10 advantages of the Glock

By Patrick Sweeney, Gun Digest

According to Corey Graff, Gun Digest’s editor, Master Gunsmith Patrick Sweeney is no starry-eyed fanboy of the Glock. Just read his new book, Glock Deconstructed, and you’ll see why. But even Sweeney, who authored 1911: The First 100 Years—and countless other articles on the Glock v. 1911 debate—could not discount the advantages of the Glock auto pistol. Here are his top 10 from the Gun Digest Book of the Glock.

Reliability
In those preceding years, the other pistols had in many cases been manufactured to a less demanding standard. They had been made when precision meant hand fitting, and everyone expected pistols to be somewhat less reliable than revolvers. Soon the “hand-fit vs. reliability” debate would sputter out, but until then, Glock was first. The level of reliability that Glocks demonstrate can be approached and matched by other pistols, but there is a definite advantage in being first.

Durability
Here Glock has a definite advantage. The polymer frame shrugs off impacts that would dent or crack other frames made of aluminum or steel. Unless you’re willing to make your handgun excessively bulky (and thus solid) it won’t be as durable. And that heavy, who’d want it?

Weight
The Glock’s big Glock advantage is its weight. Or lack thereof, really. The standard G-17 tips the scales empty at a feathery 22 ounces. Comparable pistols come in 25 to 30 percent heavier, and revolvers must be quite compact to beat the Glock. Big revolvers can’t do it; small or airweight can; but they all lack capacity. Read the rest of this entry »