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Gaston Glock, inventor of the GLOCK 17 handgun that won a military contract and changed the gun world in the 1980s, is dead today at age 94. He took a company that once made curtain rods and knives and applied his knowledge of polymer injection molding to his pistol design, forever changing the handgun market.

The company said . . .

Following this guiding principle, our founder, Gaston Glock not only revolutionized the world of small arms in the 1980s, but also succeeded in establishing the GLOCK brand as the global leader in the handgun industry. His internationally renowned GLOCK Perfection stands for uncompromising quality and maximum customer satisfaction.

Gaston Glock charted the strategic direction of the GLOCK Group throughout his life and prepared it for the future. His life’s work will continue in his spirit.

Glock’s name will be remembered with the likes of Colt, Browning, Stoner, Kalashnikov, and other firearm innovation greats.

Google Patents

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107 COMMENTS

    • He lived a long life, got richer than Croesus, revolutionised the pistol industry, had a lotta women… I hope he died well and happy! May GOD’s Grace and Spirit guide his soul’s journey into his next life..
      That I say sincerely.. I still am not totally reconciled to the Plastique Phantastique, but have retired (NOT sold) my beloved Browning HiPower and Colt 1911 Combat Commander carry guns and now carry Glock 19 Gen5 and G21 gen3 pistols.
      May God rest his soul and comfort those who loved and miss him………..

    • Begin the countdown to the obvious and long overdue….. Glock carbine.
      Buy some dump trucks to help haul away the money.

    • During a time of naysayers and the status quo sitting comfortable here comes out of nowhere, “Innovation.” Innovation that grew into numerous models, numerous sales, numerous aftermarket products and numerous imitators. I own a 17 and 20 and one of them saved my bacon. Thank You Gaston Glock.

    • I also dislike Glocks…RIP Gaston; he is not in the same league as John Browning, Colt, Stoner, Kalashnikov

        • That’s exactly what I thought. John Moses Browning stands alone, above the rest. Glock, Colt, Stoner, and Kalashnikov are on a similar plane. Bill Ruger is an additional small step below these guys.

          Gaston was definitely one of the gun greats.

    • AKA, hate GLOCKS to your heart’s content. I own several GLOCKS and they are FINE PISTOLS.

    • It is a family owned business.

      The company had previous contracts with the Austrian military for ancillary equipment such as entrenching tools and field stoves. The Glock 17 (their 17th design) was a competitor to the Steyr GB (an updated Volkspistole from WW2) which one the competition. The rest is history.

  6. My brother in law is inconsolable. He collects Glocks and has an extensive collection.
    I told him that’s like having an extensive toothbrush collection.

    • I got a chuckle out of that. I have a Glock. I like my Glock. But when I think of firearms collections Glock does not jump out in my mind.

      • Some are getting really collectible. Mention pencil barrel in an original bullet box with pre ‘86 manual, and some collectors will go gaga. Especially if it has the original fixed rear sight in the box to go with the “weekend” sights on it.

      • Lol, I have my totally stock, hand tool reliable G17, and then I have the totally not a Glock, but compatible custom range toy I shoot the crap out of. Neither will ever be worth more than I paid, but will always be priceless.

    • I collect Mustangs and some older Harleys… I CARRY a Glock 29 and have a 19 and a 21 in the safe (along with several other brands), but I never considered any Glock to be “collectible”… Guy lived a full life, got his 15 minutes and left a legacy that will continue as long as humans inhabit this planet… Not bad, not bad at all… I LIKE my Glock (I LIKE all of my firearms), I don’t LOVE my Glock but I’m willing to trust it with my life on a daily basis…

    • I’ve always gone with the analogy of having a massive garage full of Honda Accords.

      He didn’t invent the polymer-frame, striker-fired pistol or even get one on the market first, but he’s unquestionably the reason they’re so common today. RIP, Gaston Glock.

