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Glock 17, Austrian gun: How good is it, asks an Austrian who has no clue about guns..
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 4:13 am
by Wartstein
Glock 17, an Austrian made handgun;
Me, rather proud Austrian, but like many Europeans totally clueless when it comes to guns.
Now the Glock 17 is issued to and carried by literally every Austrian Police officer, regardless if patrolman, traffic cop, whatever (and for 2020 they get ammunition with more man-stopping power: Deformation ammunition. Sounds scary...)
Additionally I have read somewhere, that the Glock 17 even is the most common gun in law enforcement worldwide (no idea if that is true by any means).
So, since I know that a lot of you Americans here on the forum carry guns and/or know a whole lot about the topic, I just wanted to ask: How good is this Austrian gun really ? (When replying, please keep in mind: As stated above, I know almost nothing about guns in general!)
Re: Glock 17, Austrian gun: How good is it, asks an Austrian who has no clue about guns..
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 6:41 am
by Evil D
It's quite good. Not much else to say really. Excellent reliability, easy to carry and shoot.
Re: Glock 17, Austrian gun: How good is it, asks an Austrian who has no clue about guns..
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 6:57 am
by Wartstein
Evil D wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2019 6:41 am
It's quite good. Not much else to say really. Excellent reliability, easy to carry and shoot.
Thanks! Sounds like the Austrian police officers do carry the right gun...
Re: Glock 17, Austrian gun: How good is it, asks an Austrian who has no clue about guns..
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 7:14 am
by Doc Dan
How good is it? Well, I grew up with a 1911 in my fist. Then I carried one in the military. It was the only gun to carry except a .357 Magnum revolver. I was working in a gun store when Glocks first came out and we rearmed several law enforcement agencies. The Glock rep would drive up to our store, towing a G17 behind his car on a rope, loaded. He would get out of the car, dip the G17 in mud, then fire off a magazine full of ammo. Then, he would bury it in the sand and then do the same thing. He would submerge it is water, and do the same thing. The guns never failed, ever. My 1911 would not do that, at all, and it was heavy, at 39 oz empty. So, when the G19 was released, I traded in my 1911. I was so happy with that little pistol and it never failed, not one time. I also shot tighter groups with it and I always shot expert with the 1911.
So, my father, who also carried a 1911, and carried one at the ranch, laughed at my plastic pistol. So, one day while we were working, I got out some clay pigeons and put them on the bank of the dam (as a back stop). We did some point shooting as that is what they taught in WWII and my father would get close to the targets but not break them. If it had been a man he was shooting at that man would have been dead. I said, "why don't you try my Glock?" So he said, "Yeah, let me see that plastic pistol of yours" laughing. He started his point shooting and broke every single target and was even able to hit the small pieces. That very day he went to the gun store and traded for a Glock 19. He carried that pistol till the day he died and it never failed, ever.
Re: Glock 17, Austrian gun: How good is it, asks an Austrian who has no clue about guns..
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 7:56 am
by Evil D
Basically everything you need to know about the reliability of a Glock right here. There's no reason not to expect a 17 or 19 to perform the same. Basically you can't possibly carry enough ammo to fire to kill a Glock.
https://youtu.be/ub4OswUhLwo
Re: Glock 17, Austrian gun: How good is it, asks an Austrian who has no clue about guns..
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 8:01 am
by TomAiello
Wartstein wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2019 4:13 am
...and for 2020 they get ammunition with more man-stopping power: Deformation ammunition. Sounds scary...
Ammunition that deforms on impact is generally safer, because there is less risk of "shoot through" where the round penetrates the target and continues traveling (potentially injuring another person who is further down the same line).
Re: Glock 17, Austrian gun: How good is it, asks an Austrian who has no clue about guns..
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 8:01 am
by wrdwrght
I don’t have a 17, but do have four other Glocks. Three are 9mm but in smaller sizes that I prefer to carry.
My 20, about the same size as a 17, is for just-in-case encounters with animals I may have offended in North America’s shrinking wild lands. I don’t hunt.
If my only reasons for having a handgun were home protection and fun at the range, I would be happy to have a 17.
