Les Jones

Glocks are designed to be service weapons. As such, a magazine disconnect safety is not a feature they’d want. If you’re a policeman who has a chambered round and an empty mag, you want to be able to cover an area while reloading. It’s not a bug, it’s a feature.

Also, couple of cool glock toys i found here and here.

Lots of other service weapons (like the 1911) have magazine safeties. A number of policemen’s lives have been saved when they got in a struggle for their weapon, realized they were losing, and hit the magazine release to disable the gun.

The problem with a magazine safety is that it precludes firing of that last round if you have dropped the mag, or if you have access to only one round. Nic Cage in the movie “8mm” would have been SOL if his little Sig P-230 had a magazine safety. Witness the scene where he gets away from Dino Valentine by loading a single shot into the gun…

Criminy. This just kills me. My competition gun is a Glock 17. I have in excess of 75,000 rounds through it, and guess what? Not a single accidental discharge. You know why? YOU HAVE TO PULL THE TRIGGER FOR THE GUN TO FIRE. Moreover, my carry gun is a Glock 23. ADs? Exactly zero. To what do I credit this? Simple - I don’t allow the trigger to be accidentally engaged. How? A proper Kydex holster that protects the trigger. As long as the gun remains in the holster, there’s no chance whatever of an AD. If the gun’s out of the holster, there’s only one way it will discharge: I pull the trigger. The only time my finger is on the trigger is when I’ve sighted my target. It’s really easy. True, I’m not a novice when it comes to shooting. Despite that, it’s not rocket science. Glocks are the most reliable handguns I’ve ever handled, and I recommend them for anyone who knows better than to put their finger on the trigger until they need to. The rest of you should stick to a nice old-fashioned 1911 with thumb and grip safeties.

No one has ever explained or demonstrated the use of a Glock to you. The trigger safety keeps the gun from firing unless the finger is on the trigger. The gun can be thrown across the room and it will not fire without a finger to pull the trigger. If more safety is required, first remove the magazine and then remove the round from the firing chamber. Next, pull the dry trigger and then insert a loaded magazine. The gun is now safe from accidental firing because the trigger is un-cocked and the firing chamber is empty. It can be put safely in a holster in this condition. To rearm the gun, pull the slide back and release it. Your trigger finger should be on the front side of the triger guard, not the trigger, while you pull the slide back. There are various methods to do this quickly, and for that, I recommend specialized training.

Only a real gunner will know and appreciate what Gaston Glock has created. People have misconceptions of using this very easy to use weapon. Glock is created to make an impact in self-defense and in Law enforcement. The concept is very much the same as a revolver. You dont need any safeties to start with…its a weapon of point and shoot.

Not able to comment on safety/unsafety of Glocks, but…
Anyway, it is a bad idea to carry a gun with a round in the chamber. In fact, in my country it is forbidden by law and you could get a sentence if you do that.

I heard that New York cops…and I’m sure a couple others where holstering their guns with their finger still on the trigger, thus shooting off their toes or putting one in their thigh. I think that was the main reason for the 12lb. trigger pull. How is someone capable of shooting something any father than like 10 feet away with a 12lb trigger. Those cops should have to carry a 1911, I’d rather carry my Colt xse, It has just about as much recol as my G17 and way more accurate and the pointability of a 1911 is second to none IMO. Thats another thing I dont understand. Glocks have that horrible grip angle which is supposedly designed to help absorb recoil. but whats the point if the gun weighs 1.5 lbs cus My 9mm has more recoil and mussle flip than my Colt xse .45..sorry going of the subject.

This is the most gun-friendly article I’ve ever seen in the Detroit News (and I’m a Detroiter). I’m not a Glock fan, but I don’t like them knocking Glock. If a gang-banger ever pulls a pistol on me, I’m praying it’s a 9mm or that it blows up in his hand. Glock makes both types. (user ducks for cover)

On a serious note, I never understood the useless trigger safety on the Glock. They should get rid of it and cut the price of the gun or switch to a beaver-tail grip safety. Until then I’ll keep my 1911.

Ken

A correction: The 1911 does NOT have a magazine disconnet safety. The Browning High Power, on the other hand, does.

If one is that concerned about the Glock pistol not having a thumb safety on it, there is an aftermarket thumb safety installed by many gunsmiths listed on the internet, just look up Glock Safety and you will come across it. Several police depts are using it.

