R.I.P. Gaston Glock, Groundbreaking Gun Designer

Great man. Performed way above his expected line of competence. His pistols work nearly flawlessly. That's why about 60% of the nation's law enforcement carry a Glock, usually a Glock 17, the duty sized pistol.

There are many reasons to like Glocks, but the feature I find most desirable is the lack of a safety lever - one less thing to have to think about in the split second I may someday be given to save a life (either mine or someone else's). G27 and G30SF are in my collection.

Revolutionized the handgun industry. Companies that initially laughed, scrambled to catch up.

Boy, those guns are ugly - but they work, and you’ll hit what you aim at when it really counts. RIP, Mr. Glock - we owe you.

I confess that I own two of them, but designing a pistol without a safety is really begging the lightning to strike.

Not a fan of the design. They are functional, mostly, but far from perfect. The lack of a safety beyond the little flipper in the trigger has led to many police officers shooting themselves in the leg or foot when reholstering the gun improperly. I can use them effectively, but not my first choice by any means. IMO, for the same slot of 'features', I much prefer the Smith and Wesson M&P models, which can be had with the necessary thumb safety. All three M&Ps that I own in .45, 40 and 9mm have thumb safeties, two of them added by me after purchase using the factory parts. These models are offered with and without the thumb safety and I feel that the no-safety models are an accident waiting to happen.

A Glock pistol, made up of 34 parts, actually has three safeties: the trigger bar safety, the internal firing pin safety, and the internal drop safety. Loaded, chambered Glocks have been dropped from helicopters onto concrete, and they didn't fire. As a defender, I would not want a carry gun with an external safety. Flicking the safety off in an split second emergency is not a forgone conclusion. Some people have died because they couldn't take the safety off in time. The real safeties are in your brain and in your trigger finger. Glock's 22 degree grip angle is different from, say, a M-1911 .45 ACP, which has an angle of 18 degrees, so if one is used to the 1911, the Glock requires some practice to learn to point it correctly. But it's a reliable, well made weapon that has sold in the multi millions. Is it the best gun? Probably not. That's a matter of opinion. There are numerous manufacturers who make fine firearms. My EDC happens to be a 9mm Glock 43X with the Shield Arms metal 15 round magazine and a metal magazine catch button, loaded with (light for caliber) 68 grain Underwood-Lehigh Xtreme Defender solid copper bullets, +P leaving the barrel at about 1,800 fps. It's all I need. Very accurate. Goes bang every time I pull the trigger. When I'm toting my Glock, I become a very hard target for an assailant.

No argument that they are good, reliable guns, but nowhere near my first choice because of the lack of a manual safety. Just too much potential for an accident. I like revolvers because they are as close to completely safe as one can get and still have bullets in it. When I carry an auto I prefer a 1911 style.

Trigger discipline, people. A Glock probably isn't the gun for a casual homeowner but it's a fine gun for the professional who is trained to keep the trigger finger extended and off the trigger until needed.