Anybody that claims that Glock is not America's gun needs to open his eyes. Look what your local police officers carry. More often then not it is a Glock 17 or Glock 22. Yes I realize that there are agencies that carry Sigs, M&Ps, Berettas and what have you, but Glock has the majority of the American law enforcement market, which let's face it, is the segment of the gun market that is most visible.
The 1911 has had it's run. It's a good pistol with timeless lines and feel that conjures up images of pure Americana, but it is not a serious contender for Glock's market shares. There is a reason that Kimber keeps beating that LAPD SWAT horse, they don't have many other LEO contracts to hang their hats on. The 1911 is a poor choice for a duty weapon when compared to modern options, including Glock. It's heavy, it's capacity is limited, it's expensive, it's more time consuming to maintain and often it's just not as reliable as more modern designs.
This translates to the civilian market. People buy what cops buy. Yes, there are exceptions, but I can't tell you how many Glock 22s we sell because people come in and ask, "Isn't this what cops use?" It's not great logic and it's the lazy way to make a decision, but it happens every day, often multiple times per day. Often times it doesn't even matter how the gun feels to the customer. They have heard the name Glock, or they've heard about the torture tests, or their cop buddy recommended Glock, so by George that's what they are getting. You can't even change their mind about the caliber.
I guess what I'm saying is if you look at things from a real world perspective, Glock is "modern" America's gun. It had everything that Americans look for. It's cheap, it's easy, it's available and it's good enough. It's McDonald's in a handgun, and though I'd never say McDonald's was my favorite burger there is a reason it is one of the most successful franchises in the world.
