Why Are Most Pistols Compared Against Glocks?
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I'd argue that Glocks are often times considered the "benchmark" because of a combination of the following factors:
Reliability
Capacity
Size efficiancy
Price point
Simply put, if you want a reliable, high capacity, size efficient pistol at a relatively low price point the Glock is a strong contender; perhaps the strongest. THAT makes it the "benchmark."
S&W's M&P lineappears to be another strong contender given those criteria. Time will tell.
Reliability
Capacity
Size efficiancy
Price point
Simply put, if you want a reliable, high capacity, size efficient pistol at a relatively low price point the Glock is a strong contender; perhaps the strongest. THAT makes it the "benchmark."
S&W's M&P lineappears to be another strong contender given those criteria. Time will tell.
Glock was the first polymer gun. It was the one that put personal protection with a pistol on the map. It is like a band aid. Band aid is a product name, not a description yet when we say it, we apply it to something that you put on a wound. Glocks modernized the gun.
Baba Louie
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They are???
I did not know that. Must be a young'un thing since Gaston's products have only been around for 20 years or so.
As I'm a bit older than that, I find that most people I BS with, base their comparison on the old US military sidearm or their newer selection in the NATO round.
The old guys my age I know, who were long time LEO's tend to base their comparison on old S&W wheelguns.
But that's just me and the group of old fogies I know.
Hmmm. Glocks? Interesting. I guess my few, based on a Glockish comparison, are too heavy, too sleek, have hammers striking firing pins, sport wood grips and are blued steel or are wheelguns. They do sound pretty old timey seen in that light... don't they?
Oh well.
pdowg881
Member
Why Are Most Pistols Compared Against Glocks?
Because it makes the other pistols look better.
Because it makes the other pistols look better.
TimboKhan
Member
Odd how you think a design that's older than the Glock by quite a bit is only just now becoming the emerging standard.
Glocks are the standard because of two things: A whole heck of a lot of people own Glocks because they were the first polymer to market and have "Brand recognition", and because Glock represents the anti-1911. It's pretty uncommon to find a handgunner who doesn't own one or the other, and just about impossible to find a handgunner who doesn't have an opinion on them one way or the other.
Hawk
Member
Ubiquity.
They're everywhere and moderately priced. Hence near everyone has shot or at least handled one. This makes them a convenient baseline of comparison.
This specifically includes those that dislike the things or are totally indifferent to them - they still know about what to expect. They are, in a word, "common". In that context, "common" is a good thing and pretty much essential in a product used as a basis of comparison.
If someone were to compare the double action trigger of a Ruger GP100 to that of a Korth it would, for most, be a meaningless comparison; most of us don't have first hand knowledge of the Korth trigger action. Being exemplary isn't a good attribute for a standard of comparison - being common is.
They're everywhere and moderately priced. Hence near everyone has shot or at least handled one. This makes them a convenient baseline of comparison.
This specifically includes those that dislike the things or are totally indifferent to them - they still know about what to expect. They are, in a word, "common". In that context, "common" is a good thing and pretty much essential in a product used as a basis of comparison.
If someone were to compare the double action trigger of a Ruger GP100 to that of a Korth it would, for most, be a meaningless comparison; most of us don't have first hand knowledge of the Korth trigger action. Being exemplary isn't a good attribute for a standard of comparison - being common is.
Sorry, HK was first. Glock just made it common.
You mean the fact I was carrying Colts before Glocks were available here I wasn't protecting myself? Heck, S&W, Colt, Ruger and others were providing personal protection for years before Glock.
Glock did provide a kick in the pants for some companies. I think HK was already in the modern era, the P7 was introduced in '76.
BayAreaTactical
Member
Glock is the standard in reliability and performance.
TimboKhan
Member
You know, you weren't qouting me, but I said that the Glocks were the first to market. You are, of course, correct about the HK. Let me rephrase: The Glocks were the first to market that sold well.
One thing to remember about CZ, until the end of Communism they were basically not available in the US. I do think they have made a nice presence in the US in what really is a short amount of time.
I don't like the feel of Glocks but that company has built a nice place in the world for itself. I however do not think they are the gold standard.
I don't like the feel of Glocks but that company has built a nice place in the world for itself. I however do not think they are the gold standard.
JohnBT
Member
"It was the one that put personal protection with a pistol on the map."
This statement ignores history and a variety of guns ranging from the small S&W (and Iver Johnsons, and H&Rs, etc.) break tops introduced in 1880 to the 1905 Baby Brownings and all of the copies. Need I even mention the Colt Commander - the lightweight one, not the heavy Combat Commander.
And the CZ-75 was a legend worldwide before Mr. Glock ever made a gun.
History is a funny thing, it's full of facts.
John
This statement ignores history and a variety of guns ranging from the small S&W (and Iver Johnsons, and H&Rs, etc.) break tops introduced in 1880 to the 1905 Baby Brownings and all of the copies. Need I even mention the Colt Commander - the lightweight one, not the heavy Combat Commander.
And the CZ-75 was a legend worldwide before Mr. Glock ever made a gun.
History is a funny thing, it's full of facts.
John
This has nothing to do with history. It is all about perception. Glock is the name to beat. It does not matter what came before it, everybody knows Glock. Glock is the gun that was supposedly able to get through metal detectors in the 80's. It is the gun that made people aware. Glock is the default standard when it comes to guns. 25 years of reliability does not lie. Yes 1911's have been around sine 1911 but lets face it, they don't have the best rep for being reliable. I am not talking shooting range reliable. I am talking down in the dirt at war reliable. Facts or not Glock is king of the mountain for now. I own 1911's, Glock, XD's and M&P's. I even own a CZ.
