Tactical and technical characteristics Glock 17:
Caliber, mm - 9x19 Parabellum
Length, mm - 204
Barrel length, mm - 114
Height, mm - 138
Width, mm - 30
Grooves - right-handed, hexagonal, pitch 250 mm
Weight without cartridges, gr - 710
Curb weight, gr - 910
Shop, cartridges - 17, optionally 10; 33

In the early 1980s, the Austrian military department, in order to replace obsolete pistol models in service with Austria, announced a competition for the development of a new, as simple as possible, efficient and reliable model of short-barreled weapons.

Such well-known arms manufacturers as Beretta, Fabrique Nationale, Heckler & Koch, Sig-Sauer took part in the struggle for a promising order, among which was a firm previously unknown in the field of small arms production. Glock GmbH.

On that moment small firm Glock GmbH was owned by the engineer Gaston Glock, who himself founded it in 1963 in the town of Deutsch-Wagram near Vienna. Initially, Glock was engaged in the production of machine tools for completely peaceful purposes, and later retrained as a manufacturer of military products - combat knives, trench tools, sapper shovels, spare parts for machine guns, hand grenades and machine gun belts. In the course of his activities, Glock graduated from the Ferlach Higher Weapons Technical School and decided to try his hand at the weapons field. In the mid-1970s, Gaston Glock set his designers the task of creating the perfect pistol, which should be as easy to handle and maintain as possible, have a small mass, have high reliability and firepower.

As a result, Glock GmbH presented a sample of a 9-mm pistol, called Glock 17, to the competition for a new pistol for the Austrian army. In May 1982, according to the results of tests, the Glock 17 pistol was adopted by the Austrian army under the designation P80.

The new pistol turned out to be extremely reliable and convenient, light and durable, with a simple design. It consists of only 34 parts and can be completely disassembled in less than one minute with a hairpin or nail. Main feature Glock pistol 17 was that its frame, together with the handle and trigger guard, as well as a number of small parts, were made of high-strength, heat-resistant (up to 200 ° C) polymer plastic. The second feature was the absence of a fuse box and a trigger.

However, in fairness, it should be noted that the pioneer in this area was the company "Heckler & Koch GmbH", which in 1973 released a pistol with a polymer frame VP 70. But the use of an inertial method of locking the bore with a shutter mass in this weapon when using a fashionable 9x19 mm cartridge required to make the shutter very heavy, which did not give a gain in weight, and the VP 70 pistol was discontinued. Gaston Glock, having studied the experience of Heckler & Koch and appreciating the future role of plastics in the production of personal weapons, reoriented his company to the development and further production of pistols for powerful cartridges using plastics, choosing the Browning system for locking the channel for his pistol trunk.

Currently, there are several families of Glock pistols for all major pistol calibers (9 mm Parabellum, .40 S&W, 10 mm Auto, .357 SIG, .45 Auto, .380 Auto and .45 GAP).

Glock 17 automatics work due to the recoil of the barrel during its short stroke. The barrel bore is locked by entering the upper protrusion of the barrel into the window of the casing-bolt. The barrel bore is unlocked by lowering its breech down with the help of the lower tide of the breech and the axis during the recoil of the barrel. The shutter is made of steel by high-precision casting and subjected to special treatment to increase corrosion and wear resistance with a special tenifer coating (Tennifer). As a result of such treatment, the surface to a depth of 0.05 mm acquires a hardness of about 69 Rockwell units (for comparison, the hardness of technical diamonds is 71-72).

The barrel inside has a hexagonal cut and a chamber, outside it has a cylindrical surface and a square breech, which has a protrusion at the top in the shape of the upper part of the casing-bolt window for removing spent cartridges, and at the bottom there is a tide with a figured cutout for contact with the axis of the frame and a bevel for guiding the cartridge from magazine to chamber.

In the lower part of the chamber there is a valve that ensures the removal of powder gases that have broken through into the pistol grip when the pressure in the barrel is exceeded by 150-200%. The shutter casing has a U-shape.

The frame of the pistol, together with the handle and the trigger guard, is made of high-strength polymer material (plastic) like a monocoque, which ensures structural strength and some softening of the recoil action. The guide frames along which the steel shutter-casing moves are reinforced with steel inserts.

The pistol grip is part of the frame, which ensured its relatively small size and convenient shape with a high-capacity double-row magazine. The angle of the handle to the bore axis is 108°. Early releases of pistols had handles with flat cheeks and corrugated front and back surfaces. Pistols of later releases received notches for fingers on the front side of the handle and small "shelves" under thumb on their sides, as well as guides for mounting accessories (laser designator, flashlight, etc.) on the frame under the barrel.

The shape of the front bend of the trigger guard is designed for imposing the index finger of the second hand when shooting from two hands. The front edge of the trigger guard is knurled for better stability of the weapon in the hand when firing.