  7. He was a genuinely strange dude.

    This book dove into the subject :

    https://www.amazon.com/Paul-M-Barrett-Glock-Americas/dp/B00MMPK74K/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3EJRRWV0B8KFC&keywords=Glock%3A+The+Rise+of+America%27s+Gun&qid=1703705192&s=audible&sprefix=glock+the+rise+of+america%27s+gun%2Caudible%2C209&sr=1-1-catcorr

    I’ve owned 2 Glocks, they were OK, well-suited for Florida carry, as they were near immune from sweat.

    Here’s a PDF of that book :

    https://zlibrary.to/filedownload/glock-the-rise-of-americas-gun

      • When they came to Georgia, they used typical European business tactics to sell guns to police departments, like spending *lots* of money at stripper bars and alcohol…

    • I read the book as well and I highly recommend it. Although the author never got a chance to interview Glock it was very interesting to see how he had no real experience in firearms design but was able to come up with a very simple designed pistol. The author quoted Glock which he said “That I knew nothing was my advantage”.

      The stories about the Atlanta headquarters bringing down police captains to shoot and try out the Glock so they could sell them to their departments and then take them to strip clubs was very interesting as well.

      The most interesting part for me was how anti gun the state of New York was. The FFL
      who used to sell firearms to police departments shared stories of how certain departments would freak out when he would show up trying to sell them firearms for their department. Some of them would escort him out of town immediately even though he was an FFL that sold to police departments across the US.

    • “America’s Gun” would NOT be a Gluck – Kentucky Long rifle, Winchester lever action of ____, Remington/Colt revolver, M1911A1, Garand – several options.

  8. You do not mourn a 94yo’s passing.

    Celebrate the lives of those that defended themselves with his product.

    • In less than a year, my dad will be *90*.

      He is currently getting more tail than I am, sad to say…

      • My old man buried 3 women. At his funeral we laughed and told stories about him.

        We did not cry. It would have seemed an insult to the way he lived. Full throttle all the way,

  10. Didn’t know the guy so I’m not really all emotional. I am, however, wondering if now glock will start putting decent sights on their guns.

    • I was thinking some what along those lines. Curious to see if his passing will be like that of Bill Ruger, and Glock will start to really innovate. Glock, use your name recognition to make Rifles for the U.S market. Hell make a PCC or true subgun and people with throw money at you.

      • Good point. Ruger has improved since Brilliant but Fuddy Bill passed. Maybe Glock will now innovate.

    • I’d like to see a decent safety, a grip safety perhaps. That trigger “safety” is bullsh!t and we all know it.

      • this gun is now a favorite among the criminal set…and is easy to illegally modify to full-auto…

        • “….this gun is now a favorite among the criminal set…”

          So is the U.S. dollar, tattoos, video games, Lexus cars, and loose women.
          None of that is Gaston Glock’s fault.

      • There were contract versions of the 17 with an external thumb safety, just super rare. You can search the internet and come up with curious stuff. Search “glock external safety”

  11. May God rest his soul, and may he have many long discussions with John Moses Browning at the feet of Jesus the Christ.

    Rest in peace, Gaston.

    • I know your comment was meant to be lighthearted, but I wouldn’t assume that Glock and Browning are in Christ. They were great men, but that isn’t the same thing as godly men.

      • I’m sure a sword maker 2000 years ago could enter heaven. Just like a gun maker in the 21st century. Making weapons alone does not bar a good man from serving christ.

        • “Making weapons alone does not bar a good man from serving christ.”

          While we have a statement by Yēšūaʿ, “There will be wars, and rumors of war”, and the Centurion who approached Yēšūaʿwith a request for healing of the Centurion’s slave.

          In neither instance did Yēšūaʿ demand an end to war, nor was the Centurion rebuked for being in the army. I don’t have a source for any condemnation of war or army service spoken by Yēšūaʿ.