Don't take this so personal.. It is what it is..
Don't take this so personal.. It is what it is..
Hawk
Member
Excellent advice.
Being the most common neither implies "best" nor does it preclude it. It simply is what it is: the most common. It is characterized by a fortuitous combination of price, availablility and the observation that it does most things passably well.
It is the Toyota Corolla of handguns. It's everywhere. It doesn't suck. Everybody has a working knowledge of what to expect from one. This isn't a knock against either Glock or Toyota. I've had both and they served well.
Being a standard for comparison and a standard of excellence are not necessarily the same thing. They can be, but they don't have to be. Whether or not they intersect in the case of the Glock is no doubt partially responsible for the many spirited discussions on the matter.
Just because something finds itself compared to other similar products in no way implies that it comes off favorably in all, or even most, of those comparisons.
1man
Member
Everyone know the Glock(like McDonalds of the Pistol World). Most widely sold pistol and everyone knows about the from the thugs in the street, almost every police ageny here in the US issues them to their personnel and definitely the most used in IDPA competitions(Glock should be in there own class in IDPA like the 1911 is).
MachIVshooter
Member
That is perhaps the most upside-down, bass-ackwards thing I've heard in a long time. The M1911 set the standard for autopistol reliability. Just because some modern renditions have been made to exacting tolerances for competitive use and have suffered for it in terms of reliability doesn't change the fact that that pistol saw us through a half dozen wars over 74 years.
On the original topic, I would wager that other guns are so often compared to glock for two reasons:
1, there are a ton of them out there and everyone knows what they are.
2, the reason everyone knows what they are is because a Glock is a Glock is a Glock. Every single Glock model is essentially the same gun; You can't say Colt vs. S&W and leave it at that, since both companies offer a plethora of very different handguns.
takhtakaal
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I will compare other pistols to Glocks when Colt or FN start supplying the USMC with entrenching tools.
jakeswensonmt
Member
Because you can't post "I like my new <your brand here> pistol" without someone immediately posting "you should have got a Glock cause its perfection, says so right on the box."
I was with you until you said safety oriented.
I was with you until you said safety oriented.
Mad Magyar
Member
Many reasons. For one thing, as mentioned, there are many out there in the civilian as well as in law enforcement...
If you go by all surveys and general observation, most civilians do not fire much on an annual basis...
So, when they go out & fire a box & in goes "Kaboom" each time; they are thrilled so much as to hit the forums and "crow" how they have the best pistol ever invented..Kind of like I do with Daewoo's....
However, my lack of enthusiasm for Glocks are based on ergonomics...They do not feel right in my hand....
If you go by all surveys and general observation, most civilians do not fire much on an annual basis...
So, when they go out & fire a box & in goes "Kaboom" each time; they are thrilled so much as to hit the forums and "crow" how they have the best pistol ever invented..Kind of like I do with Daewoo's....
However, my lack of enthusiasm for Glocks are based on ergonomics...They do not feel right in my hand....
Uh, what standard? I started handgunning with 1911 pistols, briefly had to use sixguns when I started wearing a badge, tried 1911 pistols again, but found a SIG P220 more reliable, and then reverted to sixguns for a while. I tried the 1911 again for a few years, then temporarily carried Glocks for a couple of years, and am now back to SIGs, wondering why I ever parted with that original P220. Well, my old P220, with its heel-clip mag release, would snag the seat fabric in the patrol car, partially releasing the mag while tearing up the taxpayer's property, and that is why I strayed from SIG for a while, but now I wonder why I didn't switch back to SIG as soon as I could get an "American-style" P220, instead of waiting over a decade, until 2004. My autopistol "gold" standard is SIG; so reliable they are boring, and far more accurate than Gluncks. Both of my duty G22s had the occasional malfunction, too, so don't tell me about perfection. Glocks are pretty darn good autopistols, but not perfect. I still do have one 1911 that is 100% reliable, which makes it better than my G22s.
Hokkmike
Member
You know, I never could tolerate a Glock until I shot one. Amazing guns. I have two really nice pistols now and need to justify another (Glock) one.
I too was a 1911 snob, and vowed never to own a plastic pistol.
Then I shot one.
The kicker for me was Chuck Taylors test. He was another 1911 snob that went out to prove the plastic Glock was a POS.
after shooting 175,000 rounds through one, he finally conceded that the pistol was one of the most reliable, durable handguns ever made. I've fired examples of early Glocks that have over 300,000 documented rounds fired through them.
Not too many pistols can equal that.
I still think the Glock has poor ergonomics and feels like a plastic 2x4. But it is simple, accurate and reliable - the AK of the handgun world.
Then I shot one.
The kicker for me was Chuck Taylors test. He was another 1911 snob that went out to prove the plastic Glock was a POS.
after shooting 175,000 rounds through one, he finally conceded that the pistol was one of the most reliable, durable handguns ever made. I've fired examples of early Glocks that have over 300,000 documented rounds fired through them.
Not too many pistols can equal that.
I still think the Glock has poor ergonomics and feels like a plastic 2x4. But it is simple, accurate and reliable - the AK of the handgun world.
Old Dog
Member
I must be totally out of the loop. I've been involved in handgunning for about 40 years now, and was unaware that "most pistols" are compared against Glocks.
Only on the internet, I suppose.
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