I watched the movie, ‘End of Watch’ with great interest in the cinema, which I went to watch it a second time. I recommend everybody who loves thrillers and see cops in action to watch it, it was funny and exciting. The weapon that caught my attention in the movie was the Glock pistol, it let me to blog about the weapon of the fortnight. I took some information from Wikipedia. You can see the Trailer of the movie at the end of this blog post.
 |
|
An
early "third generation" Glock 17
|
|
Type
|
|
|
Place of origin
|
|
|
Service history
|
|
|
In service
|
1982–present
|
|
Used by
|
See Users
|
|
Production history
|
|
|
Designer
|
|
|
Designed
|
1979–1982
|
|
Manufacturer
|
|
|
Produced
|
1982–present
|
|
Number built
|
2,500,000 [1]
|
|
Variants
|
See Variants
|
|
Specifications
|
|
|
Short recoil,
locked breech, tilting barrel (straight blowback
for .380 ACP variants)
|
|
|
375 m/s (1,230 ft/s)
(Glock 17, Glock 17C, Glock 18, Glock 18C)
|
|
|
Effective range
|
|
|
Feed system
|
|
|
Sights
|
Fixed, adjustable and Tritium-illuminated
handgun night sights
|
The
Glock pistol, sometimes referred to by the manufacturer as Glock
"Safe Action" Pistol, is a series of semi-automatic pistols
designed and produced by Glock Ges.m.b.H., located in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria.
The company's founder, engineer Gaston Glock, had no experience with firearm
design or manufacture at the time their first pistol, the Glock 17, was
being prototyped. Glock did, however, have extensive experience in advanced
synthetic polymers, knowledge of which was instrumental in the company's design
of the first successful line of pistols with a polymer frame. Glock introduced ferritic
nitrocarburizing into the firearms industry as an anti-corrosion surface
treatment for metal gun parts.
Despite
initial resistance from the market to accept a "plastic gun" due to
durability and reliability concerns, Glock pistols have become the company's
most profitable line of products, commanding 65% of the market share of
handguns for United States law enforcement agencies as well as supplying
numerous national armed forces and security agencies worldwide.
HISTORY
Development
In
1980, the Austrian military announced that it would seek tenders for a new,
modern duty pistol to replace their World War II-era Walther P38 handguns. The
Austrian Ministry of Defence formulated a list of 17 criteria for the new
generation service pistol:
- The design has to be self-loading.
- The pistol must fire the NATO-standard 9×19mm Parabellum round.
- The magazines would not require any means of assistance for loading.
- The magazines must have a minimum capacity of 8 rounds.
- All actions necessary to prepare the pistol for firing and any actions required after firing must be done single-handed, either right- or left-handed.
- The pistol must be absolutely secure against accidental discharge from shock, stroke and drops from a height of 2 meters onto a steel plate.
- Disassembly of the main parts for maintenance and reassembling must be possible without the use of any tools.
- Maintenance and cleaning of the pistol must be accomplished without the use of tools.
- The pistol's construction may not exceed 58 individual parts (equivalent of a P38).
- Gauges, measuring and precise testing devices must not be necessary for the long-term maintenance of the pistol.
- The manufacturer is required to provide the Ministry of Defence with a complete set of engineering drawings and exploded views. These must be supplied with all the relevant details for the production of the pistol.
- All components must be fully interchangeable between pistols.
- No more than 20 malfunctions are permitted during the first 10,000 rounds fired, not even minor jams that can be cleared without the use of any tools.
- After firing 15,000 rounds of standard ammunition, the pistol will be inspected for wear. The pistol will then be used to fire an overpressure test cartridge generating 5,000 bar (500 MPa; 73,000 psi) (the normal maximum operating pressure Pmax for the 9 mm NATO is rated at 2,520 bar (252 MPa; 36,500 psi). The critical components must continue to function properly and be up to specifications, otherwise the pistol will be disqualified.
- When handled properly, under no circumstances may the user be endangered by case ejection.
- The muzzle energy must be at least 441.5 J when firing a 9mm S-round/P-08 Hirtenberger AG.