The pistol is fed with ammunition from a detachable box magazine with a two-row arrangement of 17 rounds in a checkerboard pattern. Although regular stores are designed for 17 rounds, magazines with a capacity of 10 and 33 rounds can also be used.

The magazine latch is located at the junction of the trigger guard with the handle and is pressed forward.

When the cartridges are used up in the store, the casing-bolt remains in the rear position on the slide delay, the head of which is displayed on the left side of the frame above the handle. The barrel lock with its lever is located on the left side of the frame above the trigger.

The pistol does not have manual safety catches, but is equipped with an integrated safety system consisting of three independently acting automatic safety catches, which are switched off only when the trigger is pulled. It includes the following fuses: trigger fuse. It is located on the trigger, blocks it and does not allow you to move back. It turns off only when the trigger is pressed hard with a finger; combat fuse. He blocks the firing pin. It is turned off by a special protrusion on the trigger rod when the trigger is pressed; anti-shock fuse. It is designed in the form of a cross-shaped protrusion on the trigger rod, which on one side lies in the figured window of the bolt body in the upper position. Before the shot, a special protrusion on the back of the striker is pinched with a tooth at the end of the trigger rod.

Striker-type trigger mechanism with pre-cocked striker of the so-called Safe Action (safe action), with 3 automatic fuses. A feature of the USM safe action (Safe Action) is that during the reload cycle of the pistol, the drummer is only partially cocked, while it is blocked by an automatic fuse. The cocking of the drummer occurs only when the trigger is pressed, while the drummer remains blocked from moving forward until the trigger is fully squeezed out. The trigger force is adjustable from 2.5 to 5 kgf by replacing the spring. Thus, it is possible to achieve a uniform force on the trigger from the first to the last shot, which has a positive effect on the accuracy of shooting.

The trigger mechanism works as follows. When you press the trigger, the trigger safety is first squeezed out. When the trigger is pressed further, a special protrusion on the trigger pull raises the combat fuse up and releases the channel through which the striker moves. The rear end of the trigger rod has a cruciform shape and one side of the "cross" lies in the figured window of the bolt body in the upper position. When the weapon is ready to fire, a special protrusion on the back of the striker is engaged with a tooth on the end of the trigger rod. When you press the trigger, the trigger rod moves back and cocks the firing pin with the mainspring. At the last stage of the movement, the trigger pull rests on the uncoupler and lowers to the lower position, the striker is released and goes forward under the action of the mainspring and breaks the primer. There is a shot. During the working cycle, the recess on the inside of the bolt moves and disengages the trigger rod from engagement with the uncoupler, allows it to rise to the upper position under the action of the trigger spring, and the tooth at its end again engages the protrusion at the end of the striker. As the trigger rod moves forward, the striker spring returns to its normal state and the safety resumes its action.

Open-type sights are mounted on a flat upper surface of the shutter-casing and include a front sight and a replaceable permanent sight mounted in a dovetail-type transverse groove. The front sight is equipped with a luminous dot, and the rectangular slot of the sight is framed by a luminous frame. The sight can be replaced by an adjustable one, but this is not practiced for military pistols. On "sports" models (for example Glock17L) adjustable rear sight and front sight can be installed.

The outer body and frame of the gun can be made of plastic in various colors. The most famous classic black, there is also a variant in camouflage. In the production of parts that are subjected to the greatest load, plastic is reinforced with metal plates. The guide frames along which the shutter casing moves are reinforced with steel inserts. At the bottom of the frame is a small metal plate stamped with the gun's factory serial number.

For most modifications, versions with an integrated barrel toss compensator are available. The compensator is made in the form of a group of holes in the upper muzzle of the barrel, and corresponding cutouts in the bolt next to the front sight. The compensator is designed to reduce barrel vibrations. For such models, the letter "C" is added to the name. The following models are equipped with a compensator: G17C, G19C, G20C, G21C, G22C, G23C, G31C, G32C.



  • - High resistance to corrosion due to the use of Glock's special patented barrel processing technology and a large number of polymer parts.
  • - Effective use of weapons in almost all climatic zones, with the exception of the far north and areas with a sharply continental climate, where air temperatures can drop below -40 °C.
  • - Smooth recoil and high accuracy of fire due to the use of a large number of polymer parts.
  • - Less than pistols of a similar class, weight due to the manufacture of the body and frame of the pistol from plastic.
  • - High wear resistance of units and mechanisms. The barrel before burning out allows you to fire 300-350 thousand shots (for other pistols, on average, this value is 40-50 thousand shots).
  • - Bringing into combat position does not require switching any fuse.
  • - Declared by the manufacturer, the possibility of firing in the aquatic environment without damaging the gun when changing the return spring.
  • - The gun can be easily disassembled for cleaning and maintenance without the use of special equipment.
  • - The small area of ​​the guides becomes the reason for their relatively rapid wear, which leads to the appearance of lateral play in the shutter casing, and as a result, to a decrease in the accuracy of fire.
  • - There is a possibility that when carried in a pocket for a long time without regular maintenance, small debris can jam the firing pin release lever, making it impossible to fire. But, according to individual sources, this event is too unlikely to affect the actual combat capability of the pistol.
  • - Due to the use of polymer materials, the pistol becomes more brittle at temperatures below -40 ° C, which can lead to cracks in the receiver and frame under mechanical stress. At high temperatures- over 200 °C - deformation of the plastic components of the pistol may occur. The technical recommendations of the Glock company indicate the operating temperature range from -40 to +200 ° C, and the use of a gun outside this temperature range can lead to failure of its main components and structural components.
  • - With prolonged use, microcracks appear due to the "fatigue" of the plastic.
  • - The coating from the casing-bolt is erased, which gives the weapon a sloppy look.
  • - The disadvantages of this design sometimes include the inability to re-fire a cartridge that has misfired.

