Glock.

I've got to be honest this is kind of a boring weapon design-wise it's ugly couple of rectangles overlapped like a gun drawn by a child and yet for some reason it's quite popular the Glock a polymer-framed pistol hailing from Austria and perhaps the most successful of the one the nines so how did an obscure Austrian plastic manufacturer have such an impact on the arms industry what was so special about Glocks design and are they really invisible to x-rays during World War two Austrian service pistol was the Walther p38 made perfectly serviceable semi-auto pistol and it retained its role for some time after the war however by the late 1970s there were better alternatives and the Austrian Armed Forces began seeking a replacement pistol in 1980 the most likely contender at this time was the Steyr G be designed in 1968 and boasting some novel features but it faced stiff competition from other European manufacturers such as beretta and Sig Sauer but surely the Austrians would select a homegrown weapon and steyr were pretty much the only Austrian arms manufacturer going it was a shoe-in however there was an outsider a man named Gaston Glock he was the founder of a small manufacturing company based in Deutsche varam that made polymer products originally curtain rods and doorknobs by the late 1970s Glock had found a niche in products for the military entrenching tools knives and disintegrating links they'd never made any firearms before but when Glock caught wind of the upcoming tender for a replacement pistol he decided to design his own he was guided by the standard set by the Austrian Ministry of Defence the new weapon had to be a nine-millimeter semi-automatic ambidextrous drop safe easy to maintain and of simple interchangeable construction unhindered by any preconception or existing tooling this was an entirely new pistol designed to an exacting specification he called it the Glock 17 as it was his 17th invention that its magazine capacity was 17 rounds was serendipity in 1982 Glock submitted his handgun designed to the Austrian military for testing where it would be up against heavyweights such as six hours p2 22:26 18 KS p7 and the Beretta 92 the price was an order of 25,000 units and somehow the rank up cider clinched it Glocks design proved its capability outperforming all of its rivals now the Americans had just settled on the Beretta so news of a javert Oh unknown name in firearms beating established manufacturers was surprising to say the least there was concern that the high-capacity magazine would prove useful for criminals and that the plastic frame would be invisible on airport x-ray machines it was described as tailor-made for terrorists however most of these fears were unfounded the metal components of the Glock are still quite recognizable as a firearm and by now high-capacity weapons were the norm eventually the resistance to the Glock dissipated after all you can't keep a good design down and more and more police and military forces realized the Glocks potential with the weapon seeing rapid adoption throughout the 1990s the plastic pistol from Austria was ready for the silver screen diehard too wasn't the first film the Glock made an appearance in but it's probably the first memorable one the fictional Glock 7 is described as a porcelain gun made in Germany that doesn't show up on your airport x-ray machines and costs more than what you make in a month the quote is wrong on almost every count but the gun was new and it was cool as its popularity surged the Glock became an increasingly common sight often seen in the hands of fictional law enforcement such as in Robocop 3 the fugitive and Beverly Hills Cop three fellow Austrian Arnold Schwarzenegger was reportedly a fan and the Glock makes an appearance in True Lies eraser an end of days even the word Glock itself became a byword for firepower a frequent referencing gangster-rap such as Ice T's OG Original Gangster dr. Dre's lemme ride and ice cubes you know how we do it right from the stop the pistol has refused stereotyped civilian police military terrorist gangbanger the Glock is for everyone this universal appeal was helped by a large number of variants model numbers starting with the 17 and ascending the glock 18 they fully automatic machine pistol the 19 with compact frame 20 made for the heart hitting 10 mil auto round 21 in 45 acp the 22 23 and 24 in 40 Smith & Wesson 25 in 380 acp and the 26 a subcompact Glock in nine-millimeter ideal for concealed carry the list goes on the whole range of calibers a whole range of sizes despite some issues with the earlier 40 Cal models mostly a consequence of hotter than usual rounds Glocks original design is proven quite adaptable and today the pistol for everyone is everywhere naturally this means they're a popular choice for video games and the Glock is one of the more attainable weapons within a typical arsenal however being a pistol it's often sidelined to a secondary role a backup to your SMG or assault rifle it's not a glamorous job but such is the pistols lot but in the early days of the FPS lower-ranking weapons within the power hierarchy got their share of attention by being the first weapons you got to play with this coincides with the Glocks rapid rise in popularity during the late 90s so early appearances and games like Duke Nukem 3d and half-life aren't too surprising as more realistic gamers took hold we start to see a reflection of the Glocks popularity with law enforcement and military units games like SWAT for the Delta Force and Rainbow six series all feature the Glock in some form of course it's not always called the Glock in games it is a commercial trademark so it's often changed to avoid legal trouble most often the Glock 17 will be known as the g17 or perhaps as one of its military designations in some cases where firearms are less of a focus it might be entirely generic the nine mil pistol or similar there's no mistaking its boxy exterior though the Glocks familiarity is its key distinction the entire glock lineup is broadly similar they all look and behave in pretty much the same way but there is one exception the forbidden glock 18 it is disproportionately popular in games probably because it's more interesting and exciting than the semi-automatic pistols it resembles in gameplay terms it fills an interesting role that not many other recognizable weapons can a pocket-sized Auto seldom controllable but always quite good fun the akimbo Glocks from modern warfare 2 are a particularly memorable example they were surprisingly effective even without the ability to aim so as dull as pistols can be there's something to like about the Glock a utilitarian charm it's just a gun it's just a gun that does its job extraordinarily well it's lost its exotic edge no longer is it the plastic European wonder that changed America's outlook on handguns but it's matured into a modern classic that might just outlast us all sorry welcome to the default option a versatile pistol with broad appeal it's true there are better looking weapons earlier and some more suited to specific roles but there's a Glock good enough for everyone besides sometimes ugly is beautiful and sometimes boring is exactly what you need the Glock neutral universal perfect thank you very much for watching and until next time farewell [Music]

