We traveled to the GlockMothership in Georgia to get the scoop on the company’s new Sixth Generation guns and have all the juicy information.
Summary: The new Gen 6 Glocks look much like the previous five generations (even fitting most existing holsters), but address a lot of issues that people have asked for on an upgrade. The guns are direct-milled optics-ready, have a new flat-faced trigger while keeping many of the same internals, the ergos are much improved, and they still accept legacy magazines and sights. All for the same asking price as Gen 5 MOS models. Rumors of a modular fire control system are false.
Now let’s get into it
The new Gen 6s at first will be all 9mm, with the G19, G17, and G45 at launch and the G49 available overseas. We are advised that other models are inbound.
The Gen 6 Glock G19, G45, and G17. The additions to the ergos are obvious, including the trigger shoe, palmswell, texturing, and thumb pad/gas pedal. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
A closer look at the production Gen 6 G17. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
And note the ambi slide catch lever. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The Glock generations from 1 through 6 look very (very) similar when stacked side-by-side, and there is a reason for that: consistency. Anyone who had a Gen 1 in 1986 could be transported to 2026 and pick up a brand-new Gen 6 and figure it out in about three seconds.
The Six Glock generations side-by-side (Photo: Glock)
The Glock Gen 5 G19 compared to a Glock Gen 6 G17. Note that the legacy model has less texture, a curved trigger, and a dual spring recoil assembly. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
A look at the slides compared. The extractor channel is now sealed to prevent folks from oozing excess thread lock into their slide internals when mounting optics. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The frames are compared at the action, with the Gen 6 on the left and Gen 5 on the right. The layout is the same, but the geometry is a little bit different. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Backplates compared. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The Gen6 may look remarkably like previous generations, by design, but it is quite different when it comes to ergonomics, optics mounting, and parts. For instance, it has a new trigger, a new slide, and mostly new internals.
Legacy parts that will work besides the magazines, backstraps, and sights are the locking block, mag release, firing pin and spring, slide lock/spring, trigger pin/housing, trigger bar, recoil spring assembly, and connector. Almost everything else is Gen 6 only.
The differences are so substantial that Glock’s Training division told us that, moving forward, the traditional Glock Armorer’s Course, which has long been one day covering all generations, will now just cover the Gen 5s and 6s, with a separate course dedicated to “Classic” Glocks.
The downsized extractor package (extractor pressure piece, extractor frame, extractor package spring) is completely different but can still be removed with just the standard Glock armorer tool. It was redesigned to allow more space for the Optics Ready System, and the extractor channel is now sealed off. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
On the topic of user comfort, the new palmswell comes from scanning hundreds of Glock users to produce a cross median that provides a more optimal fit. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The new RTF6 grip texture combines the old-school RTF2 substrate with the RTF 4 polymids to create something altogether different. Further, the grip texture has been expanded to reach higher on the frame and onto the thumb rest to give the user more grip purchase opportunities. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The enlarged, frame-mounted beaver tail encourages a higher grip while still avoiding slide bite. It ships with two interchangeable backstraps (2mm and 3mm) and is compatible with Gen 5 straps. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The flat-face trigger has an advertised pull weight of 5.5 pounds, and we noted it to have a good reset. It keeps the traditional trio of Glock “Safe Action” internal safeties, including the trigger shoe pivot, firing pin safety, and drop safety. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
All standard frame Gen6 Glocks will be optics-ready, and it isn’t the old MOS system (which is gone) or the new A-Cut COA system. It uses a plate system on a slide that has been redesigned so that the optic bed sits deeper into the slide for a lower height over the bore axis.
The 3mm plate is polymer and is advertised as working as something of a shock-absorber/crush washer that fits in a 3mm recess, while the optic screws directly into the slide, which has four screw holes, sort of a direct-mount with a twist, if you will. (Photo: Glock)
The result is that the optics sit flat while having the benefit of a polymer buffer of sorts. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The ambi slide stop lever has been redesigned and now has a larger border around it molded on the frame to prevent accidental activation. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The undercut trigger guard (finally, Glock) helps with a higher grip while keeping enough “beef” so that you don’t risk frame cracking on duty holsters. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
It has deeper slide serrations, including front slide serrations, which have not been standard on legacy models. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
It uses a gently flared magwell and accepts Gen 5 magazines. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Glock has finally added a thumb rest/gas pedal/thumb pad on each side of the gun. To make sure it would still fit legacy holsters, the frame internals on this section have been redesigned to allow the extra texture without making the pistol wider at this point. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Looking at reliability, Glock— which has been working on the Gen 6 since 2022— has had test guns survive 40,000 rounds of mixed ammo, aced salt fog/mud/sand tests, and met all its other standard testing protocols. We fired all three production models on the range for a few hundred rounds and experienced no issues. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The Gen 6s will start shipping to be “on dealer shelves” for a Jan. 20, 2026, official launch, with three magazines and three optics plates, as well as all the standard Glock stuff. (Photo: Glock)
The MSRP on the new Gen 6 Glock models is $745, which is the same cataloged price as the Gen 5 MOS models.
We have review models inbound, so expect more details in the coming weeks.
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