  12. *cries into my Gen 1 Tupperware box* RIP Mr. Glock. I will most definitely be having a… shot… in your honor tonight…

  13. That punk pulled a Glock 7 on me. You know what that is? It’s a porcelain gun made in Germany. Dosen’t show up on your airport X-ray machines, here, and it cost more than you make in a month.

    • That right there is funny! The glock 7 was “invented” by an ATF Associate Director and the Washington Post back in the 80s.
      I would imagine Gaston wasn’t real happy about it.

    • ThePontificator, Horse Puckey! The Glock 7 is a fictional gun that appears in the movie Die Hard 2. In the movie, Bruce Willis’ character describes the Glock 7 as a porcelain gun that can avoid metal detectors. However, Glock pistols are made with a polymer frame and metal parts, and can be detected by metal detectors.

      • 7 or 17. What’s the difference to anti-gunners?

        I remember in the 1990s having to correct people on the belief that the Glock pistol would evade X-ray and metal detectors.

  14. Maybe now, like with the passing of Bill Ruger, the company can actually move forward and perfect its product by offering models with ergonomics as creditable as GLOCK’s reliability.

    If they do- I’ll finally buy one…

      • Absolutely- if done like almost every other grip-insert design out there. For some reason GLOCK refuses to allow the buyer the choice of changing out their ridiculous heel bump/distention/tumorous growth for one that actually allows the gun to point naturally.

        • As for large fram Glocks…Cut the hollow hump off leaving enough to hold/dovetail in a glob of steel bed. Roughen surface for expoxy adhesion, let applied expoxy set a bit, grip to contour, cure over night, detail with files, sandpaper, etc. Points more like a 1911.

    • Never had a Glock. Hate he grip angle. But my new Taurus is essentially a glock clone. Down to glock compatible sights,trigger,takedown & no manual safety. RIP

    • The ergonomics are a feature by design. Get some training on one and learn how to use them to your advantage.

      • Your “feature” is a bug in the design. One should not have to “train” in order to get a handgun to point in the same direction as your pointer finger when drawing and point shooting under stress.

        Any handgun that points somewhere other than the direction of your fist with your pointer finger extended WILL GET YOU KILLED in a life or death self-defense confrontation. For a large percentage of human beings GLOCKS point dangerously high- instead of a natural point of aim.

        Smart folks don’t train themselves to “fix” a gun’s shortcomings- they simply choose a firearm without intrinsic ergonomic deficiencies.

        And isn’t it interesting that about every handgun manufacturer in the world offers the buyer the choice of adjusting the grip to suit the shooter… EXCEPT GLOCK. It’s almost as if they actually believe their own “Pefection” blödsinn.

        Just how deficient is GLOCK’s unnatural grip angle? It’s so flawed that AN ENTIRE INDUSTRY has emerged to offer the world aftermarket “GLOCK” frames with natural-pointing grip angles.

        All GLOCK has ever had to do is give customers a CHOICE. But those Austrians have never been much inclined to admitting it when they make mistakes…

        • I guess pretty much every police officer, border patrol officer, secret service officer, air marshal, and the entire special operations community as well as millions of civilians are wrong; and you, my special little snowflake, are the only one who is right?

          Cope, seethe, dilate.

        • i have a 21 and a 36. i look down the sights and aim and i hit what i aim at, no muss, no fuss.
          i cant speak for your defiencies

      • Do those service folks have a choice of weapons? What is their hit/miss ratio? Might it be improved with a more ergonomic weapon?

        And I’m thrilled that there’s millions of happy GLOCK owners- I FULLY support them. But… that leaves millions more civilians who WOULD be GLOCK customers who AREN’T simply because GLOCK CHOOSES to repudiate them. All I’m asking is WHY?

        And it says a lot about folks that many of us simply want GLOCK to just make a better product so WE CAN BUY ONE… while the foolhardy fan-boys simply jeer from the sidelines saying “Ha-ha, Sucks for You!”

