Nation of origin: Austria
Ammunition: 9 x 19 mm
Operation: short recoil
Weight: 0.87 kg
Length: 188 mm
Length of barrel: 114 mm
Magazine capacity: 17 rounds
Muzzle velocity: approx 350 m/s
The Austrian Glock 17 is one of the more unusual pistols in ser vice today and it is one that gained a certain notoriety, even before it became widely known. The main reason for this notoriety comes from the nature of the Glock 17’s innovative construction, as the one-piece sliding receiver is made from a high impact polymer material. Having heard of this non-metallic material, some media personnel have seen fit to announce that the Glock 17 is a ‘plastic pistol’ that will pass through metal detectors without notice. This has led to some calls for its banning from sale, to prevent ownership by unauthorized persons who, according to some news media text peddlers, could carry the pistol on board aircraft undetected, and thus make possible a new round of terrorist hijackings and other crimes.
Needless to say, such claims for indefectibility by the usual round of metal sensor systems are unfounded. The Glock 17 merely happens to have a lower metal content than most similar weapons, and will still show up on X-ray machines, metal detectors and all the usual array of sensor devices now likely to be en countered at airports and in many public buildings. All the same, the use of high impact polymers where metals have previously been employed in pistol construction is relatively novel, and would seem to indicate a path that other small-arms designers might well follow in the future. The polymer used in the Glock 17 is as well capable of withstanding the shocks and knocks of service use as the metals and light alloys used in other weapons, and is less expensive overall to produce in its final form.
The incorporation of the polymer receiver apart, the Glock 17 is still a very advanced weapon. It is a well-made automatic pistol with a smooth outline and uses a minimum of parts (only 33 in total). It can be field stripped for repair or maintenance in less than a minute, using only a simple pin or even the sharp point of a nail. The breech is positively locked at the instant of firing, using the widely-applied Colt-Browning cam-controlled dropping barrel principle.
There is no safety catch system in the usual sense, for the weapon will only fire after a definite and prolonged pressure on the trigger. The first pressure on the trigger releases a trigger safety mechanism only after the trigger has moved back about 5 mm. The striker is not cocked until after even more pressure, and yet more pressure is needed before two further safeties (one holding the firing pin in a firm lock) are removed. Thus only when a definite trigger pressure has been applied will all safety and cocking operations allow the striker to fall on to the cartridge for firing. As the trigger is released, all the safeties fall back into the ‘safe’ condition ready for the next trigger pressure, safety and firing sequence to begin all over again.
Above. The Glock 17; 40 percent of this very advanced military pistol
is manufactured from non-metallic polymer materials.
Despite all these safeties being reliant on positive trigger pressure, actually firing the Glock 17 is easy, and the trigger operation is smooth and positive. The trigger pressure itself can be adjusted by the user (within limits) to suit himself, but the minimum pressure is 2 kg.
One item to note regarding the Glock 17 is the butt. This is quite a large component, but it fits into the average hand with ease and provides a good and comfortable firing grip. The large size is made necessary by the generous magazine capacity, which is no less than 17 standard NATO 9 mm rounds. This measure of ammunition capacity would be quite an asset in any shooting situation, and it must be the largest ammunition capacity of any conventional pistol in use today. The weight in the butt also tends to make the pistol’s balance stay well back into the hand, which many pistol users will find an advantage. The Glock 17 can be readily aimed and fired using only one hand, but many firers favor the two-handed grip for accuracy and control, and for them the Glock 17 has a pronounced reverse arc to accommodate the extra finger(s) on the front portion of the trigger guard; this is a feature shared by many other pistols.
Needless to say, the Glock 17 has attracted quite a bit of attention, quite apart from that bestowed by the lay Press. Almost as soon as the Glock 17 appeared during the early 1980s, it was accepted for service by the Austrian Army, who were soon followed by the Austrian Police. They were later followed by other European police forces and the type was a natural for the various special forces and paramilitary units of several nations. A large order came from the Norwegian Army, and other NATO nations have examined the Glock 17 with an eye to re-equipping their armed forces. It is possible that the Glock 17 will be one of the pistols to be considered should the United States Army ever carry out the threatened rerun of the selection contest for their M9 pistol (the M9 requirement has already been met by the Beretta 92F — q.v.). The one aspect of the Glock 17 that does not meet the M9 specification is that it lacks a double action external hammer system, demonstrating that in some ways the Glock 17 designers are already far ahead of the competition. The Glock 17 quite simply does not need the external mechanism thought to be essential by the Americans; its safety and firing mechanisms are good enough to do without such a feature.
Fig. 2-22: One Austrian pistol that did not make it, the Steyr GB. This
advanced pistol had several unusual features such as an 18-round magazine
and polygonal rifling inside the chromed barrel. However the pistol proved
to be difficult to manufacture in bulk and therefore rather expensive.
Sales were limited and production has now ceased.
The impact of the Glock 17 on the pistol scene has been pro found enough to make many small-arms authorities state that the weapon is currently the best all-round service pistol in the world. Anyone trying to counter that sort of statement will have to muster some very good arguments to the contrary.