Channel: Ahoy

Views: 2,579,404

Rating: 4.9738498 out of 5

Keywords: glock, iconic arms

Id: EKVjMAG4ues

Length: 9min 43sec (583 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 06 2019

Reddit Comments

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[u/beet111]

I remember watching this guy doing weapon videos for modern warfare 2 and black ops. he would go over all of the attachments for each gun and give the best set up for different situations. it's interesting watching him evolve over the last decade.

[u/Birdlover82]

Ahoy might be one of the greatest channels of all time. Unmistakable style, sexy British voice narrating, smooth editing and pace. It’s a show you expect to see on the Discovery Channel.

[u/ShoutOutTo_Caboose]

XboxAhoy shows up twice a year but drops complete bangers both times

[u/TryNottoFaint]

I've been asked quite a few times by people who want to get their first handgun "What should I get?" and I tell them "Well, you could definitely not go wrong by getting a Glock 19 or one of its variants. That is, if you like the way a Glock feels in your hands." And probably 80% of the time that's what they end up with. Funny thing is, I don't have a Glock 19. Have a couple other Glocks and other manufacturer's handguns, but no Glock 19. The thing about Glocks that I really appreciate is how reliable they are, and how you can use pretty much any type of ammo (as long as it's the right caliber) in them and they just run. Plenty of other handguns can be quite finicky about ammo. Sure, a Glock can have misfires/stovepipes/whatever but they are super easy to work on/modify/repair and it takes only a few minutes to field strip, clean, lube, and reassemble. The aftermarket for Glock mods and accessories is amazing, so many options. And although they aren't cheap, they aren't that bad (about $600 or so new) and hold their value quite well. Plus you can buy great used ones at many gun stores and save a couple hundred bucks.

[u/Namika]

Love how this series started out as ostensibly a video game series, but it became a master class documentary on famous weapons.

The video on the bow & arrow is a classic, his delivery on the closing remarks gives me frissions everytime.

[u/colin8651]

I hate Glocks. I hate them because they are boring and absolutely perfect in every regard.

I have Sigs, HK’s, Ed Brown 1911 and I just don’t shoot them anymore. The Glock 19 and 43 naturally “point” in my hand like no other pistol does. I can close my eyes, present my pistol, open my eyes and my sights are perfectly lined up.

Manufacturers like Sig have a great pistol like a P226 and 30 different variants; BBQ guns, Tactical, Stainless, Target and even the Legion stuff.

But Glock just has Glock, pick you size and caliber and “Have nice day”, nothing else to see.

I suppose I could build one of those “Not Made By Glock, Glocks” and fully customize one, but still, it’s not a Glock.

Just give them the 10 cent trigger job, replace the stock sights and your done.

You don’t even want to get fancy with the finishes on the metal, you just need their Tennifer. Except the finish they put on the Georgia made pistols, that finish Isn’t that good, but I think it’s some sort of Government compliance and the process to apply the Euro style finish is difficult in the US.

[u/Reien]

Love my Glock 23.