A (Mostly) Complete History of the Glock 17

By 1980, word had gotten around that Austria was looking very seriously for a new pistol to replace the Walther P.38. The concept of “Wonder Nine” pistols—guns chambered in 9mm that used double stack magazines to hold 13 or more rounds—was just starting to truly take off. It was at this time that one man whose name would eventually become synonymous with polymer pistols assembled a team of experts to pin down a list of attributes that would be favorable for a new military sidearm.

Humble Beginnings

In 1981, Gaston Glock had come up with a working prototype for a new pistol that incorporated these attributes. The result was a semi-automatic, striker-fired pistol with a polymer frame that fed from a 17-round magazine. He called it the G17. The design was elegant in its simplicity, containing just 34 separate parts—less than half of the number in a Beretta 92 series pistol.

Using his 18 years of knowledge in manufacturing and polymers and 11 years of experience with government contract negotiations, Gaston Glock soon had more than just a prototype. He had a solid design that he felt was good enough to replace the P.38, and so he submitted it to the Austrian military sidearm replacement trials in 1982.

The endurance tests pushed the polymer pistol to its limits. The G17 was submerged in water, frozen in ice, caked in mud, dropped from buildings, and run over by trucks. Gaston’s gun survived it all, and he was awarded a contract for 4,000 pistols.

First Guns

Just a year later, in 1983, Glock delivered his G17 guns to the Austrian military, and they designated it the P80. From that moment on, it was full steam ahead for Gaston. By 1986, G17 pistols had been adopted by Norway and Sweden; it was given a NATO standard stock number; samples were submitted to the US Department of Defense; models were sent to the ATF for review; Glock USA formed in Georgia; and the first batch of guns were allowed to be imported into the United States.

Twelve officers in the Colby, Kansas, police department upgraded from revolvers to G17 pistols in 1986, making them the first law enforcement members to trust their lives daily to this new polymer pistol. They would not be the last.

It didn’t take long for rumors and misinformation to start spreading about this new polymer pistol. As early as May 1986, American Rifleman ran a cover story on the G17 with the title, “New Anti-Gun Myth: A Plastic Pistol.” Some claimed that the gun was entirely made of plastic, making it invisible to security systems.

Magazines and the company itself tried their best to set the record straight, but pop culture played an even bigger role. In 1990’s Die Hard 2, Bruce Willis’ John McClane character claims to have had a “Glock 7” pulled on him, describing it as “a porcelain gun made in Germany. It doesn't show up on your airport X-ray machines.” Of course, none of that is true. There’s no such thing as a Glock 7 pistol; Glocks are not made of porcelain, and they have plenty of metal components that prevent the pistol from sneaking past airport security.

Even though the company’s tagline is “Perfection,” that doesn’t mean that the company has rested entirely on its laurels and failed to innovate since Ronald Reagan was in office. While the main spirit of the gun hasn’t changed, Glock is currently up to five different generations.

First Generation

The first-generation guns were just the G17. What you saw is what you got. There was no accessory rail at the front of the frame and the grip texture was a sort of pebbled finish that wrapped around the entire grip area of the frame.

At the same time, the civilian market began to take notice, and it wasn’t long before the Glock line expanded from the full-size G17 to the slightly smaller G19 in 1988. Even though the G19 has become incredibly popular, the original G17 has managed to stand strong and continues to lead the charge as the brand’s flagship pistol.

Second Generation

The launch of the G19 also ushered in the second-generation guns. In addition to new calibers being offered, some small internal changes were also made. The big change to Gen2 guns, however, was cosmetic. The pebble texture remained on the sides of the grip, but the backstrap and front of the grip got a more aggressive texturing added to them. There was still no accessory rail on the frame, either. Other than those few things, the G17’s overall design didn’t change much between Gen1 and Gen2.

Third Generation

An entire decade would go by before more changes resulted in the third generation being introduced in 1998. There were a number of changes, and they were immediately visible to anyone who had seen a Gen1 or Gen2 gun before. First off, Gen3 guns saw the addition of an accessory rail to the front of the frame. This new “Universal Glock rail” allowed shooters to add a laser, light, or other accessories.