        When GLOCK makes a better tool- I’ll happily buy one.

        (been waiting 40+ years…)

  15. He lived a long life, got richer than Croesus, revolutionised the pistol industry, had a lotta women… I hope he died well and happy! May GOD’s Grace and Spirit guide his soul’s journey into his next life..
    That I say sincerely.. I still am not totally reconciled to the Plastique Phantastique, but have retired (NOT sold) my beloved Browning HiPower and Colt 1911 Combat Commander carry guns and now carry Glock 19 Gen5 and G21 gen3 pistols.
    May God rest his soul and comfort those who loved and miss him………..

  16. His invention moved the state of the art forward, was an important step towards the modern abundance of choices in well-designed, reliable, accurate, compact, and inexpensive handguns we currently enjoy.

    Respect.

  17. Things would be different in the handgun world were it not for Gaston Glock. I own a few. I’ve found them to be reliable, durable and more than accurate enough for their intended purpose.

  19. I would compare Gaston Glock more to Werner Gruner, lead designer of the MG 42. Understanding changes in manufacturing and materials processing and coming up with a design to take advantage of them. Possibly also John C Garand and Eugene Stoner who also were well acquainted with manufacturing technology.

  20. RIP. You started a revolution. Now a whole generation of shooters has no idea of what a really good trigger is like.

  22. Yuro gonna Yuro.

    No patience for any Yuros most of the time. Stay in your own wheelhouse with your socialism and tyrannical governments.

  23. In reality Gaston Glock hired a team of Engineers to design the Glock for him. It is obvious that none of them were gun enthusiasts or had any experience actually living with and shooting pistols or they never would have designed perhaps the most unsafe handgun ever produced.

    Everything about the Glock is unsafe. An totally unsafe takedown system that requires you to pull the trigger with the slide forward, and a pistol that has no manual safety but is cocked and ready to fire with a short pull or accidental snag of the trigger. Originally it did not even have a loaded chamber indicator (that came latter) and it still has no decocker. In other words its an accident waiting to happen and happen it does all the time. What is even worse is the plethora of copy cat designs that mimic the Glock’s unsafe design.

    What is little known is that the average Jethro Bodine actually believes all of the Glock advertisement propaganda in regards to its being the perfect pistol. In fact it is far from perfect as mentioned above plus one more staggering defect. The Glock like most pre-loaded striker fired handguns has a very, very weak ignition system. In fact a simple test any handloader can do is to deliberately seat a high primer (no powder and no bullet just a primer). The Glock will fail the test every time. I tested three 9mm Glocks and also a Walther P99 (also a preloaded striker fired handgun). All 4 failed the high primer test not just once but 3 times in a row and all on the same primer. You would have thought that after pounding a primer 3 times in a row it would have at least gone off on the 3rd try. Nope, it failed to ignite on the 3rd try as well.

    Its also interesting to note that during one German Police pistol tests the preloaded striker fired guns were given a special exemption on the striker fired test because all of those tested failed to fire. The ignition energy requirements were actually waved as compared to the more stringent ignition system standards that the hammer fired guns were tested on.

    All this means that if the Glock gets dirty, which can very well happen, because of its open striker channel that lets in dirt and debris coupled with the hole in the grip that is a direct highway to the striker channel that the glock is very vulnerable to contamination. Couple this with an over lube or extremely cold weather and an accumulation of burnt powder and maybe a bit of water or moisture mixed in and you have a handgun that will fail you at the worst possible moment.

