Why all the Glock hate?

Though I'm liabel to repeat what many here have already said, I'll throw my two cents worth in on this one anyway......

First and foremost, I think the hatered towards the Glock stems from it's lack of traditional design and it has no long standing history.
When you pick up a modern stainless steel S&W revolver, you can still see it's design origins through out the gun. Same with any 1911, it's got history, it's proved itself in many battles, and on many compition target ranges like Camp Perry, it's made of tradition materials just like the first one's to come off the Colt assembly line close to a century ago. Glock does not have that.

Unlike a 1911, one's ability to modify a Glock is very limited. Even with a Colt or S&W revolver you can change the sights, and try an unlimited variety of wood, or rubber grips. The modifications that can be done to a 1911 is almost limitless.

All guns are utilitarian, but until the Glock showed up, most every other gun made to that point could be cutomized with nickle finishes, engraving, gold inlays, polished and given a deep charcoal bluing.....there ain't much that you can do to a Glock's finish to improve it's appeal.

Now I personally do not hate Glock's, I will not own one because I don't like the grip angle, and the trigger also pinches my finger...(and these fingers see a lot of manual labor, plus they are caloused from guitar playing)

I do however own a Springfield XD, and even though the triggers are similar, the XD trigger does not pinch my fingers. I also like the grip angle as it just feels right in my hands, and allows me to naturally point the gun toward my target.

Another thing that has caused a lot of hatered towards Glock is it's popluarity with the gansta/urban criminal element. These are the smae poeple that have caused a lot of the anti gun sediment in this country, and that has made our hobby a difficult one to enjoy.

Glock has become to the gun world, what the cheap Japanees car became to the auto world, some love them because they are cheap to buy, they seem to do what they were designed to do, they are also cheap to operate, and most of them last a long time without any major malfunction. And there are those that hate these cars because they don't represent traditional American styling, size, or horse power.

It was stated in an earlier post that Glock has had it's 15 minutes of fame, as many police dept's are going back to more traditional handguns. This statement is very true, as we have seen many of the leading federal agencies also changing the way they view service arms for their agents, and have drifted towards the 1911/.45 ACP platform totally bypassing the police favored .40 S&W.

It many not happen in my lifetime, but there will come a day when the Glock will be viewed as a historic novelty, and people will still be shooting 1911's, BHP's, and my favorite...."The Wheel Gun"......

Tony - I hate to disagree with anyone who likes the XD (I like 'em too) but the 1911-style pistol, or any SA design for that matter, has NEVER been a factor in the L.E. market and - aside from very limited use by Tactical/SWAT units - NEVER will be. D*mn few administrators in their right minds are going to authorize SA pistols as general issue. They require much higher levels of training than most LEAs are willing to provide and have a higher likelihood of bad PR. Some agencies allow them and with well trained officers that's fine. But for mass issue pistols with DA/SA, DAO or Safe Action triggers will be used by the vast majority of police and military.

I will say right up front that I have owned over a dozen 1911 pistols and only one (a Para LDA) has ever worked out of the box. All of the others required the ministrations of a 'smith to get them to do what they were supposed to, or what I wanted them to do Some of the work was minor and some was major. I'm not complaining, it's the nature fo the beast and I accepted the fact beforehand. SOP with 1911s. I have owned eleven Glocks and all have worked perfectly out of the box. What can I say?

I still own and compete in USPSA with 1911 pistols - and for this purpose I love them. I probably shoot my Para 16.40 HiCap Limited better then any handgun I own. But that being said I would never use a 1911 (or any single action pistol) for CCW or home defense. For the former I use a Kahr PM9 and the latter is handled by a Glock 17. Under the pressures of a life threatening situation I do not want to have to manipulate or squeeze safeties nor do I want a light SA trigger.

I also have three customized Glocks (a 34, 35 and 21) that I use for USPSA competition. While I shoot them very well I have to give the edge to the Para. But I like the Glocks so I still play with them at matches.

Lastly, from a historical viewpoint the 1911 was never that popular as a military sidearm. It was standard issue with a total of only ONE major military power - the USA. Sure it was standard with Mexico, Norway, Brazil, Argentina, etc. but they hardly rank as major military powers. Do they? While large numbers of 1911s were used by other armies they fall within two classes:
1. Weapons obtained during times of emergency (ex. UK, Canada, France) which were replaced as quickly as possible once the emergency was over.
-or-
2. U.S. military aid paid for by the American tax payer and, again, usually replaced by something else.

I like both 1911s and Glocks and see no reason to knock either type. It just irritates me when the partisans of one type make wild and unsubstantiated claims/attacks about the other side's choice of handgun. Peace.

It is not that I hate the glock etc. I owned one for a while and recently sold it after I shot it over 3000 rnds out of the thing. I felt that was a reasonable test of gun and far more then virtually any Gun Rag would do.

My one big complaint is that grip of all of the plastic guns flex during recoil. I could never get over this problem. The glock is "squishy". If you grip the frame tightly then it will flex in your hand. When shooting my g20 (10mm) I had to grab it pretty tight during recoil.

Some will say this is a "feature" and talk about how soft shooting it is because the gun frame absorbs some of the recoil.


I on the other hand consider it a design flaw and will not ever own a plastic (opps, sorry, "polymer") handgun in the future.

I don't hate Glock's. In fact I am saving to get me one, a G36 for CCW.

What I dislike , not hate is the "Glock SNOB".

