Glock 17: The Pistol Americans Have Counted on for 35 Years

The Glock 17, now in Gen 5, is a classic combination of Glock reliability, durability, and performance, all rolled into one duty-sized package.

The 17 has long been a go-to for police departments / sheriffs’ offices around the country, and is also a popular choice with military personnel. In fact, the Glock 17 was first introduced in the U.S. in 1986 and the company just celebrated the 35th anniversary of that introduction:

Officers and deputies isolated on long stretches of rural highways and/or backroads need a gun they can count on, and many trust the Glock 17 to be that gun.

A Glock handgun is simple to operate. The safety is built into the trigger via the “Safe Action” trigger system, which prevents the gun from firing unless the safety lever built into the center part of the trigger is depressed.

Placing the safety in that location provides added protection against accidental discharge without adding an external lever or switch to the gun that an officer has to flip or turn before using the gun in a life or death situation.

The sight system on a Glock is very simple, too. There is a white dot on the front sight, which the shooter aligns in the cutout of the rear fixed sight then shoots.

While a go-to for law enforcement and military, the Glock 17 is also a great firearm for home defense and a super open or concealed carry option for individuals with a larger build. (The Glock 17 is 7.32 inches long, 5.47 inches tall, and 1.27 inches wide.)

There are myriad holster options from numerous manufacturers available for the Glock 17, as well as aftermarket sight upgrades, triggers, flashlights, lasers, and more. The 17 is truly customizable.

We carried our Glock 17 openly in Texas and Arizona in a Galco Gunleather Belt holster. We carried it concealed in a Kydex IWB holster, also by Galco.

In both instances we had a holster that allowed us to carry the pistol comfortably as we moved throughout the day, and we had a Glock 17 that enabled us to have 17+1 rounds of 9mm self-defense ammo by our side at all times.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.