    One reason I think the U.S. military adopted the Sig P320 over the Glock was that it was not only equipped with a manual safety but the P320 is a “full cock” striker fired pistol, not a pre-loaded striker fired handgun which makes the P320’s full cock striker fired system far more reliable under harsh conditions

    As a comparison I did the same high primer test on most of the famous Military Handguns, a striker fired Luger, ditto an FN .380 1955, and hammer fired guns like the Walther PPK/s and PP, a 1911,45 acp, a Browning High Power, a Star BM and two Star 30M 9mm’s, two Polish Radom’s, Sig p226, Sig P220, Beretta 92, a P38, and a CZ 75 (which for a hammer fired gun has a weaker ignition system than other hammer fired guns but it did pass the test). These are just a few of the hammer fired and striker fired guns I tested but by now you should get the idea because none of these guns failed the test, only the pre-loaded three striker fired Glock’s and a P99 failed my ignition tests.

    One note of interest is that Gaston Glock originally wanted a pistol with a “visible hammer” and his advisers told him that no one in their right mind would buy it or want it as the danger of a cocked back hammer would be all to obvious since the gun had no manual safety. His advisers told him that if he wanted to market a successful handgun he had to conceal the danger by using a striker fired system that hid the obvious danger to the user. I have always said that “What people cannot see they do not fear”. Witness the 1 million Americans that died because they could not see the deadly virus called Covid-19 and refused to get vaccinated.

    I might also mention that plastic starts to deteriorate from the day its molded. Recently on the Walther forum they were all complaining about the P99’s backstraps starting to turn to dust. I dare say none of the Plasticky guns will ever hit the 100 or more year mark like many steel framed handguns have done.

    • some interesting points..but I have yet to have one fail on me despite minimal care…would agree on the safety factor though…

    • For sure on the safety factor.
      I recently purchased a Taurus 738, nice hideout gunm but its pretty much useless in a hurry because I just can’t carry it loaded in my pocket.
      However I must admit I’m tentative of carrying a 1911 cocked and locked also.

    • Everything about the Glock is unsafe. An totally unsafe takedown system that requires you to pull the trigger with the slide forward,

      If you are too fucking stupid to make sure your firearm is in a safe condition BEFORE you begin to tear it down for cleaning, then YOU have no business being in possession of ANY firearm… I have carried a Glock EVERY day for over 20 years and I have NEVER had a negligent discharge and in fact the ONLY time any of my Glocks have discharged a projectile is when I pointed it at an intended target and pulled the trigger which has 5 1/2 pound pull (hint: you have to more than accidentally brush the side of the trigger), and NO FTFs/FTEs through hundreds of rounds…So, suck it up Buttercup, Glock scares you don’t fucking carry a Glock… “You’ll shoot yer eye out”…
      And look at YOU rattling off ALL of that technical bullshit (more like copy paste with a little edit here and there), If you don’t RESPECT your firearm your firearm (ANY firearm) will bite you in the ass… You’ve just got to be smarter than the piece you’re working with… OBTW: No one is buying all of that personal “high-primer test” bullshit either AND One million people did NOT die FROM WuFlu, MOST died of something else WITH the WuFlu, I’ve had it twice now most recently the first week of Nov this year, hmmmmmmmmmmmmm still kicking… And my “Plasticky guns” are doing just fine, the G29 is 25 years old, carried daily and still looks like it did the day I took it out of the box… Nice try, troll boy, managed to hit several subjects, disparage several decent firearms, tell the world (once again) what a dumbass you are AND you even slipped in a “Jethro” reference… That should really please your Masters…

      • I love that reply, now you really want tell us what you think?!!!
        (Some are too stupid, but we know that, just look around.)

        • Nah, it’s all wasted on that moron, but you hope that It absorbs a little bit each time eventually bending It to a point where a slight glimmer of honesty begins to show through… Unfortunately, it’s more like carving the Grand Canyon with a teaspoon, tedious, not impossible but very little return on investment…

      • For the most part a Glock is only as dangerous or as incompetent as the person holding it.
        That said the Glock dingus trigger is slightly more safe than a revolver style trigger. Is the Glock Trigger bulletproof? No Way Jose.

      • Amen brother, I carried Glock pistols everyday for over 25 years. As far as I am concerned Glock design is one of the safest pistols (Save for HK P7) ever made. Keep your finger off the trigger, simple.