A widely advertised feature of the Glock 17 pistol was its ability to fire under water when retrofitting the pistol with a special reinforced return spring. This effect is achieved due to the strength of the barrel and simple and reliable automation that does not use complex gas exhaust systems, and replacing the standard return spring with a reinforced one allows you to return the bolt back to the firing position even with a significantly increased environmental resistance. The practical value of this ability is not great - this is due to the fact that the energy of the bullet is very quickly extinguished in water due to the high density of the medium, and the effective firing range does not exceed 1-2 meters. But, despite the low efficiency of the pistol in this situation, the very presence of this ability indicates the high reliability and wear resistance of components and mechanisms, the preservation of the combat capability of the weapon in conditions of any, arbitrarily high humidity, and even the ability to fire when there is water in the barrel bore , which for many other models of pistols can lead to barrel deformation or serious damage to the components and assemblies of the weapon.

There is a widespread misconception that due to the extensive use of polymers in the Glock 17's construction, the "plastic gun" is not detected by metal detectors. This misconception was refuted, including personally by Gaston Glock himself. Despite the widespread use of polymers, the mass of metal components in a gun is about 400 grams.

There is also a false myth about the high fragility of the gun: supposedly if you drop the gun on a hard surface, it can split or crack. In fact, cracks and deformations of plastic components can occur under mechanical stress, but usually at temperatures below -40 ° C or under severe mechanical stress, which would lead to deformation and destruction of pistols made of conventional materials.

The Glock 17 is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the pistol that was subjected to the most severe tests and retained its combat effectiveness after that. He is able to fire from under water, in conditions of heavy dust, in mud, in conditions of any humidity, after being removed from liquid mud and sand.

This pistol is a typical self-defense weapon. Maximum effective range shooting range is 50 meters, effective shooting at such a distance requires good shooting training and experience in handling the weapon from which the fire is fired. On average, the Glock 17 is most effective at a distance of 20-25 m, due to the fact that even a poorly trained shooter is able to hit a target at such a distance. starting speed a bullet fired from a Glock 17 at the muzzle is 350-360 m/s. The muzzle energy is about 500 J. These characteristics determine the scope of this weapon model.

1. Remove the magazine, pull the bolt back and make sure there is no cartridge in the chamber by pointing the weapon in a safe direction, pull the trigger.
2. Move the bolt to its rearmost position and press down the barrel lock lever.
3. Remove the bolt with the barrel and return mechanism from the frame forward.
4. Turn the bolt over and remove the return mechanism (return spring with guide rod) from it.
5. Remove the barrel from the bolt by lifting it by the breech.
6. Assembly is carried out in the reverse order.



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Mankind has always gravitated towards a compact but powerful version of personal weapons, which, in fact, was the glock 17 pistol, created by the Austrian company of the same name. However, his active participation in Hollywood projects made him legendary, which affected arms sales around the world. Various modifications are still used by the police and intelligence agencies of NATO countries.

Today we will talk about the ancestor of this line, the model under the index 17, which included only 34 parts, so a trained fighter without any effort could disassemble it in less than one minute. The weapon is distinguished by its small size, light weight, as well as practicality, because it has the ability to fire underwater.

The history of the creation and development of the Glock pistol

When did the second World War and Austria became an independent state, its newly created army was equipped with pre-war pistols - Walther P38 and Colt M1911A1. The situation was worse for the police: they received a model produced in the 20s - Walther PP. However, Austria did not fight with anyone and maintained a clear neutrality in the Cold War, so they only thought about modernization in 1980, when the state organized a competition to create a new pistol, which would be received by both the police and the military.

The new version of the service weapon had to meet the requirements issued by the country's military ministry:

  • 9 × 19 mm Parabellum cartridges;
  • the minimum number of cartridges in the store is 8 units;
  • the pistol must be safe, so even when falling from a height of 2 meters there should not be a spontaneous shot;
  • for every thousand shots there should be only 2 misfires;
  • interchangeability of parts.