No one objected to the addition of the rail. The other additions, however, caused division among gun owners. Glock’s attempt to create a frame that allowed for a better grip was not universally seen as a step in the right direction toward an increased level of perfection. The grip retained the pebble sides and aggressive texturing on the front and backstrap, but the front texture was interrupted by finger grooves that were molded into the polymer. A small thumb rest was also added near the top of the grip on each side.

The finger grooves and thumb rest didn’t take into consideration people’s different hand sizes and grip techniques. If you just so happened to line up with these molded additions, then the change from second to third generation guns probably didn’t bother you at all. Unfortunately, this was not the case for, well, everyone else.

Fourth Generation

It wasn’t until 2009 that the company announced the launch of the new fourth-generation guns. There was a lot of speculation as to what the changes for Gen4 guns would be, with many hoping it would mean the removal of the finger grooves and thumb rests. That group of people would be disappointed, as both of those features stayed. What did change, however, was the texture on the sides of the grip. The pebble finish was gone and was replaced by a slightly more aggressive texture on the side panels.

Even though the grooves and rests remained, Glock did acknowledge that their pistols didn’t fit perfectly into everyone’s hands. Fourth-generation guns saw the introduction of interchangeable backstraps to allow the individual shooter to change the overall size of the grip to one that fits best in their hands. It was also at this time that the magazine release button was enlarged and made reversible.

One internal change was the addition of a dual recoil spring that was designed to help reduce felt recoil. The two-spring system worked like a shock absorber, and many shooters noted that they could feel a difference in recoil between fourth-generation guns and the previous three.

In 2016, Glock responded to the public’s increasing desire for pistol-mounted optics by coming out with the MOS System. This allowed shooters to have a slide that was already cut at the factory to accept a variety of different optics. Since the change was minor, some refer to the MOS pistols as being “Gen4.5,” though that’s not an officially recognized change by the company.

Fifth Generation

Just a year later, fifth-generation guns entered the lineup in 2017, and these new Gen5 pistols featured a lot of changes. Right off the bat, shooters noticed that the finger grooves that first appeared with Gen3 were gone, though the thumb rests remained. The interchangeable backstraps were also kept, helping shooters further perfect their grip on the gun.

The magwell was given a flare to aid in reloading situations, and serrations were added to the front of the slide as well to aid in additional ways of manipulation in a variety of situations and to facilitate press checks. Magazines issued with Gen5 guns also feature a slightly enlarged floorplate to complement the flared magwell when it comes to reloading. The front edges of the slide were also sculpted and beveled to create a more rounded appearance that would aid in reholstering.

Ambidextrous slide stop levers also debuted in Gen5, which, coupled with the reversible mag release from Gen4, made the new guns more southpaw friendly than ever before.

A couple Gen5 alterations that might not be immediately visible are the change to the Glock Marksman Barrel, which has more aggressive polygonal rifling, a target-style crown, and tighter chamber specifications for increased accuracy. The other is an nDLC finish on the slide, which increases protection against corrosion and scratching and improves the ability of the pistol to function in adverse conditions.

In 2018, the full-size G17 was the first Gen5 gun to be adapted to the MOS System. It was quickly followed by the G19, but it made perfect sense that the original gun be the first to benefit from the new optional optics upgrade.

The Best Generation?

With five different generations available from which to choose, which one is the best? Is it Gen5 simply because it is the latest and greatest? Maybe. Maybe not. I’m sure Glock’s marketing department wants you to think Gen5 is where it’s at because they want to sell you another gun. In reality, it all comes down to the individual shooter and what they want most out of their G17.

For me personally, I’m partial to Gen3 guns, and the reason why is really quite simple. It just so happens that I’m part of the population for whom the grip size, thumb rest, and finger grooves fit perfectly in my hand. That’s it. That’s my whole reason. Gen3 guns just fit me.

What’s Next?

It has been six years since the last major changes were made to the G17 and seven years since the introduction of the Gen5 guns. There were 10 years between Gen2 and Gen3, and 11 years between Gen3 and Gen4, so we’re not exactly due for the new Gen6 guns to be announced just yet, but you never know.

In December 2023, Gaston Glock passed away at the age of 94. At that time, more than 23 million Glock pistols of all five generations were in circulation worldwide. The company that bears his name honors his legacy by saying that “his life’s work will continue in his spirit.”

It’s been almost 40 years since the first Glock G17 pistol was introduced. Even though the company’s namesake is no longer at the helm, one thing remains certain: perfection continues.

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