Tag Archives: “California compliant”

Glock Upheaval: Rumors Fly on Discontinued Models, New V Series Guns

A Gen 5 Glock 21 MOS, which is not California-compliant. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

Word swept across the gun universe on Monday that Glock may be changing everything known and loved about its catalog. Here’s what we found out.

What we know: One of the largest Glock retailers, Lenny Magill’s Glockstore, announced on social media that, “We have received news that as of November 30th all Glocks are discontinued except 43, 43X, 48X. All Glocks will be replaced with new Glock ‘V Models.’ These will have changes that prevent switch conversions. At launch, all will be non-MOS. No pricing changes.”

Why should we take that seriously? We’ve known Magill for over a decade, and he is a solid fixture in the gun industry. A sort of impossibly tanned and sagacious Glock All-father. He has probably sold more Glocks than anyone, and his views on the brand are consistently accurate.

Verification: When looking for validation on rumors in the firearms industry, especially when it comes to the notoriously tight-lipped Glock, it’s akin to “checking the hot sheets” in “Men in Black.” A bit of success came from Glock Talk, one of the largest public Glock communities in the country. A thread there includes a screenshot purportedly from gun wholesaler Lipsey’s, detailing that “On November 30, Glock will stop shipments on all Gen 3, Gen 5, Gen 5 MOS,” with the slimline G43X, G43X MOS, G48, and G48 MOS remaining active. This jibes with McGill’s harbinger of looming Glock upheaval.

The screenshot further details, “In December 2025, Glock will begin shipping V Series. Pricing will be consistent with current Gen 5 structure,” with models to include 17 (V), 19 (V), 23 (V), 23 (V) MOS, 45 (V), 19X (V), 20 (V) MOS, 21 (V) MOS, 26 (V), and 44 (V). “Changes to V series include internal slide and trigger improvements. Current Glock Performance triggers will not function in V-series guns.”

Thus:

What Glock is saying: We reached out to our contacts at Glock early Monday to clarify the reports of discontinuations and the new V models, as well as to ask for a statement. By Tuesday morning, we still hadn’t received any response.

Background: The sale of Glocks to consumers in California, which has some 13 million gun owners, is banned after July 2026, under a new law adopted by the Democrat-controlled state government. While the currently dormant law is already under legal challenge, like-minded states are sure to pursue similar laws. Glock is also fighting lawsuits from progressive-led cities like Seattle and Chicago, as well as a multi-state lawsuit led by New Jersey and Minnesota, focused on the possibility that the company’s guns can be illegally converted to fire full auto. Possession of such switches or devices, unless registered, is illegal under federal law and has been for decades.

Has Glock tried to address this already? Glock added an element to the rear of the Gen 5 series slide and frame, which makes inserting an illegal switch or chip harder, akin to how some AR-15 makers utilize “high shelf” lowers. However, California hasn’t approved any Gen 5 Glocks for consumer sale in the state, and the new law bars an anti-switch block molded into the rear of the frame or slide by the manufacturer, seemingly ruling out any possible Gen 6 gun with a more robust block.

A Gen 3 G19, left, compared to a Gen 5 G21, right.
A Gen 3 G19, left, compared to a Gen 5 G21, right. See the difference? (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

As some of the citations over the new V series guns specifically mention that “Glock Performance triggers will not function in V series guns,” it’s likely the company is pivoting away from using a so-called “cruciform trigger bar,” which is specifically mentioned in the text of the new law. No cruciform trigger bar = not subject to the new law. As Glock has no shortage of new patents secured in the past several years on novel trigger and frame lock-up systems, this move may have been a long time coming.

Our take: Looks like current “classic” Glock models may become a little scarce after November, or at least command a higher cost (remember, there are millions in circulation), with New Glock models shipping in December. Purists will scoff, but sales of the new guns will probably be brisk, as every new Glock generation has seen in the past.

Will it stop anti-gun politicians backed by gun control organizations with deep pockets from backing a new bill to ban another firearm over arbitrary features? Most assuredly not.

Spotted in Oakland: Wasteland WASR

The California Highway Patrol recently posted images of a rifle recovered from a stolen vehicle that looks like it should come with some Nuka Cola and a radiation detector.

The gun, which is an AK variant that seems to have one point been a commercial Romanian WASR, has seen better days and is lacking its top dust cover, sports a “cheese grater” upper handguard, and is upgraded with electrical tape on the grip. The lower handguard has been castrated. The finish can best be described as…nah.

Take a gander:

For those curious, CHP says the Kalsh was left behind in the driver’s side floorboard after said driver beat feet just after they crashed into four vehicles on I-80 in Oakland while apparently trying to avoid a stop by troopers. The car, a gray Nissan Ultima with no plates, was stolen. A 14-year-old passenger was left behind as well.

“Both the firearm and the vehicle were subsequently recovered, and the incident remains under investigation,” says CHP.

As for the AK, the over 150 comments on CHP’s social media post concerning it were gold. Here is a sampling for your enjoyment or outrage (whatever, it’s a free country), left as-is:

  • Who wrecked the Somali Pirates?
  • Dudes out here tryina be the captain now.
  • Blackhawk Down + Nissan Altima = that “gun”
  • bro livin in fallout
  • That K looks like it’s spawned from Fallout.
  • got more body’s then Hillary Clinton
  • Looks like he got that AK magnet fishing.
  • @Brandon Herrera look at how they massacred your boy
  • I bet it still runs beautifully
  • Gorgeous patina ngl
  • Top covers are for wimps and commies…
  • IS THIS STILL AVAILABLE………

The curse (?) of the featureless rifle

In case you haven’t been following the news out of California last year, it was all bad when it came to gun rights with the one-two punch of a series of a dozen anti-gun bills passed by the state legislature and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown into law and a voter referendum backed by Lt. Gov. Gavin “I want to be Jerry Brown” Newsom approved at the polls. Basically, old-style bullet buttons are gone, grandfathered magazines aren’t, “featureless rifles” are the thing moving forward, ammo will have to be bought at gun stores after a background check, etc.

However, not all of the featureless rifles look all that bad. Here are three contenders: from Thordsen Customs, Hera Arms, and Fightlite Industries:

thordsen-hera-fightlite-scr-featureless-rifle

The Hera line seem to have taken off a bit, though they remind me of the “thumb hole” stocks of the Clinton-era Federal Assault Weapon Ban of 1994-2004, sans hole of course, as that would be too tactical scary.

featureless-california-ars-hera

And I actually really like the Fightlite SCR, of which the company says, “SCR is much more than a ‘featureless’ gun to beat state bans. While the concept certainly began that way, its evolved into a simply kick-ass rifle rifle that many agree points and shoots faster and more naturally than most modern rifles. 3-Gun competitors take note.”

fightlite-scr-featureless-rifleSure they are wonky when compared to an og Colt SP1, but they are still “California compliant” even after all the mass of new regulation.

I asked one of the foot soldiers on the ground in California gun rights if this was to be expected, and here is what I got:

“To make a long story short, Yes! California will innovate, just like we have every other time they banned ARs,” said the Firearms Policy Coalition’s Craig J. DeLuz. “In 1990 we came up with ‘Off List Lowers.’ In 2000 we invented the ‘Bullet Button.’ 2017 will be no different. Once the regs are out, we’ll know which of the already proposed or soon to be created innovations will allow California gun owners to own these firearms while remaining in compliance.”