Dont Hurt me tooo much! Just a theory!

[tiffa]

Cop agencies are the number one purchaser of a Glock Firearm.

I cant seem to get why Glock is such a large company when all they have done to their weapons is add some finger grooves for the most part.


Now, why did I mention the cops owning them? I would have to start by saying they sure as heck dont drive BMWS......


Now.... Why dont they have BMWS? They are fast and will obviously get the job done way quicker.


I have come to the conclusion that they sell them "CHEAP". Cause if they didnt Kahr or Sig or Colt would have a better contract than they do....

Glock=cheap
Cops cars=cheap


So why do people still like the glock?



I hope all this made sense cause it sure did when I thought of it in my head lol

 

[FIVETWOSEVEN]

Glocks sold to us at the gunshop new cost between $500 - $600 average when cops can get a Glock sold to their agency for about $150 a piece.

Kinda hard to beat that kinda pricing with any other gun out there that is that good. If Glocks were sold that much on the civilian market I don't think they would be that popular just because of the price alone. Look at Rugers P series, they can be had for about $300 average and they are hardly popular. Just my theroy anyway.

 

[Tomcat47]

Well I can see your point.....

But i will add this thought....Probably because all equipment for agencies on a state and government level are assuredly put out for bid!...and lowest bidder wins the contract....

IE: Ford = Crown Victoria - Probably toughest Cop Car Platform!
Glock = (Insert model) - Probably one of most indestructable/dependable Duty Firearms built!

Not that there are not others that fit the bill, and are dependable....Just Glock won the contracts! And it all comes down to Glock is willing to produce their polymer frame pistol much cheaper than say a Beretta or Sig or (enter other brand)

Especially considering quantity of firearms.

 

[Jeb21]

Glocks work well, are light weight, have good ergonomics, low recoil, and resist the elements.

 

[MrsSmith]

Glock is pure utilitarian. So is a Crown Vic.

You called that one right tiffa.

 

[marksman13]

Could be that Glocks perform well, are light weight, have simple controls, low maintenance, low prices and have done a great job of marketing their firearms....

Na... That couldn't be it.

Of course price plays a role in any large contract, but agencies don't often buy firearms that aren't proven platforms. Glocks have proven they work. The same could be said for Crown Vics. My local PD recently bought a few Dodge Chargers. The officers hate them. Not saying a Charger is a BMW, but the bottom line is that there is a mind-set in law enforcement and military agencies that says, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." I tend to agree.

I've owned a myriad of pistols from a Ruger P94 to a Kimber TLE/RL II. All my pistols are now Glocks. They work for me. They may not for you.

 

[marksman13]

And police don't run BMWs because they can not afford them, and I doubt very seriously they would "get the job done" any faster than a Crown Vic. Given the option I would much rather attempt a pit maneuver with a Crown Vic.

 

[Gryffydd]

Glocks work well, are light weight, have good ergonomics,

Yes police agencies go with the companies that give them the best deals. But that's not the only reason they go with Glocks by any means. I'm pretty sure ergonomics aren't one of them...

 

[mr.trooper]

I didn't see any bridges.

Guess I need my eyes checked.

 

[9mmepiphany]

I once attended a class on how to respond to a terrorist attack where they used bio, chem and nuke contaminants . Their recommendation was that first responders be equipped with Glocks...because it would be a smaller hit on the equipment budget when we threw them away during decontamination.

I believe unit cost plays a large part in LE departmental gun selection...assuming they can pass testing. I was very surprised when the Glock 17 fared so poorly in the US Military XM-9 trials

 

[priler]

seems like sometimes events that occur get lost in time and memory.

i was still a teenager when it was happening,all across americas there was this talk on the news about some pistol called glock that would pass airport security because it was made of plastic.

all the antis were really pushing this issue and being the ignorant soals that they are,didn't really notice or care that they were giving this new pistol one of the biggest free publicity ever given any manufacturer. it was like free advertisement on billboards all across the country.


now,i'm not saying that this is the main/only reason for it's popularity to this day,the fact that it happened to come along at this particular time and touted as some form of new spaced-aged polymer gun,which it was at the time,and that it's had enough time to cement itself in the mind of the public before any of the other manufacturers even had time to blink,certainly played it's part too,..but the anti campain played it's part to a certain extent.i'm telling you,this was huge back then.


