Tag Archives: glock 45

Glocks Fuddy Five Lurches into the 2020s

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Glock first announced the .45 ACP-caliber G21 alongside the 10mm G20 and .40 S&W caliber G22 back in 1990, in a host of caliber changes that offered more than the company’s 9mm initial offerings– the G17 and G19. At introduction these were 2nd Generation guns, a series only gently updated from the company’s original debut in the mid-1980s.

I’ve been fooling with the G21 off and on for almost 30 years. My first was a Gen 2 AAZ-serialized G21 that I picked up in 1994, just as the federal AWB and magazine cap kicked in that chopped the standard mag capacity from 13 rounds to just 10. I kept that tough-as-nails .45 through Hurricane Katrina, during which and immediately after it was never far away, and only passed it on to its current owner in 2006, downgrading to a 9mm as my everyday carry.

My first G21, a Gen 2 model, is seen here in a low-res circa-2005 image. It worked when I picked it up 11 years before, ran everything I fed it in the interlude, and it is likely still working wherever it is today. Note back then they didn’t even have thumb grooves or an accessory rail.

Then came the Gen 3 Sport/Service models in 1997, which brought with them recessed thumb rests, finger grooves molded into the frame, and, eventually, an accessory rail.

The Gen 4 G21 arrived in 2011 with the company’s improved RTF-4 texture, interchangeable frame back straps, a reversible enlarged magazine catch, a dual recoil spring assembly, and a new – some would say improved – trigger

And since then, the G21 has been frozen in time, locked in 2011. In the meantime, the company introduced their 5th Generation guns – but only in 9mm (G17, G19, G19X, G26, G34 and G45), .40 S&W (G22, G23 and G27) and .22 LR (G44).

Now, Glock finally reached back and brought the old “large frame” 10mm and .45 full-sized pistols into the present.

Importantly, it is the first time the G21 is optics-ready, in addition to other Gen 5 enhancements that are long overdue.

More in my column at Guns.com

Living in 2019

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More and more, it seems 2019 comes standard with optics-ready handguns. Last week, Glock continued to expand both their Crossover series and Modular Optic System line in one stroke by announcing the new G45 MOS pistol.

Modular Optic Ready Glock G45 MOS s

The updated G45 comes with a factory RMR-cut and custom mounting plates to accommodate several popular reflex optical sights. This addition to their MOS line of optics-compatible guns puts the 9mm G45 in the same club as the G17, G19, G34 as well as the .40S&W G35, 10mm-chambered G40 and .45 ACP G41.

More in my column at Guns.com

Confusingly, now Glock has a 9mm called the G45…among other new guns this week

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Typically, gun makers debut new product at large firearms industry events like SHOT Show in January or the NRA Show in late April/early May. However, that leaves 7-8 months of deadtime which it is hard for makers to get a ton of easy exposure.

But then, there is September.

That’s when you have The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference, which caters to the LE crowd, and the NRA’s new Carry Guard Expo which is geared to the nation’s 18 million CCW holders.

While the latter got rained out due to Florence and the former still a minute away, the releases are still flowing. Remington just released a new V3 shotgun (it’s a 22-inch barrel Compact model), Savage has a new (and suppressor-ready!) Rascal, et. al.

Well, Glock drummed up the PR bandwagon and dropped the new Glock 45 on the market this week.

Short story: the G45 is a 5th Gen 9mm that basically (and stop if you have heard this before) “combines the fast handling of the GLOCK 19 compact-sized slide with the full-size frame as a compact Crossover!”

Yes, it is a G19X, but in black instead of coyote tan and with front serrations.

“After the release of the G19X, we saw a strong interest from the law enforcement community for the design in a black model,” said GLOCK, Inc. VP Josh Dorsey. “The G45 is the result of a design that meets the demanding level of reliability with distinctive Gen5 design enhancements to improve durability, accuracy, and performance to those who go into harm’s way where fractions of a second matter.”

Personally, I have put 2,500+ rds through my own G19X and I really like it (full review here) but I think they could have just dubbed a black version with serrations as the same model, but tweaked, e.g. the G19BXFS or some shit. Meh.

Feedback to the hype on the new G45 has been luke already, although I am sure Glock will sell a million of them.

Also, Glock is expanding their Gen5 MOS (Modular Optic) series to include a G19 and G17, both optic ready right from the factory to enable users to mount their preferred reflex sights to their pistol in order to improve their target acquisition.

All of the new-ish Glocks will be available for purchase starting October 5th at dealers.

Austrian Commander: The oft-ignored Glock 30

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Here in the U.S., the 1911 reigns supreme in the minds of many shooters, with perhaps the Glock series coming in a very narrow second place finish. Among 1911 fans, the Commander style guns, which offer a more compact .45 for concealed carry has long been a crowd-pleaser. With that being said, it shouldn’t surprise you that Glock has an equivalent.

Meet the Commander

In 1949, Colt redesigned their legacy M1911 .45ACP GI to meet a tender from the Army for a compact handgun to arm officers with. Their design is known to history as the Colt Commander, which debuted on the civilian market the next year. Sporting an aluminum (Coltalloy) frame, this more compact version of the old longslide tipped the scales at 27 ounces (unloaded) and had an overall length of 7.75-inches due to its 4.25-inch long barrel.

You know that's some pretty shit there.

You know that’s some pretty shit there.

Still using the standard 1911 single stack mag, it held 7+1 rounds. The gun has proved popular, remaining in production for decades with Colt through its steel-framed Combat Commander, Commander Gold Cup, Combat Elite and CCO series. Further, it’s been imitated by just about everyone that makes a 1911-style pistol from Llama to Kimber and Rock Island.

Why the G30

In 1995, Glock was on the ropes due to the Federal Assault Weapons Ban enacted by Pres. Clinton. This flawed legislation banned a number of guns from sale and production over cosmetic features and placed a 10-round cap on detachable magazines. As Glock’s bestsellers at the time were their 17-shot G17, 13-shot G21 and 15-shot G19/G20/G22, this law could have really put a bind on sales.

However Glock took the 10-shot limit and decided to build (smaller) guns around it, introducing what has gone down as their “baby Glock” series; the 9mm G26, .40cal G27, and 10mm G29. These subcompact guns revolutionized concealed carry when introduced and helped get Glock through the AWB years. The .45ACP model of the crop was the G30 and it has a veritable crop of offspring– all very Commander like.

Glock 30SF

Read the rest in my column at Firearms Talk