All these requirements Glock met or exceeded the recommended data.

The competition was strong, and few expected that the tiny Austrian company, founded back in 1963 under the name Glock, would win. However, she has been involved in this project since 1970, which allowed her to present best option automatic pistol. I was also bribed by the fact that the model of this company, with high performance, was 25% cheaper than its competitors. As a result, Glock easily outperformed its competitors, and already in 1983 it was adopted by the Austrian army and police.

However, it is possible that if the pistol had been used only in Austria, it would have remained a locally successful option. However, the fact is that the Glock is almost entirely made of high-strength and heat-resistant plastic, so the screenwriters used it in the movie Die Hard 2. After that, these weapons began to be shown in almost all films, one way or another connected with shootings, which had a very good effect on sales and the overall popularity of the model.

In addition, another jump in popularity was that it began to be used in computer tactical shooters. Until now, it is Glock that remains the symbol of the legendary computer game Counter-Strike.

Gun design

Structurally, the Glock had several innovations that eventually made it one of the most popular pistols in the world. First of all, the automation, which was incorporated in the first model, almost never changed, and all the variations are just an increase in the magazine, caliber and barrel length. There is only one exception - the model under the index 18 - it is capable of firing at speeds up to 1100 rounds per minute, so the internal parts of the sample were changed.

In addition, the original design of the automatic safety: it, being combined with the trigger, is removed only when the two components of the structure are pressed simultaneously. The magazine release button is located on the left side of the pistol, just below the trigger guard. Despite the large volume of the magazine (in some modifications, such as glock 20 -13 rounds), the weight is still one of the smallest in the world. The trigger guard was specially increased in order to be able to fire with two hands.

Principle of operation

The whole point of the work of automatic pistol is the recoil of the barrel with a short stroke. The designers decided to use the proven, but somewhat modernized Colt-Browning scheme. The essence of the operation of this system is as follows: a tide with an inclined groove is created under the breech breech, it coincides with the guide ledge of the frame. The Austrian designers made a groove at the required angle, which causes the driving barrel to decrease and it disengages from the shutter-casing. Then it stops, as a result of which the shutter rolls back.

Additions to the pistol

On this moment There are two main additions to the Glock 17. The first is the sighting device, which is made of high-strength plastic and is installed in special transverse grooves, which we know as the "dovetail". To fire in low light, the designers put a luminous dot on the front sight, and a luminous frame on the rear sight. Starting in 1988, a special guide element was also installed on the glock, on which a tactical flashlight or a laser-type pointer is attached.

In addition, the weapon can be equipped with a silencer. However, only elite units receive this modification without applying the glowing frame. There are, of course, custom additions, which are made in an artisanal way, and always belong to the pneumatic variants of weapons. The most popular of these was glock under the index 21.

Technical characteristics of the Glock 17 model

TTX of the first glock serial:

  • Type: self-loading;
  • Caliber - 9 × 19 mm Parabellum;
  • Barrel length - 114 mm;
  • Overall length - 186 mm;
  • Weight without clip - 0.625 kg;
  • Weight with a full magazine - 0.905 kg;
  • The standard number of rounds is 17, but can be increased to 33;
  • The initial speed of the bullet is 375 meters per second;
  • The maximum sighting range is 50 meters.

In general, for 1980, in terms of its characteristics, the Glock was one of the best.

Used ammunition

The Glock 17 uses the 9×19 mm Parabellum cartridge, which was developed back in 1902 by the Austrian gunsmith, the legendary Georg Luger, who used the projectile in his pistol of the same name. After the cartridge was adopted by the German Navy in 1904, it still remains relevant. At the moment, it is interesting not only to the NATO bloc, but also to the Russian Federation, whose gunsmiths are modifying Parabellum.

According to its design, the ammunition is a shortened cartridge case from 7.65 × 21 mm Parabellum. So it does not have a bottle-type shape, but a cylinder. The energy of the bullet is enough to inflict serious injury on a person, but not kill him. Therefore, Glock is used by the police and special services, who must stop the criminal and not bring the matter to a lethal outcome. Of course, the cartridge is not enough to break through a bulletproof vest, however, the resulting shock wave may well knock a person down.

Other ammo:

  1. Cartridge 10 mm Auto. It was developed specifically for FBI agents, had a caliber of 10.16 mm, was used in modifications under the index 20, 29, 40. It has great lethal power, as a result of which it was necessary to abandon the use of these cartridges when training cadets;
  2. Cartridge .40 S&W - quite popular in the USA, created in 1990. Caliber 10.16 mm, in fact, is an analogue of the 10 mm Auto cartridge, with reduced bullet energy;
  3. The Glock 21 used the .45 ACP cartridge, developed at the beginning of the 20th century by Browning. In fact, this is a modernization of an even older .45 Colt cartridge. Caliber 11.51 mm;
  4. Another cartridge designed by Browning, the .380 ACP 9mm, was used in the Glock 25;
  5. In one of the current modifications under the index 31, the .357 SIG cartridge, developed in Switzerland, was used, caliber 9 mm.

