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Our Products Proudly Support Glock Firearms
In the United States, Glock is the weapon of choice. Roughly two-thirds of all American police departments have issued them. As a result, the name has become synonymous with quality handguns. Today, everyone knows the name and the gun. Find Glock Handgun Sights at XS Gun Sights.
Glock 9mm/40 S&W Double Stack Pistols
| Glock 17 | Glock 19 |
| Glock 22 | Glock 23 |
| Glock 24 | Glock 26 |
| Glock 27 | Glock 31 |
| Glock 32 | Glock 33 |
| Glock 34 | Glock 35 |
| Glock 36 | Glock 38 |
| Glock 39 |
Glock 9mm/380 Auto Single Stack Pistols
| Glock 42 | Glock 43 |
| Glock 43X | Glock 48 |
Glock 45ACP/10mm Double Stack Pistols
| Glock 20 | Glock 21 |
| Glock 29 | Glock 30 |
| Glock 30S | Glock 37 |
| Glock 40 | Glock 41 |
Glock Firearms History
Glock was named for its founder, Gaston Glock, an Austrian engineer, and businessman. Born in Vienna in 1929, he founded a successful curtain rod manufacturing company before embarking on the creation of the gun bearing his name.
In 1963, he founded GLOCK Ges.m.b.H. The initial products were knives made for the Austrian military. However, by 1980, at the age of 52, he patented his first gun. That original gun, the Glock 17, contained just 36 parts. Its magazine could hold only 17 bullets. Unlike other semi-automatic handguns, there was no external safety or decocking mechanism. The bottom line was that Glock developed an interchangeable, lightweight model.
Not only was the Glock 17 easy to fire but learning to use it was relatively straightforward. It replaced the outdated Walther P38 in the Austrian armed forces. In the next decade, the company started the production of its first military products. This included a line of knives, machine gun belt links, and grenade casings.
The semi-automatic GLOCK service pistol was developed in the 1980s for the Austrian military. This pistol’s SAFE ACTION® System proved revolutionary in the firearms market.
Glock Handguns in the U.S.
In 1986, the Glock became available in the U.S. It was an era when many police departments found they were outgunned by criminals. The Glock’s many advantages, including ease of use, considerably improved law enforcement’s marksmanship. Glock also offered significant discounts to police departments purchasing the weapon. It was a smart marketing move, as widespread use in law enforcement gave the gun credibility in the larger civilian marketplace.
Hollywood also played an important role in marketing. Bruce Willis’ character, John McClane, in Die Hard II, waxes rhapsodic about his Glock. Rap lyrics have also played homage to it.
Gaston Glock
Today, at 92, Glock still resides in Vienna. He survived an attempt on his life in 1999 after discovering a financial advisor was embezzling funds. The advisor hired a mercenary to kill Glock with a rubber mallet in a parking lot. Glock fought off the attacker and survived. Later, the advisor and the attempted assassin were convicted and sent to prison. It was a scary but ultimately triumphant episode in an extraordinary life.
According to Forbes magazine, Glock is worth $1.1 billion and is the 1,941st richest person in the world.
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