Only a few weeks into 2020 and the domestic U.S. firearms market has seen a flood of new .22LR pistols from some of the biggest names in the business.
Last month saw the 42nd annual SHOT Show in Las Vegas where more than 2,600 exhibitors gathered from around the globe to display their freshest wares. When it came to rimfire handguns, there were lots of new faces in the aisles.
More in my column at Guns.com.
When it comes to .22LR, the biggest problem is the round itself.
First marketed in 1884 as a black powder round, the little lead-nosed pipsqueak was intended for use in rifles and revolvers, with its rimmed case proving notoriously difficult for pistols to cycle. Compounding this, there is a myriad of loads in circulation, all with slightly different specs and performance. When you magnify those problems with the fact that the rounds are often produced by the millions as economically as possible, especially in the case of bulk-pack budget ammo, and you get a cartridge that tends to be finicky in a lot of semi-auto handguns.
To get it right, Glock spent nearly three years testing and developing the G44– which is why models like the G45, G46, G47, and G48 passed it up in reaching the market while the rimfire chewer was still in R&D.
During that time, they used no less than 141 different rimfire loads in testing, popping over 1.2 million rounds in the process. Federal, which supported the effort, used everything in test guns from 42-grain subsonic to CCI Stingers with no problem. In short, while many 22LR pistols come with the caveat that they are picky about their diet, the Glock is billed as being omnivorous.
Well, I grabbed 2,200 rounds of a wide array of .22LR and headed to the range with a new G44 sent for T&E.
How did it do?
More in my column at Guns.com.
The big reveal this week in Georgia, after much fanfare, turned out to be Glock’s first rimfire handgun– the G44.
The Glock Gen 5 G44, left, is the same size as the 9mm Gen 5 G19, right, but is chambered in .22LR (Photo: Chris Eger)
Chambered in 22LR, it is a dead ringer for the G19 in size (though not in weight) with the same surface controls and trigger. This makes it an ideal training gun. Similarly, it is reliable as all get out, being tested with over 140 different rimfire loads by Glock in a developmental process that went back more than five years– hence the fact that the G45, G46, G47, and G48 have beaten it to market.
Further, it is made by Glock, and not by Umarex or some other third company as many other handgun makers do.
I am currently testing one extensively and will get back to you guys ASAP.
Until then, check out my column at Guns.com for more info.
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