Until now, Glock is being upgraded for various ammunition, which confirms its relevance in the world of weapons.

Glock pistol models

At the moment, the line has grown to a huge size, but we will list only the main models:

  1. 17L is the very first modification of the main pistol, the only difference of which is the elongated barrel. Was established in 1988;
  2. 18 - a specialized version for firing bursts;
  3. 19 is a more compact model. Has a short barrel 102 mm (original version - 114 mm). Until 1990, this modification had a Compact postscript, which was eventually abandoned;
  4. 20 - this sample differs in that it was created specifically for the 10 mm Auto cartridge, and also has an enlarged magazine and a built-in compensator;
  5. 21 - it is often thought that this is a special Glock model for 45 caliber, however, the .45 ACP cartridge, contrary to its name, has a caliber of 11.51 mm. Clip increased to 15 charges;
  6. 22 - a model that was specially created in order to be used by the FBI. This version was created under caliber 40 S&W. Created back in 1990, the model is still relevant, and at the moment there is no news that they will change service weapon in this US government structure;
  7. 34 - one of the best modifications, which has an elongated barrel, has an increased accuracy of fire. In fact, this model was created in Austria specifically in order to be exported. And now the US police are armed with it, in almost all of its structures, as well as in Chile and Malaysia;
  8. 39 is the penultimate sample of Glock, which is a shortened and reduced modification of it. In general, now there is a tendency to create from the Glock, which is already a small pistol, some kind of "ladies' weapon" of a completely miniature look.

Almost all options are export goods, which are developed under the order of other states.

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Glock is perhaps the most popular and recognizable pistol, one of the most reliable, invariably in high demand both from law enforcement agencies and the armed forces around the world, and from ordinary citizens who buy weapons for shooting sports and self-defense. Because of this, it is often shown in films and computer games.

History of creation

In 1980, the Austrian military decided to upgrade their weapons and announced an order for the development of a new pistol to replace the Steur model. The future star of Austrian gunsmiths, engineer Gaston Glock at that time owned a small company Glock GmbH, which he himself founded back in 1963 in the town of Deutsch-Wagram near Vienna. Initially, Glock was engaged in the production of machine tools for completely peaceful purposes, and later retrained as a manufacturer of military products - combat knives, trench tools, sapper shovels, spare parts for machine guns, hand grenades and machine gun belts. In the course of his activities, Glock graduated from the Ferlach Higher Weapons Technical School and decided to try his hand at the weapons field. He did not himself design a pistol under the order of the military, but recruited a team of gunsmiths from all over Europe.
After 3 months, a prototype 9-mm pistol was ready, called the Glock 17 (since the magazine had a capacity of 17 rounds). After passing the tests, in 1982 the pistol was adopted by the Austrian army. After some time, Glock was already in the service of the armies of Norway and Sweden, and in 1985 Gaston Glock's company began to take an active interest in the American market. In the same year, the Glock GmbH product manufacturing company was established in Georgia, and in January 1986, final approval was received to import the pistol into the States.

Design

The automatics of the Glock 17 pistol work according to the scheme of using recoil with a short barrel stroke. The design used a modernized system Colt-Browning (Brauning Cam), which is a modernization of the Browning earring. Under the breech, a tide is made with an inclined groove, coinciding with the guide ledge of the frame. The groove is made at such an angle that, moving along the ledge, it causes the moving barrel to decrease, due to which the latter disengages from the shutter-casing, and then stops, allowing the shutter to roll back unhindered.
The barrel bore is locked with the help of a descending breech, which enters with its rectangular ledge located above the chamber into the window for ejection of spent cartridge cases of the shutter-casing. The reduction occurs when the bevel of the lower tide of the breech breech interacts with the protrusion of the frame. After the shot, the bolt, moving backward, bends the uncoupler, thereby releasing the thrust, which then rises under the action of the thrust spring. When the bolt moves forward, the striker's hook encounters the thrust hook and returns the trigger through the thrust to the forward position. In this case, the drummer is pre-cocked. Pistols latest releases are equipped with an ejector, which also acts as an indicator of the presence of a cartridge in the chamber.
The trigger mechanism (USM) of the striker type with a preliminary partial cocking of the drummer when the shutter-casing moves back and additional cocking when the trigger is pressed. When the trigger is pressed, the firing pin block is first removed, then the sear releases the combat platoon, and a shot is fired. Glock calls the trigger of this design only self-cocking (DAO). However this system in fact, it is a classic single-action trigger with an additional firing pin.
In Glock pistols, the drummer is cocked by moving the shutter-casing back, and the relatively long trigger stroke and slightly more than a conventional single-action trigger, the force required to cock the drummer, replace the manually controlled fuse. To ensure maximum ease of handling weapons in the design of this pistol, it was decided to abandon the use of manual safety catches, only automatic ones were left, which made it possible to significantly reduce the time interval from the moment the pistol was removed to the moment the fire was opened.
Turns on when out of ammo. shutter lag, fixing the shutter in the retracted position. The length and force of the stroke in this case prevent an accidental shot in the absence of a safety lever. The trigger pull is 2.5 kg and can be adjusted from 2 to 4 kg. A small effort required to pull the trigger allows you to increase the accuracy of fire even for a poorly trained shooter.
The gun is equipped with three independently operating automatic safety locks. Glock called this system Safe Action. The safety lever, which is equipped with the trigger, blocks its movement back and releases it only when the shooter is consciously pressed. The automatic fuse of the striker makes it impossible for the striker to hit the primer of the cartridge in the event of an accidental failure from the cocking sear. The trigger rod, with its special protrusion, raises the fuse, which is a cylinder with a groove, and opens the way forward for the drummer. The shockproof fuse is a protrusion of the trigger rod, which has a cruciform shape, which is included in the groove of the shutter-casing. It prevents the combat platoon from falling off the sear during an external impact.
The sights of Glock pistols, made of plastic, are removable and installed in transverse dovetail grooves, consist of a rear sight with the possibility of making horizontal adjustments by shifting it and a front sight, which can be replaced with another one with a different height for vertical correction. For ease of aiming in low light conditions, a luminous dot is applied to the front sight, and a luminous frame is applied to the rear sight. The rear sight can be adjustable, but this is not usually the case in military models. Since 1988, pistols of this model in most cases are equipped with a special guide for attaching a laser target designator (LTC) or a tactical flashlight.