- Pistols scoring less than 70% of the total available points will not be considered for military use.
 |
| A "first generation" Glock 17 with the slide locked back displaying its upward barrel tilt |
 |
| A "second generation" Glock 17, identified by the checkering on the front and rear straps of the pistol grip and trigger guard |
 |
|
An early "third generation" Glock
19, identified by the addition of thumb rests, an accessory rail, finger
grooves on the front strap of the pistol grip and a single cross pin above the
trigger
|
Glock became aware of the Austrian Army's planned procurement and in 1982
assembled a team of Europe's leading handgun experts from military, police and
civilian sport shooting circles to define the most desirable characteristics in
a combat pistol. Within three months, Glock developed a working prototype. The
new weapon made extensive use of synthetic materials and modern manufacturing
technologies in its design, making it a very cost-effective candidate. Several
samples of the 9×19mm Glock 17 (so named because it was the 17th patent of the
company) were submitted for assessment trials in early 1982, and after passing
all of the exhaustive endurance and abuse tests, Glock emerged as the winner
with the Model 17.
The
handgun was adopted into service with the Austrian military and police forces
in 1982 as the P80 (Pistole 80), with an initial order for 25,000 guns.
The Glock 17 outperformed 8 different pistols from five other established
manufacturers (Heckler & Koch of Germany offered their P7M8, P7M13 and P9S,
SIG Sauer of Germany bid with their P220 and P226 models, Beretta of Italy submitted
their model 92SB-F, FN Herstal proposed an updated variant of the Browning
Hi-Power and the home-grown Steyr entered the competition with the GB).
The
results of the Austrian trials sparked a wave of interest in Western Europe and
overseas, particularly in the United States, where a similar effort to select a
service-wide replacement for the M1911 had been ongoing since the late 1970s
(known as the Joint Service Small Arms Program). In late 1983, the United
States Department of Defense inquired about the Glock pistol and received four
samples of the Glock 17 for unofficial evaluation. Glock was then invited to
participate in the XM9 Personal Defense Pistol Trials, but declined because the
DOD specifications would require extensive retooling of production equipment
and providing 35 test samples in an unrealistic time frame.
Shortly
thereafter, the Glock 17 was accepted into service with the Norwegian, and Swedish
Armed Forces, surpassing all prior NATO durability standards. As a result, the
Glock 17 became a standard NATO-classified sidearm and was granted a NATO Stock
Number (1005-25-133-6775).
By
1992, some 350,000 pistols had been sold in more than 45 countries, including
250,000 in the United States alone.
Product evolution
The
Glock was modified several times throughout its production history. In 1991, an
integrated recoil spring assembly replaced the original two-piece recoil spring
and tube design. The magazine was slightly modified, changing the floorplate
and fitting the follower spring with a resistance insert at its base.
Second generation models
A
mid-life upgrade to the Glock pistols involved the addition of checkering on
the front strap and serrations to the back strap. These versions were
introduced in 1988 and are informally referred to as "second
generation" models. To meet American ATF regulations, a steel plate with a
stamped serial number was embedded into the receiver in front of the trigger
guard.
 |
|
A
"third generation" Glock 17C, identified by the addition of an extra
cross pin above the trigger and a reshaped extractor that serves as a loaded
chamber indicator
|
Third generation models
In
the late 1990s, the frame was further modified with an accessory rail (called
the "Universal Glock rail") to allow the mounting of laser sights, tactical
lights, and other accessories. Thumb rests on both sides of the frame and
finger grooves on the front strap were added. Glock pistols with these upgrades
are informally referred to as (early) "third generation" models.
Later
third generation models additionally featured a modified extractor that serves
as a loaded chamber indicator, and the locking block was enlarged, along with
the addition of an extra cross pin to aid the distribution of forces exerted by
the locking block. This cross pin is known as the locking block pin and located
above the trigger pin.
The
polymer frames of third generation models can be black or olive drab. Besides
that, non-firing dummy pistols ("R" models) have a bright red frame
and Simunition-adapted practice pistols ("T" models)—a bright blue
frame for easy identification.
In
2009, the Glock 22 RTF2 (Rough Texture Frame 2) (chambered in .40 S&W) was
introduced. This pistol featured a new checkering texture around the grip and
new scalloped (fish gill shaped) serrations at the rear of the sides of the
slide.
 |
|
Comparison of "third" (left) and
"fourth" generation (right) Glock 19 grip frames
|
Fourth generation models
At
the 2010 SHOT Show, Glock presented the "fourth generation" design,
with updates centered on ergonomics and the recoil spring assembly. The fourth
generation models do not have total parts modularity with its predecessors,
meaning not all parts can be mixed and matched with previous Glock generations.