    • This might come as a surprise to you but metal starts to deteriorate from the day it’s manufactured also. Most people know this.

    • dacian, the DUNDERHEAD, Interesting. But your missive shows you have no knowledge of firearms, firearm safety, or any common sense.

      Folks, tell the DUNDERHEAD what is the FIRST thing you do when you go to clean any firearm?

      For your edification, the P320 is a STRIKER fired pistol. It does NOT have a SAFETY and is in may ways similar to the GLOCK.

      When did you perform these “tests” on all the pistols you claim? Hell, you don’t even know the firing sequence of a cartridge.
      I have owned my GLOCKS for over 20 yrs. And not one of them has deteriorated in any way shape or form. Funny, but as usual, you just make crap up as you go along.

      Let me put is another way, DUNDERHEAD. You are a lair! Now confess, you are actually a Homophobe.

    • Behold, the expert on everything, the grinning idiot, has spoken.

      How many victims of your great purge will be done with Glock pistols?

      But you can use the NMPAGV defense of it all being for the common good. Just DON’T write anything down or it would be considered premeditation.

  24. My Condolences to the Glock heirs. Glock can be compared to the other one trick ponies like Stoner and Kalashnikov, but not John M Browning or Bill Ruger, who patented many distinctly different designs not just one design and then many variations on that theme!

  25. My Glock 19 exploded in my hand. It was inside a Roni when it happened and I was firing rapid fire. Seems like the plastic of the Roni touching the slide affected the timing. A range master told me he’s seen this happen 5 times. The fact is a Glock can fire even before the slide is fully locked up and that will cause the gun to blow up.
    Result: Bullet casing jammed inside the barrel, extractor tooth and mag release nowhere to be found, and the top five rounds in the mag had the bullets sunk deep into the casings from the force of the blast…. But my hands where fine thank G-d!

    Glocks: Trigger feels like a water pistol compared to an M and P 2.0 with Apex trigger kit installed……

  27. Worked in aerospace/defense industry in the 80’s. DuPont rep would tell me how GLOCK was working with DuPont to make a new “Plastic Pistol”, using the same PA 6/6 resin we were using for a military project. For those wondering, Glass filled Nylon, properly molded, has physical properties similar to 7075-T6 Aluminum but holds up to Flex Loads better. Nylon appears to dampen felt recoil because it can flex, without fatiguing, unlike aluminum. This flexing is why one needs a metal insert for stiffness. As to degrading, being properly cared for, my NYLON 66 22LR is about 40 years old, and still runs as good as the day I bought it. As 30% Carbon Fiber Nylon has similar physical properties to 1018 CR steel, at about 28% of the weight volume wise, wish the current generation of firearm designers would look at what they could accomplish with a hybrid of 30% CF Nylon and a metal insert, like current polymer pistols do with Glass Filled polymers. P.S. – Be careful as to what solvents you use to clean any polymer firearm. You don’t soak your steel handguns in salt water to clean them, so don’t expose your polymer firearm to the wrong cleaners.

    • How easy is it to work with carbon fiber filled nylon/relative expense of production compared to glass filled nylon? Like the idea in concept but would need to learn a lot more re potential hazards and durability concerns.

  29. Fox News reporter Bradley Betz actually reported that the famous pistol engineered by Gaston Glock was “largely made of plastic”. Too funny!

  31. Carry your pistols in holsters with covered trigger guards…many problems solved. Trigger, sights and grip are what matter…brand up to your preference. Can hit 100 yard plates regularly with 1911 SA, do have 17 rounds in Glock to try. Both are great for shooting at close range. Where metal guns shine is pistol whipping, in my experience the BHP is best…in one event five counts dismissed the next morning in a case of LA “creative law enforcement” where you arrest the homeowner who bashed five skinheads. Replace them with insurance adjusters…few would notice.

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