From their first release, Glocks have brought tons of changes to the handgun industry. These guns, designed to be rugged and reliable, have become a favorite among militaries and law-enforcements. There have been many types of Glocks, from fancy FMQ weapons to basic concealed carry pistols. Here are 5 of the best models.
1. Glock 17
This was the first Glock that was originally designed for the Austrian military. It was a revolutionary design made by Gaston Glock. He was able to drastically lower the weight of a pistol by replacing unnecessary metal pieces with polymers. Despite the change, the design can still handle the roughest physical abuse and harshest conditions. Additionally, the 17 round magazine was the largest commercially available magazine when the gun was released.
2. Glock 21
This is an early variant and is basically a Glock 17 that can handle a .45 ACP. The result is a .45 caliber handgun with a high-capacity. A standard magazine held 13 bullets while other .45 calibers of the day carried 7 or 8. This appealed to people skeptical of 9 mm pistols and wanted to shoot something with more recoil.
3. Glock 19
Because Glock 17s were designed for military use, they were too large and bulky to be concealed carry weapons. Therefore, the Glock 19 emerged. This is basically the Glock 17 that was shrunken down. This gun can still carry a respectable 15 rounds. While it was not designed for military use, some branches have adopted it as their primary service weapon. In fact, the U.S. Army Ranger Corps uses it.
4. Glock 43
The Glock 43 was the first subcompact concealed carry pistol from the company. It is among the smallest pistols available and carries 6 bullets. It is only an inch thick and very lightweight. This makes it incredibly easy to conceal. While the low round capacity is abnormal for a Glock, it was designed to be a defensive firearm.
5. Glock 18
Out of all of the Glocks available, only one is not available to individuals in the U.S. This is the Glock 18, which has a switch that can make it fully automatic. This is a full-sized pistol that can fire 1,200 bullets per minute in fully automatic mode. It comes with a standard, 17 round magazine, but owners can outfit it with a 33 round magazine. This was specially designed for militaries.
There have been many Glocks released throughout the years. These are some of the most popular available to militaries and individuals.