The initial two fourth generation models announced were the full-size Glock 17
and Glock 22, chambered for the 9×19mm Parabellum and .40 S&W cartridges,
respectively. The pistols were displayed with a modified rough texture frame,
grip checkering, and interchangeable backstraps of different sizes.
"Gen4" is rollmarked on the slide next to the model number to
identify the fourth generation pistols.
The
basic grip size of the fourth generation Glock pistols is slightly smaller
compared to the previous design. A punch is provided to remove the standard
trigger housing pin and replace it for the longer cross pin needed to mount the
medium or large backstrap. With the medium backstrap installed, the grip size
is comparable to the third generation pistols. The magazine release catches are
enlarged and reversible for left-handed use. To utilize the swappable magazine
release feature, fourth generation Glock magazines have two notches cut on both
sides of the magazine body.
Mechanically,
fourth generation Glock pistols are fitted with a dual recoil spring assembly
to help reduce perceived recoil and increase service life expectancy. Earlier
subcompact Glock models such as the Glock 26 have already used a dual recoil
spring assembly which was carried over to the fourth generation versions of
those models. The slide and barrel shelf have been resized, and the front
portion of the polymer frame has been widened and internally enlarged, in order
to accommodate the dual recoil spring assembly. The trigger mechanism housing
has also been modified to fit into the smaller sized grip space.
The
introduction of fourth generation Glock pistols continued in July 2010 when the
Glock 19 and Glock 23, the reduced size "compact" versions of the
Glock 17 and Glock 22, became available for retail. In late 2010 Glock
continued the introduction of fourth generation models with the Glock 26 and
Glock 27 "subcompact" variants.
In
January 2013 more fourth generation Glock pistols are expected to be introduced
commercially during the annual SHOT Show including the Glock 20 Gen4 along with
other fourth generation Glock models.
2011 recoil spring assembly exchange program
In
September 2011 Glock announced a recoil spring exchange program in which the
manufacturer voluntarily offers to exchange the recoil spring assemblies of its
fourth generation pistols (with the exception of the "subcompact"
Glock 26 and Glock 27 models) sold before 22 July 2011 at no cost “in order to
ensure our products perform up to GLOCK’s stringent standards,” according the
company.
DESIGN DETAILS
Operating mechanism
The Glock 17 is a 9mm short recoil-operated
locked breech semi-automatic pistol that uses a modified Browning cam-lock
system adapted from the Hi-Power pistol. The firearm's locking mechanism
utilizes a linkless, vertically tilting barrel with a rectangular breech that
locks into the ejection port cut-out in the slide. During the recoil stroke,
the barrel moves rearward initially locked together with the slide
approximately 3 mm (0.12 in) until the bullet leaves the barrel and
chamber pressure drops to a safe level. A ramped lug extension at the base of
the barrel then interacts with a tapered locking block integrated into the
frame, forcing the barrel down and unlocking it from the slide. This camming
action terminates the barrel's movement while the slide continues back under
recoil, extracting and ejecting the spent cartridge casing. The slide's
uninterrupted rearward movement and counter-recoil cycle are characteristic of
the Browning system.
 |
|
A subcompact Glock 30 field stripped to its
main parts with a .45 ACP round
|
Features
The slide features a spring-loaded claw extractor
and the stamped sheet metal ejector is pinned to the subframe. Post 2002
pistols have a reshaped extractor that serves as a loaded chamber indicator.
When a cartridge is present in the chamber, a tactile metal edge protrudes
slightly out immediately behind the ejection port on the right side of the
slide.
The striker firing mechanism has a
spring-loaded firing pin that is cocked in two stages, powered by the firing
pin spring. When the pistol is charged, the firing pin is in the half-cock
position. As the trigger is pulled, the striker is then fully cocked. At the
end of its travel, the trigger bar is tilted downward by the disconnector,
releasing the striker to fire the cartridge. The disconnector resets the
trigger bar so that the striker will be captured in half-cock at the end of the
firing cycle. This is known as a pre-set trigger mechanism, referred to as the
"Safe Action" trigger by the manufacturer. The disconnector ensures
the pistol can only fire semi-automatically.