Overall rating

Many experts in the field of personal weapons and their combat use consider Glock pistols to be the best in the world due to the excellent combination of such qualities as reliability of operation in the most difficult operating conditions, accuracy more than sufficient for combat shooting and self-defense, both aimed and high-speed "instinctive" offhand shooting, high safety, convenience, comfort during constant hidden or open wear, maximum ease of use, ease of maintenance, huge service life, interchangeability of parts, very high strength and resistance of the coating of steel parts to corrosion and wear, and finally, relatively low cost.
It's really great weapon, which is preferred by professionals involved in real combat and special operations, fighters of the best special forces in the world. The Glock is also very much loved by those who simply love guns and shooting, and especially those who prefer guns with no problems. People living in countries where personal handguns are allowed to be sold to civilians are guided by the same principles as the military and police when choosing a Glock for shooting or for self-defense. It's always better to own a gun that won't let you down on the range or on the street. It is better to have a weapon that is convenient and easy to use than difficult to handle, which is especially true for people who do not have the opportunity to regularly train with their pistol in the use of weapons in extreme situations. It's no secret that owners in such conditions, where there is simply no time to think, and all actions are performed automatically, simply forget about whether the fuse on their pistol is on or not, and often about its location. Of course, this is not a problem for a trained professional, but for ordinary person not accustomed to often face extreme situations, the simplicity of his pistol is vital.

1. High wear resistance of units and mechanisms. The barrel before burning out allows you to make 300-350 thousand shots (for other pistols, on average, this value is 40-50 thousand shots).

2. An interesting feature Glock pistols is the ability to fire underwater. In this case, not only rupture, but also swelling of the trunk does not occur. However, for stable operation of the primer, a special striker with transverse grooves or a set of Spring cups amphibia is required: the mainspring of the striker with a plastic pallet with holes. Available only for pistols chambered in 9 mm Parabellum. However, for firing under water without the risk of blowing the barrel, the use of cartridges with FMJ-type full-shell bullets is recommended. Glock pistols allow shooting underwater at a depth of up to three meters. The bullet retains great energy at a distance of up to two meters when fired at a depth of one meter. Shooting at close range from under the water is also effective, while the sound of the shot is not audible.

3. There is a widespread misconception that due to the extensive use of polymers in the design of the pistol, the Glock 17 is not detected by metal detectors. In reality, this is not at all the case. This misconception was personally refuted by Gaston Glock, when he passed through the frame of a metal detector several times with a pistol, and each time the weapon was correctly detected. This is due to the fact that, despite the widespread use of polymers, the mass of metal components in it is about 400 g.

4. The Glock 17 is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the pistol that was subjected to the most severe tests and retained its combat effectiveness after that. The Glock 17 is capable of firing from under water, in heavily dusty conditions, in mud, in conditions of any humidity, after being removed from liquid mud and sand.

5. Since January 31, 2009, the Glock 17, among other pistols chambered for 9 × 19 mm Parabellum, has been included in the list of weapons allowed in Russia by investigators and employees of the prosecutor's office and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to use as a weapon of self-defense.

