Posted on 01/17/2012 7:38:30 AM PST by C19fan
In 1980, Gaston Glock was the manager of a car-radiator factory just outside Vienna. At home, he ran a side business in his garage, making knives and bayonets for the Austrian army. He lived in a comfortable though not overly prosperous way, all but unknown beyond his corner of Austria. He knew next to nothing about firearms. Less than 20 years later, he was the world's leading manufacturer of handguns, and the business born in his garage had annual revenues of more than $100 million.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
I have a G26 and a G17. Thousands and thousands of jam free rounds.
I have the Taurus knock-off of your 92 (the PT-92). Did they ever do anything to 'fix' the sights? I'm in the process of ordering some lume paint to try to make the front and rear sights more visible (albeit unadjustable).
Please don't misunderstand. I admire the Glock; it's perhaps the best, most fault-tolerant weapon in the world. It's excelled and passed every drop test, every shock test, and every other test I have heard of. I've never heard of a jam (although, I think we will both admit that somewhere, at some time, someone has had one). As a weapon, it excells at what it does. No arguement. I'm sure it outperforms any pistol I've ever owned. It's a quality handgun.
I just distrust a "built-in" safty, and the ability not to see and de-cock the hammer. This is a personal bias. If people want to call me a "first-timer"; I can live with that. Every pistol I have ever owned, have had visible hammers. I guess it's simply my 'religion' of choice.
I love my Glock.. I will say I would not recommend one to a new gun owner, for the issues you mentioned.
For an experienced gun owner, it is great firearm.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
experienced??
nonsense.
The glock was invented and designed expressly for the least experienced of all gun owners. Only a revolver is simpler.
Agreed - its not for everyone, especially since the trigger does not have to come back all the way to fire off a second or third round.
I love my 26. i’m a better shot with the 26 than I am with the 17.
Nearly all of those are protected by the Glock's safeties. But if you worry about putting your finger on the trigger before you are ready to fire, I doubt the external safety provides enough restraint.
TRIGGER SAFETY
As the first of the three GLOCK “Safe Action” safety features, the trigger safety prevents inadvertent firing by lateral forces on the trigger. Releasing the trigger will automatically reactivate the safety.
FIRING PIN SAFETY
The GLOCK firing pin safety is a solid hardened steel pin which, in the secured state, blocks the firing pin channel, rendering the igniting of a chambered cartridge by the firing pin impossible. The firing pin safety is only pushed upward to release the firing pin for firing when the trigger is pulled and the safety is pushed up through the backward movement of the trigger bar. Releasing the trigger will automatically reactivate the firing pin safety.
DROP SAFETY
In the line of duty it may happen that a loaded pistol is dropped on the floor. Contrary to conventional pistols, the GLOCK drop safety prevents unintentional firing of a shot through hard impact. When the trigger is pulled, the trigger bar is guided in a precision safety ramp. The trigger bar is deflected from this ramp only in the moment the shot is triggered.
Ever see the YouTube of the police officer shooting himself in the foot during his "Quickdraw McGraw" immitation? Cannot happen if you have the safety
I just don't understand the logic in the belief that a negligent operator cannot be trusted to use the trigger at the correct times, but will use the external safety at the correct times.
A revolver.
Great starter handgun.
This is a feature not a bug. It is called trigger reset and is a good thing for rapid follow-up shots.
Practice, practice, practice but only practice the right thing. Gun safety is a state of mind. Guns do not go off by themselves. Somebody had to put some inappropriate pressure of sufficient force on the trigger to make the gun go bang.
It is not the guns fault.
I prefer stainless steel and walnut over plastics, and large calibers.
Are you sure you will remember to keep your finger off the trigger as you draw your Glock with "adrenaline coursing through your veins and your mind screaming “RUN!!”?
I know I will not accidentally shoot myself or anyone else when I draw my LDA with a safety. I also know that a lawsuit claiming that I was using a gun with a "hair trigger" without considering safety will have no merit.
The Glock safety does not guard against accidental touching of the trigger, either by the operator, the perpetrator or a foreign object. You can't stop a stupid operator from making a mistake, but you can avoid many accidental discharges.
If you carry a Glock, more power to you, but I prefer either a revolver with a long, heavy, DA pull or a pistol with a thumb and backstrap safety in addition to DA. The reason I prefer them is exactly what you cited. In an actual emergency, the adrenaline rush makes accidental discharges more likely.
Here is some more gun porn to improve everybody's day:
Don't keep a round in the pipe. There, solved all of these potential problems.
Also, don’t have the Glock converted from a 5lb trigger pull to 5oz.
Forgot to ping you and thank you for the ping!
Only if you have properly remembered to use the safety prior to placing in holster.
If you properly remember when to use the trigger, this won't be a problem with the Glock either.
The only real safety is located between the ears of the user. If that safety is not engaged, multiple external safeties are iffy at best.
Same as a revolver.
I’m a 1911 fan as well but use my Glocks as no worries about bluing wear.
Great post!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.