I have owned, and often carried - cocked and locked, a seeies 70 Colt Combat Commander 1911A1 since 1971. A few years back, I had it customized / rebuilt with Wilson Combat parts, a trigger job (trigger pull a shade under 3 lbs), the barrel throated and the ramp polished. This pistol is as close to flawless that a 1911A1 platform can be. But, albeit very seldom, still encounter failure to feed problems.
On the safety issue, there is nothing surer than the combination thumb safety and grip safety operating in tandem. There is however one big flaw (i.e., that has since been corrected in later 1911 models) and that is the lack of a firing pin safety.
Separately, I’ve owned a Walther PP with a de-cocker saftey which, by the way, operates counterintuitively - push up to take safety off, and down to engage safety - , a CZ75 - essentially a Browning platform and a Sig 226 - a real beauty but just too big for CC.
About a year ago, on the recommendation of a friend, I purchased a Glock 19. I must admit that, prior to buying it, I was vehemently anti-Glock for the usual laundry list of reasons. Since owning it, I have become a big Glock fan.
What a great pistol! I carry it almost daily, in either an Uncle Mikes Sidekick Size 5 IWB holster or in a Smartcarry setup.
I concur that the only way the Glock is going to fire is if the trigger is pulled by pressure applied directly from the front - i.e., a finger in the trigger guard pressing directly rearward.
The trigger safety protects not against a negligent discharge (there is no such thing as an accidental discharge!) but against an uneven source of oblique pressure on the trigger applied unevenly. Separately, the firing pin safety and the drop safety make this weapon safe in the event that it gets kicked / thrown around, dropped, etc.
If a Glock discharges, it was caused by the trigger being pulled by a human. The person pulled that trigger deliberately and then, after the bullet was flying down the barrel, he changed his mind. Too late. And then he has the temerity to blame the pistol’s safety setup for his screwup!
Since buying the G-19, I have put precisely 6,800 rounds through it (I keep a log) - FMJ, JHP, standard and high pressure, from 115 grain to 147 grain, but one common denominator - all new commercial ammo - no reloads. There has been not 1 failure of any sort. This weapon is flawless.
I recently went to an indoor range, rented a .45 cal ACP Glock 30. The gun was atrociously filthy. I put 150 FMJ / 230 grain rounds through it without any problems whatsoever. Absolutely flawless. I was so impressed that I bought one.
Be it my 9mm or my .45ACP, I will only carry a Glock. Why? Because it has it all - safety, ergonomics, utter reliability, in a size - weight package that is very attractive.
Whatever the requirement - military / police service, concealed carry, etc., Glock makes the pistol.

It probably wont be long till Glock installs a manual safety on their pistols because of things like this…….But I like Glocks just the same

How can someone possibly dislike Glocks? I’m overwhelmed.

In Response to duff’s comment:

“If a Glock discharges, it was caused by the trigger being pulled by a human. The person pulled that trigger deliberately and then, after the bullet was flying down the barrel, he changed his mind. Too late. And then he has the temerity to blame the pistol’s safety setup for his screwup!”

I don’t think we can say that the Glock will discharge only by the pull of a human finger. I can image that foreign objects if they somehow get caught inside the trigger guard might also set off the Glock in the right situations, even with protection against “oblique pressure” and all.

Here in lies the advantage of a manual safety. That it will Also protect against Human screwup’s (unthinkingly putting the finger on the trigger), which is not an uncommon occurrance.

Now that being said Glock’s have their place, etc. But, I think for the less well trained among us, and the absent minded, they are better off with a gun that has a manual safety or a heavy trigger pull.

And I hope that Glock owners won’t take offence to that.

Quote= “Now that being said Glock’s have their place, etc. But, I think for the less well trained among us, and the absent minded, they are better off with a gun that has a manual safety or a heavy trigger pull.”

I think “for the less trained among us” should not have any sort of firearm in thier possession. The only safety that matters is the one between your ears. (= your brain) All the manual safeties in the world are not going to matter if you are a dumbass who can’t keep his finger off the trigger.

In closing, the 5 basic rules of firearm safety should be more than enough to prevent negligent discharges.

Quote= “Now that being said Glock’s have their place, etc. But, I think for the less well trained among us, and the absent minded, they are better off with a gun that has a manual safety or a heavy trigger pull.”

I think “for the less trained among us” should not have any sort of firearm in thier possession. The only safety that matters is the one between your ears. (= your brain) All the manual safeties in the world are not going to matter if you are a dumbass who can’t keep his finger off the trigger.

In closing, the 5 basic rules of firearm safety should be more than enough to prevent negligent discharges.

Quote= “Now that being said Glock’s have their place, etc. But, I think for the less well trained among us, and the absent minded, they are better off with a gun that has a manual safety or a heavy trigger pull.”

I think “for the less trained among us” should not have any sort of firearm in thier possession. The only safety that matters is the one between your ears. (= your brain) All the manual safeties in the world are not going to matter if you are a dumbass who can’t keep his finger off the trigger.

In closing, the 5 basic rules of firearm safety should be more than enough to prevent negligent discharges.

The Glock is the most significant enhancement to the automatic pistol since the 1911. It shoots great, carries well and works well.