the fact that here was a light weight pistol that also happen to be very reliable and that according to glock would solve any officer related troubles because of it's unique,simple to operate and safe trigger system,also caught everyones attention.further,glocks price point to agencies could not be beat and that's all she wrote.

fact is,it was a series of events that led to glock firmly establishing itself and that all the other manufacturers would have to deal with.

never mind that glocks' original intent was to produce a sidearms for the austrian army in the snow,we've had polymer pistols ever since but they were bound to come regardless,..glock just dramatically sped the process.

funny thing is,when i got to hold one in my hands for the first time,i was not sold.in fact,to this day i tend to draw a line between glocks,including any others who try to imitate either their triggers or grip angles,and others.the blame for that fully falls on a walther p88 i had at that time and i'm thankful for that because across that line opposite the glocks stands many other wonderful makes,many of which include polymer.

i remember so many 1911 fans really crying foul,almost all of which eventually would get glocks.now that's funny too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmHNfWRw-qg

 

[JohnBiltz]

My memory was the Glock was not under consideration in XM9 trials because it did not meet the double action requirement.

Has anyone considered the possibility that near 70% of the police market is owned by Glock because they are good inexpensive handguns? Strange thought people bought them because they worked and were not price gouging the tax payers. For this they are vilified. If only the rest of government procurement worked so well.

 

[JustinJ]

"...cops can get a Glock sold to their agency for about $150 a piece."

Sorry but i have real trouble believing that. Glock has LE pricing for individual cops starting at around $400. So I have trouble believing an agency can get it down to $150 no matter how many they buy. If you can reference where this has happened please do so.

 

[REAPER4206969]

Is that why agencies and units such as the FBI/FBI HRT/CAG/Etc. that can have any handgun available, or have custom ones built, still choose Glock?

 

[Carl N. Brown]

You keep a large scale contract by being both good and affordable.

Plus, the story goes Gaston Glock designed the GLOCK (officially the brandname is all caps) as a rank newbie to make guns for rank newbies (i.e., raw recruits who won't always have the luxury of incessant practice).

 

[REAPER4206969]

I have come to the conclusion that they sell them "CHEAP". Cause if they didnt Kahr or Sig or Colt would have a better contract than they do....

Kahr and Colt do not make a modern, service class pistol and SIG's/Beretta's/Etc. are not much more expensive than Glock's when bought in such large numbers.

when cops can get a Glock sold to their agency for about $150 a piece.

Wrong.

Look at Rugers P series, they can be had for about $300 average and they are hardly popular.

Offtopic:The P95 is consistently in the top ten handguns sold every year.

I'm pretty sure ergonomics aren't one of them...

More thought was put into the Glock's ergonomics than most pistols that are designed to "feel good in the hand."

I was very surprised when the Glock 17 fared so poorly in the US Military XM-9 trials

The Glock was never submitted into the XM9 trials. It wasn't even imported until 1986.

Plus, the story goes Gaston Glock designed the GLOCK (officially the brandname is all caps) as a rank newbie to make guns for rank newbies

Gaston compiled a team of Europe's best Military, Police and private competition shooters to help design the "user interface" of the Glock.

 

[KenW.]

There are several reasons why Glock has such a large share of the law enforcement market:

- dependable, they run dirty pretty well
- easy to train non-gun people to use effectively
- simple for the agency armorer to maintain, parts are plentiful
- nearly indestructable (cop-proof)

and last but not least; DRUM ROLL PLEASE...

-Always the lowest bidder

My agency is switching to them. But we are still permitted alternates. I'm staying with my XDs.

 

[Mudinyeri]

Having owned a BMW, BMW's are expensive to repair. While they rarely experience catastrophic failures, it seems that lots of little things do go wrong with BMW's. Regular servicing for BMW's is also expensive. IIRC, a Level 1 service (basically an oil change) was about $400. When I got a $1400 estimate for a Level 3 service, I traded my BMW on a Jeep - something I could work on myself without special tools or more-expensive-than-average parts.

