Glock 17 – Global Pistol
The Glock 17 in caliber 9×19 is the most widely used law enforcement pistol worldwide. Because of its unsurpassed reliability, above-average magazine capacity of 17 cartridges in the standard magazine and its low weight, it is trusted by law enforcement officers in their daily duties throughout the world. It is safe, easy and quick to use through the revolutionary “Safe Action” trigger system.
History
The Glock 17 was the first pistol designed and manufactured by the Austrian companyGlock. It is a locked breech, short recoil 9 mm Para semi-automatic pistol with a standard magazine capacity of 17 rounds of ammunition. It uses a modified Petter/Browning barrel locking system. The Glock 17 appeared in the early 1980s for the Austrian Army weapons trials. It entered service under the designation P80. In 1988, it entered service in the Swedish Army under the designation Pistol 88. It is also used by the Norwegian Army and police. The designation 17 is derived from the gun’s being Gaston Glock’s 17th patent, rather than its magazine capacity. The Glock 17, like all Glock pistols, has a well known reputation for being extremely rugged and reliable.
The Glock stirred up quite a scare when it was revealed to have a polymer frame. Some people thought that, based on early reports, the whole gun was plastic and/or ceramic, and therefore undetectable by metal detectors. In fact, the slide, barrel and many other internal parts, comprising about 80 percent of the gun’s mass, are made out of metal. The slide and barrel are QPQ Tenifer treated, a process that makes their steel more durable to wear and tear as well as to corrosion.
The Glock 17 has become very popular because of its simple controls, high durability, and moderate price. It is also reported to be highly reliable in extreme environments like desert, jungle, and arctic regions. The pistol enjoys widespread use in law enforcement, but is also a very popular military, sports, and self-defense pistol. More than 50 countries use it for law enforcement or military service.
Description and Specifications
The Glock 17 and all others that Glock has since produced use the “Safe Action” fire control system, a single-action mechanism utilizing a striker instead of a hammer and firing pin. Like most other striker-fired pistols, the Glock pistol requires the trigger to pull the striker back the rest of the way, and to release it. In its ready-to-fire state, the pistol could be considered to be “half-cocked”. This arrangement translates to consistent trigger pulls which some claim makes training easier. Notably absent is any manual user safety, although a trigger safety and additional internal measures prevent accidental discharge. Its frame is made out of an advanced polymer. Glock barrels use polygonal rifling for increased accuracy which works best with jacketed ammunition, otherwise lead build-up in the barrel is likely to cause malfunctioning.
The Glock 17 (and only model 17) could be modified with “amphibious kit” that allows underwater firing (in very shallow depths, thought). Basically, the underwater shooting itself has very little effect in real combat, since the effective range is extremely short. The real purpose of that feature is to show the strength of the gun and to allow safe shooting in severe weather conditions, with possible water in the barrel (in many guns this may result in blown barrel).
- Caliber: 9 mm
- Cartridge: 9×19 mm
- Weight: 22.04 oz / 625 g empty
- Produced: 1980 – present
The automatic version of the Glock 17, called Glock 18, available only in 9mm Luger and only for Military/Law enforcement sales. Glock 18 can fire in semi-automatic or fully automatic modes. The pistol may be equipped with 31-rounds extended magazines and after-market folding stocks. For security reasons, some parts of the Glock 18 are not interchangeable with Glock 17 pistols. The theoretical rate of fire in full-auto mode is 1200 rounds per minute.
Glock 18
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