who also serves as the company’s executive chairman and ranks #43 among Austria’s wealthiest people. That is not surprising, considering the fact that Glock 2.5 million handguns in over 100 countries

Glock pistols have many unique features, but one of the most significant ones is the fact that their slides are treated with Tenifer during the third and final process of hardening them to create a corrosion-proof finish that greatly enhances their service life and reliability. The process has been adopted for other pistols as well, most notably the Walther P99 and the Steyr M/S series. The company also manufactures field knives of exceptionally high quality. The first pistol to roll off Glock’s production line was the Glock 17, which chambers 9 mm Luger Parabellum ammunition in a magazine that holds 17 rounds. This unusually heavy handgun was designed and manufactured for the Austrian army.

Glock’s extreme innovativeness has earned it many firsts on the global gun market. For instance, it has the remarkable distinction of beating Smith & Wesson to the launch of a firearm for which this company, which happens to be the United States’ largest manufacturer of handguns and ammunition, had developed specific rounds. The round in question was the 40 S&W cartridge, for which Austrian company produced the Glock 22 and the Glock 23 in 1990. Furthermore, two of its handgun models – the Glock 17 and the aforementioned Glock 22, hold first and second place as the most favored sidearm models among American law enforcement personnel.

Until recently, Glock pistols were designed mainly for chambering 357 SIG, .380 ACP, 10 mm Auto and .45 ACP rounds; of late, they have also introduced models for the .45 GAP pistol cartridge, which matches the power of the heavier .45 ACP round but is also suited for more compact handguns. To date, approximately 2.5 million Glock handguns have been sold to over 100 counties around the world, and orders for more pour in steadily. They are extremely reliable and can withstand the most rugged environmental and use-related conditions. The Tenifer treatment process for the slides and other steel components in these handguns, mentioned earlier, has a lot to do wit this high durability and stress resistance. They are simple yet robust in design, their parts are easily procurable and the units themselves are easy to maintain without the instruments usually needed for this in other precision handgun brands. They are also much lighter than other pistols in their calibers, and this in no way compromises their power, balance and accuracy. In short, Glock handguns are precision engineering marvels, and they set a standard at which most other brands in their price and caliber range shoot in vain.