The only thing Glock should do is put in a magazine safety. That way if an officer is in a struggle for his gun he can release the mag and not get shot with his own weapon.

I’m actually kind of surprised no one has brought up this point yet.
If you are that uncomfortable with the safety setup of Glock pistols DON’T BUY ONE!!!!
There are plenty of other makes and models to choose from; like the Springfield XD line for example. Nearly identical to Glock in everyway but with the added features of a loaded chamber indicator, firing pin indicator and a 1911-style grip safety.
There you go; problem solved.

I’m actually kind of surprised no one has brought up this point yet.
If you are that uncomfortable with the safety setup of Glock pistols DON’T BUY ONE!!!!
There are plenty of other makes and models to choose from; like the Springfield XD line for example. Nearly identical to Glock in everyway but with the added features of a loaded chamber indicator, firing pin indicator and a 1911-style grip safety.
There you go; problem solved.

There is an arrogance in the Glock user that baffles me… it’s the idea that he is so perfect and infallible to accidentally pull a trigger….. to turn on the average table saw there is a safety that requires flipping before turning it on….. when the result of an accidental trigger pull results in death then why not have a precaution against it?….. the argument is that flipping a safety off is too much off a hassle in the event the gun needs using…. or that one might forget to flip the safety off in an emergency…. well how can that be from someone who is infallible? The Glock user has already suggested he is infallible and doesn’t need a safety because he can’t make a mistake…. so what is the problem with having a safety and opting not to use it…. it is beyond argument that an external safety would hurt anything…. whereas adding one certainly could save many an accidental discharge. I like Glocks, but I sold them because they have no external safety. I much prefer the new Taurus in every way or a Beretta storm or a multitude of choices…. so yeah, I just don’t buy them.

.. to turn on the average table saw there is a safety that requires flipping before turning it on…

Safety switches are installed on consumer grade saws, commercial saws don’t have them. Millwrights know how to respect and use their tools, home handymen don’t.
Liability concerns mandate manufactures to try to protect the masses.

Glocks were designed as tools for properly trained individuals, namely the Austrian army, not necessarily civilians, nor those in law enforcement who have no time to go to the range or practice; the ones that shoot once a year at qualification and never see fit to clean their guns.

1.2 million Glocks were sold in the United States between 1983 and 1996.
20,000 Glocks were sold per month in 1995.

The numbers alone suggest you would hear about some problems.
How many times do you hear that Lotus Elan turn signals refuse to work when it rains?
(Lucas electrical system)
The more rare something is, the less you hear of it; the corollary is also true

I’m sure John Browning was badgered about his new pistol in 1911. The “cocked and locked vs hammer down” safety debate is still going strong 98 years later.

By being annoyed by the “arrogance in the Glock user”, puts you in a bad light, reflective of your own level of proficiency.
Are you also bothered by guys that like Fords vs Chevys, or the Yankees over the Red Socks? Many brands have very passionate fans that go to extremes.

I’m disturbed by fans who paint themselves blue at football games…I was scared by a Smurf at an early age…

On August 25, 2006, Keeter wrote:
“It probably wont be long till Glock installs a manual safety on their pistols because of things like this……”

Brownell’s sells an aftermarket, gunsmith-installed manual safety for the Glock. I don’t see them making a factory version except by contract requirement (such as the one installed in the Australian versions). The one Brownell’s sells seems to satisfy that small niche market that absolutely insists on compromising speed with illusory safety.

As far as magazine disconnects go, I deliberately purchase firearms that don’t have them, and this includes the Glock. Some firearms have them, some don’t; That’s why there’s a choice. Don’t like the Glock’s features? Easy solution: Don’t buy one.

To purchase one and then complain about how it isn’t what you wanted seems kind of stupid — if it isn’t what you wanted, WHY DID YOU BUY IT??

There were and are different configurations of handgun to suit almost any person of any lifestyle out there. Why pick on one? That’s so Ford Vs. Chevy it’s sickening. If you’re going to form opinions, call them opinions and realize that there are others who do not agree with you. I don’t expect everyone to have my same taste in cars, houses, booze, or women; Why in the hell would I expect them to have the same tastes in firearms??

I can’t stand glocks.

That said, anyone who advocates for a magazine safety should be forced to own, shoot, AND MAINTAIN a Ruger MKIII.

“In fact, in my country it is forbidden by law and you could get a sentence if you do that. Anyway, it is a bad idea to carry a gun with a round in the chamber.”

A bad idea unless you plan to use the gun to defend yourself from an attacker.

In your country perhaps criminals are courteous enough to allow you to chamber a round before they assault you.

I have to agree with Jim. The Glock users that say they don’t need a safety are like the drivers who don’t need seatbelts because they are just that good. Yeah right… If you don’t want to use the safety (or the seatbelt) well then so be it, but why not include it in the product?