That said I love my 1911's and I dislike 1911 snobs too!

Glocks are good guns. So are a lot of other modern designs.

The thing about Glocks that appeals to me is their strictly no nonsense utilitarian design and their relatively speaking low cost.

I am not going to nearly as upset if a $500 glock gets beat around as I would if my $1500 semi custom 1911 does.

Hell Glocks are so ugly to start with I likely wouldn't even notice a few marks.
That is another thing that draws me closer to getting one.

A freind who is a a border line Glock Snob calles them his pig guns. That's because they are uglier than mud and eat everything he throws at em.

I think that any gun that gets mud in the barrel and doesn't KB is well worth it!

glocks are ugly. about all you can do to pimp a glock is have the slide refinished.

at least with my kimber i can get really cool grips, and do some two-tone stuff if i wanted.

what gets me is the people who buy a glock and then run for their cameras to take a picture of it to show off to the online world.

gee, your glock looks exactly like the other 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 that everyone else has.

true, glocks do have their place in the firearm community. just not in my home, thats all.

Hate is a pretty strong word. I'd say I have what I'd term disdain for Glocks. I don't mind hearing about them matter of factly, but I cannot stand the evangelization of them, often by people whose entire education on handguns before buying a Glock was a Playstation.

"But all of those law enforcement agencies can't be wrong can they?"

Nope, but almost all of them are undoubtedly cheap as well, proving what, exactly?

Glock makes adequate pistols, nothing more. Were I given one other than a G20, I'd sell it off. Were I issued one, I'd attempt to qualify with something else, even if I had to pay full MSRP for it.

Glocks?



Hmmm... She's not that bad looking...

The trigger really sucks. Other than that, I like `em!

I have a G19 and love it I did not buy it to enter into a beauty contest. I bought it to do one thing shoot and that it does. All these people always say there ugly who cares If you want a gun to look at get a 1911 if you want a gun to shoot and shoot every time GLOCK...

"if you want a gun to shoot and shoot every time GLOCK..."
Or a SIG.
Or a Beretta.
Or a CZ.
Or a S&W...

If you want a gun to look at get a 1911 if you want a gun to shoot and shoot every time GLOCK...

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That statement reminds me of something else I've heard. Goes something like "Those who carry, carry glocks, those who shoot, shoot 1911s."

Yes not saying those are not good guns. I have had all of them you mention and still have some But my Glock has seemed more rugged and have not had any misfires or jams... Like I have had with other guns..

That statement reminds me of something else I've heard. Goes something like "Those who carry, carry glocks, those who shoot, shoot 1911s."

Click to expand...

Yup and I do both....

First of all, let me address the AK's. They're ugly. Extremely ugly. Accuracy is adequate if you're hunting barns at less than 100 yards. Power is adequate if you're hunting deer sized game at no more than 150 yards or so. (But they have to very large and very feeble deer) They are the very antithesis of my beautiful old Model 70's. Sure, the AK is reliable. So's the toilet.

Glocks feel funky in my hand. I don't care for their ergonomics at all. They're exceptionally reliable. Accuracy is adequate for SD purposes. Too much plastic on 'em. WAAAAAAYYYY too much plastic on 'em. But hey, I'm a traditionalist.

I don't hate either one. It's just not likely that I'll ever own either one.

Neither will ever appear on my "real guns" list.

Tim

I've shot a couple, and they did absolutely nothing for me. Maybe I'm spoiled, but a Glock just doesn't feel anything like a handgun. It's like eating with a spork.

Ty

I would not want to be in that room if thats the case... who would have thought to smack a gun loaded with a heavy baton to see if it would go off.

We are talking about the CHP here.

Dunno why people hate them. I'd take one if someone offered it for free.

I just don't like them because I rented and tried a few Glocks at a local range and not a one of them fit my hand comfortably. OTOH, many people say Makarov grips are terrible, but they fit my hand great. I guess I was made to Warsaw pact standards...

The claims that early Glocks could be made to fire if struck has some basis in fact. Actually the same thing could happen with a 1911 - why do you think all new ones have the firing pin plunger safety?

Glock recognized the problem was possible and performed FREE updates on all their early pistols, whereas it took Colt 40 years to admit it.

These stories are repeated so often that many people believe them while those who depend upon them to buttress their positions conveniently leave out pertinant information. Naughty, naughty.....

Given that Colt patented the Schwartz safety and used it in some pre-War pistols, I hardly think they took forty years to recognize that perhaps a FPS was desireable.

How any of that 1911A1 trivia excuses Glock for not having one all along escapes me.

I like 'em. Wouldn't trade my G22 for anything.

Glocks are like black licorice, some people like 'em, some people don't. But those who like 'em.......like 'em a whole lot!.

REASONS I DON'T LIKE GLOCKS:

Can't shoot reloads.
Can't shoot lead bullets.
They look ugly (subjective criteria, I know).
Incredible ease of a negligent discharge.
Occasional story of a sensational kaBOOM!.
Plastic grip is uncomfortable and slippery.
In my opinion and experience, they are not very accurate.
In the People's Republic of California, they only hold 10 rounds, just like everything else, thus obliviating their main attraction.
Never had a recall, just recommended voluntary upgrades.

REASONS I DO LIKE GLOCKS:

Cheap!.
Don't rust very easy.
The G30 is really the only one I like - It's tiny and holds 10 rounds of .45ACP.
An incredible aftermarket of Bling, Bling exists for all Glock models.