Glock pistols have earned a reputation for being tough.
And there are countless stories about Glocks impressively surviving harsh conditions.
One such story involves a private security guard and his pistol.
The security guard worked at a construction site and regularly carried his Glock 17.
During one routine workday, the security guard accidentally left his Glock in a storage area of the construction site.
Somehow, the pistol fell to the ground and was run over by a dump truck filled with tons of dirt.
The slide was scratched, the sights were bent, and the polymer frame was deformed in many places.
It looked like it was a total loss.
But, after removing the pistol from the dirt and giving it a good cleaning the security guard decided to test it out.
Turns out, the Glock 17 still functioned perfectly.
No jams, misfires, or other issues.
This story serves as a reminder of how Glock’s polymer frame allows it to absorb abuse that would ruin most other pistols.
Which is why law enforcement and militaries around the world trust Glocks as their primary firearm.
Approximately 65% of U.S. law enforcement agencies use Glock pistols.
In addition, Glock holds about 35% of the U.S. civilian handgun market.
In 2023, Glock reported a net revenue of more than $450 million.
Glock is a very successful company that controls a good share of the pistol market.
So, you may be surprised to learn that Glock recently announced it will discontinue more than 30 pistols, including some of their most popular ones.
A few of the discontinued pistols are the Gen 4 Glock 19 and Glock 17. Again, these are some of their most desirable firearms.
Why is Glock discontinuing so many pistols?:
According to Glock, the company says they are focusing on “strategic portfolio reduction.”
But that may not be the whole story.
You see, California recently passed a law banning semi-automatic handguns with cruciform trigger bars.
These trigger bars make it easier to convert pistols to full-automatic.
Basically, California banned guns that can use “Glock switches,” even though the federal government has already banned the switches.
In addition, several U.S. states have filed lawsuits against Glock over the manufacturing of pistols that can easily be converted with switches.
Redesigning the pistol:
Most people think that Glock is pulling pistols back to redesign the trigger mechanism and rear plate on the frames.
This will prevent the “Glock switch” modification that makes it easy to convert the pistols to full-automatic.
It’s been reported that the new pistols will be called the “Glock V” line.
Too many pistols:
As I mentioned, there are more than 30 Glock pistol models over a span of five different generations.
Each generation is basically an update of the previous model.
The issue for Glock has become the maintenance of the market.
For instance, maintaining many similar models has become complicated and inefficient from a financial standpoint.
In addition, as technology changes many Glock models lack modern features like a Modular Optic System.
What if you own a Glock?:
The good news: if you own a Glock you don’t need to panic.
The company has said it will continue to service pistols.
Parts and customer support won’t be going away.
However, if you were thinking of buying a Glock, you should wait.
That’s because the discontinued models could be selling for a premium right now.
The discontinued models might be great pistols, but it’s not worth overpaying for them.
Now, Glock has been pretty quiet about their plans, and they haven’t announced an official date when they plan to stop shipping the current models.
But it’s expected that the cutoff will be at the end of November.
So, if you want to buy a Glock you might be better off buying directly from an authorized dealer versus buying an overpriced pistol from a local retailer.
Whatever you choose, a reliable pistol is a must have gun for home and self-defense.