Glock brand pistols, with their birth, revolutionized the production of small arms. What legends about them did not go - and go so far. Bruce Willis, as hero cop John McClain in Die Hard 2 (1990), authoritatively explains to an airport security officer that the Glock is a German china pistol that can't be picked up by metal detectors and costs a fortune.

In fact, the Glock is not at all German, but an Austrian pistol, porcelain and ceramics are completely absent in its design, but plastic is present in a considerable amount, and plastic has always been cheaper than steel.

Previously, gunsmiths have already tried to create weapon with plastic elements. Back in the late 1960s - early 1970s, the designers of the German company Heckler & Koch developed pistols of the VP 70 and P9S models, some of the parts of which were made of plastic, or rather, of plastic reinforced masses. However, then the idea was not approved - there was an opinion that the weapon should be made of steel, and other materials only reduce the strength of the unit.

In 1980, the Austrian military decided to upgrade their weapons and announced an order for the development of a new pistol to replace the Steur model. The future star of Austrian gunsmiths, engineer Gaston Glock at that time owned a small company Glock GmbH, which he himself founded back in 1963 in the town of Deutsch-Wagram near Vienna. Initially, Glock was engaged in the production of machine tools for completely peaceful purposes, and later retrained as a manufacturer of military products - combat knives, entrenching tools, sapper shovels, spare parts for MG74-3 and MG42 machine guns (7.62 mm NATO), hand grenades and machine gun belts. In the course of his activities, Glock graduated from the Ferlach Higher Weapons Technical School and decided to try his hand at the weapons field. He did not himself design a pistol under the order of the military, but recruited a team of gunsmiths from all over Europe.

After 3 months, a prototype 9-mm pistol was ready, called the Glock 17 (since the magazine had a capacity of 17 rounds). After passing the tests, in 1982 the pistol was adopted by the Austrian army. After some time, Glock was already in the service of the armies of Norway and Sweden, and in 1985 Gaston Glock's company began to take an active interest in the American market. In the same year, the Glock GmbH product manufacturing company was established in Georgia, and in January 1986, final approval was received to import the pistol into the States.

Glock pioneered the production of "plastic" pistols. The use of plastic in the manufacture of most parts turned out to be logical in a world where plastic was steadily gaining ground in industrial production.

First of all, the plastic body significantly reduced the weight of the pistol - the Glock 17 with a full magazine weighs only 870 grams. For comparison, the weight of the Beretta 92 with 2 rounds less magazine is 950 grams.

For the manufacture of the frame and magazine of the pistol, a high-strength polymer is used, like a monocoque, which is able to withstand temperatures up to 200 degrees. True, severe frost remains a threat - if the frozen Glock is unsuccessfully dropped, then it can simply split.

Plastic is an order of magnitude more durable than steel, and the steel parts of modern Glocks are processed using Tennifer technology, which is a unique development of Glock GmbH. As a result of such treatment, the surface to a depth of 0.05 mm acquires a hardness of about 69 Rockwell units (the hardness of technical diamonds is 71-72). Even the Americans assemble Glocks in their factories only from parts sent from Austria, since this technology is a closely guarded secret of the company.

The special processing of the parts makes the gun exceptionally resistant to corrosion. He is not afraid of salt water and sand. Unlike many other pistols, the Glock can shoot even underwater, though not far and slightly.

The tale about the Glock's elusiveness for a metal detector was refuted by Gaston Glock himself. He personally paraded several times with a pistol in his hand through the arch of a metal detector at the airport in front of US Secretary of Defense Kasper Weinberger. The metal detector honestly pointed to the presence of weapons with each pass.

In addition to the above, it should also be noted that other advantages of Glocks, which were also appreciated by civilians. All pistols of this brand consist of only 34 parts, including the magazine. Parts from one model are mostly suitable for other Glock models. The plastic frame provides unusually soft feedback. Glock shoots accurately and accurately, while the barrel can withstand up to 350 thousand shots.

Modifications of Glock brand pistols differ mainly in caliber, barrel length and sights.

There is a heated debate about the safety of Glocks. Proponents of this weapon claim that in the US, in 99.9% of cases, the cause of the "crossbow" with the participation of Glock pistols is mishandling it. This is motivated by the fact that the pistol uses the Safe Action system - proprietary development with trigger type DAO (Double Action Only), consisting of three independent fuses. However, according to official statistics there are too many accidents. The Glock 21 is especially famous in this regard. It is this model that takes the first place in the statistics of misfires and spontaneous firing, and Glock GmbH is on the list of 15 weapons manufacturing companies that have been sued for damages.

Gaston Glock's website reports that in the US alone, 65% of his guns are used. state structures, the largest of which are the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the New York City Police Department. At the same time, the Glock company is actively promoting supported pistols to civilians. And they get used pistols from the same policemen in exchange for newer models. Here's a marketing ploy. One trouble. Weapons that have already served their time fall into the hands of civilians, which again leads to new victims - this time among a peaceful, but weapon-loving population. Naturally, Glocks are also spreading among the criminal community. Perhaps that is why the Glock appears so often in American action films. It is Glocks that are armed with Michael Douglas in Basic Instinct, Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Eraser, Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive, etc.

