When the Glock 19 was introduced in the 1980s, it set a standard against which other handguns continue to be measured today.
The old-timers mocked it for being a plastic gun and others simply mocked it because there was not anything against which the Glock could be compared. After all, how durable could a gun be if it had a plastic frame? Even the magazines were plastic. So how long would they last?
Yes, those questions and many like them were asked in gun store after gun store about 40 years ago, yet the Glock 19 still stands and has proven to be the gun by which nearly every compact polymer-framed pistol is judged.
To be clear, the Glock 19 has gone through various upgrades since its debut–Glock refers to those upgrades as “generations”–yet those upgrades have not changed the most basic, recognizable aspects of the gun. Even from a distance it is obviously a Glock and once you are close enough to touch it there is no doubt it is the iconic Glock 19.
What time demonstrated is that the Glock 19 does last; that the plastic portions of the gun make it light without making it weak. In fact, durability is one of the chief characteristics of Glock 19 in any of its five generations.
The beauty of a Glock 19 is its versatility and the unbelievable number of aftermarket parts and accessories that are available for the gun. In this way, the Glock 19 stands out in the way that a 1911, AR-15, or Ruger 10/22 do. Parts–including sights and magazines of all sizes–are ubiquitous, and nearly every holster maker has a Glock 19 holster option. And this makes the Glock 19 as fun as it is dependable.
At just under 24 ounces, the Glock 19 is a great concealed carry gun and an excellent choice for open carry, where legal. It ships with 15-round magazines (where legal), and this means law-abiding citizens have the rounds they need to defend their lives when under duress.
The old-timers questioned it; they stared at it like something from outer space. But in the end, the Glock 19 has demonstrated that durability and reliability are two of its central traits.
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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