The factory-standard two-stage trigger has a
trigger travel of 12.5 mm (0.49 in) and is rated at 25 N
(5.6 lbf), but by using a modified connector it can be
increased to 35 N (7.9 lbf) or lowered to 20 N
(4.5 lbf). In response to a request made by American law
enforcement agencies for a two-stage trigger with increased trigger pull, Glock
introduced the NY1 (New York) trigger module, which features a flat spring in a
plastic housing that replaces the trigger bar's standard coil spring. This
trigger modification is available in two versions: NY1 and NY2 that are rated
at 25 N (5.6 lbf) to 40 N (9.0 lbf)
and 32 N (7.2 lbf) to 50 N (11.2 lbf)
respectively, which require approximately 20 N (4.5 lbf)
to 30 N (6.7 lbf) of force to disengage the safeties and
another 10 N (2.2 lbf) to 20 N (4.5 lbf)
in the second stage to fire a shot.
The Glock's frame, magazine body and several
other components are made from a high-strength nylon-based polymer invented by
Gaston Glock and called Polymer 2. This plastic was specially formulated to
provide increased durability and is more resilient than carbon steel and most steel
alloys. Polymer 2 is resistant to shock, caustic liquids and temperature
extremes where traditional steel/alloy frames would warp and become brittle.
The injection molded frame contains 4 hardened steel guide rails for the slide:
two at the rear of the frame, and the remaining pair above and in front of the
trigger guard. The trigger guard itself is squared off at the front and
checkered. The grip has a non-slip, stippled surface on the sides and both the
front and rear straps. The frame houses the locking block, which is an investment
casting that engages a 45° camming surface on the barrel's lower camming lug.
It is retained in the frame by a steel axis pin that holds the trigger and
slide catch. The trigger housing is held to the frame by means of a plastic
pin. A spring-loaded sheet metal pressing serves as the slide catch, which is
secured from unintentional manipulation by a raised guard molded into the
frame.
The Glock pistol has a relatively low slide
profile, which holds the barrel axis close to the shooter's hand and makes the
pistol more comfortable to shoot by reducing muzzle rise and allows for faster
aim recovery in rapid shooting sequence. The rectangular slide is milled from a
single block of ordnance-grade steel using CNC machinery. The barrel and slide
are treated with a proprietary nitriding process called Tenifer. The slide and
barrel undergo two hardening processes prior to the Tenifer treatment, applied
in a 500 °C nitrate bath. The Tenifer finish is between 0.04 mm
(0.0016 in) and 0.05 mm (0.0020 in) in thickness, and is
characterized by extreme resistance to wear and corrosion; it penetrates the
metal, and treated parts have similar properties even below the surface to a
certain depth. The Tenifer process produces a matte gray-colored, non-glare
surface with a 64 Rockwell C hardness rating and a 99% resistance to salt water
corrosion (which meets or exceeds stainless steel specifications), making the
Glock particularly suitable for individuals carrying the pistol concealed as
the highly chloride-resistant finish allows the pistol to better endure the
effects of perspiration. Glock pistols with their Tenifer treatment are more
corrosion-resistant than analogous guns on the market with any other type of
finish, including Teflon, bluing, hard chrome plating, phosphates and other
alloys. After applying the Tenifer process, a black Parkerized decorative
surface finish is applied. The underlaying Tenifer treatment will remain
protecting these parts even if the decorative surface finish were to wear off.
A current production Glock 17 consists of 34
parts. For maintenance, the pistol disassembles into five main groups: the
barrel, slide, frame, magazine, and recoil-spring assembly.
The firearm is designed for the NATO-standard
9×19mm Parabellum pistol cartridge, but can use high-power (increased pressure)
+P and +P+ ammunition with either full-metal-jacket or jacketed hollow-point
projectiles.
Safety
Glock pistols are designed with three
independent safety mechanisms to prevent accidental discharge. The system,
designated "Safe Action" by Glock, consists of an external integrated
trigger safety and two automatic internal safeties: a firing pin safety and a
drop safety. The external safety is a small inner lever contained in the
trigger. Pressing the lever activates the trigger bar and sheet metal
connector. The firing pin safety is a solid hardened steel pin that, in the
secured state, blocks the firing pin channel (disabling the firing pin in its
longitudinal axis). It is pushed upward to release the firing pin for firing
only when the trigger is actuated and the safety is pushed up through the
backward movement of the trigger bar. The drop safety guides the trigger bar in
a ramp that is released only when direct rearward pressure is applied to the
trigger. The three safety mechanisms are automatically disengaged one after the
other when the trigger is squeezed, and are automatically reactivated when the
trigger is released. This passive safety system omits the manipulation of
traditional on-off levers, hammers or other external safeties as found in many
other handgun designs.
