Glock Difference Chart - Glocks are all Spartan guns as one model can easily be mistaken for another, but there are subtle and significant differences between generations.
After going over the basics in Part 1, we can now move on to the specifics: sizes, categories, and which models fit into them.
Glock Difference Chart
Glock pistols are identified by their generation and model number and are further classified by size, which includes how they fit into the following categories: Standard, Compact, Subcompact, Slimline, Competition, Longslide, and Crossover.
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Standards Glocks are full-size pistols designed for home and defense use. Barrel length is 4.49 inches and 4.61 inches depending on caliber. Standard-sized Glocks are some of the best-selling pistols and strike the right balance between size, weight, and control.
Compact is a relative term. These Glocks are still somewhat large with a barrel length of 4.02 inches and a grip that fills your hand. A slightly shorter grip and barrel length make them easier to conceal and more comfortable to carry while maintaining control of the weapon. That being said, this is the most popular Glock size category.
Subcompact Glocks are designed for concealed carry and back up weapons. These guns feature extremely short frames, and barrel lengths range from 3.43 inches to 3.78 inches, depending on caliber. These guns are easy to carry and conceal however you want.
These little beauties are made to hide. Glock pistol designs are highly concealable, accurate and comfortable for all shooters regardless of hand size. Its frame features an integrated beaver tail, a textured grip for easy control, and the magazine catch is reversible.
What Gen Is My Glock
Larger than full size, we are talking about guns that are designed primarily for competition shooting. They have standard sized frames but longer slides and barrels. A longer slide and barrel provide a longer sight radius and higher velocity, as well as less recoil and muzzle flip.
Crossover Glocks are a combination of full size grips with a compact slide. The design was initially developed for the Army's MHS competition, but has now become popular in civilian circles as well. Glock also considers the G43X a crossover, but it's also the same stack, so Glock sizes remain controversial.
Don't worry, we know you still have questions, so we'll break down which models fit into each of these categories to make it easier.
So which models are in which category? Now this is where people get really confused... and for good reason!
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Just when you think you've got it right, there are also some Glock models that are not (and cannot be) included in the chart above. Not available to the public, made for law enforcement or completely automatic, are:
Glock has developed its guns, allowing them to fluctuate with market trends and consumer opinion. While Glock, like most firearms companies, is a slow moving beast, once they make the switch it is guaranteed to impress and stand the test of time.
Is your EDC a Glock pistol, and if so, how do you carry it? Is there a particular model of Glock that you prefer for concealed carry or shooting sports? Who is your favorite model of all time?
Travis Pike is a former Marine Gunner who served with 2nd Bn 2nd Marines for 5 years. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and again in 2011 with the 22nd MEU (SOC) for a record 11 months at sea. Travis has trained with the Romanian Army, Spanish Marines, Emirati Marines and the Afghan National Army.
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For those of us who like guns and haven't been living under a rock for the past 3 decades, the name Glock has become a household word in the shooting universe. People who have never carried a handgun (let alone a Glock) recognize the name. An estimated 65% of US law enforcement agencies use some form of Glock or another. Now is the time to dive deeper into everything you need to know about the Glock 9mm and its various models. We will see:
The history of the Glock is quite remarkable in that the man who designed the gun knew nothing about pistol design. Gaston Gluck sold curtain rods and knives to the Austrian army and was familiar with injection molded parts. His team designed the Model 17 pistol to help the Austrian army in need of a new weapon, and a firearms legend was born. Interestingly, the "17" represents the 17th patent issued to the Glock Corporation, and this numbering system continues to this day.
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Shooters tend to be either Glock fans or detractors; there is not much middle ground. I'm one of those rare birds who is right in the middle of my opinion of Gaston's prodigy. I had a model 30 .45 ACP for a while and had a spare barrel for it so I could shoot my handloads of cast bullets. He did a good job without being too pretentious. Gun eye candy it was not. I called Glocks the Chevy Impala of the handgun industry in another article I wrote. The Impala is a good mid-priced car that's a popular choice among car buyers: reliable and well-designed without being too pretentious.
The Glock, like the Impala, gets the job done serviceably. It gets the job done without costing an arm and a leg. And they are very reliable. All the law enforcement agencies that are buying the Glock system are great proof of that.
Narrowing it down a bit, let's look at Glock's best sellers. In terms of caliber, the 9mm rules the roost for the Glock. And, of the more than fifty pistol models that Glock sells, its best-selling 9mm model is the 19. This compact pistol packs 15+ 1 rounds into a small package. I know many people who carry this model, as it seems to strike the perfect middle ground between concealable size and capacity. Now, if that's not for you, you have 19 more awesome Glock 9mm models to choose from.
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I've put together a chart comparing the specs of the most popular models, as well as an expanded version comparing all the bases, for all the detail-oriented shooters out there. Of course, some of these models are rare in gun shops because they have a specific purpose (example: long-range competition, which the Model 34 excels at). So before we dig into all the numbers on the chart, let's look at the most popular Glock 9mms in some detail.
This is a condensed list. Are you a numbers man? Here are the extended versions of all the available 9mm Glocks, and you can click the headers to sort them (best viewed on a desktop PC or tablet):
Now, let's look at the individual models, but first a little explanation is necessary. If you look at the table above, you will see "MOS" and "FS" listed after some models. MOS stands for Modular Optical System. Glock modified the frame of these guns by adding a slot in front of the rear sight to accept a red dot or other sight mounting plate. It is covered with padding when not in use.
FS means the guns have front rifling (slides). Guns marked FS have serrations on the front of the slide to aid in carriage handling, in addition to the standard rear serrations. Many shooters have asked Glock to add a front serration to all of their new guns. So far they have only applied them to weapons marked FS.
Compact Glocks: The Most Popular Ones On The Market Today
An explanation of the Glock generations is in order if we want this article to be as useful as possible for those of you who are considering purchasing a Glock. A "generation" in Glock terminology corresponds to other companies coming out with "Mod 2", "2.0", etc. This essentially means a major change in the characteristics of your weapons. Feature changes (commonly called updates) can be several small ones, a few major "major" ones, or a combination of both to qualify as the next generation. So here we go from the original Glock (now called the Gen1) to the newest generation, the Gen5, as of this writing.
This is a real and simple Glock 17 model. We can identify this weapon by its relative lack or texture and finger grooves on its frame. This is the Glock that originally equipped the Austrian Army when they had one
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