Glocks are engineering wonders. Everything you need, nothing you don’t.
In the US, handguns are self-defense tools that are meant not to kill but to stop a threat. To favor this result, ammo is designed to expand on impact, slow down but still deliver enough terminal velocity that may not avoid death.
Re: Glock 17, Austrian gun: How good is it, asks an Austrian who has no clue about guns..
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 8:09 am
by Wartstein
TomAiello wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2019 8:01 am
Wartstein wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2019 4:13 am
...and for 2020 they get ammunition with more man-stopping power: Deformation ammunition. Sounds scary...
Ammunition that deforms on impact is generally safer, because there is less risk of "shoot through" where the round penetrates the target and continues traveling (potentially injuring another person who is further down the same line).
Thanks! That's what I figured. There was some discussion here in Austria if police officers should be issued with deformation ammo (as said they will beginning with 2020). One pro argument was in line with what you said, that for example in a terrorist attack in a crowded area, cops could by accident injure random persons, while shooting the attacker.
Re: Glock 17, Austrian gun: How good is it, asks an Austrian who has no clue about guns..
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 8:11 am
by Wartstein
Evil D wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2019 7:56 am
Basically everything you need to know about the reliability of a Glock right here. There's no reason not to expect a 17 or 19 to perform the same. Basically you can't possibly carry enough ammo to fire to kill a Glock.
https://youtu.be/ub4OswUhLwo
Thanks, I'll watch this when at home and having more time!
Re: Glock 17, Austrian gun: How good is it, asks an Austrian who has no clue about guns..
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 8:16 am
by Wartstein
Doc Dan wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2019 7:14 am
How good is it? Well, I grew up with a 1911 in my fist. Then I carried one in the military. It was the only gun to carry except a .357 Magnum revolver. I was working in a gun store when Glocks first came out and we rearmed several law enforcement agencies. The Glock rep would drive up to our store, towing a G17 behind his car on a rope, loaded. He would get out of the car, dip the G17 in mud, then fire off a magazine full of ammo. Then, he would bury it in the sand and then do the same thing. He would submerge it is water, and do the same thing. The guns never failed, ever. My 1911 would not do that, at all, and it was heavy, at 39 oz empty. So, when the G19 was released, I traded in my 1911. I was so happy with that little pistol and it never failed, not one time. I also shot tighter groups with it and I always shot expert with the 1911.
So, my father, who also carried a 1911, and carried one at the ranch, laughed at my plastic pistol. So, one day while we were working, I got out some clay pigeons and put them on the bank of the dam (as a back stop). We did some point shooting as that is what they taught in WWII and my father would get close to the targets but not break them. If it had been a man he was shooting at that man would have been dead. I said, "why don't you try my Glock?" So he said, "Yeah, let me see that plastic pistol of yours" laughing. He started his point shooting and broke every single target and was even able to hit the small pieces. That very day he went to the gun store and traded for a Glock 19. He carried that pistol till the day he died and it never failed, ever.
That's a cool story and exactly what a "clueless-about-gun-person" needs to read to get a good impression!
And I am happy that obviously some quality stuff is developed here in Austria! :) We are so small, that there are generally not TOO many products Austria is known for worldwide (but still some), merely for Mozart, mountains and "sound of music..." :rolleyes:
Re: Glock 17, Austrian gun: How good is it, asks an Austrian who has no clue about guns..
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 9:15 am
by wrdwrght
Merely Mozart?
Re: Glock 17, Austrian gun: How good is it, asks an Austrian who has no clue about guns..
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 9:45 am
by Wartstein
wrdwrght wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2019 9:15 am
Merely Mozart?
Not in the sense of devaluating Mozart at all!! But like in " Austria is not known for much more THAN Mozart, mountains, "sound of music"...
I really like Mozarts music, I was born and actually LIVE in his birth place Salzburg...
Admitedly, there was a time when I was a bit overfead with his music, since my father used to listen to it all the time when I was a kid. I also had piano lessons for ten years and played a lot of Mozart myself... still did not keep me from starting to play rock guitar when I turned 16... :D
Re: Glock 17, Austrian gun: How good is it, asks an Austrian who has no clue about guns..