See any correlaries, OP?

 

[ForumSurfer]

Glocks are popular with many of us because of a few simple facts

• They are accurate.
• They are reliable.
• If by chance something does break, must parts (except for the slide, barrel and firing pin) cost an earth shattering $15.
• It doesn't take a rocket scientist to be glock armorer. Most people with basic mechanical skills can completely disassemble it to a pile of parts in just a few minutes without an armorers course...and assemble a working gun from said pile of parts.
• They are inexpensive.
• Remarkable tough finish. I can carry mine without the need for constant field stripping and wipe downs when it is hot and humid. It gets really humid here and I'll sweat through, around, or into whatever type of holster I could possible carry when I'm working outside.

As far as the cop car comparo, well I've owned an BMW M3. It was my first and last BMW. Yes, they are wonderful cars that do many things way better than most (stock). Drive one hard or even better, drive it hard on a track and you'll find out just how expensive those bmw replacement parts are. Even if you can do any type of repair, service yourself...that replacement part price is a real deal breaker. Police cars see even worse abuse. They get driven hard, they chase other cars over bad pavement and curbs and other such things that beat the suspension and drive-train mercilessly. I'm glad my police department doesn't use my tax money to pay for cars like that which serve no purpose. Around towns and cities, the radio is a far better tool than a fast car. The only agencies that need fast cars are the ones who have vast, open expanses of straight road with few patrol cars to intercept.

 

[mgmorden]

REAPER: Due note that the price sheet you're using is blatantly marked "Individual Officer Price Sheet". Buying one (or two - which is the maximum number that can be bought with that sheet) at a time and buying an entire fleet of of them to outfit the whole department are going to be different price schemes. Will it get down to $150? I'm not sure personally, though I have heard that the production cost to GLOCK for each one is in the neighborhood of $75 so it's not unthinkable, but either way, a bulk purchase will be less than buying a handful.

 

[ForumSurfer]

a bulk purchase will be less than buying a handful

Not always. Times are tough and companies often view "bulk" differently. A department may buy 1,000 of them and that is considered bulk to the department. To the supplier, it may not be enough to drive the cost down from the manufacturer. I couldn't see anyone getting them under $200 unless they were outfitting an entire military division.

 

[MachIVshooter]

The individual officer price sheet is just that. When an entire department buys, the price goes down. Last time I talked to one of our local PD captains, they were paying $340 for basic 22's. And there are trade in programs as well.

Glock makes good handguns.........and even better marketing strategies.

That said, many agencies have been switching to the M&P. S&W had a good share of LE with the 3rd gens, but even at whole department pricing, they were far more expensive than the Glock. The M&P, though, is at a more competetive price point, and doing pretty well cutting into that market, especially because, by and large, it is better liked by the officers for it's ergonomics. Colorado State Patrol went the M&P route about 3 years ago.

While the Glock and the Crown Vic have epitomized LE equipment for some time, it has been changing. Chargers, Impalas, Tahoes, Durangos and others have become frequent sights, as have other duty pistols. My county runs a lot of Explorers, the state patrol cruisers out here are mostly Chargers, and the neighboring county uses more Chargers and Tahoes than Crown Vic's. There is also only one small police department that issues Glocks (the one I mentioned before). The counties and the other PD's don't issue, and very few of the officers are carrying Glocks.

 

[REAPER4206969]

The individual officer price sheet is just that. When an entire department buys, the price goes down.

Yes, and I addressed that with my first quote. However, he posted that a cop can get one through their agency for $150 and I posted what the cop would actually have to pay to get one.

 

[moonpie]

glocks have more than proven themselves in design, innovation, and real time field performance. they are as dependable and near indestructible as our present technology can make them. several competing models owe their success to shared design features.while some of the larger agencies may mandate their use several smaller PDs require officers to supply their own sidearms, many choose glocks. i have nothing but the highest admiration for a pistol that i won't buy, barter for or accept as a gift unless i could trade it off at the earliest opportunity

 

[Pops 1]

As for as the P95 goes, I help a friend at our local gun show that was there selling guns. This is not a big gun show and I sold four P95's in one day.