In 2003, Glock announced the Internal Locking
System (ILS) safety feature. The ILS is a manually activated lock that is
located in the back of the pistol's grip. It is cylindrical in design and,
according to Glock, each key is unique. When activated, the lock causes a tab
to protrude from the rear of the grip giving both a visual and tactile
indication as to whether the lock is engaged or not. When activated, the ILS
renders the Glock unfireable as well as making it impossible to disassemble.
When disengaged, the ILS adds no further safety mechanisms to the Glock pistol.
The ILS is available as an option on most Glock pistols. Glock pistols cannot
be retrofitted to accommodate the ILS. The lock must be factory built in
Austria and shipped as a special order.
Feeding
The Glock 17 feeds from staggered-column or
double stack magazines that have a 17-round capacity (which can be extended to
19 with an optional floor plate) or optional 33-round high capacity magazines.
For jurisdictions which restrict magazine capacity to 10 rounds, Glock offers
single stack 10-round magazines. The magazines are made of steel and are
overmolded with plastic. A steel spring drives a plastic follower. After the
last cartridge has been fired, the slide remains open on the slide stop. The
slide stop release lever is located on the left side of the frame directly
beneath the slide and can be manipulated by the thumb of the shooting hand.
Glock magazines are "one-way"
interchangeable between models, meaning that a compact or subcompact pistol
will accept magazines designed for the larger pistols chambered for the same
round. However, magazines designed for compact and subcompact models will not
function in larger pistols because they are not tall enough to reach the slide
and magazine release. For example, the subcompact Glock 26 will accept
magazines from both the full-size Glock 17 and the compact Glock 19, but the
Glock 17 will not accept magazines from the smaller Glock 19 or the Glock 26.
Sights
The Glock 17 has a fixed polymer combat-type sighting
arrangement that consists of a ramped front sight and a notched rear sight with
white contrast elements painted on for increased acquisition speed—a white dot
on the front post and a rectangular border on the rear notch. The rear sight
can be adjusted for windage as it has a degree of lateral movement in the
dovetail it is mounted in. Three other factory rear sight configurations are
available in addition to the standard 6.5 mm (0.26 in) height sight:
a lower impact 6.1 mm (0.24 in) sight and two higher impact
versions—6.9 mm (0.27 in) and 7.3 mm (0.29 in).
 |
|
Glock 34 with a GTL 22 attachment featuring a
dimmable xenon white light and a red laser
|
 |
|
Polymer holster for Glock pistols
|
Accessories
The Glock pistol accessories available from
the factory include several devices for tactical illumination, such as a series
of front rail mounted "Glock tactical lights" featuring a white tactical
light and an optional visible laser sight. An alternate version of the tactical
light utilizing an invisible infrared light and laser sight is available,
designed to be used with an infrared night vision device. Another lighting
accessory is an adapter to mount a flashlight onto the bottom of a magazine.
Polymer holsters in various configurations
and matching magazine pouches are available. In addition, Glock produces
optional triggers, recoil springs, slide stops, magazine release levers, and underwater
spring cups.
Magazine floor plates (or "+2
baseplates"), which expand the capacity of the standard magazines by 2
rounds are available for models chambered for the 9×19mm Parabellum, .40
S&W, .357 SIG, and .380 ACP cartridges.
In addition to the standard non-adjustable
polymer sight line, three alternative sight lines are offered by Glock. These
consist of steel, adjustable and self-illuminating tritium night rear sights
and factory steel and self-illuminating tritium contrast pointer steel front
sights.
 |
|
US Marine Corps
Colonel James Cooney, Commander, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona, fires
a 9mm Glock 18 machine pistol while attending a period foreign military small
arms weapons course at Adair MCAS) Yuma, Arizona. The Glock 18,
chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum, fitted with a detachable shoulder stock being
fired in fully automatic mode
|
 |
|
The
compact Glock 19 in 9×19mm Parabellum.
|
 |
| The subcompact Glock 26 with tritium night sights in 9×19mm Parabellum. |
 |
|
The subcompact Glock 29 in 10mm Auto
|
 |
|
The slim-frame Glock 36 in .45 ACP.
|
 |
|
Glock 22 OD in .40 S&W with olive drab
frame
|
 |
|
The competition-oriented Glock 35 in .40
S&W
|
 |
|
The subcompact Glock 33 in .357 SIG
|
it let me to blog about the weapon of the fortnight. I took some information from Wikipedia. You can see the Trailer of the movie at the end of this blog post. http://www.kingglock.com/
ReplyDeleteThanks. I hope you like that movie.
ReplyDelete