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 12:44 pm
by wrdwrght
Wartstein wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2019 9:45 am
wrdwrght wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2019 9:15 am
Merely Mozart?
Not in the sense of devaluating Mozart at all!! But like in " Austria is not known for much more THAN Mozart, mountains, "sound of music"...
I really like Mozarts music, I was born and actually LIVE in his birth place Salzburg...
Admitedly, there was a time when I was a bit overfead with his music, since my father used to listen to it all the time when I was a kid. I also had piano lessons for ten years and played a lot of Mozart myself... still did not keep me from starting to play rock guitar when I turned 16... :D
I was just being silly. :)
Re: Glock 17, Austrian gun: How good is it, asks an Austrian who has no clue about guns..
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 12:46 pm
by TomAiello
Who's this Mozart guy? I thought Austria's greatest contribution to world music was Falco?
Re: Glock 17, Austrian gun: How good is it, asks an Austrian who has no clue about guns..
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 1:05 pm
by Peter1960
TomAiello wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2019 12:46 pm
Who's this Mozart guy? I thought Austria's greatest contribution to world music was Falco?
I guess you are one of the younger generation ... :D
Re: Glock 17, Austrian gun: How good is it, asks an Austrian who has no clue about guns..
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 1:07 pm
by Peter1960
Wartstein wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2019 8:16 am
... there are generally not TOO many products Austria is known for worldwide (but still some), merely for Mozart, mountains and "sound of music..." :rolleyes:
How's about N690Co ... speaking in blade steel.
Re: Glock 17, Austrian gun: How good is it, asks an Austrian who has no clue about guns..
Posted: Wed May 15, 2019 4:11 pm
by Wartstein
Peter1960 wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2019 1:07 pm
Wartstein wrote: ↑Wed May 15, 2019 8:16 am
... there are generally not TOO many products Austria is known for worldwide (but still some), merely for Mozart, mountains and "sound of music..." :rolleyes:
How's about N690Co ... speaking in blade steel.
Hi fellow-Austrian, you're right of course!! :)
Re: Glock 17, Austrian gun: How good is it, asks an Austrian who has no clue about guns..
Posted: Fri May 17, 2019 9:39 am
by SpyderEdgeForever
Wartstein my friend, if you don't mind me bringing it up, regarding the Glock knives, what are your opinions of them? They seem to be made with some type of quality Austrian carbon spring steel and are coated for corrosion-resistance. I have read and heard that they are very tough and durable, and they come in both straight edges and sawbacks. Some people consider them a bit on the long side for their uses but I have read of everyone from serious survival bushcrafters and soldiers, to housewives who use them in the garden as a root-cutter/saw appreciating them.
How would you improve them if you could? Make a line of them with some quality European stainless steel like N690?
Re: Glock 17, Austrian gun: How good is it, asks an Austrian who has no clue about guns..
Posted: Sat May 18, 2019 4:02 am
by Doc Dan
SpyderEdgeForever wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2019 9:39 am
Wartstein my friend, if you don't mind me bringing it up, regarding the Glock knives, what are your opinions of them? They seem to be made with some type of quality Austrian carbon spring steel and are coated for corrosion-resistance. I have read and heard that they are very tough and durable, and they come in both straight edges and sawbacks. Some people consider them a bit on the long side for their uses but I have read of everyone from serious survival bushcrafters and soldiers, to housewives who use them in the garden as a root-cutter/saw appreciating them.
How would you improve them if you could? Make a line of them with some quality European stainless steel like N690?
SEF, I have never owned one, but I have been tempted to buy one to check it out. I know the steel can be easily sharpened in the field. That is important. I have handled them, years and years ago. They are not ergonomic wonders, but they feel okay in the hand. People that have them swear by them.
Re: Glock 17, Austrian gun: How good is it, asks an Austrian who has no clue about guns..
Posted: Sat May 18, 2019 6:27 am
by Evil D
I think I'd rather have one of the Enduras with the punch tool on the handle.