First Glock Made - Thanks in large part to films like Die Hard II, Glock, the Austrian company best known for its polymer-framed pistols, is well known even to firearm novices. What most people don't know is that the company was only founded in 1963, but today it produces more than two dozen models of pistols in three sizes and seven different cartridges in three calibers.
And even gun connoisseurs probably don't know much about Glock yet, that's actually not the manufacturer, but the product of the Austrian company Glock Ges.m.b.H. While the company is known for its firearms, it also makes field knives, trenching tools, and clothing.
First Glock Made
Long before founder Gaston Glock began production of the Glock 17, the company's first handgun, the company began making household products such as curtain rods and later knives. While prolific firearms designer John Browning received his first patent for a firearm in the 1920s, Gaston Glock was fifty-two years short of developing a firearm.
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In the 1970s, Gaston Glock developed castings for grenades and links for machine gun belts and, as a polymer expert, began using the materials to make knife handles and scabbards. Then, in the early 1980s, he decided to investigate how polymers could be used in the manufacture of a handgun. The result was the Glock-series semi-automatic pistol, which featured a polymer frame, which soon raised concerns about the "plastic pistol" that some believed (even before Die Hard II) might outlast airport X-ray machines.
However, the Glock 17 passed NATO's rigorous durability test and was chosen as the standard sidearm by the Norwegian Army. This put the company and its unique pistol on the path to becoming the sidearm of choice with international law enforcement agencies. While the US military adopted the Beretta M9 as a replacement for the aging M1911 .45 Colt pistol, various Glocks have been the weapon of choice for special forces, including US Navy SEALs.
Additionally, the USMC later introduced the Glock 19M in 2016 as the "M007 Concealed Carry Weapon" for Marines who required a compact pistol, such as the B. criminal investigation units and HMX-1 helicopter squadrons.
If there's one complaint about Glock today, it's that gun models can be downright confusing: instead of being named by year or caliber, the company names the product by the nearest patent number. So the first Glock pistol was called the Glock 17, not because it held seventeen rounds in the magazine, but because it got its name from the number Gaston Glock patented during the development of the pistol. While that might seem reasonable for the day, especially for an inventor who also made field knives and a folding shovel, it's confusing for gun owners today, especially considering the company has produced dozens of models.
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The other big complaint is that some models aren't available for commercial sale in the US. These include the Glock 18, a full-fledged nine-millimeter "autopistol" that can be fired like a machine gun with a rate of fire of 1,200 rounds per minute. However, other handguns such as the Glock 25 and Glock 28 all fail to meet the ATF's import criteria.
While some select Glocks cannot be imported, the company protects shooters by offering its polymer-framed pistols in a wide range of calibers and sizes. Good thing old Gaston didn't decide to stick to curtain rods.
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based author who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites. He is the author of several books on military headdress, including A Gallery of Military Headdress, available at Amazon.com. In partnership with Lipsey's Firearms Distributors, GLOCK is offering a limited edition 9mm GLOCK P80 model from the 1980s. That means a Gen1 GLOCK 17 pistol with all the hallmarks of the old style, including a single pivot frame, notched wrap-around grip, smooth trigger face, original flat-plate extractor, and no accessory rail or front slide serrations.
If you were too young - or too traditional - to buy a GLOCK pistol in the 1980s, here's your chance to make up for it: GLOCK, together with Lipsey's, commemorates the introduction of the GLOCK P80 by the Austrian Armed Forces an original-inspired replica GLOCK Pistol 80. This is a faithful reproduction of the first generation GLOCK,
Semi Automatic Pistol
The GLOCK P80 replicates all the features of the Gen1 pistols, including the grip construction and flat ejector.
The story is well known but is best repeated in case anyone has slept in the past 30 years or so. Gaston Glock designed his first pistol for the Austrian military pistol trials in 1981 and after it was adopted by the Austrian army they named it the Pistole 80 or P80. In 1986 the same pistol was introduced to the US market as the G17. A star was born. It wasn't the first polymer-framed pistol ever made - that honor goes to the Heckler & Koch VP 70, which predated the GLOCK by 12 years - but it was to become the most famous of them all. Indeed, his technical solutions were a "source of inspiration" (sometimes a more friendly term for plagiarism) for many gun manufacturers around the world.
Lipsey's, one of the largest independent US firearms distributors, is now offering an exclusive 9mm GLOCK P80 Edition with (almost) all the features of the "mother of all GLOCKs".
The frame is the "single pin" type used in early Gen1/Gen2 pistols and again in the latest Gen5 pistols.
First Real Glock, Happy First Glocktober To Me!
As the 'new' P80 is 100% GLOCK manufactured it should not be called a replica but could more correctly be defined as a replica of the original 1980's model.
Some highlights of the GLOCK P80 pistol are a GLOCK Gen 1 style polymer frame with a pin ("double pin" style was introduced with the Gen2, but the single pin above the trigger actually returned with the Gen5), the old - wraparound grip with pebbles, smooth trigger face, original flat extractor and no accessory rail or front slide serrations. (Of course, no finger grooves here either!)
The foil also proudly displays P80 markings, while the visors are polymer. Of course, the slide finish isn't the old Tenifer anymore, replaced here with a more modern nDLC finish. But not many will care if they even notice.
To add to the 'nostalgia effect', the pistol comes in the original 'Tupperware' style pistol case and is wrapped in specially designed packaging to commemorate the historical significance of the pistol. A certificate of authenticity is also included.
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Who cares about a freshly manufactured GLOCK of the first generation? Any firearms user and GLOCK fan for starters as this is still a reliable and well-rounded GLOCK pistol. But older collectors and nostalgics who want to relive the 80s or who missed the opportunity to own a GLOCK Gen1 will also appreciate them. In order to fulfill their dream, they have to pay 669 US dollars, which is the suggested retail price for the limited-edition GLOCK P80 pistol.
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