It should be noted that Mr. Glock himself turned out to be no less stable than his famous weapon. In March 2003, an attempt was made on his life. 70-year-old Glock received 7 blows to the head with a rubber mallet, rested in the clinic and returned to the post of head of his company. The attacker turned out to be Charles Ewert, a stealing Glock financier.

The performance characteristics of the pistol Glock 17

Cartridge 9×19 mm "Parabellum"
Job on the principle of recoil with a short stroke of the barrel, self-loading
Shutter locking method barrel descending with cams
Nutrition box magazine with a capacity of 17 rounds
Weight of unloaded pistol 620 g
Empty magazine weight 41 g
Loaded magazine weight 250 g
Length 188 mm
barrel length 114 mm
rifling hexagonal profile, right hand cut
sights fixed or movable; front sight and rear sight
starting speed about 350 m/s
muzzle energy about 500 J

And I would take the Glock-18, it has the ability to conduct automatic fire ...

In the 80s of the 20th century, the Austrian military department announced a competition for the creation of a new pistol model. The new weapons were supposed to be more practical and better in all respects than the old weapons. Important criteria were reliability and ease of use.


appearance pistol Glock-17

Several large arms companies took up the right to fulfill the departmental order. When demonstrating various models of small arms, the Glock GmbH company provided a model of its Glock-17 pistol for public viewing and, by the 82nd year, it was recognized as the best of the best, and subsequently adopted by law enforcement agencies.

Peculiarities firearms

Small arms were so well thought out that they contained all the qualities necessary for the defense department. home distinguishing feature are the materials used. The frame of the pistol with a handle was made of a polymer material that could withstand temperatures of 200 degrees Celsius, and was also not afraid of physical impact. All this gave the firearms the necessary margin of safety, despite its low weight.

A design feature of the Glock-17 is the presence of a special valve in the chamber from below. Thanks to him, in the event of excessive pressure, due to the influence of powder gases, they are removed through the pistol grip. Design feature casing - U-shape designs.

On the surface of the gun there are the following factory markings:


on the casing - shutter and frame on the right on the casing - shutter on the left

A standard firearm magazine holds 17 rounds of . They are arranged in two rows in a checkerboard pattern. There are modifications of magazines for 33 or 10 ammunition. The latch that holds the magazine at the base of the handle is located at the point where the trigger guard and the handle of the weapon join.

Glock-17 firearms do not have a standard system fuse. Safety when using a pistol is ensured by a special system that has three independent automatic type fuses. The entire system is turned off during the application of force on the trigger. There are several types of fuses in the security system:

  • trigger;
  • combat;
  • shockproof.

As an aiming system in small arms, an open type of sight is used, the main elements of which are fixed on the flat surface of the bolt. The sighting system consists of a front sight and an interchangeable sight. The front sight has a special luminous marker, the slot in the sight also has a pleasant illumination.

Basic TTX pistol Glock-17 are presented in the table


As mentioned earlier, the frame of the firearm and the outer part of the body is made of a special polymer material - plastic, which can have different color shades. As a rule, the main color is black. However, it can be replaced with other colors. In places of heavy load, special iron inserts are mounted in the body of the pistol, which increases the strength of small arms.

The work of parts and mechanisms of weapons inevitably leads to the formation of unique traces of a shot on the ammunition. Traces characteristic of the Glock-17 pistol are presented below:

trace: 1 - reflector, 2 - the edges of the window in the shutter under the striker, 3 - ejector hook,
4 - striker (shape - rounded rectangle)

On the one hand, an additional dynamic trace from the tip of the striker adjoins the striker trace, which is displayed in the form of traces, the specified trace is formed when the barrel swings in a vertical plane.

Advantages and disadvantages of firearms

In assembly, the Glock-17 uses a large number of polymer parts, which avoids the adverse effects of corrosion. Also, the barrel undergoes a special processing technology. Polymer parts make it possible to achieve smoothness during firing, which, of course, increases accuracy.

The characteristics of the material make it possible to use small arms without much difficulty in any climatic conditions, with the exception of the far north and areas with sharp temperature fluctuations.

The weight of the Glock-17 is slightly less than that of short-barreled weapons of a similar class. This makes the new weapon a bargain, practical and easy to handle. The process of disassembling the gun does not require special tools.

The disadvantages include the fact that the ingress of various debris between parts of the mechanisms can lead to jamming of the gun during firing. Some experts do not consider the probability of jamming due to small debris to be too great. In order to avoid this, it is enough to periodically clean small arms.

The characteristics stated high rates of temperature effects on the Glock-17 pistol. However, at -40 degrees, small arms become brittle. And at a temperature of more than 200 degrees - parts and mechanisms can be deformed.