{"id":1327,"date":"2020-02-20T12:35:28","date_gmt":"2020-02-20T12:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/?p=1327"},"modified":"2020-02-20T21:41:54","modified_gmt":"2020-02-20T21:41:54","slug":"glock-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.targetbarn.com\/broad-side\/glock-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Glock History: Gaston and His Guns"},"content":{"rendered":"

“This is a ghost gun. This right here has ability with a .30 caliber clip to disperse with 30 bullets within half a second. Thirty magazine clip in half a second.”
\n-Senator Kevin de Le\u00f3n (D-Los Angeles)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Imagine someone who knows diddly squat about firearms. It could be anyone, even an anti-gun senator from California. Still, we are willing to bet that de Le\u00f3n knows what a Glock<\/a> is. He might even think \u201cGlock\u201d is an umbrella term for handgun.<\/p>\n

That Glock\u2019s name could become synonymous with handguns in less than four decades is impressive. Look at a cop today and there\u2019s a good chance you\u2019ll see one of the Austrian company\u2019s pistols on their belt. And while the civilian market initially resisted Glock\u2019s novel polymer-framed handgun, it has since become a favorite with the everyday carry crowd.<\/p>\n

How did Glock do it? Austrian magic.<\/p>\n

Let’s take a look at Glock history to see how the firearms manufacturer rose to the top.<\/p>\n

Gaston Glock History<\/h3>\n
\"two
Glock History: Although the G17 was Glock’s initial firearm offering, many different models followed, like the G21c chambered in .45ACP<\/a> and the G20 in 10mm.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gaston Glock was born in Vienna in 1929. The engineer cut his teeth on manufacturing in a curtain rod factory before founding Glock Ges.m.b.H. in 1963. The company started out making knives for the Austrian military.<\/p>\n

In 1980 Glock purchased a new machine for moulding polymer handles and sheathes, but he believed he could do more with it. He had not made a firearm up until that point, but after one year of practice he applied to patent the 9mm Glock 17 — his 17th patent. The handgun proved a great commercial success, and Glock was on velvet financially.<\/p>\n

Glock History: Gaston’s Personal Life<\/h4>\n

Success breeds enemies. In 1999 Glock\u2019s tax advisor sought a way to cover up the millions he had embezzled from the company. Naturally, he hired a hitman to beat the 73 year old magnate to death with a mallet. A man in full, Glock took several blows to the head before punching his assassin unconscious, knocking out some of his teeth in the process. The hitman and the villainous tax advisor both went to prison for their plot.<\/p>\n

Glock married Helga Glock in 1963, but the two split in 2011 when Glock was 82. It was a nasty divorce which even involved a RICO lawsuit, but that didn\u2019t stop Glock from pursuing true love. In the same year he married his current wife Kathrin Glock, the nurse who helped him recover from a stroke in 2008. She is 53 years his younger.<\/p>\n

According to Forbes, Gaston Glock is currently worth $1.1 billion and the 1,941st richest person on earth. Glock\u2019s lawyers objected to Forbes\u2019 valuation and ranking. We would like to have the same problems as Mr. Glock, minus the business with the mallet.<\/p>\n

Glock History: Glock Ges.m.b.H. Takeover<\/h3>\n
\"g17
Winchester NATO 9mm<\/a> rounds pair nicely with the Glock 17<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Glock Ges.m.b.H. didn\u2019t create their foundational polymer-framed pistol just to see if it could be done. The company was already close to the Austrian Armed Forces when they announced in the early 80s that they wanted a modern handgun to replace their obsolete Walther P38.<\/p>\n

The Austrian Armed Forces had several criteria for any handgun they would consider: semi-automatic, for starters, but also chambered for 9mm<\/a>, able to fire 15,000 rounds without significant wear, and drop-proof at two meters.<\/p>\n

Gaston Glock was already an authority on polymers, but he needed outside help to earn the big military contract. He assembled a dream team of Europe\u2019s handgun experts to make a lightweight and economical weapon. It needed to have three internal safeties, a high capacity magazine, and a simple design.<\/p>\n

The new Glock 17 was submitted to the Austrian Armed Forces in 1982. They compared it to eight other handguns before adopting it as the P80, ordering 25,000 units.<\/p>\n

Glock History in the U.S.<\/h4>\n
\"girl
Despite being designed for military use, the G17 is a popular gun among both civilians and law enforcement in the U.S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That Glock beat out five other established firearm manufacturers drew international attention. Our own Armed Forces, which in the early 80s sought to replace their M1911, asked about the Glock 17. Hoping to catch the biggest fish in the sea, Glock sent the U.S. four sample handguns, but unfortunately it didn\u2019t work out for them. The Beretta M9 became our military\u2019s new standard sidearm in 1986.<\/p>\n

That missed opportunity didn\u2019t slow Glock down. The company opened its U.S. headquarters in Smyrna, Georgia that same year, bolstered by Norway and Sweden’s armed forces adoption of the Glock 17. The Glock 17 became a NATO-classified sidearm, and within five years sold about 350,000 models worldwide. Most of those handguns wound up right here.<\/p>\n

Glock Vilified in the Media<\/h4>\n

Public ignorance about firearms did slow Glock down back when they first opened up shop in America. In 1986, the media reported that Libya wanted Glock 17s, which assigned “evil” to the handguns by association.<\/p>\n

Anti-gun lobbyists reasoned that the polymer-framed pistol was perfect for terrorism because a metal detector couldn\u2019t detect it. They overlooked the fact that a Glock 17 contains about a pound of steel, and metal detectors go bonkers when you walk through one while carrying pocket change.<\/p>\n

Fortunately Congress was led to understand that a Glock 17 is no less undetectable than any other big chunk of metal before it enacted a gun ban.<\/p>\n

Glock Perfection: Future Generations<\/h3>\n
\"the
Glock continues to update its lineup with new additions, like the G43X, and updates to long-standing models.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Glock\u2019s handgun design would see many updates over the coming years. By 2010 these included the addition of a serial number plate, an integrated recoil spring assembly, a loaded chamber indicator, ambidextrous slide stop levers, improved ergonomics, and other performance enhancing features. Glock announced the design\u2019s fifth generation \u00a0in 2017, it’s currently available in several models.<\/p>\n

Glock\u2019s pistol is highly popular for many reasons. The modern models have only 35 parts on average, making them reliable and easy to maintain. Glock\u2019s polymer frame is renowned for its durability and light weight, although Glock is by no means the only manufacturer that implements polymer anymore. A Glock handgun\u2019s low bore axis contributes much to its relatively gentle recoil, one of many reasons why it\u2019s so easy to use.<\/p>\n

Glock handguns have their detractors, of course. A Glock\u2019s stock plastic sights are often condemned as cheap junk in need of immediate replacement. Several shooters consider its grip uncomfortable as well. Many just don\u2019t like to see polymer anywhere on their firearm — M1911 fans, to name a few.<\/p>\n

Glock’s Success<\/h2>\n

But Glock\u2019s functional design, virtual omnipresence, clever marketing, and sheer name recognition ought to be enough to ensure they will stay around for many generations to come. Today, over 65 percent of America\u2019s law enforcement agencies are issued Glock handguns. At least 48 other countries\u2019 governments issue Glocks as well, and the company now rakes in approximately $400 million per year.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

Share this article with your friends!<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n