US Made Glocks

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trigga

trigga

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Recenlty purchased a Glock 19 gen 3 for what I believe was a fairly good deal. The 17 gen 3 has also been on my radar. I like the 19 but am use to the full size. I've always been a fan of the .40 however like many other, I can shoot the 9mm a lot faster and with hits on target. Granted most of my time with the 40 has been with my slightly hotter 180 gr reloads and not the target 165 gr.

I wasn't in the market but saw the PSA has a gen 3 glock 17 US made for $499. That's the cheapest I've seen a new glock go for but are the US made glocks any good? All three of my glocks are made in Austria and I have had no issues with them. All are gen 3 as I prefer gen 3 and never saw anything wrong with the design. There's also an M&P 9 2.0 for the same price. I might pick up both. I have zero experience with the M&P line.
 
If you like gen 3's, you really need to find a used Glock 35.

I haven't touched a US Glock. I have 2 recent Glocks, but both are marked "Austria".

I'm not a fan of the MP. It's just a Glock copy that doesn't understand what was special about Glocks.
 
I am partial to Glock as the model 22 was my first handgun. First year I've owned it we probably put about 1000 rounds through it. I've put more rounds through it than what the gun is worth and still all original parts including the guide rod and magazines. I've never had any issues with it other than my cousin shooting it with blazer steel case on a freezing day and it jammed. I have a TRL1S on it and am aware of the increased cycle rate but have yet to encounter a malfunction. I've shot target ammo to duty ammo and even some of my hot load with no issue. That's my experience and that's why I prefer glocks.

Glocks made in the US however are different. Not going to name any particular brand but back when made in original factory they were great guns, now that they are made overseas with the same brand, quality has gone done. Just hope that's not the same thing with glocks.
 
sorry didn't mean to throw the M&P into the mix but if I can find I good deal I don't mind trying something new. Always open to new brands and designs, who knows, maybe I can shoot that better than a glock? There's guns I own that I don't like but shoot better than the glock, my 92FS for example.
 
md7 said:
I don’t think there’s any real difference in US vs Austrian produced glock pistols.
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I was under the impression that for the last several years, ALL glock frames were made in the US. Final assembly also took place in the US.

If you look at the underside of your trigger guard and see a “square” your Glock is a US Glock.
 
I've had both, no difference between USA made and Austria. And I can't remember when I last saw a non USA made Glock.

The Smith M&P is a good gun now. It had some issues early on. But given the choice between a Glock and a standard M&P I'd take the Glock hands down.

But Smith does make a version of their M&P with a 1911 style safety. This feature sets it apart from Glock. Under "normal" circumstances I don't have an issue with a Glock having no safety. Normal, as carried in a holster that covers the trigger. But there are times such as glovebox or nightstand duty where a holster isn't practical and a safety on the gun is a good idea.

Out of the box Glock has the better trigger, but there are aftermarket triggers available for the Smiths that will give you a trigger better than possible on a Glock. Even an aftermarket Glock trigger. And once you get a trigger that rivals the best 1911 target triggers you don't want to carry it with no safety.

In short I like both pistols, with some caveat's on the M&P.
 
My department runs over 3000 officers through training and qual every year. Not to mention the hundreds that go through the Academy every year. Round count is in the millions yearly. The VAST majority is run through Glocks. I havent seen or heard of any difference between the two and I dont think we have very many Austrian made Glock left.
 
trigga said:
Granted most of my time with the 40 has been with my slightly hotter 180 gr reloads and not the target 165 gr.
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It makes a world of difference shooting 165gr or another lighter bullet out of a 40 compared to 180gr. I changed my carry loads in 40 to 160-165gr bullets and the muzzle flip is much more manageable. I once setup my phone to record me shooting 165 and 180 gr bullets mixed in the same magazine. I could notice the difference in muzzle rise.

trigga said:
I wasn't in the market but saw the PSA has a gen 3 glock 17 US made for $499.
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PSA has started making their own Gen3 Glock clone of the G19 called the Dagger for 300. They are being released in very limited numbers so you have to jump on them quickly on the website, but they are getting out the door and into shooter's hands. I plan on snagging one up when they get a more reliable stock.

As far as the difference between Austria and US made Glocks, I have held many side by side and haven't noticed significant differences. One thing I noticed on the earliest US made Glocks is the finish isn't the same color as Austrian. I believe they are made slightly different based on EPA laws and chemicals used in the process. The color difference is negligible with Austrian Glocks being a "slightly darker black" on the slide compared to US made.
 
There were tolerance differences between my Austrian G48 and my brothers US made G48, enough where the Shield Arms 15 round magazines wouldn't drop free in my brothers US Made but would in my Austrian made.

Just providing a real world experience. I try and buy Austrian made Glock's but wouldn't shy away from a US made Glock.
 
Zerodefect said:
I've had to shave a few of my Glock 9mm mags to get them to drop nice and free.

Just the nature of plastic mags.
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These were the Shield Arms 15 round magazine, the magazine body is steel.

They dropped free in my Austrian made G48 but were tight in my brothers US made G48. Not a magazine problem, a grip module tolerance difference between the two.

Not a big deal but something I felt I should share. It’s an easy fix with a layer of scotch tape on the offending magazine put into the offending Glock and a hair dryer.
 
Last edited:
Anchorite said:
I was under the impression that for the last several years, ALL glock frames were made in the US.
Click to expand...
Nope, not even close.


Final assembly also took place in the US.
Click to expand...
Nope, not even close.


If you look at the underside of your trigger guard and see a “square” your Glock is a US Glock.
Click to expand...
Nope, again.

If you look on the frame or slide you'll see "USA" or "Austria". Federal law requires the manufacturers name and country to be marked on the firearm. I have a dozen gen3, 4 and 5 Austrian made Glocks with that little square......its a mold mark.
 
I have one US made Glock that has a noticeably better trigger than it’s Austrian brother. But I write this off to tolerances because it’s the only one I’ve found this way.
 
I won’t own a Glock not made in Austria.

I also won’t own a Beretta made in the USA.

There IS a difference in quality at least in the case of Beretta.
 
Hartkopf said:
I have one US made Glock that has a noticeably better trigger than it’s Austrian brother. But I write this off to tolerances because it’s the only one I’ve found this way.
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Possibly the connector pushing the trigger bar into the frame too much, or simple machine tool wear when making the striker.

I've pretty much had to work all of my Glocks over a bit, to get the most out of them. They all varied from each other. G34/35 always seem to have the best out of the box trigger.
 
I have Glocks made here and at home, and never noticed a bit of difference. Same goes for SIG and Beretta too.

The only one where they were sorta different, were the SIG's, and that was more of a depends on what you like.

The W.German guns with the folded steel slides and no rail are nice, but they tend to rust, and some will tell you the balance is better, and they do feel slightly different, the US versions are less likely to rust and do feel a bit different, but they all work and shoot fine, just like the Glocks and Berettas.
 
Go handle both the Glock and M&P 2.0. I'd take the M&P over a Glock, but that's just me. Glock Gen 3 and Gen 4 have been $500 for ages or at least up until covid. $499 isn't a great price especially for a two Gen in the past pistol.
 
Styx said:
$499 isn't a great price especially for a two Gen in the past pistol.
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Gen 1-3 is the only CA approved. Kind of a big market.. So they will continue on I would assume.
Where Gen 4 and 5 really warranted? Meh
 
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